3. Mini-dramas

The first time mini–drama is used in an ESL classroom. It should promote quite a lot of emotional feeling of the kind that can happen in intercultural environment. Mini–dramas help to promote tolerance and understanding, but great emotional impact usually only happens when drama is played for first time. Mini–dramas work best if they deal with highly charged emotional issues.

4. Investigation projects

Here the students have an opportunity to be Sherlock Holmes or a teacher. One of the lessons during the week may be opened with a project work based on a specific topic. Students may be divided in small groups. They can be allocated separate tasks for each group and should they should have clear instructions in what way they should investigate and present their project work.

5. Culture capsule

At the beginning and at the end of the internship if you were really interested in making the students know cultural elements, you may ask them to bring a culture capsule as an extra task. It would display the progress of students in understanding the culture that is different from his or her own. It may be done in the form of collages, drawings, mind-maps or something more material. Also it can be in a form of a box or a folder (portfolio) which during the time of your internship may make students feel fulfilled with the materials related to culture.

Real-life situation from experience

During your first internship try to be prepared for the cases when your students are trying to check your vocabulary knowledge. For example, the students of my internship colleague wondered what would be translation to the word «селёдка». This case is always popular but you should not be afraid of this: your students are just children and also they are human beings that’s why they are CURIOUS and it is great. When discussing certain topics in English can also have questions that are connected with the cultural awareness. For example, if a student is wondering if the driving license can be given to a person under 16 years old in America, you may answer to this question and after the answer you may spontaneously make a discussion why do they have such law in America and why can’t we have the same law here. And this may be a part of a problem solution approach in teaching.

Tips

In this section I would like to share some of my own tips to get cultural awareness atmosphere in your classroom:

• Identify interests of your students and English language fluency level.

Your question: Why is it so important? Students have to learn new words while they are studying language and it may not be a problem for them to learn a word “beadle”, for example.

Answer: It is really important to know the abilities and potential of your students. Imagine the situation that in the process of choosing the form where you will spend your internship hours you take the 4^th form. It is supposed that for teaching students of this level you should use many games and easy words that are really appropriate for them to understand.

For example, “anthem”. The students of their level may not be interested in understanding the clear meaning of the realias.

• Don’t forget to use visual materials: videos, CDs, pictures – use all that is suitable for the topic of your lesson.

Your question: But if I have no interactive board or recorder in my classroom?

Answer: It is really necessary to use visual materials for showing the cultural elements of the target language. Usually every English teacher has a recorder in the classroom – so, you should ask it for your lesson. In case you have no recorder in the classroom you may also use your smartphone. If you don’t have interactive board in your classroom – bring your own laptop. It is really useful for students to listen to the recordings with the authentic voices, pronunciation and accents of native speakers so as to be able reproduce them.

• Speak English in the classroom.

Your question: But sometimes they may not be able to understand my speech. How should I deal with the problem like that?

Answer: Again, you should be able to understand their abilities and their level. Also be prepared to deal with a usual reaction of students: not everyone is interested in studying English such as “I don’t understand English. It was always a problem for me”, “I like Geometry and Physics, but I don’t like languages”. That’s why their level of English proficiency and motivation level may be a bit different. Be closer to your students. Sometimes use simple constructions and vocabulary. And try to explain a certain fact describing Britain and America that is different from what they know AGAIN in English.

• Also you may create a cultural tradition in your classroom that is connected with culture of the target language.

Your question: How? Drink tea with them or bring the flag of Great Britain?

Answer: Not in such way  There are many more appropriate elements that you can bring with you. For example, English spoken etiquette – what about people are speaking in Great Britain or America in this or that situation. But do not allow your students to speak in slang.

Conclusion

Now it’s time to summarize the whole chapter and share some extra tips with you.

1. Have a clear understanding of what exactly the cultural awareness is, why language is connected with culture. Find examples to illustrate you ideas, plus if you prepare in advance you would be more confident when talking to students.

2. Try to use different ways to approach students to include or divide the elements of the target language country’s culture into the lesson process. One way to do this is introducing new culture-related words they should focus their attention on. It is necessary to prepare extra material even if you don’t want to spend your time for preparation.

These techniques should be interesting for you, for your students and it also should be methodologically correct and connected with the curriculum.

I wish you good luck!