In this unit we are going to talk about love and relationships and we are going to write a

love letter or poem. In order to be able to create it, we are going to

• think about what love means.
• be aware that different cultures understand relationships in different ways.
• knowing other languages can help us understand and develop a foreign language

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE TOPIC?

I.- What is love?

1.- Read this list of quotes and proverbs. Which view of love do they express? Why do you
agree or disagree with the view on love it expresses?
o Love means never having to say you’re sorry. "Love Story"
o She who marries for love marries well; she who marries for a big house does not. --
Chinese proverb
o In love, there is always one who kisses and one who offers the cheek.--a French
proverb
o Amor engendra temor
o Amor que llega al olvido; amor no ha sido
o El amor presencia quiere; y sin ella pronto muere.
o Dona que es casa, a casa.
o Dona que no tem a l’home no tem a Déu.
o Amor sense diners, poc durador és.

2.- Match these famous couples:

El amante de Teruel Guelfa
Don Quijote Violant d’Hungria
Romeo Carmesina
Fernando Yoko Ono
Jaume I La amante de Teruel
Curial Katharine Hepburg
Tirant Juliet
Spencer Tracy Isabel
John Lennon Dulcinea

What kind of love do they represent? Do you know of any idioms or sayings that might be
derived from these people?

CCI – English task 4 ESO 1

GETTING TO THE POINT
I.- I think she likes me.
1) Read the following story in groups of three. In about 15 minutes we are going to discuss
this critical incident. The questions that follow will help you.

Jim Smith was a computer analyst from New York. He studied computer studies and
Spanish at university. After having worked for about two year at an international firm, he
was offered a better job in Málaga. He was delighted because he liked meeting new people
specially from other cultures. In fact, his last girlfriend was a Chinese classmate.

After several weeks working in Málaga, Jim was really happy. He had good relationships
with most colleagues and clients. Jim saw his invitation to the First Communion of a
colleague’s son as a sign of his good relationships. He accepted and asked other colleagues
for a nice and adequate present.

Jim arrived at the party and found a children and adults’ gathering bigger than he had
expected. The hosts greeted him enthusiastically and thanked him for his present. The
atmosphere was really warm. He was talking with another colleague when a beautiful girl
with big black eyes approached them and was introduced to him as Maria González. Jim
felt immediately attracted to her. When his colleague left, both of them kept talking
friendly. She was close to him and occasionally touched his arm or shoulder while she kept
asking a lot of personal questions about his job and background. When Jim touched her,
Maria did not feel annoyed by that intimacy. Jim thought that she felt attracted to him as
much as he was attracted by her. He was about to ask her for a date when the host arrived
and said, “I see you’ve met Mrs. González.” Jim tried not to show his surprise when he
realised that she was married.

Questions for thoughts:

a) Do you think that Jim was deceived on purpose? Was Maria flirting with him?
b) Why did he think that Maria was attracted by him?
c) Which cultural explanations could you think of that explain this critical
incident?
d) Which individual differences could have contributed to the cultural differences
in this misunderstanding?

II. Loving someone from another culture

1) What attitudes can you observe about love relationships? Do you feel free to be with
anybody, anywhere at any time? Or are there restrictions?

2) Do you know what the following words mean? Look them up in the dictionary. Write
down two of their meanings and then choose (underline) the appropriate meaning in the
context of the article:

CCI – English task 4 ESO 2

 Word Meaning1 Meaning 2
race
country
look
date

3) Read this article very quickly and find out the answers to these questions:
a) Where are Odewayne and Gaby from?
b) Where did they meet?
c) Do their parents agree about their relationship?

