SKKN SOME TECHNIQUES TO TEACH THE LESSON CULTURE IN THE TEXTBOOK TO THE STUDENTS AT DO LUONG 2 UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL 2

TEACHING EXPERIENCE TOPIC: “SOME TECHNIQUES TO TEACH THE LESSON CULTURE IN THE TEXTBOOK TO THE STUDENTS AT DO LUONG 2 UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL” Môn: Anh văn NHÓM TÁC GIẢ: BÙI THỊ M

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

TOPIC:

“SOME TECHNIQUES TO TEACH THE LESSON CULTURE IN

THE TEXTBOOK TO THE STUDENTS AT DO LUONG 2

UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL”

Môn: Anh văn

NHÓM TÁC GIẢ: BÙI THỊ MỸ HẢO

VÕ THÙY DUNG

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.2 The relationship between language and culture 4

2.1 Situation of students' learning lesson “Culture” in the textbook at

Do Luong 2 high school

3.13 Using Extracurricular activities and English Clubs 34

4.1 Data collected from the survey questionnaire 38

INTRODUCTION

Language is a tool of human communication and people use language to communicate for many different purposes On the other hand, every language has cultural elements, and often a country's culture will be expressed through its language Therefore, to be able to use a foreign language fluently, understanding the culture of the native country is extremely important In particular, when English plays an essential role in globalization in all areas of life and we are in a period of strong integration with the world, understanding foreign cultures will help Practical help makes communication easier and faster to achieve the purpose of communication

However, in practice as well as in the learning process with native teachers, there are many cases where Vietnamese students make "cultural errors" when communicating It is a mistake that learners make, which is said to be due to cultural differences between Vietnamese learners and foreign teachers Therefore, besides teaching students about language knowledge such as vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar and skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, teachers must aim to practice effective communication skills especially the ability to communicate in different cultures Foreign language teaching should not be separated from the interaction between the source and target language cultures In other words, teaching a foreign language should be approached from a cross-cultural communication perspective

In the new high school English program, culture is taught as a separate lesson However, the lesson content is limited in cultural aspects and usually through a short reading and most students are not interested to discover new culture because they still have to perform the reading tasks Therefore, in order for cultural knowledge to be conveyed in an interesting way, teachers have to choose different techniques

Exploiting cultural factors in the process of teaching foreign languages in general and English in particular not only increases students' interest in class, but also helps them improve their understanding of culture, people, customs and practices of many countries around the world, thereby forming a love of languages, the desire to discover and learn the beauty in the language and create

a stronger learning motivation

For such reasons, we boldly chose the issue “Some techniques to teach the lesson Culture in the textbook to the students at Do Luong 2 upper secondary school” as the main content of this study

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of culture

According to Henrichsen (1998) propounds the view that culture is language and language is culture He suggests that to speak a language well, one has to be able to think in that language, and thought is extremely powerful Language is the soul of the country and people who speak it Language and culture are inextricably linked, and as such we might think about moving away from questions about the inclusion or exclusion of culture in foreign language curriculum, to issues of deliberate immersion versus non-deliberate exposure to

it

Similarly, Kramsch (1993:1) Culture in language learning is not an expendable fifth skill, tacked on, so to speak, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading and writing It is always in the background, right from day one, ready to unsettle the good language learners when they expect it least, making evident the limitations of their hard-won communicative competence, challenging their ability to make sense of the world around them

"Culture is deeply ingrained part of the very fiber of our being, but language –the means for communication among members of a culture- is the most visible and available expression of that culture And so a person’s world view, self-identity, and systems of thinking, acting, feeling, and communicating can be disrupted by a change from one culture to another." Brown(1994:170)

In a word, culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive

achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of

action, on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action

1.2 The relationship between language and culture

The relationship between language and culture is a complex one The two are intertwined A particular language usually points out to a specific group of people When you interact with another language, it means that you are also interacting with the culture that speaks the language You cannot understand one’s culture without accessing its language directly

When you learn a new language, it not only involves learning its alphabet, the word arrangement and the rules of grammar, but also learning about the specific society’s customs and behavior When learning or teaching a language,

it is important that the culture where the language belongs be referenced, because language is very much ingrained in the culture

