Exploring Cultural Connections

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

The world is a patchwork of cultures, each unique but shaped by similar forces.

Rather than focusing on one culture, look at some building blocks that helped form them. These are the things that shape the ways people live, think, and interact with one another.

Skin Color and Geography

Look at this map, which shows skin color gradients based on latitude.

The amount of sunlight people receive has historically influenced the color of their skin. This adaptation helps protect people from the sun's harmful rays. While this factor didn't directly impact individual cultures' development, it has sometimes been a barrier to cultural mixing.

For example, when Hernan Cortes arrived in the Americas in the 1500s, the Mesoamerican people mistook him for a god because of his pale skin. Similarly, during the transatlantic slave trade, Africans were thought to be best suited for the hot, humid climates of the American South and Caribbean.

• In these situations, do you think skin color led to cooperation between different groups or created divisions?

Language and Communication

As you saw in the video, there are over 7,000 languages worldwide.

• What do you think makes a language unique?
• And what does it take to write down what people speak?

For thousands of years, humans have communicated only through the spoken word. It wasn't until around 3500 B.C., in Mesopotamia, that a written language developed.

The first written system, cuneiform, was primarily used for keeping records, which were crucial for organizing cities and economies.

Soon, however, people realized they could use writing to record stories from oral tradition. One example is the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story that offers insights into the beliefs and origins of ancient Mesopotamian culture.

Numbers and Systems of Counting

Numbers, like language, help us make sense of the world around us.

• Did you know that our number system is based on the number 10, but ancient societies structured their number systems in many other ways?

For example, the Mayans used a base-20 system, while the Sumerians used base-60.

This wasn't just about counting—it reflected the values and needs of each society. The Sumerians needed a complex system for accurate record-keeping, while the Mayans focused on astronomy and timekeeping.

Even in remote parts of Papua New Guinea, people used a number system based on 37!

Watch the video below to see how the people of Papua New Guinea use their unique body-counting system.

• How would such a system help a community that relies on it daily?

Inventions: What They Say About Us

Inventions, too, have been shaped by culture.

Watch this video on the invention of the wheel and how animals played a part in its usefulness.

In the Americas, Native peoples didn't have domesticated work animals like oxen or horses. This influenced their culture and way of life, especially in transportation and agriculture.

But animals were central to daily life in places like Europe, Asia, and Africa. In India, cows became sacred, not only for religious reasons but because of their importance during the dry season.

As you examine how different cultures form and evolve, you will see that all these aspects—skin color, language, numbers, and inventions—create a diverse and complex world.

Head to the Got It? section to explore how these pieces fit together to form the beautiful, varied cultural mosaic you see today.