TEMA 5

MARCO GEOGRÁFICO, HISTÓRICO Y CULTURAL DE LOS PAÍSES DE HABLA INGLESA.

APLICACIÓN DIDÁCTICA DE LOS ASPECTOS GEOGRÁFICOS, HISTÓRICOS Y
CULTURALES MÁS SIGNIFICATIVOS.

1. GEOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH- SPEAKING

COUNTRIES.

1.1 GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND: UK

1.2 THE UNITED STATES

1.3 CANADA

1.4 AUSTRALIA

1.5 NEW ZEALAND

2. IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL AWARENESS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

3. USE OF COMPETENCES

4. CONCLUSION

Bibliography:
 Life in modern Britain, Peter Bromhead, Longman, 1989
 Life in modern America, Peter Bromhead, Longman,1988
 CEFR. Common European Framework of Reference

Legal framework:
LOMCE. Organic Law 8/2013, 9th December, established for the Improvement of Education Quality,
Royal Decree 126/2014, 28th February, which establishes the Basic Curriculum of Primary Education.
BORM. Decree n.º 198/2014, 5th September, which establishes Primary School Curriculum in the
Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia .

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INTRODUCTION:

The aim of learning a language is not only to master the grammatical structures, phonetics rules,
spelling, etc., but also to master its use.

Today, it is essential to know English because, at present, English- speaking countries dominate in
the fields of economy, politics and culture. So, English is necessary because of its usefulness.
Besides, a language is not just a set of structures: a language is the culture, and the only way of
really knowing a language is to know the culture to which it belongs and which has an enormous
influence on its vocabulary, semantic differentiation and cultural contrasts. It’s essential to know
the English culture in order to know, for example: the difference between a Yorkshire pudding
and a plum cake and that the Queen is exempt from paying taxes.

1. GEOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH- SPEAKING

COUNTRIES.

English is the most widespread language in the world and it is second as for the number of
speakers, after Chinese Mandarin.
English is the official (or co-official) language in the following countries:
Africa: Gambia, Nigeria, South Africa,...
Pacific (Oceanic): Australia, New Zealand,..
Asia: India, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong,...
America: Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Canada and United States of America.
Europe: UK, Ireland (is co-official with Gaelic), Gibraltar, and Malta.

The majority of the English-speaking countries were a part of the great British colonial Empire,
and British took English to these countries as well as most of the cultural stereotypes that they all
have in common.
At present, most of these countries are members of the Common Wealth.

1.1. GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND: UK

A) GEOGRAPHICAL VIEW.

1. Who are the English, British?

“British” refers to people from the UK, Great Britain or the British Isles in general.
The UK (United Kingdom): This is an abbreviation of UK of United Kingdom of Great Britain.
The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and since 1922 Northern Ireland. Plus several
islands of the British Coast: Isle of Wight, Orkneys, Hebrides and Sally.
Great Britain: is made up of England, Scotland and Wales.
The British Isles: is made up of Great Britain, whole of Ireland (Northern and Southern), Channel
Islands and the Isle of Man.

Countries of United Kingdom

The flag of UK is the “Union Jack”.

Scotland: the capital of this country is Edinburgh. Its symbol is a thistle and its patron is St.
Andrews.
Wales: The capital of this country is Cardiff. Its symbol is daffodil and its patron is St. David.

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Northern Ireland: The capital of this country is Belfast. Its symbol is a shamrock and its patron is
St. Patrick
England: the capital is London. Its symbol is a rose and its patron is St. George.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES.

Britain has very varied scenery; there is a dramatic contrast between highland and lowland
Britain.
HIGHLANDS: rocks in the north and west of Britain are older and harder than those of the south
and east.
E.g.: Lake District, Peak District, Scotland and Wales. The sails are poor, thin and stony.
Harder to reach than the lowlands to the south and east.
Thinly populated except where iron and coal have been discovered. Most of the cow-fields lie
along the dividing line between highland and lowland Britain.

LOWLANDS: The south and east of Britain is flatter. They have numerous hills, which alternate
with areas of lowland plains. The soil is deeper and richer and the climate is drier and better
suited for farming. Population is denser.

The British Climate:

The temperature in England is mild; it’s never very hot or very cold.
IN SUMMER (about 16ºC): The temperature in G. Britain is mild but sometimes there are “heat-
waves” which are commonly known as the “Indian Summer”. Summers are usually cool but due
to Global Warming the weather in Britain is drier and hotter in summer and autumn.
IN WINTER: the temperature is cold about 4ºC. There are snowfalls in the Scottish Highlands.
Although it is commonly believed that in Britain it is always raining, it doesn’t rain all the time:
the wettest months of the year are from September until January.
In past, the fumes from the factories produced smoke, which mixed with fog, became smog in
London. It used to be so thick that you couldn’t see your hand in front of you. But now there is
little contamination from the factories in London so there is hardly any smog but we can still find
thick fog.
Warmer in summer in southern England
Coldest winters in Scotland Highlands
Coastal area best suited for a day out on the beach in July is Cornwall

B) HISTORICAL FEATURES

United Kingdom comprises of four countries: England, Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland,
the Scottish, Welsh and Irish are of Celtic origin, but the English are mostly of Anglo-Saxon or
Norman origin.