Finding Love with Someone of a Different Race

By Yesika Rodriguez-Alvarado

Many students in Blair (the USA) are from

countries where people look the same, have the
same style, culture, and language. But here at
Blair High School, everything is different. People Odewayne
here are from different countries and have
Adams
different looks, cultures, styles, and speak
and Gaby
different languages. Therefore, the students
Ticas in
have a chance to relate with people of different
2003.
races.
Some students find their "love" and then they
begin a beautiful relationship, forgetting about
the criticisms of other people. That was the
case of Gaby and Odewayne. Gaby is from El Salvador and Odewayne is from Jamaica.
"We met in the hall and as soon as we met each other, we liked each other," Gaby said.
Then they started going out, "He told me that I was pretty and he wanted to hook up
with me." Gaby said.
These couples hear much criticism from some people in school. "My friends told me that
I'm supposed to be going out with a Hispanic guy, but I did not care about these
comments," Gaby said. "I don't care about what people say. I only care about the love I
feel for my real love, Gaby," Odewayne said.
Students have different opinions about dating people of different cultures. "I think that
some people go out with people from different races just to get the attention of people,"
Jaqueline Quisquinay said.
But some other people see this from a different angle. "It's hard to socialize with
people of a different race, especially those who can't express themselves in English,"
Dona Criswostomo said.
Some students believe it is good to have different experiences with different kinds of
people. "When you love someone, it doesn't matter if the person is Hispanic, Black,
White or from any other races, because love doesn't have limits," Sacha Philogene said.
Some people agree with this idea. "I like to go out with people from different cultures
and customs. I feel better than going out with people from my same race," a Hispanic

CCI – English task 4 ESO 3

girl said.
Some parents also have a problem with their children dating people of another culture.
"My father wants me to go out with someone who is from my own culture because he
believes that it is going to be better for me to keep our family traditions," Grecia said.
But other parents let their children make their own decisions. They think that their
children have the right to choose the person they will live with together and forever.
"My family saw from the beginning that he was a nice and respectful guy," Gaby said. "I
did not get any bad comments from my family," she added.
Love overcomes many different kinds of problems or circumstances. Gaby and Odewayne
agree that love is love and doesn't have borders. It can obtain anything.

© Copyright Silver International Newspaper, Montgomery Blair H.S. 2004

3) Decide if these sentences are true or false according to the text:

a) Students in Blair High School look the same as everybody else. …
b) Gaby and Odewayne met in Blair High School. …
c) Gaby is worried because people want her to go out with a Hispanic boy. …

d) Jaqueline Quisquinay would not go out with a boy from a different race. …

e) Gaby’s family do not like her to go out with Odewayne. …

4) Think about how your family or friends would react if you were dating somebody from
another culture/race/religion/same sex? Read this article and decide who you agree with
most. Why?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

5) Simulation: Make groups of three. You are going to simulate a conversation between a
father, a mother and their son/daughter. The parents are very angry because the
son/daughter is going out with a person from another culture/race/religion. Read the article
again for ideas.

a) If you think that going out with someone from another culture/race/religion is not
a good idea, then play the role for the boy/girl.
b) If you think that going out with someone from another culture/race/religion is not
an important influence in a relationship, then play the role for the mother/father.

III.- Behaving when we are in love.

Does everybody behave in the same way when they are in love? How do young people
behave when they’re in love? Is it made public? What about grown-ups?

CCI – English task 4 ESO 4

People would probably answer in a different way if they were asked these questions. For
example, Spaniards kiss everywhere. Dutch don’t.

IV.- Love poems

1) Monsoon Wedding

Mira Nair, the famous filmmaker from a Punjabi stock, said Monsoon Wedding was a
“Punjabi-India.com” wedding, meaning that things were changing fast in her country, even
arranged marriages.

Read these statements and tick the statements which you think are true about modern and
traditional India as shown by the story:

… a) Only educated or career women can have an English name like Alice.
… b) Fashionable women like Aditi shape their life following the trends of Western
magazines like Cosmopolitan.
… c) Women smoke secretly in the toilet or places like this.
… d) People wear their traditional costumes for the wedding’s family picture.
… e) Light-hearted people like the Punjabi still prefer their own music to western
classical music (Mendelssohn) for their wedding parties.
… f) Young women never get their arms tattooed. They must keep their arms and hands
clean until the Henna body painting ceremony before the marriage.
… g) Like in the United States a couple of passionate lovers can be arrested by the cops
for obscenity.
… h) The newlywed’s car in India is not brightly decorated.