If culture is something that can be learned and communicated from generation to generation through human activity or through language

communication, language is inevitably part of culture Language is not only a part of culture but also a means through which culture is communicated One will naturally express his culture through the language he uses: Every time we use language we express a cultural action On the other hand, culture is also part

of language, as language embodies the products, practices, prospects, communities, and people of a culture (Moran, 2001:7) Thus, language and culture are closely intertwined: " they are so intertwined in a complex relationship that one cannot completely divide them without losing the meaning

of culture or language"

Language and culture are two intertwined categories, closely related to each other When we use a language to communicate, we are also interacting with the culture that uses that language

Language is the sounds and writings that make sense But the meaning of words is not exactly the same in different situations and contexts According to Dell Hymes, 1972 "The key to understanding language in context is to start not

in context with language but with context" Therefore, language must be understood in its specific context, or more broadly, within its culture

1.3 The role of culture in language teaching

According to G Ellis – in “How culturally appropriate is the communicative approach?” (ELT journal, 1996), examples of the “cultural

shocks” and cultural conflicts that stand out in language teaching Western countries in East Asia, including Vietnam, have affirmed “The central argument

is that, for the communicative approach to be made suitable for Asian conditions, it needs to be both culturally attuned and culturally accepted.” Claire Kramsch, in "Context and Culture in Language Education" (1993), any communication with someone who speaks another language is a cultural act Language learning, therefore, is essentially cultural learning If we teach only the language and not the culture, we are teaching symbols that are either meaningless or ambiguous enough that students will get them completely wrong That is also the reason why the lesson "Communication and Culture" was carefully selected by the Ministry of Education to be included in the 10-year high school program of new English textbooks

As we all know, the "communicative approach" with the goal is to help learners develop the ability to communicate in a foreign language, that is, the ability to use different forms, meanings and functions appropriate language skills in a certain social context, is considered the most popular and effective foreign language teaching method today It focuses on building communicative competence for learners instead of just mastering language structures And of course, Communication - Context - Culture are concepts that cannot be separated in the process of teaching foreign languages by means of communication

CHAPTER 2: SITUATION ANALYSIS AND THE SURVEY 2.1 Situation of students' learning lesson “Culture” in the textbook at Do Luong 2 high school

In fact, most of the students at Do Luong 2 high school live far from the district center and come from low-income families, which is a big interference

to their study of English subject Accordingly, they do not have enough condition to get exposed to the practice of English such as meeting and talking

to native English tourists Not many families have a computer connected to the internet - and useful device for students to study

The students’ living conditions have a big effect on the way students study For them, learning the lesson Culture is not more than learning reading the passage and doing the tasks They are not interested in finding other sources of information about culture Learning culture seems to be unnecessary for them That is why many of them lack cultural knowledge which is very useful in their real life

2.2.Situation of teaching lesson “Culture” in the textbook at Do Luong 2 high school

In the past ten years, there has been considerable progress in the methods that the teachers at Do Luong 2 high school are using

The program in the new textbooks has put lots of pressure on the teachers because they have to fufill students’ knowledge to pass the GCSE exam For the limited of time for the lesson Culture, we often follow the tasks designed in the textbooks to teach students We also use technology to search for pictures and videos to assist teaching and learning However, the effectiveness of the lessons Culture is not very high In fact, we have realized that the lessons Culture are not interesting to students

2.3 Participants

To conduct this research, the researcher have asked for the permission from the school’s Board of Directors and the English Group with the affirmation that the experimental students are provided with required knowledge in the textbooks and benefit from different techniques

The study is conducted with the participation of 163 students at Do Luong

2 high school including K55C1 (41 students), K55B2 (41 students), K55B3 (41students), K55B4 ( 40 students) They are supposed to be at the similar level

of English language ability basing on the results of the entrance exam to Do Luong 2 high school Students in four classes belong to two groups: the experimental (classes K55B1 and K55B2) with 82 students and the control (K55B3 and K55B4) with 81 students

