MY AMERICAN AND IRISH CULTURE Niamh Burke Mr. Spedding, Grade 5B

Overview

  “Who am I?”, Thesis Statement  Family Tree, My heritage

  My Living Irish Culture   My Living American Culture   Ten Elements of American Culture   Geography and History, Yesterday and Today   Video   Conclusion

Thesis Statement

  I am 50% Irish and 50% American.  My heritage is also German and/or Russian and

Norwegian but they are not a big part of my living culture.

My Living Irish Culture

Irish Culture

One of my

Religions

My Name

Sports

Food

Dress

Big Irish Family

Irish Food

Irish Sports

  There are two Gaelic sports, hurling and football.

Irish Dress

  I wear Gaelic sports jerseys.

My Name

  Niamh is the Gaelic word for brightness and radiance. Niamh is an historic name that goes back to the oldest Irish folk tales.

  Éadaoin is also an old Irish name. According to Irish tales, there was an Éadaoin who gave gifts of gold and silver to St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland).

  Burke is an ancient Irish family name.

My Irish Religion

  I am half Catholic. Most people in Ireland are Catholic.

My Irish Family

  In Ireland, I have a big family

My Living American Culture

American Culture

Food

Clothing

Religion Holidays

Sports

American Food

American Dress

  I wear a lot of shorts, jeans and t-shirts.

My “American” Religion

  I am half Bahá’í. The Bahá’í Faith is not an American religion, but America has a lot of religious diversity. It is a big part of my American culture.

American Sports

  My favorite American sports are baseball, football and basketball.

American Holidays

  We celebrate American holidays, especially the 4th of July and Thanksgiving.

10 Elements of American Culture

My American Culture My Irish Culture

Yes No Yes No

1. Views of Optimism X X

2. Saving Face X X

3. Views toward being informal X X

4. Attitude towards change so-so X

5. Views of Suffering X X

6. Attitude toward taking risks so-so X

7. Views on Equality X X

8. Views on Worth X so-so

9. Attitude towards age so-so X

10. Views on Fate X X

Geography and History, Yesterday

  Emigration of maternal grandparents, late 1800s   The US had arms open to immigrants – US needed

workers and immigrants who were hoping for a better future. Immigrants helped build and shape our country.

  Distance severed immigrants from their home country (no airplanes).

  Immigrants wanted to be successful, so assimilated in American culture.

Geography and History, Today

  The world is smaller today partly because of better transportation.

  Americans can connect with the culture of our parents much better than in past times. This can bring culture more alive and make America more diverse.

Video

Conclusion

  I think I am 50% American and 50% Irish because of the food I eat, the things I do at home, what I wear, my religions and how people act around me. My project has helped me learn about my culture. It has also helped me notice how I express my culture. But I feel like I still have a lot to learn about my culture…