CCI – English task 4 ESO 5

… i) Like in England the bride must wear “something old. Something new, something
borrowed and something blue” as well as a white veil.1

Now watch the film and check your answers.

2) A song: “You’re beautiful” by James Blunt

I.- Listen to the song. Answer the following questions:

a)Where does the singer see the girl?
b) Who is she with?
c) At the beginning of the song he says he’s got a plan. What happens at the end?

II.- Listen to the song again and choose the correct word:

My life is brilliant / valiant .

My life / love is pure.
I saw an angel / icicle.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another woman / man.
But I won't lose / win no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

you're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face / grace in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to say / do,
Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye / smile,

As we walked on by.
She could see from my face / eyes that I was,
Fucking high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw you face / grace in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

1
Adapted from Bartolomé, José Luís. 2004-05. Llicència d’estudis. Departament d’educació.

CCI – English task 4 ESO 6

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile / pipe on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face / tell the truth,
I will never / always be with you

III.- Read the song and find words in it that mean:

Great
Tube
Sincere
Full of people

IV.- What kind of love is being described in the song? How many types of love can you
think of? Are they all accepted everywhere in the world?

Think of one or two songs in Spanish or Catalan that talk about these types of love. Write
them down.

V.- Find a poem on the following website that presents a view of love similar to the one
presented in the song.
http://www.weddings.co.uk/info/poem/htm

3) After reading all these love poems we may think that love is something very personal
and that each culture express love in a different way. Read the text “Amor y Pasión” by
Luís Rojas Marcos.

CCI – English task 4 ESO 7

Summarise the text in two or three sentences so that an English friend can understand it.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

V.- The language we need

1) Does Catalan, Spanish or other languages that you may know have terms for these
English words?
English Catalan Spanish Other language
Friend
Boy / girl friend
Lover
Partner
Fiancé(e)
Wife
Spouse

Can you use all these terms with everybody? For example, can you talk about your lover
and use that term?

2) Connectors: after, although, and, but, so because

Have you ever suffered from a culture shock? What was the shock the writer of this text
suffered?

I shall never forget my first visit to China. It was completely different from anywhere else I
had been. What I remember feeling most was fear. I was in a country about which I knew
nothing ____________ whose language I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t read any street signs
and I felt lost in the crowds of people that seemed to be everywhere. I had travelled to
many different parts of the world before ____________ I had never felt so alone and
confused. I think I felt fear ____________ I was going into the unknown –an unknown
culture whose values I did not have any knowledge of.

____________ a few days I became a little more accustomed to the sights, sounds and
smells of my surroundings ____________ I still felt isolated. I talked to a Chinese friend
about these things and he said that he had felt the same when he had visited Europe.
European food made him ill ____________ he didn’t eat at all for two days!

CCI – English task 4 ESO 8

LET’S GET ON WITH IT!
I.- Study the letters in Catalan and in English and write down the similarities and the
differences.
Dear Marc
How are things going in Lleida? Here in
Camberra everything is OK. But I’m
having some problems at home. My
parents don’t let me go out with my
girlfriend Guadalupe. She’s just arrived
here but I know she loves me and I love
her. Doesn’t speak much English but can
still communicate.
Anyway, I’d like you to come here and
look forward to hearing from you soon.
A big kiss to your mum
Hola Andrew
Me’n alegro que tot vagi bé. Aquí a
Lleida encara fa molt de fred però es pot
aguantar.
No pateixis pels pares. Ja canviaran. Els
meus encara no s’han refet de l’ensurt.
Vaig convidar tres noies a casa a sopar
per les vacances i la meva mare els va dir
que vinguessin a les 9. Ella ho volia tenir
tot arreglat (la taula parada i tot això que
fan les mares) i a quarts de 9 es posa
mans a la feina. Encara no tenia el primer
plat de patates a la taula que truquen a la
porta. Era l’Elyn que arribava just a les
nou. El sopar encara no estava llest! Mitja
hora més tard arribava la Laia i quan ja no
sabien de què parlar arriba la Macarena
passades les 10. No cal dir que el sopar
estava superfred. En fi! Que cadascú és
com és.