From the school year 2020-2021 to the first semester of 2021-2022, the experimental classes are taught with the use of different techniques and the control ones are taught without these techniques They are given a chance to do

a quiz, which is used during the lesson

2.4 Survey questionnaire

A survey questionnaire including six statements with five options from which the students choose their answer (See appendix 2) is conducted to find out the experimental students’ attitudes towards culture-based activities and culture learning after finishing the first semester of the school year 2020-2021 The questionnaire focuses on finding out the students’ general comments on the use

of the techniques in the lessons culture, the role of cultural activities towards their cultural awareness, the effectiveness of cultural activities in English lessons, the role of culture-based activities towards students’ curiosity and desire

to explore and compare Vietnamese culture with other cultures in the world, the students' self-evaluation of their own cultural ability after doing cultural activities, the role of culture learning in English learning and the students' expectations towards the integration of cultural activities in English lessons

CHAPTER 3: SOLUTIONS

SOME TECHNIQUES TO TEACH THE LESSONS CULTURE

In this chapter, the researcher would like to suggest some techniques that can be applied to raise students’ cultural awareness during the lessons Culture These techniques have been effectively used in many classes at Do Luong 2 high school as well as in many classes at Do Luong 1, Do Luong 3 and Do Luong 4 high schools Depend on the level of the students, we can adapt the lesson Culture so that our techniques can be applied effectively The techniques can be used at different phases such as before the lesson, during the lesson and after the lesson Some lessons can be adapted as students’ homework so that teachers have more time to prepare for longer-time activities Below are fourteen types of techniques, each of which is illustrated with a sample application for illustration

3.1 Using jokes

The culture of each country is expressed in many aspects, in which jokes are also one of the means of clearly reflecting the culture of a nation It is the teacher's job to help students appreciate the humor in stories to help them understand the culture and language they are learning At the same time, using jokes makes an important contribution to helping students relax, reduce anxiety, and moreover, they can overcome stress and easily absorb lessons Jokes also help you improve the learning atmosphere in class, especially for students who are always worried about making mistakes or worried about their speaking ability

Jokes are divided into many genres, but for the purpose of introducing culture and developing language skills, we choose stories with light, pure satire,

or witty and appropriate words

Jokes can be introduced into the classroom in the form of reading comprehension passages, additional reading, telling jokes, translating jokes, listening to jokes, or developing speaking skills in the form of storytelling The following are a few ways to most effectively include jokes in class:

or the end of the lesson

*Translating jokes

Teachers may sometimes ask students to translate a joke into English, retell the story in English, or vice versa This activity not only helps children develop their vocabulary but also helps them discover the interesting things in each story

*Reading jokes

Teachers can organize reading jokes during Reading time or read more at home If using jokes as reading comprehension content, teachers need to prepare carefully, choose stories of appropriate length, design reasonable questions, and have clear, clear and consistent content with the topic of the lesson study the better

* Jokes and moral lessons

Jokes can become a serious class discussion Behind many fables are deep moral lessons that folk or authors want to convey to readers and listeners Learning and discovering these things is a very useful activity for students, helping them know how to analyze and evaluate a story in English

*Preparation: Teacher prepares suitable jokes for the content of the lesson and

the level of students

* Procedure: Depend on the ways mentioned above, teacher spend time telling

jokes or asking students to read, translate jokes, then teacher asks them about what they understand from the jokes and what are the moral lessons of the jokes Here are some of the jokes we used in our classes:

Joke 1: The boy and the baber (Applied for Unit 2: Relationship- Tieng Anh 11)

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer

"This is the dumbest kid in the world Watch while I prove it you." The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?" The boy takes the quarters and leaves "What did I tell you?" said the barber "That kid never learns!" Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store "Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?" The boy licked his cone and replied,

"Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!"

Joke 2: Two friends and the bear(Applied for Unit 9: Preserving the environment- Tieng Anh 10)

Two campers are walking through the woods when a huge brown bear suddenly appears in the clearing about 50 feet in front of them The bear sees the campers and begins to head toward them The first guy drops his backpack, digs out a pair of sneakers, and frantically begins to put them on The second guy

says, "What are you doing? Sneakers won’t help you outrun that bear." "I don’t need to outrun the bear," the first guy says "I just need to outrun you."