Wales:
The predecessors of the Welsh were romanised Celts, who fled from the Anglo-Saxon invaders
and found refuge in the Welsh mountains.
Wales has not lost its own culture. A small part of the inhabitants of Wales still speak Gaelic as
their first language. However most of them speak English perfectly well.
The Romans came to Wales in 75 AD. Edward I conquered Wales in 1202 and built an iron ring of
castles around the stronghold of Snowdonia. Wales’s best-known monuments are the Medieval
Castles. The most important castle is Caernarfon Castle.

Today, important Welshmen are: Sir Anthony Hopkins or Richard Burton.

Wales is a land of green hills, farms, forest and important valleys.

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Every year there are National Festivals
The type of singing famous in Wales is: MALE-VOICE-CHOIR.

b) SCOTLAND:
The Scottish are a mixture of Celts, Saxons and Vikings. Scotland was an independent country and
was conquered by the English.
The Scottish have their own church, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, in addition to the
Church of England, headed by the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury. They are world
renowned for their whisky. The Gaelic language is spoken by about 80,000 people. Scotland kept
its own education, legal system and church as a symbol of national identity:
Scotland has a very distinctive national identity i.e. whisky, kilts, bagpipes, folk music.
Some important Scotsmen are:
Alexander Graham Bell (Telephone -1875)
Sir Alexander Flemming (Penicillin-1928)
The writer Robert Louis Stevenson (Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde)

c) NORTHERN IRELAND
Three hundreds years ago, a group of Scottish and English Protestants were sent to live in
Northern Ireland. It was thought that this could prevent the Irish Catholics from causing troubles.
When the English forces were sent to fight against the Irish rebels, they always found support
from the Scottish. James II Catholic King of England, lost his crown to the protestant William the
Orange, and used Ireland as a base to get it back. On the “Orange Day” (12 th July) Protestants
commemorate their victory. On 12th July, the Protestants of Northern Ireland parade in the street
in remembrance of the victory over King James II by Prince William.
Finally, Ireland was given its independence in the early 20’s, but as a divided country: on the one
hand Eire, of mainly Catholic religion, and on the other, Northern Ireland, which became part of
the United Kingdom with a Protestant majority.
The assassinations and terrorism that take place today in Northern Ireland are the result of the
division in the 20’s of Ireland. The terrorist group IRA (Irish Republican Army) claims that it is
fighting for a United Ireland, although the government of Eire is working with the British
government to bring peace to Northern Ireland. The Irish are the object of many “foolish” or
“dumb” jokes perhaps similar to the ones in Spain about people from Lepe.
Some of the most important Irishmen are: Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Kenneth Branagh
( Frankenstein), U2

D) UNITED KINGDOMS. THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT:

The queen is the head of the state, but UK is a constitutional monarch and she rules it through
parliament.
The parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The prime minister is the leader of the party that makes up the government after obtaining a
majority of seats in general elections.
The current prime minister is the Labour party leader Tony Blair.
Great Britain has a democratic government. The powers of the monarch are limited and no
political statements and speeches are made by the British monarch.

CULTURE (CULTURE VIEW)

SPORTS:
Football, invented by the British, is the most popular sport in the UK It’s the national sport, but
nowadays, British football has a bad name both at home and abroad because of hooligans, a group
of fans who get drunk and fight with their rivals.
Rugby: There are 2 types: the rugby Union, which is amateur, and the Rugby League, which is
professional.
Cricket: is an English game. So Scottish, Irish, or Welsh don’t play it.

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FESTIVALS: THE MOST POPULAR ONES ARE:
February 14th Saint Valentine ‘s day.
Easter
March 17th Saint Patrick’s day, (patron of Ireland).
23rd April, Saint George’s day, the Patron of England.
October 31st Halloween.
November 6th Guy Fawkes’ day.
November 30th Saint Andrew’s day, patron of Scotland.
Christmas is on 25th December. There is no kings’ day as in Spain and the 26 th of December is
called the “Boxing day” and is also a holiday.