Tranquil!

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

II.- Final task

In pairs, write a love poem or a love letter. It is going to be published in the school
magazine and the issue is going to be devoted to multiculturality so it should present a love
story between people from two different cultures.

CCI – English task 4 ESO 9

 Teacher’s guide
Start the lesson by reading the objectives to your students so that they are fully informed of
the aims of the unit.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE TOPIC?

I.- What is love?

This first activity is to be done in pairs and the idea is to introduce the topic of love and
how this is seen in the different cultures by focussing on proverbs and sayings and famous
couple. Let them do both activities in pairs and check the answers in about five minutes.
Make sure that all students comment on the last questions of the activity but do not express
your own opinion at this time since the aim is to get to know what their opinions are.

GETTING TO THE POINT

I.- I think she likes me

The aim of the activity is to talk about how different cultures perceive non verbal
communication. Ask students to read the critical incident individually and solve any
language problem they have. Then ask them to think about the incident following the
questions provided individually. After that, ask them to reach an agreement in groups of
three. Finally, comment on the questions with the whole class making students aware of
how different cultures perceive distance and touching when speaking to others. This
activity may take about 15 minutes.

II.- Loving someone from another culture.

Ask the pre reading question to the whole class and allow students to express their thoughts
freely without commenting or correcting at this point. They may have a lot of ideas but it is
better not to spend more than two or three minutes with it since there’ll be more time
afterwards.
Dictionaries are needed for the second activity. Ask students in pairs to look up the word in
the dictionary and write down two different meanings of each word. Then they have to look
at the word in context and choose the correct meaning. Allow about 5 minutes and check
the answers with the whole class.
Tell students that they don’t need to understand all the words in the text to be able to
answer the questions and understand the main ideas. Ask them to answer the questions in
pairs and check the answers afterwards. The reading should take about 10-15 minutes.
The simulation is one of the most important activities in the unit since they have to try and
understand the other’s point of view. Make sure all the groups follow the instructions
correctly. It may be necessary to explain them in Catalan. Before actually doing the role
play, they need to prepare it. Ask them to write down the main ideas of their argument but
just in a sketched way. The article can also provide them with ideas if they don’t have
many. Then ask them to rehearse the simulation for homework and remind them they

Teachers’ guide 10
cannot write down the dialogue and read it. Start the lesson the following day by asking the
groups to perform the simulation in front of the classroom. Don’t correct them at this point
but write down any important thing that should be dealt with later on.

III.- Behaving when we are in love.

This activity may be done with the whole group since most students won’t know how to
answer it. It is your opportunity to expand on how different cultures behave in different
ways when faced with the same situations. It depends on how interested your students are
but do not spend more than 10 minutes.

IV.- Love poems.

There are three main activities in this section: Watching a movie, listening to a song and
reading a text on love.

Depending on how much time you would like to spend on the task, you may decide to
watch the whole movie or just show some scenes. Introduce Monsoon Wedding by reading
the introduction in the worksheet and commenting on how weddings are arranged in India
and how this is changing. Then ask students to read the statements and to tick the ones they
think are true. Then watch the movie and ask students to check their answers at the same
time. Finally correct the answers with the whole class.

The correct statements are

For the next activity ask students to close their worksheet and to raise their hands when
they recognise the song. Play the song until about half the pupils in class know which song
it is. It’ll probably take two seconds. Then write down these two questions on the board and
ask students to pay attention to the first verse of the song to get the answers:
Where is the girl?
Who is she with?

Play the first verse and check the answers (in the subway, with another man). Then ask
students to open the worksheet and do the activity on the worksheet. You only need to play
the song once before you check the answers. Then ask them the third question and
comment on the type of love the song presents. Do they think that this love is possible?
Would they go out with somebody they met at the underground/bus/train? Would it be
different if they lived in a village? In New York? In Madrid?