Joke 3: Voice mail (Applied for Unit 5: Inventions- Tieng Anh 10)

Akpos goes to the post office, buys an envelope and screams out loud into

it and then seals it When the post office attendant asked him why he did that, he smiled and replied with a soft voice

“I’M SENDING A VOICE MAIL”

Joke 4: Like a gentleman! (Applied for Unit 3: Becoming independent- Tieng Anh 11)

Dick was seven years old, and his sister, Catherine, was five One day their mother took them to their aunt’s house to play while she went to the big city to buy some new clothes

The children played for an hour, and then at half past four their aunt took Dick into the kitchen She gave him a nice cake and a knife and said to him,

“ Now here’s a knife, Dick Cut this cake in half and give one of the pieces

to your sister, but remember to do it like a gentleman,”

“Like a gentleman?” Dick asked “How do gentleman do it?”

“They always give the bigger piece to the other person,” answered his aunt

at once

“Oh,” said Dick He thought about this for a few seconds Then he took the cake to his sister and said to her,

“Cut this cake in half Catherine.”

Joke 5: The River Isn't Deep (Applied for Unit 10: Eco-tourism- Tieng Anh 10)

A stranger on horse back came to a river with which he was unfamiliar The traveller asked a youngster if it was deep

"No", replied the boy, and the rider started to cross, but soon found that he and his horse had to swim for their lives

When the traveller reached the other side he turned and shouted : "I thought you said it wasn't deep ?"

"It isn't", was the boy''''s reply : "it only takes grandfather's ducks up to their middles !"

Joke 6: Delicious(Applied for Unit 1: Generation Gap- Tieng Anh 11)

Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."

The second said," I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."

The third smiled and said, "I've got you, both beat You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him I had to pledge to contribute $100,000.00 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it Mom just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it."

Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton," she wrote the first son, "The house you built is so huge I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."

"Marvin," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes And the driver is so rude!"

"Dearest Melvin," she wrote to her third son, "You were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes That chicken was delicious." Otherwise you will never learn anything."

Joke 7: Soap (Applied for Unit 6: Global warming- Tieng Anh 11)

The teacher asked: "John, what are four basic elements in nature?"

John answered: " Fire, air, soil and and "

"And what?" the teacher asked "Try to remember!"

"And And And "John was embarrassed

The teacher knew that his pupil couldn't remember that the fourth element was water Therefore, he gave a hint:" What do you clean your hands with?" John excitedly screamed, " Soap!"

Joke 8: Children’s questions (Applied for Unit 5: Your body and You - Tieng Anh 10)

A three-year old walks over to a pregnant lady while waiting with his mother in a doctor’s office

“Why is your stomach so big?” – he asks

She replies,“I´m having a baby.”

“Is the baby in your stomach?” – he asks, with his big eyes

“Yes, it is.” – she says

“Is it a good baby?” – he asks, with a puzzled look

“Oh, yes A really good baby.” – the lady replies

Shocked and surprised, he asks: “Then why did you eat him?”

Joke 9: It’s coconut (Applied for Unit 5: Your body and You - Tieng Anh 10)

Mike was not well He was tired all the time, and his head often hurt

“Go to doctor”, his wife said

Mike did not like visiting the doctor, but after a week, he went The doctor asked him a lot of questions and wrote Mike’s ansewers down

“What do you eat in the morning?” he asked him

“Eggs, bread, butter, jam and coffee,” Mike answered

“And what lunch do you have?” the doctor asked

“Meat or fisd and bread.”

“And what do you have in the evening?” the doctor asked

“Eggs and bread.”

The the doctor said

“Eat some fruit every day, and eat all the skin of the fruit The skin is very good What fruit do you like best?”

