MARCO GEOGRFICO, HISTRICO Y CULTURAL DE LOS PASES DE HABLA
INGLESA. APLICACIN DIDACTICA DE ESTOS ASPECTOS. Unit 5
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Tha Table of Content 1. THE UNITED KIGDOM 1.1. Geography 1.2.
History 1.3. Culture 2. THE UNITED STATES 2.1. Geography 2.2.
History 2.3. Culture 3. SOCIOCULTURAL AWARNESS
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1. The United Kingdom 1.1. Geography The UK facts and figures:
made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland A memebr
of the Commonwealth A memebr of the European Community Its
population 57 million; area 244, 110 km2 Capital city London;
currency pound sterling Constitutional monarchy with two
legislative houses : the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
The Chief of State is the Sovereign Queen Elisabeth II- and the
Head of Government - the Prime Minister David Cameron.
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1.1.The land: The land of the UK evenly divided between
lowlands and uplands, with 5% of highlands. England has 3 hill
regions of up to 900m in the north, west and southwest. Scotland
has 3 distinct regions: the Northern Highlands (Ben Nevis), the
Central Lowlands, the Southern Uplands. Most of Wales the Cambrian
Mountains (Snowdonia) Northern Ireland mainly low plateaus and
hills
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1. The United Kingdom 1.1. Geography The climate: is generally
mild and temperate - the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.
Forests cover less than 1% of the total area Relatively few mineral
resources: natural gas and oil dominates the production over
construction and industrial minerals.
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1. The United Kingdom 1.1. Geography 1.2. The people: According
to the 2011 census the population of the UK was around was around
63,182,000. The third largest country in the EU. Since 1950s
rapidly growing percentage of Commonwealth immigrants: India, the
west Indies, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Immigrants from South Asia
-2/3 of net immigration in 2005. English is the major language 3/5
of the population the Church of England
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1. The United Kingdom 1.2. History 1.3. The History:
Celtic-speaking people - the early pre-Roman inhabitants. Invasions
of the original Celts by the Romans (1 st A.D.) Angles, Saxons and
Jutes (6 th A.D.) invaded Britain. 8 th -9 th A.D. Vikings raided
the coasts of Britain and often sent conquering armies 1066 William
of Normandy conquered England and became William I (1066-1087) 11
th A.D Scotland came under the influence of the English crown 12 th
A.D Henry II conquered Ireland
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1. The United Kingdom 1.2. History Edward I (1272-1307)
conquered Wales. The first parliament was convened. Henry VIII
(1491-1547) established the Church of England. Elisabeth (16 th
century) challenged Spanish supremacy of the seas, and in 1588 the
Spanish Armada was defeated. George III (1738-1820) American
colonies won independence in 1783, followed by the war with
revolutionary France. 19 th century Great Britain and Ireland
joined to create the UK. 20 th century the Irish Free State became
the Irish Republic and left the Commonwealth. 1973 the UK joined
the EU.
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1. The United Kingdom 1.2. History 1997 Labour Party won 2001 a
second successive victory of the Labour Party. Economic growth.
Tony Blair as a prime minister supported the UK invasion of Iraq in
2003. 2007 Gordon Brown as a prime minister. An election victory of
the pro-independence Scottish National Party. 2008 the economic
crisis. The UK economy had shrunk for the first time since 1992.
End to easy credits, reduction in consumption, deprecation of
sterling. 2010 / the first hung parliament since 1974. The
Conservative Party won the election but did not get the majority in
the Parliament. Coalition government between the Conservatives and
Liberals: David Cameroon (Prime Minister) + Nick Clegg (Deputy
prime Minister).
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1. The United Kingdom 1.2. Culture Education The British
educational system: is centralized by the government there is a
National Curriculum (1988) lying the basis of compulsory education.
It defines 4 key stages: Key Stage 1: up to 7 Key Stage 2: from 7
to 11 Key Stage 3: from 11 to 14 Key Stage 4: from 14 to 16
(preparation for academic/vocational qualifications) All children
of compulsory school age (5 to 16) must receive full-time
education. there are standardized tests and a national body of
inspectors.