Ask students to do activities III, IV and V for homework. Joan Manel Serrat has a song
with a similar topic: “Utopia”

The third activity in this section deals with the topic of love but from a more “scientific”
way. Ask students to read to text, comment on its meaning and to write a summary in

Teachers’ guide 11
English for a friend who does not understand Spanish. They can do this activity in pairs. Go
round the groups helping them with any language problem they may have.

V.- The language we need.

The first activity deals with the way we talk about our relationship with another person.
Different languages use different terms to refer to the same relationship and there is no one
to one translation of these terms. The aim of the activity is for students to be aware of this
mismatching since they tend to think that we all think and behave in the same way. We can
also point out how different terms have been coined to talk about “modern” relationships
that were not used several years ago. Students should do the activity in pairs with the help
of a dictionary.

The second activity is a text about a critical incident in China. Ask students to read the text
quickly and find out which shock the writer suffered. In order to introduce connectors, we
may want to write these sentences on the board and ask students to infer the difference
between the connectors.

I have never been to an English party so I’ll ask an English friend what time to arrive.
I’ll ask an English friend what time to arrive because I have never been to an English party.

I have never been to an English party but I won’t ask an English friend what time to arrive.
I won’t ask an English friend what time to arrive although I have never been to an English
party.

Then you can ask them to fill in the text with the appropriate connector for homework.

LET’S GET ON WITH IT!

I.- Letters

As students in 4th ESO have already been asked to write and study informal letters, let your
students do the analysis in pairs and just go round to help them if they need it.

II- Final task

Read the instructions with them and make sure they know what they have to do. Ask them
to decide whether they prefer to write a love letter or a love poem and tell them to do it for
homework.

Teachers’ guide 12
 OBJECTIUS ICC I DE LLENGUA A LA TASCA “All you Need is Love”

Activitat Objectiu de llengua Objectiu ICC

(Actituds, Coneixements, Interpretar,
Interactuar, Criticar)
What is love? Lectura comprensiva. 1.2. Interès en descobrir altres maneres d’entendre fenòmens
Interacció oral coneguts i desconeguts tant de la pròpia cultura com d’altres
cultures.
2.11. Els processos d’interacció social en la cultura de
l’interlocutor (p.e. nivell de formalitat, convencions, tabús, etc.)
2.4. La memòria nacional (la història) del propi país i com els
seus esdeveniments es relacionen i són vistos des de la
perspectiva d’una altra cultura.
5.1. Identificar i interpretar valors concrets en documents i
esdeveniments de la pròpia cultura i d’una altra.
I think she likes me Lectura d’un incident 1.2. Interès en descobrir altres maneres d’entendre fenòmens
Expressió d’opinions coneguts i desconeguts tant de la pròpia cultura com d’altres
cultures.
2.9. L’organització/estructura social i els seus marcadors en el
país propi i en el de l’interlocutor (p. ex. classes socials, trets
ètnics, gènere, professió, religió, dialecte, etc.).
4.1. Obtenir d’un interlocutor d’una altra cultura els conceptes
i valors subjacents a un document o esdeveniment i
desenvolupar un sistema explicatiu susceptible de ser aplicat a
altres fenòmens.
4.2. Identificar referents significatius dins d’una cultura i
obtenir-ne el significat i les connotacions.
4.3. Identificar processos d’interacció (verbal i no verbal)
similars i dissimilars entre cultures: negociar-ne l’ús apropiat en
circumstàncies concretes.
Loving someone from Interacció oral amb els companys per tal de donar 1.3. Desig de posar en qüestió els valors i les premisses