Literature: The most important and well-Known British winters are:

William Shakespeare (s. XVI- XVII): only 18 of his plays were published when he was alive.
Shakespeare’s plays are divided into three main groups:
TRAGEDIES: ”Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, “Othello”
COMEDIES: “the merchant of Venice”, “Much Ado about Nothing”
HISTORICAL PLAYS: “Henry IV”, “Richard III”
He also wrote poetry: “The sonnets” (the most important)

Lord Byron (s. XVIII- XIX): Byron was famous and infamous for his poetry, his scandalous love
life and his devotion to liberal ideas. His most famous novels are: “Don Juan”, his most important
poem.
Emily Bronte (s. XIX): Life of E. Bronte was short, intense and lived in solitude. All we know about
her is what she reveals in her poems and her novel: “Wuthering Heights” in which she tells a
strange story of love and friendship; it is one of the most passionate and controversial novels of
the 19th century.
Charles Dickens (s. XIX): Regarded by many as one of the greatest English writers together with
Shakespeare. Dickens captured the essence of the Industrial Revolution, and his novels portrayed
human misery and bad working conditions of the workers of the time. As a boy he disliked school
and school became the subject of his satire in many novels: “David Copperfield”, other important
and famous novels are: “ Oliver Twist”, “Christmas Carol”. The Dickens’ world is full of
characters. He spent his life fighting against tyranny and injustice.
Oscar Wilde (s. XIX-XX). The most important novels are “The Happy Prince” and “The Picture of
Dorian Gray”
James Joyce (s. XIX-XX). The most important novels are “Dubliners” and “Ulysses”

1.2. THE UNITED STATES

GEOGRAPHICAL VIEW

The USA forms the Anglo-Saxon America, whose borders commence from the Northern frontier
of Mexico bordering with Latin America till reaching Canada.

There are 50 states in the USA.

In general, the weather is varied. In winter, there are cold winds that blow from the North Atlantic
(Northern Blizzards,). On the contrary, in summer, wet and warm winds blow which cause
unbearable hot weather.
Some of the important cities in the USA are New York, Florida, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston
and Washington D.C.
The US is rich in natural resources such as coal, oil, gold and other minerals, etc.

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One of the greatest features of American cities is the skyscrapers which form part of many town
centres. However there aren’t any historical buildings as in Europe. The suburbs of big cities are
made up of great colonies of single-family homes.

In this vast area called the United states, we can find nearly all the climatic conditions known to
mankind: heat and cold, forest and desert, tropical swamps and Arctic, mountains and endless
plains, empty spaces and megalopolis, and the world’s largest river system. Life in the hot
southern subtropical forests is evidently very different from the life in the North, where winters
are colder than the Western Europe.

Although the country is so big and its people have so many different ethnic backgrounds, it is in
some ways less varied than Europe: the English language is virtually universal in its American
form.
Another instance of uniformity is in habits and ways of living. From east to west there are five
time zones: Atlantic, Eastern, central, Mountains and pacific.

b) HISTORICAL VIEW

It has often been said that America has no history of its own or at least not much of it. This is a
false assumption that must be quickly refuted if we are to really understand a modern nation.

“History does not exist for us until and unless we dig it up, interpret it, and put it together. Then the past
comes alive, or, more accurately, it is revealed for what it has always been - a part of the present.”
Frederick W. Turner III, 1971

The things that really matter in American history are not wars and major events of this kind; what
matters is the process by which first hundreds, then thousands, then millions of people built their
own society, developed their natural resources of their country and produced a political system.
The first settlements from Europe to North America were slow, hesitant and with no planning. In
a few decades after Columbus’ discovery in 1492, the exploration and then the conquest of
Mexico, and the southern continent, gold was found.
The English king Henry VII financed the 2nd expedition.
During the 16th century Spanish explores went all along the western and southern coasts of North
America and by 1600 the number of scattered settlements had increased considerably.

When the first white settlers landed in Virginia in 1606, America was already inhabited by so-
called the “Red Indians”.
In 1620 the Mayflower reached New England and many more white settlers arrived. These are
known as the “Pilgrim Fathers”
Although some believe that the history of the American Revolution began long before the first
shots were fired in 1775, England and America did not begin an overt parting of the ways until
1763, more than a century and a half after the founding of the first permanent settlement at
Jamestown, Virginia. In 1763, the end of the Seven Years' War and the French and Indian War left
England in control of Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi. The colonies long
accustomed to a large measure of independence, were now demanding more freedom. They had
grown vastly in economic strength and cultural attainment, and virtually all had long years of
self-government behind them.
The war of independence started because the Americans were tired of taxes to the British therefore
they expressed their desire for freedom. The leader of the colonies was George Washington. The
war ended in June 1776 and the Declaration of Independence was made on July 4 th, the
Independence Day, one of the most important holidays in the USA.
The thirteen colonies formed a federation of states, and during the following eighty years, British
Irish and German immigrants continued to arrive and westward expansion kept on.

