Culture Compass Bell Ringer Worksheet
Culture Compass
Ethnographic Field Notes | Bell Ringer
Student:
Date:
C3 Framework D2.Geo.4.9-12: Explain how cultural patterns influence environments and the daily lives of people.
1 Defining the Layers
Culture is divided into things we can touch and things we cannot. Match each term by writing the correct letter in the box.
Material Culture
Non-Material Culture
A. Physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture (e.g., tools, clothing, buildings).
B. Beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language, and organizations that shape a society (e.g., religion, laws).
2 Field Identification
Identify whether each "artifact" below is Material (M) or Non-Material (NM).
A smartphone
Respecting elders
A religious holiday
Traditional jewelry
3 Cultural Connections
"Consider your high school's cafeteria. It is a physical space with specific objects (tables, food, trays), but it is also governed by unwritten rules (where you sit, how loudly you speak, who you eat with)."
1. Identify one piece of material culture in your cafeteria and explain its purpose.
2. Describe one social norm (non-material culture) that exists in your cafeteria. How does it influence student behavior?
Culture Compass Answer Key
Culture Compass
Answer Key | Teacher Resource
1 Defining the Layers
A
Material Culture
B
Non-Material Culture
A. Physical objects, resources, and spaces...
B. Beliefs, values, rules, norms...
2 Field Identification
A smartphone
M
Respecting elders
NM
A religious holiday
NM
Traditional jewelry
M
3 Cultural Connections
1. Material culture identification
Sample Answer: A plastic lunch tray. Its purpose is to hold and organize different food items efficiently for mass serving.
2. Social norm description
Sample Answer: "The Senior Table." Students follow an unwritten rule that only 12th graders sit at specific tables. This influences behavior by making younger students avoid those seats to maintain social order/hierarchy.
Teacher Note:
Encourage students to see the connection: the material (table) is just an object, but the non-material (norm) gives it specific social meaning and power.
Culture Compass Presentation Slides
9th Grade Social Studies
Culture Compass
Components of Culture Bell Ringer
Standard: D2.Geo.4.9-12
1
The Big Two
Material
The physical artifacts, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.
Buildings Tools Art
Non-Material
The abstract ideas, beliefs, and rules that shape a society and its people.
Language Values Rules
2
Quick ID Challenge
A smartphone ?
Respecting elders ?
A religious holiday ?
Traditional jewelry ?
"Objects are things we have. Ideas are how we live."
3
The Cafeteria Case
"The cafeteria is more than just a room. It is a cultural microcosm."
- What physical objects define it?
- What unwritten rules govern it?
- How do these things influence you?
5 MINUTES
Write your response in Part 3 of your worksheet
