NC Teaching Fellows ProgramCasey Spillman

NY Trip Reflection4/10/06

New York Trip Lesson Planning Form

“Education on Diversity” or “How to Resist Culture Shock”

Teacher: Casey SpillmanDate: 4/10/06

Specific Objective(s):

  1. Introduction
  2. Lecture on Cultural Diversity

III. Lecture on Societal Diversity

IV. Conclusion

Materials & Equipment:

I.Photographs

II.Map of New York City

III. Menus from restaurants

IV. Everything combined into a Power Point presentation

Sequence of Events:

I.Introduction

a. begin by addressing the class with a brief history of New York City

b. explain that people from all over the world have been coming to NYC since before the 20th century

c. show photos/slides of NYC’s evolution since its inception

II. Lecture on Cultural Diversity

a. explain that unlike eastern North Carolina there is an enormous cultural mix of peoples from all over the world who live in and travel to NYC, resulting in a wealth of languages, customs, and beliefs

b. provide a slide of statistics of the different cultures represented in the NYC population

c. provide a slide of a map of NYC that illustrates the different areas of the city wherein many of the cultures live (i.e., Chinatown, Little Italy, Harlem, etc.)

d. show photos/slides of the many different peoples who anyone could run into on the streets of NYC

III. Lecture on Societal Diversity

a. explain that unlike in eastern North Carolina life in a big city is vastly different from what many of the students are used to in respects to traffic, attitude, prices on food, gas, merchandise, etc., and pace of life (fast and busy as opposed to slower and more laid back)

b. refer back to the slide containing the map in order to illustrate how the size of the city has a great impact on the fast pace of living (getting from Point A to Point B in a timely fashion)

c. provide slides of restaurant menus to illustrate that eating many places (particularly Manhattan) is greatly different than what we are used to at home

d. show photos/slides of different forms of transportation (bus, subway, taxi, etc.), the prices on commodities that may be cheaper for us at home, and the business of the city in many areas in general

IV. Conclusion

a. discuss that being culturally insensitive and letting oneself be subject to culture shock is close-minded and can lead to negativity

b. explain that cultural and societal diversity exists no matter where one travels and it is short-sighted and unfair to expect everything to be the same as it is at home

c. encourage students to be aware of these factors and apply them whenever they step outside their cultural and societal circles with which they are the most familiar and comfortable

d. open up the floor for questions

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