Mike was not happy

“Coconuts,” he answered

3.2 Using idioms and proverbs

* Guiding: Idioms and proverbs are a group of languages that most clearly

show cultural features and distinctive features of a language In English, there is

an idiom "My cup of tea" that is often used to talk about something that you love

For example:

- I invited you because I thought long-distance cycling was your cup of tea

- When I found out that reading wasn't his cup of tea, I knew that there

wasn't much of a relationship in store between us

Why not “cup of coffee” or “glass of water” but “cup of tea”? Is it possible that the British tea culture has gone deep into the language and made it so interesting Not only that, using idioms and proverbs while communicating makes the speaker's language more natural and more native-like In the process

of teaching idioms and proverbs, teachers should pay attention to a few points:

• Do not teach too many idioms and proverbs at once

• Teaching idioms and proverbs by topic

• Idioms and proverbs should be appropriate to the level and age of the students

• Teach idioms and proverbs in specific contexts

There are many ways to teach idioms and proverbs in the high school classrooms Teachers can give students a list of idioms and ask students to memorize them, and then ask students to practice in the form of exercises However, with this learning method, children can only remember idioms for

a short time because they do not understand the essence of idioms Teaching practice shows that, teaching idioms and proverbs necessarily provides materials and contexts for children Usually, we give situations of communication in language, or pictures and also use some videos on movies

so that the children can understand the meaning and usage of idioms in each specific situation

 Sample application: Here are some examples of teaching idioms and

proverbs according to each lesson topic in the 10-year English textbook that we have used in our teaching process

 Preparation:

 Procedure

Flesh and blood: Máu mủ ruột thịt

Anna is always in trouble but Jonh have to look after him because

he is his flesh and blood

Family

(Tiếng anh

10, Unit 1

Family life)

A Chip off the Old Block:

Giống như tạc (về tính cách, nhân phẩm)

Eg David loves going to the countryside and sleeping in his tent, and so does his father He’s a real chip off the old block!

Blood is thicker than water:

Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã

Eg You had better pay more attention to your family and relative than neighbor Because blood is thicker than water

Like two peas in the same pot: Anh em giống nhau

Eg The twins like two peas in the same pot, I can’t tell them apart though I meet them everyday at class

Like father, like son: Giống hệt nhau

Eg My dad and my brother is like father like son, they match each other in every aspect

Apple doesn’t fall far from tree: Con nhà tông, không giống lông

cũng giống cánh

Eg This year, he has just won the 1st prize in Math Competition

He studied so well, just as his father You know that, apple doesn’t fall far from tree

Men make houses, women make homes: Đàn ông xây nhà, đàn

bà xây tổ ấm

Eg Folks rumoured that men make houses, women make homes

So, in Viet Nam, men often work outside to earn money, while women takes care for home

Body parts

(Tiếng anh

10, Unit 2

Achilles’ heel: điểm yếu của ai đó

Eg Maths has always been my Achilles heel

Cost an arm and a leg: đáng giá cả một gia tài

Eg The car cost an arm and a leg - it'll take them ages to pay back the loan

Know something like the back of someone's hand :biết điều gì đó

Your body

and You)

rất rõ

Eg He knows London like the back of his hand

Live hand to mouth: chỉ sống đủ ăn

Eg After he lost his job, he had to live hand to mouth for a couple

of months

Keep your fingers crossed: mong điều gì đến với ai đó

Eg Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow - it's my job interview

Put someone's back into something: làm việc rất chăm chỉ vì điều

gì đó

Eg She put her back into the final exam and got good results

A heart of gold: là một người rất tốt

Eg Nancy has devoted almost her youth to treat for the war victims

in Vietnam She has a heart of gold

With flying colors: một cách xuất sắc

Eg I studied very hard so I passed this exam with flying colors

Learn something by heart / off by heart :học thuộc lòng

Eg She learnt all the compositions by Beethoven off by heart

Bookworm :“mọt sách”

Eg You won’t be able to convince her to come out with us, she’s a real bookworm and will probably stay in to read!

The school of hard knocks: học từ thực tế cuộc sống

Eg I wasn’t able to go to college, but I learnt a lot in the school of hard knocks, it taught me a lot about life

Cut class / play hooky / skip class: trốn học

Eg David has been cutting class again; I haven’t seen him in any of our French lessons for the past week

As easy as abc: dễ dàng

Eg That jigsaw puzzle is as easy as ABC, I don’t understand why you’ve been struggling with it for so long

Catch one’s death of cold: bị cảm nặng

Eg The little boy was told to be careful in the rain or he would catch his death of cold

Feel on top of the world: cảm thấy vô cùng khỏe mạnh

Eg I have been feeling on top of the world since I quit my job

Under the weather: cảm thấy không khỏe

Eg My boss has been under the weather all week and has not come

to work during that time

As right as rain: khỏe mạnh

Eg Tomorrow I’ll be as right as rain Don’t worry!

