THE CULTURAL ICEBERG

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner to complete worksheet #1: Features of Culture Think of one example common to people in the U.S. or the country where you were born You will have 8 minutes and then we will share

REMEMBER: CULTURE IS A COMPLEX CONCEPT EVERYONE HAS A CULTURE CULTURE SHAPES HOW WE SEE THE WORLD, OURSELVES, AND OTHERS.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT AN ICEBERG? (Discuss with your group) What do you know about the size and shape of an iceberg? How much of an iceberg is above the water? How much of an iceberg is underwater?

Only about 1/8 of an iceberg is visible above the water. THE REST IS BELOW

CULTURE IS VERY SIMILAR TO AN ICEBERG. It has some aspects that are visible and many others that can only be suspected, guessed, or learned as understanding of the culture grows. Like an iceberg, the visible part of culture is only a small part of a much larger whole.

DIRECTIONS: In groups of four look at the features of cultures on the sentence strips Decide if the features are visible or invisible You will have 5 minutes

Use the information in the graphic to re-examine your choices Determine if changes need to be made Once your decisions are final, use tape to place your answers on the glacier model

BELOW THE WATER - INVISIBLE ABOVE THE WATER - VISIBLE CHECK YOUR ANSWERS BELOW THE WATER - INVISIBLE Beliefs about hospitality Importance of time Values Beliefs about child raising Attitudes about personal space/privacy Beliefs about the responsibilities of children and teens Concept of fairness Nature of friendship Ideas about clothing Concept of self Work ethnic Religious beliefs Concept of beauty Rules of polite behavior Attitude toward age The role of family General worldview ABOVE THE WATER - VISIBLE Styles of dress Ways of greeting people Paintings Literature Gestures to show you understand what has been told to you Holiday customs Music Dancing Celebrations Foods Greetings Facial expressions and hand gestures Religious rituals

In most cases the invisible aspects of culture influence or cause the visible ones. Ideas about modesty might affect styles of dress Religious beliefs might influence holiday celebrations, paintings and music

CULTURE IS JUST ONE OF NUMEROUS INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR.

REFERENCES http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/lessonplans/ http://www.languageandculture.com/en_us/about_culture/cultural_iceberg.html