Objectius 13
another culture l’opinió. culturals en els quals es basen certes pràctiques i productes en
Ús del diccionari l’entorn propi.
Selecció del significat de les paraules a partir del 1.5. Disponibilitat de seguir les convencions i els patrons de la
comunicació verbal i no verbal.
seu context.
2.3. Les causes i els malentesos entre interlocutors de cultures
Lectura ràpida d’un text. diferents.
Lectura detallada del mateix text. 2.9. L’estructura social i els seus marcadors en el país propi i
Simulació oral en grups. en el de l’interlocutor.
2.10. Les institucions, juntament amb les percepcions que es té
d’elles, que incideixen en la vida quotidiana de les dues cultures
i en les relacions entre les persones.
3.1. Identificar punts de vista etnocèntrics en un esdeveniment.
3.3. Proposar solucions per mediar entre interpretacions que
entren en conflicte.
4.2. Identificar referents significatius dins d’una cultura i entre
cultures i obtenir-ne el significat i connotacions.
4.7. Usar en temps real coneixements, habilitats i actituds per
mediar entre interlocutors de la cultura pròpia i d’una altra
cultura.
5.1. Identificar i interpretar valors concrets en esdeveniments
de la pròpia cultura i d’una altra.
Behaving when we are in Interacció oral en grup 1.3. Desig de posar en qüestió els valors i les premisses
love culturals en els quals es basen certes pràctiques i productes en
l’entorn propi.
3.1. Identificar punts de vista etnocèntrics en un document o
esdeveniment
3.3. Proposar solucions per mediar entre interpretacions que
entren en conflicte.
5.1. Identificar i interpretar valors concrets en documents i
esdeveniments de la pròpia cultura i d’una altra.
Love poems Comprensió oral global i detallada. 1.2. Interès en descobrir altres maneres d’entendre fenòmens
Inferència del significat de les paraules en un coneguts i desconeguts tant de la pròpia cultura com d’altres
context. cultures.
Cerca de cançons i poemes sobre una determinada 1.3. Desig de posar en qüestió els valors i les premisses
culturals en els quals es basen certes pràctiques i productes en

Objectius 14
 temàtica. l’entorn propi
Interpretació i resum d’un text expositiu. 2.10. Les institucions, juntament amb les percepcions que es té
Ús del diccionari. d’elles, que incideixen en la vida quotidiana de les dues cultures
i en les relacions entre les persones.
3.1. Identificar punts de vista etnocèntrics en un document o
esdeveniment.
3.2. Identificar malentesos i disfuncions en una interacció
entre interlocutors de les dues cultures i explicar-los en termes
dels diferents sistemes culturals dels interlocutors.
3.3. Proposar solucions per mediar entre interpretacions que
entren en conflicte.
4.7. Identificar referents significatius dins d’una cultura i entre
cultures i obtenir-ne el significat i connotacions.
4.2. Usar en temps real coneixements, habilitats i actituds per
mediar entre interlocutors de la cultura pròpia i d’una altra
cultura.
5.1. Identificar i interpretar valors concrets en documents i
esdeveniments de la pròpia cultura i d’una altra.
5.2.. Analitzar i avaluar un document o esdeveniment a la llum
d’una perspectiva cultural concreta.
5.3. Participar en una interacció cultural d’acord amb criteris
explícits.
The language we need Vocabulari relacionat amb l’amor 3.2. Identificar malentesos i disfuncions en una interacció
Els connectors “after, although, and, but, so, entre interlocutors de les dues cultures i explicar-los en termes
because” dels diferents sistemes culturals dels interlocutors.
How to write a letter Gènere textual: cartes personals.

Writing a love poem or Expressió escrita d’una carta o poema d’amor. La 1.3. Desig de posar en qüestió els valors i les premisses
letter coherència i la cohesió en el text. culturals en els quals es basen certes pràctiques i productes en
l’entorn propi.
1.5. Disponibilitat de seguir les convencions i els patrons de la
comunicació verbal i no verbal.
2.11. Els processos d’interacció social en la cultura de
l’interlocutor (p. ex. nivell de formalitat, convencions de

Objectius 15
 comportament en públic o en privat, tabús, etc.).
3.3. Proposar solucions per mediar entre interpretacions que
entren en conflicte.

Objectius 16