Back on my feet: khỏe trở lại, phục hồi trở lại

Eg Yesterday I was sick but now I’m back on my feet

3.3 Creating a communicational situation

Guiding: English in real life will be different from English in school, and

Vietnamese people often make some basic mistakes because they do not understand the cultural knowledge of foreigners For example, Vietnamese people often ask each other questions like: "How old are you?", "What do you do? Is the salary high?”, “Are you married?” or “How many grandchildren do you have?”, etc… However, with Western culture, such questions are taboo and people are afraid to answer If we ask for such information, it is invisible that we have made a "cultural error" when communicating So, in order to avoid such unfortunate incidents, teachers need to let students practice communicating in specific situations by giving them "Role play" or better being able to communicate with other people abroad in experiential and extra-curricular programs

Communicational situations should be integrated into the Post or Production part of the lessons Instructors and students prepare content, dialogue, and acting

The following are examples of some situations according to the topic of lessons in the 10-year new English program that students prepare We have

enclosed the USB with students’ performances in different situations

*Preparation: Teacher prepares communicational situations and asks students

to act basing on the situation

*Procedure: Students prepare in groups to act out the situation

Situation 1: Gender discrimination

(applied for Unit 6: Gender Equality- Tiếng anh 10)

Linh and Khanh are going to have summer vacation They made a phone call to their Granny to tell her they would visit her in some days

Suggested answers:

Linh & Khanh: Grandma!

Granny: Oh! Linh and Khanh, aren't you?

Linh: Yes, Grandma! It is summer vacation and we’ll stay here with you for the

whole week!

Granny: Khanh! Why don't you say anything? Are you tired? I have some fruits

in the fridge You can eat it

Khanh: Thank you Grandma! (go to the kitchen and get some fruits)

Granny: Linh! Put your luggage in the closet and also your brother

Linh: Yes, granny! Khanh! Give her some fruits and put your clothes in the

closet

Granny: You should have helped him He's a man He shouldn't do it

Linh: Grandma! He can do it himself At home, he often does this

Granny: How your mother can let him do housework? He is a man A man must

do something big Not housework!

Khanh: Grandma! I can do it myself! My mom said a man needs to know

everything to take care of himself!

Khanh: Grandma! I am a good student this school year I received an academic

certificate from the school

Granny: Good job! I will have a gift for you

Khanh: But Linh is better than me She has a certificate from Department of

Education She is a good student at English at my city

Granny: Women have no need to study much

Hung: No! Every one has the right to education, including women

Granny: Oh! When did you return?

Hung: Yesterday, Grandma!

Linh: Who is he, grandma?

Granny: He is an international student He is very good at English and Physics Khanh: Wow! You are so cool!

Hung: Grandma! It's not just men who can do great things In our school there

are many female professors and many female student good at academic than the male student And in the world, there are many politicians who are female gender

Granny: Women in our province just need to be a housewife, doing the

household chores, taking care of their children, it’s all

Hung: Grandma! The society has grown better Now women have been

involved in many social activities Not everyone is just a housewife I'm going to work and my employer is a very successful woman

Granny: Really? They are so good now In our day, women only did

housework, looked after children and farm work I can understand it now Linh and Khanh, you need to work harder Linh, I’m so proud of you I will have a big pizza as a reward for you

Situation 2 At the restaurant

(applied for Unit 2: Your body and you- Tiếng anh 10)

Suggested answers:

Waitperson: Hi How are you doing this afternoon?

Customer (you): Fine, thank you Can I see a menu, please?

Waitperson: Certainly, here you are

Customer: Thank you What's today's special?

Waitperson: Grilled tuna and cheese on rye

Customer: That sounds good I'll have that

Waitperson: Would you like something to drink?

Customer: Yes, I'd like a coke

Waitperson: Thank you (returning with the food) Here you are Enjoy your

meal!

Customer: Thank you

Waitperson: Can I get you anything else?