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The 13 original states of 2 hundred years ago, strung out along the Atlantic coast, are still the most
densely populated, with about a quarter of the American people living there. Beginning at the
Canadian border in the North, the six “New England” states are the most “English” and today are
more prosperous than the rest of the American Northeast.
The city of Boston and its surrounding towns in Massachusetts have replaced their old textile
industry for new technology industries, which are so successful that there is hardly any
unemployment. People come from far away to see the old villages with their wooden church, and
the sunny unspoiled Boston.
The Southern end of New England merges into the suburbs of New York City. Manhattan Island
includes everything that most people can think of when they say “New York”: Wall Street and the
office skyscrapers. New York city is made up of 5 districts:

Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Richmond and Queen’s. Easter New York State includes the
whole valley of the Hudson River, but the state extends 500 kms to the west till Ontario with
Niagara Falls.

The State of Florida is renowned for its swamps and pine forests, orange plantations,
beaches, island springs, waterways and its Caribbean climate.
Half of the area of the United States lies in the vast basin surrounded by the Appalachians
on the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west.

After the civil war, which freed the southern slaves and avoided the secession of the southern
states, the growth of the United States came to be: immigrants from all around Europe arrived and
began working in large factories.

The American government:

The federal government is made up of:
The President: who is the head of state.
The Secretaries of State: appointed by the President and who make up the cabinet
The Congress: the legislative body, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Supreme Court is formed by nine judges.
Important political parties are: the Democrats and Republicans.

The American personality: Americans are friendly and open-minded, generous, likeable and fun.
The American dream means to achieve success by working hard and skilfully.

The American Economy: Despite the great wealth of the United States, there are some 20 million
people who could be considered as “second class citizens”, whites, blacks and Hispanics.
The US has no Welfare State system so the health service is nearly all private.
The United States also faces other very serious problems such as : crime, violence,
pollution, unemployment,… but very few strikes because wages are good.

CULTURE (CULTURAL VIEW)

Sports: when an American talks about “football” he does not mean what most Europeans
understand by football. The American Football is similar to rugby. Football known as in Europe is
called “Soccer” in the United States.

Literature:
The 19th century was dominated by writers such as Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James…
In the late 19th century, a group of writers emerged, known as the “Naturalists”, who saw the
man as a victim of fate.
After the First World War, an important group of novelists and poets known as the “lost
generation” came onto the scene showing their disillusionment with the post-war society. They
are: Dos Passos, Hemingway, Ezra Pound, E. Commings, etc…

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On the wake of the 2nd World War several distinguished writers rose to fame: Arthur Miller,
Tennessee Williams, etc.
In theatre, drama, an important American tradition in the 20 th century with the work of O’Neill,
Tennessee William’s and others.

Cinema : One of the most popular artistic forms of international influence has been films,
American directors such as Orson Welles, Frank Copra, John Huston,… who were renowned for
their cinematography.

Music : the US has developed various types of different popular music : Jazz, Blues, Country &
Western, Rock and Roll. The most popular performers are Elvis Presley in Rock and Roll, Luis
Armstrong in Blues, Dolly Parton in Country & Western.

1.3. CANADA
a) GEOGRAPHICAL VIEW
Canada is located on the North American Continent and occupies nearly all of it north of the
United States except for Alaska to the west and a few small French islands. Topographically,
Canada is divided into five regions. (1.) The Atlantic Provinces, which consist of rounded hills and
rolling plains as well as rugged coasts. (2.) The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence lowlands, which consist
of fertile, low lying plains and constitute the heartland of the population. (3.) The Canadian Shield
that is an area of Precambrian rock with moss covered, frozen subsoil and treeless plains in the
north as well as thick forests to the south. (4.) The interior plains which are unforested in the south
and forested in the north with large deposits of oil and potash. (5.) The Cordillera region that is
the western strip of folded and faulted mountains and plateaux.
CLIMATE: Canada has a continental climate, which is arctic in the north and maritime near the
west coast, while near the US border a narrow strip has a temperate climate with cold winters.

HISTORY (HISTORICAL VIEW) : Canada was initially a French colony, but in the 18 th century the
French were defeated and driven out of Canada then a large number of immigrants came to settle
here, especially those of British origin. For this reason most of the inhabitants in Canada speak
English. Canada is a good example of the way people with different life styles and languages can
coexist under just one single government.
As for the economy, we can say that Canada buys almost everything it needs from the US and the
US buys almost everything that Canada has to sell. Canada is one of the world’s major producers
of wood.

CULTURE (CULTURAL VIEW)

Canada has a national tree, called “the maple tree” and its leaves adorn the national flag. Queen
Elisabeth II is the queen of Canada and also the head of government, just like in Great Britain, but
she’s represented by a Governor General.

1-Sports : Cricket and rugby are minority sports in Canada. Canadian football is similar to
American football. Canadians often play baseball.
There is a very old Canadian game, invented by the Indians some centuries ago. The French called
it “Lacrosse”. It is considered as the national sport, however it is most popular among women.

