The Great United States Culture Box Exchange

A Trip Around the U.S.A.

Overview of Project:

Approximately ten classes from across the United States will select materials which represent the culture of their local area. The boxes will be mailed to a central location and the entire collection of boxes will be sent from one location to the next in order for classes to compare and contrast life in the various parts of the United States.

Guidelines for Participation:

Your box must be mailed to Kermit Simons at Munford Middle School, 100 Education Ct., Munford, TN 38058 by October 15, 1997.
Your box should be standard shoebox size.
All items in your box should be catalogued and the list of items should be attached to the inside lid of the box.
All items should be labeled so that they will be placed in the appropriate box.
You will have the box for approximately two weeks. A tentative sign-up list is available.
When you receive the box, send a postcard of your city to each of the other particpants to let them know, ìThe Box is Here!î
You are responsible for the cost of mailing the box to the next school and should make sure to do so in a timely manner.

Items to Include in Culture Boxes:

Note: These guidelines are provided in order to allow for comparisons and contrasts. They are not meant to discourage creativity. In fact, the categories are broad enough to allow for imagination. Creativity and student ownership should certainly be encouraged.

A Video Tape (if possible) to include a tour of the school, student greetings and questions, examples of clothing styles in August and January, etc.

A list of pop or slang terms used by students.

A baggy of the natural habitat - soil, leaves, etc. (Make sure your state allows shipment of these items.)

Polls or graphs of favorite foods and/or favorite recreational activities of students at your school.

A school calendar; a schedule of a ìtypical dayî at your school or in your community; a copy of the school logo or mascot.

Only one local tourist brochure; only one local map of the area.

Brochures which the students have made about their local area.

Photos, drawings and postcards of places which the students consider important in their community. All of these should have student-written captions.

Four or five items which the students feel represent the culture of the area.

The Great United States Culture Box Exchange
SIGN-UP LIST

Timeframe Request for Use of Culture Boxes	Name and School Address of Requesting Teacher
October 1997 -- Second Half	Kermit Simons 100 Education Ct. Munford Middle School Munford, TN 38058
November 1997 -- First Half	Micki McWilliams Cherokee Middle School 4595 Old Lee Highway Cherokee, AL 35616
December 1997	Mary Crampton Central Middle School 8025 School Rd. Eden Prairie, MN 55431
January 1998	Rich Grommet Parker Road Elementary School 2800 Parker Road Florissant, MO 63033
February 1998 -- First Half	Ann M. Brown Piedmont Lakes Middle School 2601 Lakeville Road Apopka, FL 32703
February 1998 -- Second Half	Lauri Sparks Briarhill Middle School 2100 Briarhill Blvd. Highland Village, TX 75067
March 1998 -- First Half	Joyce Fisher Fritsche Middle School 2914 N. 46th Street Milwaukee, WI 53210
March 1998 -- Second Half	Stephanie Hale Harrison Elementary 600 Broadway Avenue Harrison, OH 45030
April 1998 -- First Half	Dolores Pallan Aliquippa Middle School 100 Harding Avenue Aliquippa, PA 15001
April 1998 -- Second Half	Stephen Prendergrast St. Charles Borromeo Academy 2808 Cadiz St. San Diego, CA 92110
May 1998 -- First Half	Sindri Olson Kailua Intermediate School 145 S. Kainalu Drive Kailua, HI 96734
May 1998 -- Second Half	Chris Yancone George T. Cromwell Elementary 525 Wellham Avenue Glen Burnie, MD 21061
June 1998	Martha Sanchez Bedolla Paplote Museo Del Nino Constitutyentes 268, Col. Daniel Garza Mexico City, C.P. 11111

I'm sending everyone a copy of the address list and a reminder copy of the overview and instructions for the Culture Box Project. Don'tt forget, when you get the box, you need to send postcards to everyone else on this list so we can keep track of where the box is. Also, be really aware of the timeframe and allow a couple of days for shipping. This should be a really exciting project for the students - I know I am looking forward to it!