Customer: No thanks I'd like the check, please

Waitperson: That'll be $14.95

Customer: Here you are Keep the change!

Waitperson: Thank you! Have a good day!

Customer: Goodbye

3.4 Using visuals and media aids

* Guiding: With the help of modern technology, teachers can prepare many

pictures, clips, short videos, TV shows, etc to illustrate different cultural aspects Movies, videos or pictures are also useful for teaching the culture of nonverbal communication such as gestures, attitudes, facial expressions

*Sample application 1: (applied for Unit 7: Culture Diversity - - Tieng Anh

Sample application 2: (applied for Unit 1: Family Life - Tieng Anh 11)

Below are some more applications where we provide short videos and clips about different cultures for students to compare and contrast

Clip 1: Vietnamese traditional wedding:

* General description: Celebrating foreign festivals is a good way to

bring students closer to the cultures around the world Although this activity takes a lot of time for planning, it works well as a culminating activity It creates

a chance for students to live in real-life atmosphere of the festivals Some popular festivals are New Year’s Days, Christmas, Halloween,… Below is an example of Christmas, which helps students to know how people in other countries celebrate Christmas

*Sample application: (applied for Unit 4: For a better community – Tieng Anh 10) Preparation:

Teacher and students need a lot of preparations:

- Pictures, posters and stories about Chrismas

- MC for the celebration

- Singing and dancing performances, short plays, quizzes

- Christmas disguising clothes (for a witch, a vampire, a mummy, a ghost, a wizard…) for a Christmas fashion show

- Christmas games (Decorating pumpkins, peeling and eating apples…)

- Fruits, candies, water…

Prizes…

.Procedure

- Teacher asks students to decorate the stage with pictures and posters about Christmas

- Teacher guides students to hold different Christmas activities

3.6 Using Problem solving activities

* General description:

This type of activity has another name: Critical incident- which develops students’ critical thinking Teacher presents one or several cultural situations that often take place in real life and asks students to think through the solution Each student can read his or her own decision, and then they can group together

Situation 1 Phong's not happy that his parents set a time for him to come

home in the evening They expect him to be home at 9 p.m.! He wishes they allowed him to stay out later, say 9.30 or 10 p.m., so he can spend more time with his friends He have asked them many times, but they don't want to change their mind If you were Phong what sh ould you do?

Situation 2 Linda's parents don't like some of her friends just because of

their appearance They have their hair dyed in different colours and have pierced noses However, these friends of hers are excellent students, and have always been very helpful and kind to her and other classmates She wishes her parents didn't judge them by their appearance, but got to know them better If you were Linda what should you do?

Suggested answers:

Situation 1: Having to prove that you are responsible and mature Telling your parents the places you think you want to spend the evening

Situation 2: Introducing your friends to your parents by inviting them

home to study and chat with your parents

3.7 Using Culture assimilators

* General description: The culture assimilator is a brief description of a critical incident of cross-cultural interaction that may be misinterpreted by

students After reading the description of the incident, students are provided with three or four possible explanations, from which they are asked to select the

correct one Finally, students are given feedback why one explanation which is right and the others which are wrong in the certain cultural context Students will choose one of the four answers that they think best suits each situation and then explain their choices

* Sample application: (applied for Unit 2: Relationships - Tieng Anh 11) Preparation:

Teacher makes short paragraphs describing cultural situations that may mislead students

Most mothers will practice self-feeding, discussing and giving ideas From there, children easily know what they really like and take responsibility for their own decisions According to American culture, young people live separately, away from their parents' arms earlier than in other countries They can take care of their personal lives and are aware of everything that happens in life

1 For many Americans, a parent's most important task is to teach their children to live independently

2 Many Asian parents think their most important role is to protect their children and provide them with a happy and wealthy childhood

3 American children do not get as much love from their parents as Asian children

Suggested answers:

If the students choose 1, it is Very good

From an early age, most children get their own rooms and never sleep with their parents American parents help their kids to become self-reliant by making them do things such as washing, cleaning, and cooking for themselves from the time they are very small To help to develop their children's confidence, American parents always show respect for them and let them voice their opinions on family issues