Welcome to THE GREAT AMERICAN FOOT RACE lesson plans. The five lessons in this section were developed to enable students to examine questions of culture in America. Students will explore their own as well as Native American culture, study how peoples of diverse cultures interpret the same experiences and look at how geography has shaped culture in America.
These lessons are designed for grades 9 through 12, for use in Geography and Social Studies subject areas.
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Cultural Geography - Students will study the physical environment of one or more regions located along Route 66 and identify the tribes who were located in the area at the time of the race. They will conduct research into the cultural lifestyles of the tribes.

Cross Cultural Relations - Students will be able to compare some differences between Native American and mainstream American values. The lessons in this section are designed to help students begin to understand cross-cultural communications and relationships.

Examing Stereotypes Through Self-Awareness - Students will examine their own cultural perspectives in relations to any stereotypes they have, determine where they learned them and begin to question their validity.

Life and Geography Along the Route 66 - This lesson provides students with experience mapping, organizing and planning for a marathon race such as THE GREAT AMERICAN FOOT RACE. Students will examine the geography of, and the climate and weather conditions along the route based on the time of season as if they were running this race.

Introduction to Culture - This lesson enables students to define and come to a practical understanding of the term culture, and to demonstrate differences that exist within and between cultures.

About the Lesson Plans Author:
Valerie Shangreaux holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Currently, she is a full-time doctoral student at Oklahoma State University majoring in Educational Psychology. Her areas of specialization are Instructional Effectiveness, Educational Technology, and Cross-cultural Competence.

Valerie co-owns a consulting business with her husband, Jose Sanchez, which offers a variety of services including translation services (English/Spanish), and diversity consulting and training. Prior to this, Valerie was the campus coordinator of an academic support program targeting minority undergraduate students. She was also faculty in the Department of Family Relations and Child Development.

Valerie is a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe and originally from Pine Ridge, South Dakota.