Defining Culture and Cultural Landscapes

Active learning helps students move beyond abstract definitions by engaging directly with cultural artifacts and landscapes. When students analyze real places and objects, they connect classroom concepts to tangible evidence, making cultural processes visible and memorable.

• 11th Grade
• Geography
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify examples of material and non-material culture from a given U.S. region.
2. Analyze how specific cultural practices, such as agricultural techniques or religious customs, have shaped the built environment in a U.S. state.
3. Evaluate the role of a specific cultural landscape, like a historic district or a traditional community, in preserving the identity and heritage of its inhabitants.
4. Compare and contrast the cultural landscapes of two different U.S. regions, identifying distinct material and non-material influences.

Gallery Walk

⏱ 45 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Cultural Landscapes

Display 20 photos of global and U.S. cultural landscapes around the room. Students walk in pairs, noting material and non-material elements on sticky notes. Regroup to share and categorize observations on a class chart.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between material and non-material culture with geographic examples.

Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, position students so they can observe details in each image before discussing, ensuring quiet reflection time to notice subtle cultural markers.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Jigsaw

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Culture Components

Divide class into expert groups on material vs. non-material culture or landscape types. Experts teach their specialty to new home groups using geographic examples. Groups create posters summarizing key differences.

Prepare & details

Analyze how cultural practices shape the built environment of a region.

Facilitation Tip: In the Jigsaw, assign each group a specific cultural element to research so all students contribute unique expertise to the final class discussion.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Gallery Walk

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Map Your Landscape: Local Analysis

Provide topographic maps and photos of local areas. In small groups, students identify cultural features, annotate influences, and predict changes from development. Present findings to class.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the role of cultural landscapes in preserving identity and heritage.

Facilitation Tip: For Map Your Landscape, provide a template with guided questions to help students focus on both natural and built features before they present their findings.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Formal Debate

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: Preservation vs. Progress

Pose resolution on protecting cultural landscapes. Pairs research pros/cons with U.S. examples, then debate in whole class. Vote and reflect on identity impacts.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between material and non-material culture with geographic examples.

Facilitation Tip: During the Debate, assign roles in advance so students prepare counterarguments and evidence, keeping the discussion focused on preservation versus progress.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract concepts in concrete examples. Start with simple, familiar objects or spaces before moving to complex landscapes to build confidence. Avoid overgeneralizing; instead, emphasize that culture is dynamic and context-dependent. Research shows students grasp cultural landscapes best when they see how people’s daily lives shape the environment over time.

What to Expect

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying material and non-material culture, analyzing how these elements shape landscapes, and comparing cultural expressions across groups. Success looks like clear explanations with evidence from images, maps, and personal observations.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk: Culture is fixed and unchanging.

What to Teach Instead

During the Gallery Walk, have students compare images from different time periods to identify changes in architecture or land use, prompting discussions about how culture evolves.

Common Misconception

During the Jigsaw: Cultural landscapes are only about buildings and structures.

What to Teach Instead

During the Jigsaw, assign one group to focus on modified natural features, like agricultural terraces or sacred groves, to ensure students recognize broader landscape elements.

Common Misconception

During the Debate: All cultures express themselves identically in landscapes.

What to Teach Instead

During the Debate, ask students to cite specific examples from the Gallery Walk images to highlight unique patterns, reinforcing the idea that cultural expressions vary.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Gallery Walk, provide students with three images and ask them to identify one material and one non-material cultural element in each, explaining how these elements contribute to the region’s cultural landscape.

Discussion Prompt

During the Jigsaw, ask each group to present one cultural element (material or non-material) and explain how it influences settlement patterns or land use in a specific region.

Quick Check

After Map Your Landscape, have students share their maps in small groups and peer-assess by identifying one material and one non-material element in each other’s work, noting how these elements shape the landscape.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to find an example of cultural diffusion in their local landscape and present it to the class.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide a word bank of cultural elements (e.g., mosque, farm, dialect) to include in their Map Your Landscape analysis.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research a cultural group not represented in class materials and create a short presentation comparing their landscape to those already studied.

Key Vocabulary

Culture	The shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a group or society, passed down through generations.
Material Culture	The physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture, such as buildings, tools, and art.
Non-material Culture	The ideas, beliefs, values, norms, and language that constitute a culture, influencing how people think and behave.
Cultural Landscape	The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape, reflecting how people have shaped and modified their environment.
Built Environment	The human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks to neighborhoods and cities.