Tag: Culture and Countries

Celebrating All Saints’ And All Souls Day

B2 – Upper Intermediate

All Saints’ Day, also known as All Hallows’ Day, is a Christian ceremony celebrated in honor of all the saints of the church. People around the world are familiar with the American version of this holiday involving costumes and trick-or-treating. Most of us follow a tradition that originates from All Saints’ Day or All Souls Day come October 31st and November 1st.

Here’s a quick look at some of the ways people celebrate Halloween around the world.

ALL SAINTS DAY WORLDWIDE TRADITIONS

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think Halloween is still appropriate to celebrate it today? Why or why not?
  2. How is Halloween celebrated in your country?
  3. Does your family have a special tradition for this holiday?
  4. What other ways to celebrate Halloween do you know of? How did you come to know this?

Aboriginal Children – Australia’s Stolen Generation

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For more than six decades since 1910, many children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were forcibly taken away from their families as part of the Australian government’s policy of Assimilation. This is a policy based on the misguided belief that these First Nations children would be better raised by a white family.

Read the lesson on Australia’s Stolen Generation below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.english-online.at/history/aborigines/australias-stolen-generation.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the Stolen Generation?
  2. Why were Aboriginal children stolen?
  3. Do you think this government policy is justified and humane? Elaborate.
  4. Do you agree that the Australian government should compensate all families affected by this policy? Elaborate.
  5. Do you think that the government should publicly acknowledge and apologize for this act? Elaborate.

Teraanga: The Word That Defines Senegal

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are so many bad things happening everywhere around us. Sometimes, all we need is a little random act of kindness from a stranger. Can you just imagine how different the world would be like if we all treat each other with kindness.

It is reassuring to know that such a place still exists. 

Find out more about the country ruled by kindness. Read the full article below.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20201115-teraanga-the-word-that-defines-senegal

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on teraanga and how it is embodied in Senegal?
  2. What do you think is the word that defines your country? Explain the meaning of the word in your language and how is it mirrored in people’s daily lives?
  3. Describe the people and way of life in your country. Feel free to talk about the positives and negatives.
  4. What’s the boldest request you’ve ever gotten from a stranger and the other way around, what’s the biggest favor you’ve ever had to ask a complete stranger?
  5. What is the nicest / most generous thing you have ever done in your life?

Is Punctuality Important?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Punctuality isn’t universal as it varies from culture to culture. For some countries, it might be fuzzy as time moves in different pace, but it doesn’t mean that if someone is strictly conditioned to be on time that the person would be cultivated that way. It still depends on the individual. For this reason, some are always on time and some are late regardless whether punctuality is observed in their country or not.

Learn more about why punctuality is a struggle for many who couldn’t manage to be on time.

Listen to this audio and learn more about punctuality.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does being prompt or on time matter to you? Is being on time important in your country? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think people in your country are somehow trained to be on time from when you are young? How can you say so?
  3. How does being punctual impact your personal and professional life?
  4. Why is being late trivial to some?
  5. Do you agree that being on time is a choice? Explain your stand.

Places That Forbid Taking of Pictures

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Let’s admit, majority of us are hooked on taking photos. From the food that we are just about to eat, Outfit Of The Day (OOTD), our activities, and most specially the instagrammable places that we’ve been to, we can’t stop ourselves from taking snaps before anything else.

However, as much as we want to capture the scenery and view, there are places that do not allow this. Let us find out what are these places and their reasons why we need to ditch in our cameras in visiting them.

rd.com/list/places-forbid-taking-pictures/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you like taking pictures?
  2. What are the reasons you take photos?
  3. What are the things that you like to take pictures of?
  4. Is there a place in your country that forbids taking of pictures? What is the reason?
  5. In your own opinion, do you think the reasons mentioned in the article are valid?

Cross Cultural Communication

C1 – Advanced

Given different cultural backgrounds, people are faced with a challenge communicating with each other through verbal or non- verbal way of communicating, greetings, body language, and tone.

Let us watch a short clip on how to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on cross culture communications?
  2. How do people from different cultures communicate? How can we better communicate with individuals and groups whose first language, or language of choice, does not match our own?
  3. Which do you think is a better way to communicate – body language or verbal expressions?
  4. Do you think intercultural communication is easy or difficult? What problems have you had communicating with different cultures?
  5. Is basic understanding of cultural diversity a key to effective cross-cultural communications? Support your stand.

Where Superstitions Come From

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Superstitions have come a long way in our history. It may be classified roughly as religious, cultural, and personal. Despite the modernization, superstitious beliefs still persist in our society and to some extent, some people believe in such irrational and absurd beliefs.

Watch the video to know its origin and be able to answer the questions that follow:

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on superstitions?
  2. Are you/people in your country superstitious? Why do you think this is?
  3. Why do some people believe in superstitions?
  4. What superstitious beliefs do you know and/or believe?
  5. Talk about some Spanish superstitious beliefs.

Ancient Monuments Built Around Summer Solstice

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. This day was a big deal for people who lived in the ancient times. This is a way they track summer turning to autumn. Summer Solstice is also their sign to determine when to sow and harvest numerous crops.

There are some ancient monuments which were built to align with the sun indicating summer solstice.

Here are 7 magnificent examples of those monuments.


https://www.rd.com/culture/ancient-monuments-summer-solstice/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can you say about the monuments built around Summer Solstice?
  2. Which one is your favorite and why? Describe the monument.
  3. Why was Summer Solstice important to ancient people?
  4. What do you think is the reason ancient people built these monuments?
  5. What was your reaction when you saw the photos of those monuments built in ancient times?

Multiculturalism

B1 – Intermediate

Every culture has something interesting about it. When people from different cultures live in one place, the city becomes a melting pot or multicultural. The world has become smaller because of multiculturalism. It is now very common to see cities that are melting pots of different cultures.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about multiculturalism.

https://listenaminute.com/m/multiculturalism.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about multiculturalism?
  2. What are the good and bad things about a multicultural city?
  3. Do you live in a multicultural city? Have you ever been to a multicultural city? Talk about your experience.
  4. Which culture do you find most interesting? Why?
  5. What is most interesting about your culture?

Couples Get Married Online in New York

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A wedding is without a doubt one of the most special days in a woman’s life. This is her big day. This day is all about her. That is why weddings have become a big global industry.

During this pandemic, most couples’ wedding ceremony had to be postponed but that is not entirely the case in New York.

Read the article about online weddings in New York.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/zoom-yorkers-wed-online-200419165225473.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. How is the online wedding procedure in New York?
  2. What is your opinion on online wedding?
  3. How do people in your country commonly get married?
  4. Share some traditional wedding practices in your country.
  5. Do you think this is one change we would eventually adapt even after the pandemic is over?