Table of contents:- Introduction Definition of Culture Teaching culture importance Culture teaching strategies Culture and Curriculum Conclusion References

Language and culture are two inseparable entities. Therefore, language learning is at once a cultural learning. The relationship between language and culture is deeply rooted. Language is used to maintain and convey culture.

Teachers must instruct their students on the cultural background of language usage. If one teaches language without teaching about the culture in which it operates, the students are learning empty or meaningless symbols or they may attach the incorrect meaning to what is being taught.

The students, when using the learnt language ( L1 or L2 ), may use the language inappropriately or within the wrong cultural context, thus defeating the purpose of learning a language. One’s mastery of the linguistic elements alone does not guarantee he will be able to communicate through a language.

What is culture

The National Center for Cultural Competence defines culture as an “integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting and roles, relationships and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group; and the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations” (Goode, Sockalingam, Brown, & Jones, 2000). What is culture ?

Westerhuis (as cited in Cheung, 2001, p.56) defines 'culture' as the customs, values, laws, technology, artifacts and art of a particular time or people. What is culture ?

All cultures have at least five characteristics in common: Learned Learned Shared Shared Patterned Patterned Adaptive Adaptive Symbolic Symbolic All we do, say, or believe is learned A group with common language and custom shares a culture One aspect of culture reflects other aspects. They all fit into a pattern as a whole Cultures can become poorly adapted during rapid change Sign or Signal: Sounds or gestures with self-evident meaning

Why teaching culture ? According to Tomalin & Stempleski (1993: 7- 8), modifying Seelye’s (1988) ‘seven goals of cultural instruction’, the teaching of culture has the following goals and is of and in itself a means of accomplishing them: 1. To help students to develop an understanding of the fact that all people exhibit culturally-conditioned behaviors.

2. To help students to develop an understanding that social variables such as age, sex, social class, and place of residence influence the ways in which people speak and behave. 3. To help students to become more aware of conventional behavior in common situations in the target culture. 4. To help students to increase their awareness of the cultural connotations of words and phrases in the target language.

5. To help students to develop the ability to evaluate and refine generalizations about the target culture, in terms of supporting evidence. 6. To help students to develop the necessary skills to locate and organize information about the target culture. 7. To stimulate students’ intellectual curiosity about the target culture, and to encourage empathy towards its people.

How to incorporate culture into the EFL classroom

To incorporate culture in EFL classes, cultural activities and objectives should be carefully organized and incorporated into lesson plans to enrich and inform the teaching content.

The use of following materials and techniques for presenting culture in the classroom is widely recommended The use of following materials and techniques for presenting culture in the classroom is widely recommended 1. Authentic Materials 1. Authentic Materials 2 – Proverbs 3 – Role Play 3 – Role Play 4 – Literature 4 – Literature 5 – Film 5 – Film

Teachers can adapt their use of authentic materials to suit the age and language proficiency level of the students. 1. Authentic Materials 1. Authentic Materials Using authentic sources from the native speech community, like films, news broadcasts, and television shows; Web sites; and photographs, magazines, newspapers, restaurant menus, travel brochures, and other printed materials, helps to engage students in authentic cultural experiences.

Using proverbs as a way to explore culture also provides a way to analyze the stereotypes about and misperceptions of the culture, as well as a way for students to explore the values that are often represented in the proverbs of their native culture. Discussion of common proverbs in the target language could focus on how the proverbs are different from or similar to proverbs in the students’ ‟ native language and how differences might underscore historical and cultural background. 2 – Proverbs

In role plays, students can act out a miscommunication that is based on cultural differences. For example, after learning about ways of addressing different groups of people in the target culture, such as people of the same age and older people, students could role play a situation in which an inappropriate greeting is used. Other students observe the role play and try to identify the reason for the miscommunication. They then role play the same situation using a culturally appropriate form of address 3 – Role Play

Literary works can be an effective means to develop the understanding of other cultures because they provide the readers with insights of other cultures without having to visit the real place 4 – Literature

Film and television segments offer students an opportunity to witness behaviors that are not obvious in texts. Film is often one of the more current and comprehensive ways to encapsulate the look, feel, and rhythm of a culture. Film also connects students with language and cultural issues simultaneously, such as depicting conversational timing or turn-taking in conversation 5 – Film

More strategies about teaching culture More strategies about teaching culture Try one of the following 1 Food You can let your students share their culture through food by inviting them to talk about or share dishes typical in their countries. To do this, have a cultural food fair or ask your students to prepare a national dish in a class presentation. If everyone in class gets a little taste, even better, just keep in mind food allergies that your students may have.food

2 Holidays Ask each of your students to talk about a traditional holiday from their native culture. They can give information about the holiday itself as well as national and family traditions. The students in your class will enjoy sharing some of their traditions as well as hearing about those of their classmates. 3 Clothing You can invite your students to wear traditional clothing on a certain day or bring picture of themselves or others in traditional dress. Encourage each person to explain the significance of the different pieces, if any, and give an opportunity for everyone in class to ask questions.

4 History Often key events in a country’s past will either establish or define that culture’s values. You can give your students an opportunity to discuss significant events in their country’s history. 5 Traditional stories Traditional stories such as folk tales or tall tales are another way to bring culture and history into the classroom. You can have your students read English translations of traditional tales or have your students tell the stories to their classmates

Culture and Curriculum Curriculum designers must carefully merge cultural elements, old and new into a curriculum that fits the students, school, and community. Here is one example :-

This lesson is in the sixth-grade elementary. Notice 1- Dressing 2 – Names

Culture and language are inseparable and culture must be entirely integrated as a central component of language learning. Culture and language are inseparable and culture must be entirely integrated as a central component of language learning. Conclusion

References:- including-culture-in-efl-teaching-pp pdf ng%20and%20Learning%20Culture%20of%20a%20Second%20Lan guage%20Abdulmahmoud%20Idrees.pdf 3- efault/files/files/The%20Importance%20Of%20Teaching%20Cultur e%20In%20The%20Foreign%20Language%20Classroom.pdf 4-