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Education is compulsory for all children aged 5 to 16. A
primary school - for children between 5-11: divided into 2
departments : Infants and Junior. Secondary School has a number of
different systems: In some areas the change from Primary to
Secondary is still in use. In other areas: Middle Schools for
children form 8 to 12, later transferred to Comprehensive Schools
at the age of 13. The Comprehensive Schools take children of all
abilities, offer a wide range of courses leading to the public
examinations at the age of 16 GCSE. Some areas retain Grammar
Schools for intelligent kids to go after the age of 11. Most of the
Grammar Schools have been absorbed by Comprehensive Schools.
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1. The United Kingdom 1.2. Culture At the age of 16 exams for
the GCSE (1987). At the age of 18 the certificate at advanced level
A level exams, usually in 3 subjects. Students with A level are
ready to enter the University. Those students who havent passed
GCSE exam can get degrees at a technical college after leaving
school.
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1. The United Kingdom 1.2. Culture The Universities All British
universities are private, but nearly all of them receive grants
from the state. 90% of students receive personal grants. Degree
courses leading to B.A or B.SC take 3-4 years. Four of the worlds
top six universities are in the UK. UK higher education is split
into two levels : Undergraduate programmes include bachelors
degrees, foundation degrees, higher national diplomas and more
Postgraduate programmes include masters degrees, MBAs, PhDs,
doctorates and more. Usually you need an undergraduate
qualification to enter a postgraduate programme.
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2. The United States of America 2.1. Geography The USA is a
federal republic composed of a national government and 50 states
governments. The are 48 contiguous states occupying the
mid-latitudes of the continent + the state of Alaska + the island
state of Hawaii (Pacific Ocean). The are 2 legislative houses:
Senate and the House of Representatives. The Head of State is the
President - Barack Obama. The capital city Washington, D.C. The
total area: 9, 529,-063 km2. The population: 318,918,000 million
people (2014)
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2. The United States of America 2.1. Geography 0.1. The land It
is the third largest country in the world by area and has a varied
topography. The eastern regions consist of hills and low mountains
The central interior is a vast plain (called the Great Plains
region) and the west has high rugged mountain ranges (some of which
are volcanic in the Pacific Northwest). Alaska also features rugged
mountains as well as river valleys. Hawaii's landscape varies but
is dominated by volcanic topography.
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2. The United States of America 2.1. Geography The climate of
the U.S. also varies depending on location. It is considered mostly
temperate but is tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska,
semiarid in the plains west of the Mississippi River and arid in
the Great Basin of the southwest.
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2. The United States of America 2.1. Geography 0.2. People The
population: 318,918,000 million people (2014). The third most
populous nation in the world. The USA is not a homogeneous but
rather a pluralistic society, a nation of groups. A great melting
pot. Race and ethnicity (according to 2010 census): White - 72.4%,
Black or African American - 12.6%, American Indian or Alaska Native
0.9%, Asian - 4.8%, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander -
0.2% 16.7% of people identified themselves as Hispanic - just over
50 million people.
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2. The United States of America 2.1. Geography Ancestry
(according to 2000 census): German - 15.2%, Irish - 10.8%, African
American - 8.8%, English - 8.7%, American - 7.2, %Mexican - 6.5%
Language: English -is the main language of 80% of American
residents. Spanish is the main language of 12.3 residents Chinese
is the main language of 2.3%. Religion: 51% of all Americans are
Protestants, and almost a quarter 24% are Catholic.
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2. The United States of America 2.2. History History The
original 13 colonies of the United States were formed in 1732.
Tensions between the American colonies and the British government
the American colonists were subject to British taxation but had no
representation in the British parliament. These tensions eventually
led to the American Revolution which was fought from
1775-1781.
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2. The United States of America 2.2. History On July 4, 1776,
the colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence and following
the American victory over the British in the war, the U.S. was
recognized as independent of England. In 1788, the U.S.
