לומדים אנגלית / קוראים ספרי ילדים

Two weeks ago I published my first post on Reading Comprehension as a process. Last week I published my second post on this topic. The following is my last post centering around the general theme: Culture, Customs and Manners. The rationale behind the unit is to present various texts focusing on different aspects of a certain theme in order to increase the general knowledge on the theme. Prior knowledge will facilitate comprehension of the text and encourage reading.

Introducing Text No. 3

Let's start with an Oral Activity.

Look at the following cartoon. 

(Click on the link below: food cartoon.)

food cartoon

Describe the cartoon.

• What are theses people doing?
• Where do they come from?
• What is the idea behind the cartoon?

Developing class discussion based on the cartoon.

• • Do you like Chinese food? Why? What is special about it?
  • Do you like Indian food? Have you ever been to an Indian restaurant? What was special about it?
  • Do Israeli restaurants succeed abroad? Can you explain the reasons?
  • What is your favorite food? Share a recipe with your classmates.

 Text No. 3

Newcomers often feel confused and even helpless during their first months in Israel. They come from a different culture, a different world. They sometimes feel that they have landed on a different planet.

Everything is different, new. The food has a different taste, the clothes people wear are not like those in the old country. The houses, the stores, the signs on the streets do not resemble those back home. The behavior at work and at school, the relations between employers and employees, between teachers and students are quite different. In short, the whole lifestyle is different.

People from one culture often find it hard to communicate with people from another culture. Even if they know the language, they probably don't know the spirit of the language. They do not understand the humor. The jokes do not sound funny. The slang is unclear. They misunderstand certain gestures. Bulgarians, for example, mean YES when they shake their heads and NO when they nod. Just imagine the funny or unpleasant situations that may arise as a result of this. The only advice we can give the confused foreigners is: PATIENCE. That's the recommended recipe. It may take some time, but if they really want to, they will eventually become an integral part of the new culture and feel at home in the new country.

Working on the text

Read the text carefully.

• Find the main idea of every paragraph.
• Can you sum up the text in three sentences?
• Choose a suitable title for the text.

Language Activity

 Rewrite the following sentences.

• The food has a different taste. (DIFFERENTLY).
  …
• The clothes people wear are not like those in the old country, (SAME)
  …
• Newcomers sometimes feel that they have landed on a different planet. (AS IF)
  …
• People from one culture often find it hard to communicate with those of another.
  It is hard …
• They do not understand the humor.
  They fail …

Homework Assignment

Write 2 – 3 paragraphs about one of the following subjects:

• You are spending a few days with a Bulgarian family. Imagine a scene in which whenever you mean NO, they think you mean YES. This may lead to a funny / unpleasant / terrible misunderstanding. 
• You were the only person at the table who did not know how to use chopsticks. It was a Chinese restaurant. Describe what you did, how you felt and how the others reacted.

And that's all for today. More texts and suggestions in my next post.