Culture

Big-C Culture

1. Time and Date
Gives the dates and descriptions of US holidays, including holiday type, customs, and background. Useful exploration tool for older students, or resource for teacher prepping a holidays lesson for younger students.

2.  Maps of World – Cuisine of the US
Explores US foods by region in some depth, using clear language and big type. Good for intermediate students to explore on their own.

3. Cultural Politics – Popular Culture
Detailed descriptions of US pop culture, including the arts, fashion, and sports. Good resource for teacher preparing a lesson, or for more advanced students to explore on their own.

4. National Gallery of Art, Kids
Highly interactive site for younger and intermediate children; teaches about American art via the various resources and art pieces of the National Gallery.

5. The Children’s Library
Online library of traditional English-language children’s literature. Good resource for grounding children in American culture and literature. Includes pictures.


Sites for Little-c Culture:

1. American Gestures
A full lesson plan for elementary school students, complete with pictures. Developed for Japanese students; may need tweaking for most ESL students in the US.

2. Communication Patterns and Assumptions of Cultural Groups in the US
Extensive resource for teaching about varying little-c culture within the US, with detailed descriptions of different ethnic groups’ communication styles and cultural assumptions. Good for teacher inexperienced with working with certain American subcultures, or for teacher instructing students on dealing with other US cultures.

3. American Folklore: Myths and Legends
A to Z list of American myths and legends. Summaries with links to stories told in full, but without pictures. May need to be adapted for younger students—probably not a direct exploration resource.

4. New World Encyclopedia: Midwestern US
In-depth description of the Midwest, including its big-C and little-c culture.

5. Teaching American little-c culture to prospective teachers of English
In-depth resource for thinking about how and why to teach little-c culture explicitly. Resource for teachers, not students.