2-Literature :
Literary activity was stimulated, which exalted the national pride. The most popular form of novel
was the historic romance.
The beginning of the 20th century saw a reaction against the sentimental patristic and Victorian
verse of the preceding era. The Canadian novel went in the 40’s and 50’s from local colour to
lyricism, with many works centred a protagonist as uncommon as children and artist.

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LANGUAGES: The official languages are English and French, although 61% of the population
speak English as their native language while 24% speak French. The remainder have a native
tongue other than French or English.

1.4. AUSTRALIA
a) Geographic view:
The continent of Australia, with the island state of Tasmania, is approximately equal in area to the
United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Mountain ranges run from north to south along the
east coast, reaching their highest point in Mount Kosciusko (7,308 ft; 2,228 m). The western half of
the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast.
The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 1,245 mi (2,000 km), lies along the northeast coast. The
island of Tasmania (26,178 sq mi; 67,800 sq km) is off the southeast coast.
Government
Democracy. Symbolic executive power is vested in the British monarch, who is represented
throughout Australia by the governor-general.
b) Historic view
The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least 40,000 years
ago from Southeast Asia. There may have been between a half million to a full million Aborigines
at the time of European settlement; today there are about 350,000.
Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish ships sighted Australia in the 17th century; the Dutch landed at
the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. In 1616 the territory became known as New Holland. The British
arrived in 1688, but it was not until Captain James Cook's voyage in 1770 that Great Britain
claimed possession of the vast island, calling it New South Wales. A British penal colony was set
up at Port Jackson (what is now Sydney) in 1788, and about 161,000 transported English convicts
were settled there until the system was suspended in 1839.
Free settlers and former prisoners established six colonies: New South Wales (1786), Tasmania
(then Van Diemen's Land) (1825), Western Australia (1829), South Australia (1834), Victoria (1851),
and Queensland (1859). Various gold rushes attracted settlers, as did the mining of other minerals.
Sheep farming and grain soon became important economic enterprises. The six colonies became
states and in 1901 federated into the Commonwealth of Australia with a constitution that
incorporated British parliamentary and U.S. federal traditions. Australia became known for its
liberal legislation: free compulsory education, protected trade unionism with industrial
conciliation and arbitration, the secret ballot, women's suffrage, maternity allowances, and
sickness and old-age pensions.
Australia fought alongside Britain in World War I, notably with the Australia and New Zealand
Army Corps (ANZAC) in the Dardanelles campaign (1915). Participation in World War II brought
Australia closer to the United States. Parliamentary power in the second half of the 20th century
shifted between three political parties: the Australian Labour Party, the Liberal Party, and the
National Party. Australia relaxed its discriminatory immigration laws in the 1960s and 1970s,
which favored Northern Europeans. Thereafter, about 40% of its immigrants came from Asia,
diversifying a population that was predominantly of English and Irish heritage.
In March 1996 the opposition Liberal Party–National Party coalition easily won the national
elections, removing the Labour Party after 13 years in power. Pressure from the new, conservative
One Nation Party threatened to reduce the gains made by Aborigines and to limit immigration.
An Aboriginal movement had grown in the 1960s that gained full citizenship and improved
education for the country's poorest socio-economic group.

In Nov. 1999, Australia's 11.6 million voters rejected a referendum that would have ended
Australia's formal allegiance to the British Crown. The referendum would have replaced the
British governor-general with an Australian president chosen by Parliament. Although the vast
majority of Australians do not consider themselves monarchists, they rejected the referendum
because it did not provide for direct, popular elections but gave Parliament the power to select the
president.

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Prime Minister John Howard won a third term in Nov. 2001, primarily as the result of his tough
policy against illegal immigration. In 2004, however, the government began easing its policies on
immigration.
Australia has been the victim of two significant terrorist attacks in recent years: the 2002 Bali,
Indonesia, bombings by a group with ties to al-Qaeda in which 202 died, many of whom were
Australian, and the 2004 attack on the Australian embassy in Indonesia, which killed ten.

c) Cultural view:
In the 20th century, there was an increase in literary activity that reflected in the growth of
immigration industrialisation and a secure feeling of independence from Great Britain. The theatre
was probably the last literary genre to develop a national character in Australia.

The past few decades have seen the emergence of a completely original style of contemporary
Australian rock music. Success stories include Regurgitator, Natalie Imbruglia, silverchair, Kylie
Minogue, Savage Garden and The Whitlams.

Australia's contemporary arts are as unique and diverse as the society and continent they come
from. They reflect an ancient landscape that is home to the world's oldest continuous cultural
traditions and also to a rich mix of migrant cultures.

