Manuals > General English > Rosetta Stone Advantage > Elementary - Book 3 > Lesson 28
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By the end of the lesson, the student should be able to talk about cultural activities they like.
Note: Culture can be divided into different aspects:
e.g. religion, habit, tradition, upbringing, language, values, food, climate, history.
This lesson focuses more on talking about the aspect of history. Especially, "High Culture" in regards to museums and art.
Communication strategies:
The student should be able to talk about cultural activities by following the 4 steps below:
1) say what they did
2) say why they went there
3) give their opinion of the place
4) share some information about the place
e.g.
A) Do you often go to museums?
B) Yeah. I went to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center a few weeks ago.
A) Why did you go there?
B) We went there for the new dinosaur exhibition.
A) What did your kids think of it?
B) They thought it was really fun.
A) What was their favorite part?
B) They loved the interactive displays
Words and rules:
- The student should be able to name some cultural activities. e.g. go to a museum
- The student should be able to express reasons e.g. since / because / so
- The student should be able to give their opinion of a past event e.g. It was great!
Appropriateness:
Non-verbal behaviour: NA
Register: NA
Social rules: NA
Cultural references: NA
Track #9
I love visiting the Modern Art Gallery, because the artworks are fantastic. They always have works by the latest artists. They have paintings and sculptures made from metal and stone. Some of the artwork is a little strange, but it is always interesting.
Track #10
I like to visit the cathedral, because I love old buildings. It is from the 16th century, so it is over 500 years old! It was built by King Henry the VIII of England. It’s also great because it is free.
Track #11
I’m into history, so I sometimes visit the War Museum. It’s important to take your kids there because they need to know about it. It’s also fun for them because there are lots of old trucks, airplanes, and tanks!
Track #12
We occasionally go to the ballet - me and my wife. I go because she likes it. Personally, I think it is a little boring. Last time I went, I fell asleep in the front row. She wasn’t happy with me. I’d prefer to watch a musical!
Because the lesson touches on the topic of museums, you are welcome to introduce some of the following vocabulary if you like.
1) an exhibition (adj)
2) contemporary (adj)
3) scientific (adj)
4) preserve something (v)
5) cultural (adj)
6) ancient (adj)
7) huge (adj)
8) impressive (adj)
9) educational (adj)
10) historical (adj)
Option 1:
Difficulty ★★
Type:
Let’s try - practice
Purpose:
Teaching the student how to talk about cultural activities and give suggestions
Method:
Practice asking for and giving advice on cultural activities.
e.g.
A) My kids are really into dinosaurs at the moment. Do you know any good museums?
B) Yeah, why don't you check out the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum? They have become quite famous recently since Fukui discovered that new dinosaur.
Option 2:
Difficulty ★★★
Type:
Let’s try - Speech
Purpose:
Teaching the student how to talk about cultural activities by planning an itinerary.
Method:
Have the student make a travel itinerary for you. The itinerary should include some great cultural sports to go to, the reason why they are great, and how to get there.
Option 3:
Difficulty ★★
Type:
Let’s try - practice
Purpose:
Teaching the student how to describe cultural sites.
Method:
Play a game where one person has to describe a cultural site, but can't say its name. The other partner has to guess which site is being described. You can make the game easier by preselecting 10 sites first, or limiting the sites to a specific area. .
Extra questions you might like to ask in the lesson
- How was it?
- What did you think?
- Why did you go there?
Let’s start
Top left: a temple
Top middle: an art gallery
Top right: an opera
Bottom left: a cathedral
Bottom middle: a castle
Bottom right: an antiques market
Let’s try
Listen to each speaker as they describe the cultural activities they enjoy. Tell your teacher what the activities are and why the speakers like them.
Track #9
Activity: visiting the Modern Art Gallery
Reason: The artworks are fantastic
Track #10
Activity: visit the cathedral
Reason: He loves old buildings
Track #11
Activity: visit the War Museum.
Reason: He’s into history
Track #12
Activity: go to the ballet
Reason: His wife likes it
Let’s practice
Place: Mt. Rushmore
Time: last month
Reason: teach your kids about American history
Opinion: amazing
Best part: taking pictures
A) Have you ever been to Mt. Rushmore?
B) Yeah, I went there last month because I wanted to teach my kids about American history.
A) What did you think of it?
B) It was really amazing.
A) What was your favorite part?
B) Taking photos
A) Do you think you’ll go there again?
B) Nah, once is enough
Place: Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Time: two weeks ago
Reason: new dinosaur exhibition
Opinion: fun
Best part: the interactive displays
A) Do you often go to museums?
B) Yeah. I went to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center a few weeks ago.
A) Why did you go there?
B) We went there for the new dinosaur exhibition.
A) What did your kids think of it?
B) They thought it was really fun.
A) What was their favorite part?
B) They loved the interactive displays
Place: The Lincoln Memorial
Time: on Friday
Reason: learn more about Abraham Lincoln
Opinion: bigger than I had expected
Best part: the view
A) What are some cultural things you like to do?
B) I went to the Lincoln Memorial on Friday because I wanted to learn more about Abraham Lincoln
A) What did you think of it?
B) It was bigger than I had expected.
A) What was your favorite part?
B) The view.
Let’s speak
Your partner wants to know more about Japanese culture. Compare some different cultural places you have been to. Then recommend some interesting cultural places to your partner.
A) I want to learn more about Japanese culture. But I don’t know where to go. Do you know any good places?
B) Yeah. If you want to know more about Japanese history, I think you should go to Ueno. There are lots of great museums there.
A) OK great. Are there any galleries there?
B) Yeah. There are some great art galleries there too. My favorite is the national art gallery. It has lots of great Japanese paintings and sculptures. It’s much more interesting that the museum of contemporary art.
A) What about pop culture?
B) If you want to learn more about popular culture. Why don’t you go to Harajuku or Shibuya? They are both lots of fun. They both have amazing fashion.