Cultural studies class broadens students' horizons

INVERNESS — The classroom of Inverness Middle School teacher Steffanie Grotz turned into an eclectic mix of culture, sights, sounds and smells for several hours as her gifted students completed a project designed to make them more culturally aware.

MATTHEW BECK

Chase Davis has her photograph taken in front of her project. Davis and her class partner Marissa Verdone studied the culture of Hawaii.

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MATTHEW BECK

Three students constructed a foosball table as part of their learning experience on Southern Italy. Soccer is a popular sport in the region.

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MATTHEW BECK

This elaborate pineapple cake was a highlight of Chase Davis and Marissa Verdone’s project. Many accents on the cake represent the cultural identity of Hawaii.

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MATTHEW BECK

Many of the projects were decorated with intricate details.

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“Moving from Culture Shock to Culturally Aware” was implemented by Grotz to help her REACH, or gifted students, see past the confines of Citrus County.

“I want them to become more globally aware,” she said. “The world is flat as far as technology is concerned, and every country is affected by global events. We’re going to have to build relations with people outside of our comfort zones. I want them to become more empathetic in order to build those bridges for a better tomorrow.”

The project, which many of the students have been working on since the beginning of the school year, is mainly a social studies unit. Students worked together in small groups to complete their requirements, selecting a culture they were intrigued. They were then given a series of five tasks to complete to delve deeper into the understanding of their chosen culture.

The first task required of the students was a multimedia presentation defining culture. Second, the students created a scheme to demonstrate their understanding of their chosen culture. They presented their plan in a product form for a tourist traveling to their chosen region. Next, an extra-credit, experimental element was offered by the teacher. She explained it dealt with imaginative and virtual journeys to various places. 

“They had to really think about their cultural assumptions and stereotypes, which we all have,” she said. “We discussed those and how that creates deficits in perception. I wanted them to think about how we might overcome those stereotypes. A lot of this was to get the students more globally connected — to give them a view of the world outside of Citrus County.”

The next requirement was to design a creative project on a medium such as a storyboard to show their overall understanding of their culture, and finally they were required to put present the project.

Principal Trish Douglas stopped by the students’ classroom to take in all of the hard work.

“I can tell the kids are very excited about the projects. Every day I’ve been seeing them in the hallways and they’ve been asking, ‘When are you coming down to see my project?’”

Students had the opportunity to invite parents to view their projects, something the principal said is important at this age.

“I think, especially in middle school, it’s hard to keep that connection open with the parents, where the kids really want their parents to come in and see their work. The kids really did want their parents to come in today to see their projects. And I think that’s exciting.”

One of the more elaborate projects presented was designed by Marissa Verdone, 13, and Chase Davis, 12, both seventh-graders.

“We’ve been working on the research for our culture (Hawaii) since the first part of school,” Davis said. “In total we’ve been working on this project for about 18 weeks.” 

The pair reported their project board took about nine weeks to complete and included pictures, temperature averages per month and factoids about the islands, complete with a cool glass of Hawaiian Punch, of course.

One popular facet of the presentation was a food court set up outside the classroom, where students brought in the flavors of their chosen culture to share.

Eighth-grade student Trey Smith, 14, worked with two other young men on his cultural study of Southern Italy.

In the classroom students gathered around Smith’s project, which included a hand-made foosball table. 

“Soccer is their most popular sport, so we thought it would represent that culture well,” he said.

Asked if Smith would like to travel to the region to visit, he replied, “I would like to go there to see all of the historic architecture they have.”

Grotz said the REACH class she teaches, an elective for students, taps into all areas of learning.

“I have the freedom to choose the units I want to facilitate and I try to implement all the core-area subject classes including the arts. In everything we do here I like to emphasize my students’ gifts and talents and give them choices.”

Chronicle reporter Matthew Beck can be reached at 352-564-2919 or mbeck@chronicleonline.com.