Australia doesn't have many traditions. Attempts to get Halloween off the ground have stalled due
to one too many homeowners telling little kids to get off their property or they will see a scary
sight. Australia's equivalent of America's Independence Day is Australia Day on January 26, the
landing of the First Fleet of Convicts in Botany Bay.

Cinema
The highest industry accolades, such as Academy Awards and nominations, have been won by
Australian films and actors in increasing numbers since the 1940s. More recently, Academy
Awards were won by The Piano (1993), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Babe (1995) and Shine
(1996).
Film-makers such as Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford, actors such as Geoffrey Rush, Nicole
Kidman, Mel Gibson, Judy Davis and Cate Blanchett, and cinematographers such as Dean
Semmler, among many others, are now major figures in the global film community.
From the cramped, modest studios used in the 1970s and '80s, Australia now boasts a number of
fine studio complexes. American studio films, such as Mission: Impossible II (2000), and the larger
Australian productions are now able to use state-of-the-art local facilities.

1.5 NEW ZEALAND

a) Geographic view:
New Zealand, about 2,012 km southeast of Australia, consists of two main islands and a number
of smaller, outlying islands so scattered that they range from the tropical to the Antarctic. The
country is the size of Colorado. New Zealand's two main components are the North Island and
the South Island, separated by Cook Strait. The North Island is long and volcanic in its south-
central part. This area contains many hot springs and beautiful geysers. South Island has the
Southern Alps along its west coast, with Mount Cook (3,754 m) the highest point. Other inhabited
islands include Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and Great Barrier Island. The largest of the
uninhabited outlying islands are the Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, the Antipodes Islands,
and the Kermadec Islands .

b) Historic view
Maoris were the first inhabitants of New Zealand, arriving on the islands in about 1000. Maori oral
history maintains the Maoris came to the island in seven canoes from other parts of Polynesia. In

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1642, New Zealand was explored by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator. British captain James Cook
made three voyages to the islands, beginning in 1769. Britain formally annexed the islands in 1840.
The Treaty of Waitangi (Feb. 6, 1840) between the British and several Maori tribes promised to
protect Maori land if the Maoris recognized British rule. Encroachment upon the land by
European settlers was relentless, however, and skirmishes between the two groups intensified.
From the outset, the country has been in the forefront in instituting social welfare legislation. New
Zealand was the world's first country to give women the right to vote (1893). It adopted old-age
pensions (1898); a national child welfare program (1907); social security for the aged, widows, and
orphans, along with family benefit payments; minimum wages; a 40-hour workweek and
unemployment and health insurance (1938); and socialized medicine (1941).
New Zealand fought with the Allies in both world wars as well as in Korea. In 1999, it became
part of the UN peacekeeping force sent to East Timor. In June 2002, Prime Minister Helen Clark
apologized to Samoans for the unfair treatment they received during colonial rule. The Labour
Party's Clark was elected to a second term as prime minister in July 2002. In June 2003, Parliament
legalized prostitution 60–59.

CULTURE (CULTURAL VIEW)

The cultural basis of New Zealand is predominantly European.

The National symbol of New Zealand is the kiwi, a strange looking bird with skin.

The artist and writers of New Zealand have evolved from explaining the history of the country.
New Zealand did not produce international renowned works until the 20 th century. It was at that
moment when New Zealand’s literature reached an important international standing, with a
feeling of solemn national identity.

DIDACTIC APPLICATION OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GEOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL

AND CULTURAL ASPECTS

WHAT CULTURAL AWARENESS IS: we have to bear in mind that:

Every person is an individual and as an individual he/she is influenced by his/ her family,
community, country and even language.
First of all, students must be realised cultural beings as people are a product of their own culture.

2. IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL AWARENESS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

What the teacher needs to achieve is to teach L2 with its all cultural attachments.
The most obvious influence of language and culture is the vocabulary: words are adapted to the
context in which they’re used.
The study of a culture must be carried out within boundaries of the community and understood
with all its values. The safest observations are based on behaviour model. Therefore the teachers
should teach not just the language but also how people act and perform in that culture.
First: which values and behaviour models must be taught? Second: How to teach them. In order
to teach a culture, we must have a good background know-how of the culture beforehand.
It is impossible to teach a language without teaching its cultural content. In an English class, it is
necessary to combine culture with other aspects of language so that our students can learn
properly not just the language but also the culture of this language in order to appreciate values of
this culture and show respect toward it.

DIDACTIC APPLICATION OF THE MOST RELEVANT GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORICAL

AND CULTURAL ASPECTS

Didactic application of the most relevant geographical, historical and cultural aspects.

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Teaching of English is not just the linguistic elements but also the socio-cultural, geographical and
historic aspects. If we assess the terms use and usage, we can clearly appreciate that the usage
refers to the grammatical competence meaning that our students learn grammar. But if we take
into account the use which is the application of these grammatical rules to real cultural
significance, so the socio-cultural aspect is just as important as the linguistic competence because
our students see English as a language within the socio-cultural context of the English speaking
countries.

