English Conversation1

Unit3. Lesson3. Talking about Culture and Values

Lesson3.
Talking about Culture and Values
1.Target Language
- The typical food in our country is..
- Our traditional clothing is .
- We have holiday festivals such as..
- What traditional instruments do you have?
- Do you have any folklores or folk tales in your country?
- How does your history affect your country now?
- How do the people in your country show politeness?

2.Sample Dialogue
Danny, Robert, Janice and Joseph are talking about their different culture and values.
Robert:

Ive always been curious about foods and clothing of Japan and Spain.
Can you tell us more about that, Joseph?

Joseph:

In Spain, the principal staples are bread, rice, vegetable, fish and other
agrarian products. Most people are familiar with the Andalusian-style
dress.

Danny:

What about your festivals?

Joseph:

Most festivities are religious-based celebrations.

English Conversation1
Unit3. Lesson3. Talking about Culture and Values

Robert:

Oh, I read something about that. Your culture and history is

magnificent. How about you, Janice? As far as I know, Japanese are
really polite people.

Janice:

Yes, we bow upon meeting each other. Sometimes, we bow and shake
hands simultaneously.

Danny:

To be honest with you, I thought Japanese are not so friendly people.

But now, I realized that is just prejudice, Im sorry.

Janice:

Never mind, its fine. You see, the thing is that, our society is commonly
described as homogenous but actually, it is complex and diverse.

Joseph:

It goes to say that every country has different values and culture. We
also had a culture shock the first time we arrived here. However, we
thought that we need to respect each other.

Danny:

Yeah, I cant argue with that.

Dialogue Activity
A = you, B = your friend
A:

Could you tell me ___________?

B:

Sure, it is something like ____________.

A:

I see. How about __________________?

B:

Well, the thing is ___________.

Vocabularies/ Idiomatic Expressions/ Phrasal Verbs

Curious

eager to learn

Principal staples

basic or necessary item of food

Familiar

commonly or generally known or seen

Festival

cultural celebration

Religious

based celebration- the focus is religion

Magnificent

high admiration; extraordinary

2

English Conversation1
Unit3. Lesson3. Talking about Culture and Values

Simultaneously

at the same time

Prejudice

unfavorably opinion or feeling

Homogeneous

one form

Complex/diverse

different kind, form or character

Culture shock

a person may feel this when experiencing an

unfamiliar way of life

Well, to be honest with you

it indicates that you are about to open up with your

chat-mate

Never mind, its fine

used when a person offers an apology or a favor to

you but you feel it is not necessary

You see, the thing is that

This is how you begin a sentence when you are

asked to explain something

It goes to say that

same as, it only means that

Cant argue with that

used when you agree with the statement of the

other person

Vocabulary Activity
Choose the correct answer.

staple

homogeneous

diversity

prejudice

festival

typical

culture shock

familiar

1)

It is impolite to give false generalizations about different cultures. It is a kind of

______.

2)

Rice is a __________ food in Japan.

3)

I had a _________ when I saw how you greet older people.

4)

We also have different kinds of _______ that we celebrate during different

seasons.

English Conversation1
Unit3. Lesson3. Talking about Culture and Values

5)

In my opinion, it is not right to say that there is a _______ kind of society in one
country. Sometimes, a nation has heterogeneous kinds of socio-economic
culture.

6)

Bowing is a _______ form of expressing politeness.

7)

Your values and culture are _______ to us because we always see that on your
movies and international music.

8)

The ________ of culture and values of different countries often lead to

misunderstanding and prejudice.

!
3.General Discussions
1)

How can you distinguish your culture and values to other countries?

2)

What are the traditional clothes, food, festivals, sports, instruments, music in
your country?

3)

What has surprised you when you met people from other countries?

4)

Have you ever experienced a culture shock?

5)

What part of your culture are you most proud about?

6)

If you can change one thing in your culture, what would that be?

4.Grammar Point
Making Generalizations

General Statements

More Specific Group

All people want to have a job.

All of the people in Japan want to have a

job.
4

English Conversation1
Unit3. Lesson3. Talking about Culture and Values

General Statements

More Specific Group

Most children want to play outside.

Most of the children in my country play

video games.

A few papers were thrown.

A few of the papers on my table were

thrown.

!
Grammar Activity
Complete each sentence using the words in the parentheses.

1)

(Most)______ Japanese are studious.

2)

I want to eat _______(all) the candies on the table.

3)

__________(few) that I know want to go abroad to study English.

4)

________ Americans like fast food.

5)

Maybe ______(most) them will have a good job someday.

5.Pronunciation
Check your pronunciation, intonation and accent.

Never mind, its fine.

It goes to say that every country has different values

and culture.
5