"Making Time to "Making Time to Teach Culture Teach Culture

without Taking without Taking Time"Time"

Elena Shvidko, Stefanie Rasmussen, Elena Shvidko, Stefanie Rasmussen, and Mark Tannerand Mark Tanner

Thursday, March 26, 2009Thursday, March 26, 2009Denver, CO – Convention CenterDenver, CO – Convention Center

Room 404, 1:00 – 1:45 p.m.Room 404, 1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

Orientations towards culture in the language classroom:

Learning “About”Culture

Teaching Culture

Learning Culture

Teaching “About”Culture

Techniques Used to Teach Culture?

Critical incidents

Cultural assimilators

Culturgrams

Role-plays

Cultural similations

Field experiences

Ethnography

Experiential activities

Cross-cultural training

Values clarification

Film / video

Literature

Realia

Authentic materials

Many teachers do not include culture into the language classroom because they feel there is “no time” to address culture in a packed curriculum.

Consider a “culture

capsulation” Can 5 minutes make a difference? Let’s do the math!

Say you teach for 14 weeks, 4 days a week for 4 hours a day – If students are taught just 5 minutes of American culture in each class, how much culture instruction will they receive?

Every day? – 4 classes X 5 min. = 20 min./day

Every week? – 4 days X 20 min./day = 80 min./week

Entire course? – 14 weeks X 80 min. = 18 hours and 40 min. of culture instruction (It adds up!)

How can we make time for teaching and

learning about culture?

The Grammar Class

The Writing Class

The Reading Class

The Listening Class

Teaching Culture in the Grammar Class

What ideas come to your mind of how to teach culture?

Expanding the lesson…

Do not use under the water!

Use only for one head at the same time!

* Do not use for drying pets!

Do not put in mouth!

Do not use orally!

Teaching Culture in the Reading Class

Teaching Culture in the Reading Class

1) Choose a cultural topic that is related to American culture.

* Look at the passage taken from the textbook “Active Skills for Reading: Book 3” by Neil J. Anderson

2) Use different materials in class that help to teach culture

* T.V. Guide

How would you teach culture using this type of reading material?

Teaching Culture in the Writing Class

Teaching Culture in the Writing Class

1) Choose a cultural topic that is related to American culture.

Compare and contrast two American holidays/famous people/cities etc

Writing on a current event in the US

Writing about political/economical/educational system in America

2) Use different materials in class that help to teach culture

How would you use these “cultural” items in your writing

class?

Brochures

Food Packages

Grocery store receipts

Newspapers

Teaching how to describe a process by making peanut butter

sandwich

Why a peanut butter sandwich?

Procedure Students are divided into groups of three or four Each group writes the process of making a

peanut butter and jelly sandwich using transition words for describing the process: First Second Then Following this At this point After Before this Simultaneously Finally Next Lastly

Groups trade their descriptions and each group will have to make a sandwich according to the description. They should follow the description the way it is written.

Teaching Culture in the Listening Class

Teaching Culture in the Listening Class

Choose a cultural topic that is related to American culture.

*Compare and contrast two American famous people:

Martin Luther King

http://www.windmillworks.com/games/dream.htm

Barak Obama

http://www.headsupenglish.com/skillbuilders/listening/obama.pdf -

What Distinguishes Art from an Accident?

What distinguishes “Culture Teaching” from “Talking about

Culture?”Intentionality

Focus

Conclusion:

Presenters Contact Information

Elena Shvidko icylena@hotmail.com

Stefanie Rasmussen srasmussen@uvu.edu

Mark Tanner mark_tanner@byu.edu

Thanks for coming!