So our teaching of English should include linguistic and socio-cultural aspects.

Now, let us see how we can apply these aspects to the English class:

Socio-Cultural aspects:

Halloween.
Christmas
Easter
Beatles
Elvis Presley
Shakespeare
Loch Ness Monster

1) Halloween
The night of October 31, when it was formerly believed that the spirits of the dead appeared
CULTURAL NOTE: Halloween is celebrated by children in both Britain and the US. They dress
up as Witches, Ghosts, etc. and sometimes make lamps from hollowed-out Pumpkins. Especially
in the US, children go out in groups and knock on people's doors, where they are expected by
most people. The children call out “trick or treat!” and the person at the door gives each child a
treat, usually a sweet. Children and adults often have Halloween parties, where they play games,
e.g. trying to catch floating apples with their teeth.

Didactic application: we can use this theme by arranging a Halloween party where all our
students can come dressed as witches or ghosts. This will encourage them to take interest in the
cultural aspects of English speaking countries. At the same time, we can ask our students to role
play and act out. These activities are ideal for students of all ages.

2) Christmas
Christmas Day is a Christian holy day held on December 25th (or in some churches January 6th)
in honour of the birth of Christ, usually kept as a public holiday. At Christmas, we have
Christmas dinner, a Christmas present , BOXING DAY, CHRISTMAS CARD, CHRISTMAS TREE

Didactic application: During the month of December the teachers can organise activities related to
Christmas. Also, we can decorate our classes adequately in order to create Christmas in the class.
This topic teaches our students the customs and habits of the English speaking countries.

3) Easter

CULTURAL NOTE: On GOOD FRIDAY Christians remember the death of Christ on the cross,
and on Easter Sunday they celebrate Christ's rising from death and victory over death. Many
Christians go to church on Easter Sunday even if they do not go at other times of the year. Easter
Monday is a holiday in Britain. On Easter Sunday in Britain people give Easter eggs as presents of,
especially to children. For American customs, they have EASTER BASKET, EASTER BUNNY.
Easter is connected in people's minds with Spring, the earth coming to life after the winter, and

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such things as flowers, especially daffodils and young animals. In the past, people used to have
new clothes at Easter and women had very decorated new hats called Easter bonnets.

Didactic application: It is mainly a religious event but we can teach our students how other people
celebrate Easter. The students can participate in various activities, such as bringing in Easter eggs,
etc., Our students should be able to appreciate the differences between Easter in Spain and Easter
in the English speaking countries.

The Beatles
A British popular music group who made their first record in 1962 and became probably the most
famous and successful group ever. When they separated in 1970, each member of the group
continued to work in popular music. The group members are, George HARRISON, John
LENNON, Paul McCARTNEY and Ringo STARR

Didactic application: This theme is very important for our students as they learn more about the
British English music. They already know quite a lot about the English music so we have to
introduce the topic together with their present interest in music. We can play different songs in
the class and carry out several listening comprehension exercises in order to improve our students
aural ability as well as their cultural know-how of Great Britain.

5) Elvis Presley
Elvis (1935–77) an American singer and GUITAR player who made ROCK 'N' ROLL (later called
ROCK) popular in the 1950s. From 1956–63, he was the most successful and influential person in
the popular music. He was sometimes called “Elvis the Pelvis” because of the way he moved the
lower half of his body during his performances. His successful records include Heartbreak Hotel
and Don't be Cruel, and he also appeared in films including Loving You and G.I. Blues.

Didactic application: This theme is important for our students because this a good opportunity to
teach them about the American culture and music. They already know quite a lot about the
English music so we have to introduce the topic combining their present interest in music. We can
play different songs in the class and carry out several listening comprehension exerciser in order
to improve our students aural ability as well as their cultural know-how of the USA.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), an English playwright, one of the most famous ever, was born
in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. Among the most famous of his plays are the tragedies
(TRAGEDY) of Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, the
comedies (COMEDY) of A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth
Night, and the HISTORICAL plays Richard III and Henry V. Many well-known expressions come
from Shakespeare, and his work is famous for its sensitive view of human nature and for the
richness of its language. Shakespeare also wrote some very good sonnets, and worked as an actor
at the Globe Theatre in London. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and they had three children.
He is buried at Stratford-on-Avon, and houses related to him and his family can be visited, as well
as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre where his plays are regularly performed.