Constitution was adopted and in 1789, the first president, George
Washington, took office. Tensions between the slave states and
non-slave states led to the Civil War, lasted from 1861-1865 when
the Confederate States were defeated. Throughout the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, the U.S. continued to grow and remained
neutral at the beginning of World War I in 1914. The 1920s were a
time of economic growth in the U.S. and the country began to grow
into a world power.
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2. The United States of America 2.2. History In 1929 however
the Great Depression began and the economy suffered until World War
II. The U.S. also remained neutral during this war until Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, at which time the U.S. joined the
Allies. Following WWII, the U.S. economy again began to improve.
The Cold War followed shortly thereafter as did the Korean War from
1950-1953 and the Vietnam War from 1964-1975. The U.S. grew
industrially and the nation became a world superpower. 2001, 11
September Islamic terrorist attacks. As a response to this attack
an invasion of Iraq which led to the overthrow and capture of
Saddam Hussein. 2008 Barack Obama was elected president. In 2010 he
oversaw the enactment of major health care and financial system
reform.
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2. The United States of America 2.3. Culture American culture
has produced many outstanding writers and artists: 19 th century:
Twai, poe, melville, Whitman, James 20 th century: Hemingway,
Faulkenr, Steinbeck, Miler, Williams, etc. Motion picture has been
very influential. A number of film makers: George Cukor, Orson
Wells, Fran Capra, etc. Developing of several distinctive types of
popular music: jazz, the blues, country, rock and roll, etc.
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2. The United States of America 2.3. Culture The USA Education
System: is decentralized : depends on the articulation of
educational authorities within each individual state There is no
any National Curriculum. Education is primarily the responsibility
of state and local government, and so there is little
standardization in the curriculum, for example. Compulsory
schooling ends by age 16 in most states; the remaining states
require students to attend school until they are 17 or 18. All
children in the United States have access to free public schools.
Private schools (religious and non-sectarian) are available, but
students must pay tuition to attend them.
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2. The United States of America 2.3. Culture The American
School System. Classes are organized in grades: Grade K:
kindergarten or nursery school Grades 1 to 5: Elementary school
pupils Grades 6 to 8:junior high school students Grades 9 to 12:
senior high school students. There are no national examinations.
Students wanting to go to university must take the Scholastic
Aptitude Test or SAT.
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2. The United States of America 2.3. Culture Higher Education.
For a long time America has led the world in higher education. In
1825 there were 2 universities in the UK and 50 in the USA. Now
there are more than 2000 universities and hundreds of junior
colleges, teachers colleges and special schools. More than 30 of
the highest-ranked 45 institutions are in the United States. Most
students receive federal loans. Most students are in public
universities. The most prestigious university is the University of
California at Berkley.
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2. The United States of America 2.3. Culture The are schools
that offer a 2-years degree (an associate degree) or a 4-years
degree (a bachalors degree). Students who have obtained a bachelors
degree can continue studies to get a masters degree and later a
doctorate degree (PhD).
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3. SOCIOCULTURAL AWARNESS How the sociocultural knowledge is
formulated in language, and in particular in a L2? Pavlenko and
Lantolf (2000) argue that traditional models of SLA do not take
into consideration sociocultural items. Celce-Murcia (1995)
suggests a model consisiting of the following sociocultural
components: SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS Participants variables (age,
gender, status, etc) Situation variables (time, place, social
situation) STYLISTIC APPROPRIATNESS FACTORS Politeness conventions
and strategies CULTURAL FACTORS Sociocultural background knowledge
of the target language Awareness of major dialect differences
Cross-cultural awareness NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATIVE FACTORS Kinesics
factors (body language) Proxemic factors (use of space)
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3. SOCIOCULTURAL AWARNESS The role of the teacher is to provide
this information in the most accessible way (Handford, 2002). We
may use activities focusing on such aspects as: Famous Englis
people Customs and traditions Popular songs and tales Shops Cities,
etc.