| The Hawai‘i
Standards document states, "The study of culture is more
than holidays and food, costumes and crafts. It prepares students to
think about culture as a system of beliefs, traditions, etc., and to
use that knowledge to celebrate diversity and unity and to develop empathy
for people and things different from themselves."
Culture is very much the focus of Pacific Worlds, though we see culture
as integral with history, science, environmental understanding, and
social and political systems.
Addressing the Standards:
Pacific Islands
share many cultural characteristics, but there is also considerable
cultural difference across the region. The name "Pacific Worlds"
acknowledges that each culture, with its language, constitutes a distinct
construction of the "world."
Additionally, due to their small size, Pacific Island entities have
developed important ways of culturally adapting to their limited space
and resource base. Social and Cultural values and institutions play
important roles in maintaining balance both within the society, and
with the environment.
Information in Pacific Worlds websites is related largely through story-telling,
and the first-person narration focuses on cultural perceptions, rather
than "factual" accounts. This mode of conveying knowledge
and of understanding the world manifests distinctly within each culture.
Given this strong cultural orientation to this project, we hope that
teachers will have little difficulty discerning how this project can
be used to address the Standards.
Below are listed the content standards
as laid out for Hawai‘i Schools (Source: "Social Studies
Content Standards"). Use the ideas listed above to apply to the
specific standards listed for each category and each grade level.
Content Standards, Cultural Anthropology:
(taken directly from the Standards booklet)
1. CULTURAL SYSTEMS
Students understand culture as a system of beliefs, knowledge, and practices
shared by a group.
Grades 4 - 5:
• Explain how language, stories, music, dance, artifacts, traditions,
beliefs, values, and behaviors are elements of culture and contribute
to the preservation of cultures.
Grades 6 - 8:
• Describe and analyze the ways in which different cultures
have influenced and continue to influence families, communities, nations,
and world.
Grades 9 - 12:
• Describe similarities and differences in ways cultures use
rules, folkways, mores, and taboos to define individual rights and
responsibilities and analyze the implications of those beliefs and
actions on the larger community.
2. CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND UNITY
Students understand and respect the myriad of ways that society addresses
human needs and wants.
Grades 4 - 5:
• Examine and explain how individuals, groups, and nations
deal with conflict, cooperation, and interdependence to become more
adept at perspective taking.
Grades 6 - 8:
• Explain conditions and motivations that contribute to conflict,
cooperation, and interdependence among different individuals, groups
and/or nations, and suggest alternative “win-win” solutions
to persistent contemporary and emerging global issues.
Grades 9 - 12:
• Analyze issues of cultural assimilation and preservation
from the perspective of diverse ethnic and racial groups in Hawai‘i,
the US, and the world and work collaboratively with individuals or
groups to support and honor cultural diversity and unity (e pluribus
unum).
3. CULTURAL DYNAMICS/CHANGE AND CONTINUITY
Students understand culture as dynamic, selective, adaptive, and ever
changing.
Grades 4 - 5:
• Give examples and explain how change in culture and cultural
elements can facilitate or disrupt understanding, and analyze different
ways of handling cultural differences within and across groups.
Grades 6 - 8:
• Use examples of changing culture, particularly American culture,
to identify and analyze ways to respond to cultural differences and
problems within and across groups, e.g., stereotyping, ethics.
Grades 9 - 12:
• Evaluate the impact of culture, particularly changing culture
on individuals, groups, and issues in America and demonstrate an understanding
of the relationships between culture, cultural change, and social
conditions.
4. CULTURAL INQUIRY
Students use the tools and methodology of social scientists to
explain and interpret ideas and events.
Grades 4 - 5:
• Use the tools and methods of anthropologists to compare,
analyze, and interpret patterns of behavior to make informed decisions
and solutions.
Grades 6 - 8:
• Use tools, theories, and methods of anthropologists to examine
persistent current issues and social problems and use the data to
analyze personal and collective decisions.
Grades 9 - 12:
• Use the research tools, procedures, and skills of anthropologists
to develop informed positions on issues.
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