National Curriculum Standards

National Geography Standards: The World in Spatial Terms

• Standard 1: The geographically informed person knows and understands how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information.

Developed by the National Council for Geographic Education

Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: Individuals, Groups and Institutions

• Standard B [Middle Grades]: Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions, so that the learner can analyze group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture.

Developed by the National Council for the Social Studies

• CultureGrams World Edition: (Countries with international test cricket teams)
  
• Blank world maps

1. Explain how identifying popular sports can tell a lot about a country. For example, the country's environment clearly plays a role: skiing is popular in snowy Sweden, sailing is popular in sunny Bahamas, etc. Some popular sports have deep cultural roots, like karate or sumo wrestling in Japan, while others are evidence of global connectivity, such as the spread of baseball and basketball from the United States. A country's popular sports can also say something about its colonial past.
   
   
2. Divide the class into a few groups, giving each of them a copy of a blank world map. Using markers, have each group mark with one color the location of the world's international test cricket teams:

   Australia
   Bangladesh
   England
   India
   New Zealand
   Pakistan
   South Africa
   Sri Lanka
   Zimbabwe

   The West Indies also has a team, so have students mark Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia as a few representatives.
   
   
3. Assign each group to read the History sections of the above CultureGrams from the World Edition, noting each country's relationship with colonialism. Groups can read these together or, to save time, the countries can be divided among group members.
   
   
4. With a different color, have the groups indicate which of the countries are former colonies of Great Britain.
   
   
5. Compare the two colors, noting the strong relationship between colonialism and the spread of cricket. Are there any countries where cricket is popular that are not former British colonies?
   
   
6. Have the students scan the Recreation, Diet, Art, and Language sections of the CultureGrams that they marked on the map as former British colonies. Instruct them to look for further influences Great Britain had on these countries. Discuss the long-lasting cultural effects of colonization.

1. The cultural impact of colonialism goes two ways. Talk about the ways in which Great Britain has been influenced by its colonies, including the languages spoken there and the types of ethnic food that are popular.
   
   
2. Some citizens of postcolonial countries advocate a rejection of all things colonial, while others would like to maintain those colonial influences they think have bettered the country. What are the pros and cons of both views? What do the students think and why?

1. Since the United States is a nation of immigrants, it's likely that some of your students' hobbies, games, and favorite sports originated in a country other than the U.S. Have them do some research and complete a short write-up on the origins, history, and evolution of one of their pastimes. Share these with the class, noting how many cultures have contributed to the way they spend leisure time.