Didactic application: this theme has a great relevance in the teaching of English. We make our
students aware of the English literature. We can ask our students to read graded reader and carry
out reading comprehension exercises. This will enhance our students reading ability and their
cultural and literary know-how. We can gradually introduce other authors such as Dickens,
Brontë Sisters etc.,. We can especially co-ordinate with other teachers to give our students literary
genre in its simplified form. (cross curricular topics)

7) Loch Ness Monster also called Nessie:

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The name given to a very large sea dragon, who supposedly lives in the Loch Ness (a large, very
deep lake in N Scotland), which people say does not look like any other animal alive today.
Although some people believe the Loch Ness Monster really exists and say they have seen it in
person, nevertheless there is no hard evidence to suggest that this is true so for most people it is
just a story. It is often shown in the pictures etc. as a creature like a large black or green
DINOSAUR.

Didactic application: This is a myth and we can exploit this topic by asking our students if they
believe in Monsters and if they think loch Ness Monster exists. This activity will improve our
students’ cognitive ability as they will have to think and give logical answers.

Socio-linguistic aspects:
The language used to talk about the weather
Lovely day!
Nice weather!
Wonderful!
Magic!
Many expression related to the game of the cricket
Fair play (no fouls)
It is no cricket (foul play)
3) Differences between British and American English
biscuit : cookie
lift : elevator
toilet : restroom
film : movie
etc.
Geographical aspects:
Oxford Street One of the main streets of central London, famous for its shops. Didactic aspect:
Important aspect with respect to shopping.
Wall street. A street in New York City which is the influential American centre for money matters
and the buying and selling of business shares: a Wall Street stockbroker -compare CITY. didactic
aspect: our students learn about important places.
New York didactic aspect: our students learn about this important city and its customs.
London didactic aspect: our students learn about this important city and its customs. Especially
the historic events and famous people.
Sydney didactic aspect: our students learn about this important city and its customs.

Historical aspects:
Henry VIII: didactic aspect: our students can learn about one of the most important English kings
and change from Catholicism to Protestantism.
The Normans in England. Didactic aspect: our students can learn about the roots of the English
language and the historical origins of modern England.
Queen Victoria: didactic applications. Our students can learn about the English queen during the
British Empire and the Victorian values which are the origins of many taboos.

3. Use of competences

The Education Authorities include the competences at all levels of the school curriculum so
that our students may develop these to achieve their personal realization, get their social
inclusion, exercise the active citizenship, and be able to develop ongoing learning.
Therefore, we must apply these in all our contents. Contents of this topic are especially
useful for the use of language as this topic deals with Linguistic Skills and Communicative
Competence.

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In this topic, we must consider the Cultural awareness and expression Competence. This
competence encourages an approach to works or authors that have contributed to artistic creation.
Within this I try that my students have the opportunity to express opinions, tastes and emotions
which create different cultural and artistic manifestations.
We must also consider the Linguistic Competence as it develops our students’ ability to
express themselves, orally and in writing, using the appropriate conventions and language for
each situation, interpreting different types of discourse with diverse contexts and functions.
Studying a foreign language contributes directly to the development of competence in Linguistic
Communication, in the same way as it does in the first language.
In addition, Learning-to-learn Competence enhances general linguistic capacity, enhancing
students’ capacity to interpret and represent reality and, in turn, build knowledge, form
hypothesis and opinions and express and analyse feelings and emotions. It becomes enormously
beneficial if contents are directly related to the reflection on one’s own learning. In this way
students can identify how they learn better. Learning a foreign language becomes enormously
useful when one reflects on what has been learned, so that each student may identify how they
learn best. This is the reason for the inclusion of a specific section for reflecting on one’s own
learning, which as such contributes to the competence of Learning to Learn.

Furthermore, we should also consider Social and Civic Competence because Languages
are a means for social and civic awareness; in fact speakers use their language to communicate
socially. In a foreign language, we work in groups and pairs, therefore these interactions can teach
our students to participate, express ideas and listen to others’.

Finally, we have to include the personal initiative to our teaching. Sense of initiative and
entrepreneurship Competence allows students to develop personal initiatives. The curriculum
promotes cooperative class work, handling personal resources and social collaboration skills. This
develops initiative and decision-making when planning, organizing and managing work, such as
promoting personal autonomy. It prepares the students to progress by themselves in their
knowledge and use of the language.

Conclusion
To sum up, we must say that we should teach our students all the four linguistic skills in
conjunction with the communicative competence and not just grammar and vocabulary or the
linguistic competence. Therefore they should be able to write, speak, listen and read in English, no
matter their level as we will adjust what they read, listen, speak and write to suit their particular
level in question. Children love playing games, singing songs, using internet etc, or in other words
all the motivational activities. So this is a great opportunity for the teacher to use these tools and
develop the students’ Cultural awareness and expression Competence, , Linguistic
competence, Linguistic Skills and Communicative Competence, Learning-to-learn Competence,
Interpersonal, Social and Civic Competence, and finally Sense of initiative and
entrepreneurship Competence.

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