English V - Week 1 - How We View Other Cultures

Introduction: In today's class we are talking about stereotypes and they ways that we view other cultures. Follow your teacher's instructions to complete the tasks below.

Task 1: Nice to Meet You (10 minutes) 

Have a conversation to get to know your partners. Ask and answer questions to learn basic personal information.

• Name
• Hometown
• Studies (past, present, future)
• Work
• Hobbies and favorite things

Now discuss some of your previous experiences with English classes in this university and in other places.

Click the picture to see the full size.

Task 2: Class Rules and Requests

Online classes and face to face classes are not the same. What are some recommendations we should follow to make this course a nice experience? 

• What do you need from: the teacher, your partners, and yourself?
• What you want your teacher, your partners, and yourself to do?
• What are some positive actions that your teacher, your partners, and you can do to contribute to a nice learning experience in this course?

Task 3: Group Discussion

In today's class we are going to talk about the way we view other cultures and subcultures, the problem of stereotypes, and they ways that we want outsiders to view our culture. Click play on the video timer and discuss the following questions for 5 minutes. 

• What images come to your mind when you read the word CULTURE?
• What associations do you make when you think about a culture that is very different from yours?
• What are stereotypes and why do you think they exist?
• How do Costa Ricans describe themselves?
• How do you think other cultures describe Costa Ricans? What is true? What is a stereotype?

• What subcultures or communities do you belong to? Look at the list below.

• Students
• Parents
• Millenials
• Gamers
• Nerds/Geeks
• Engineers
• Teachers
• Cyclists
• Foodies
• Pet owners
• Think of more examples

• What stereotypes exist about the groups you belong to. Are the stereotypes true? Why or why not?

Task 4: Guess the Country

CLICK HERE to access a Jamboard containing hats from around the world. Do you recognize any of these hats? What or who do you associate with them? Write the name of the country or region of the world you think they come from. 

Task 5: Read and Discuss

Click your group link below. Read the text with your group members then discuss the questions on the next page. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 6: What are Stative Verbs?

Stative verbs describe a state of being. They are not typically actions you can observe in progress so we never use them in the present continuous form. CLICK HERE to classify some common stative verbs.