Intercultural Language Activities offers practical teaching ideas which encourage learners to reflect on their own language and culture. Topics covered in the fourteen chapters include childhood, food, sport, icons, politics and body language. The book also helps learners mediate in situations of cultural misunderstanding and start web-based intercultural exchanges. It examines interview techniques, how people present themselves, and ways to interpret cultural symbols and characteristics, such as those found in postcards, advertisements and online newspapers. In engaging with these topics, learners become intercultural explorers and raise their level of communicative competence. This is a great resource for any teacher who wishes to combine language learning with cultural exploration.
Level: All levels of the Gymnasium (+ a few more elementary activities)
Sample pages (PDF)
- Enables teachers to combine interculturalism with language learning
- A wide range of easily accessible, low resource activities which can be used in any order
- Step-by-step instructions
- Easy to use in class with minimal preparation.
- CD-ROM: provides print-friendly photocopiable worksheets and reading texts which can be put to immediate use.
Contents
Introduction
1
1
Setting up an online community 11
1.1 Setting up an online intercultural exchange 12
1.2 Describing an e-partner 15
1.3 Starting an online discussion 16
1.4 Developing an online discussion 19
1.5 Netiquette: devising rules for an online community 23
1.6 Exploring culture through a virtual mascot 24
1.7 Intercultural film club 26
1.8 Journal of intercultural discussions 28
2
Mediations 31
2.1 Levels of formality 32
2.2 Job interview 36
2.3 Gender and sympathy 40
2.4 Personal critical incidents 42
2.5 Styles of conflict resolution 44
2.6 Conflict mediation 47
2.7 Reflecting on conflict 50
2.8 Questioning and defending a belief 51
3
Domestic life 53
3.1 Our house, my territory 54
3.2 Sofa studies 58
3.3 Television viewing habits 61
3.4 Domestic duties 63
3.5 Which song reminds you of . . . ? 66
3.6 A day in the life 67
4
Public spaces 69
4.1 An A–Z of signs in English 70
4.2 Comparing places 72
4.3 Café society 73
4.4 At the hairdresser’s 75
4.5 Behaviour on public transport 78
4.6 Exploring an art gallery or museum 80
4.7 Street performers 82
4.8 Going out for the evening 85
4.9 Holiday photographs 86
5
Face to face 88
5.1 Sharing stories in conversation 89
5.2 Supporting talk 91
5.3 Exploring non-verbal communication 93
5.4 The eyes have it 96
5.5 Empathy and body language 99
5.6 Gestures 102
5.7 In the office 104
5.8 Exploring informal language 108
6
Interviewing 113
6.1 Developing interview questions 113
6.2 Following up interview questions 118
6.3 Exploring assumptions 120
6.4 The interviewers from another planet 123
6.5 Preparing for an online interview 125
7
Interpretations 130
7.1 Postcards 131
7.2 Analysing advertisements 132
7.3 Writing an online review 134
7.4 Proverbs across cultures: using the corpus 137
7.5 Famous quotations in action 141
7.6 Comparing newspapers around the world 144
8
Childhood 146
8.1 Children’s games 146
8.2 Children’s toys 149
8.3 Classrooms from culture to culture 151
8.4 The language we bring to school 156
8.5 Childhood’s end 159
9
Icons 162
9.1 Five most famous . . . 163
9.2 Founding figures 165
9.3 National bards 167
9.4 International heroes 170
9.5 Someone I admire 172
10
Sport 174
10.1 Local sports 174
10.2 Team sports: cultural associations 180
10.3 The language of fandom 183
10.4 Cheerleading 187
10.5 Attending a sports event 191
10.6 Debate on blood sports 193
11
Food 197
11.1 National dishes: cultural associations 197
11.2 Regional and ethnic cuisine 201
11.3 International food 205
11.4 Food idioms: using the British National Corpus 207
11.5 Shopping lists 211
11.6 Supermarket psychology 212
12
Politics 216
12.1 Political symbols 217
12.2 Politicians’ body language 219
12.3 Political debate 223
13
Religion 227
13.1 Religions: cultural associations 228
13.2 Being accepted into a religion 231
13.3 Religious services 233
14
Presenting an image 235
14.1 Choosing a wardrobe 235
14.2 A question of style 237
14.3 Exploring a fashion ‘look’ 239
14.4 Smelling sweet 242
14.5 Making up 244
14.6 Living dolls 250
Further reading and resources
253
Index
258