usa final.docx

UNIVERSIDAD DE MURCIA-ISEN- FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÓN. GRADO DE MAGISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA.

Lifestyle in Contemporary USA

Autoras:García-Vaso Cánovas, Mª Pilar

López Clavo, AraceliSegura Roca, Carmen

Aspectos de vida y cultura en el Reino Unido y su didácticaProfesora: Sira Martínez Abeledo

2013/14


ContentsCUSTOMS....................................................................................................................................1

Marriage and family............................................................................................................2

Social habits...........................................................................................................................2

Entertainment.......................................................................................................................5

Holidays...................................................................................................................................6

FOOD IN USA............................................................................................................................10

INTRO.........................................................................................................................................11

EATING HABITS. Culture sets the table......................................................................12

INTERNATIONAL CUISINE.................................................................................................13

CUISINE REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS......................................................................14

TYPICAL DISHES KITCHEN AMERICAN.........................................................................15

EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES...............................................................................17

LET’S SPEND A DAY IN ELEMENTARY..........................................................................19

Schedule............................................................................................................................19

CUSTOMS

Aspectos de vida y cultura en el Reino Unido y su didáctica : Lifestyle in contemporary USA.

1


The United States possesses more than 260 million inhabitants and is one of the countries in which the population is as extremely differentiated as his states. It is a country constructed by foreigners who did of tone of the major world recognized powers everywhere. In spite of the fact that its inhabitants are much differentiated both by culture and customs, the most of them share habits and characteristics that are typical of The United States.

The Scotch philosopher David Hume wrote: "the custom constitutes the fundamental guide of the human life ". Really, the knowledge of the customs supposes an important guide supposes to understand the soul of a country and of its people. With the following text we will try to offer a panoramic of the environment of the national customs: its inhabitants, its holidays, its habits, how they relate, how they amuse themselves, etc.

Marriage and family

Though many pairs choose to live united before the marriage, or to be unmarried couples, the rate of marriages is one of the highest of the western societies, like divorces is one of the highest of the world. The middle ages of the marriage are 26 years for the men and 24 for the women. The American family has changed very much in the last decades. Today only 25% of all the homes consists of a traditional family, and more than the half of all the homes does not have children. One out of three children is born from parents who are not married and there has grown very much the number of single-parent families.


2


Almost 48.5 % of all the North American workers are women, for this reason it is expected that men share the housework. When both parents work and, certainly for the single-parent families, they use and they need of facilities of day-care centers increase. It is not usual that big families live together in the United States; the most of families are only made up of parents and children, in a house or apartment. The American family has more mobility than the one´s from other countries; it is common to move from a state to another for educational, labor reasons or simply for a change of climate and landscape.

Social habits

The people from The United States are usually quiet friendly; they normally worry for causing a good impression and assist well to his guests. They are very patriots, since always they reveal the love for his flag and his mother land, as well as correct.

They leave tips in the different restaurants, bars, taxis, hotels … the standard tip is usually 15 %, if the service is not very good they can leave 10 %, and if it is more than satisfactory the number increases even 20 %.

Regarding to the interpersonal relations, the Americans usually keep a distance when speaking, as well as avoiding the physical contact in excess. In general, both men and women smile and they share hands to greet and the close friends and the members of the family usually hug each other when they meet. The Americans can greet strangers in the street by means of Hello (Hello) or Good morning (Good days)


3


though they cannot greet. Among young people verbal regards are common like high five (it shocks this five). Except for in formal situations, people are named by means of their nicknames known each other since. By combining a title (as Mrs., Dr., or Ms.) with a surname respect is shown. When someone is greeted by the first time, the Americans normally say, "Pleased to meet you" (Been charming with of knowing him) or How do you do? (How are you?), though a simple Hello or Hi also is frequent.

Friends are often by means of How plough you? To what they answer fine, thanks (Well, thank you); in general they do not wait for a response until there is a narrower relation. In addition, as it is a very individualistic society, people use words and actions to show or to express his goals and aims, conversations are usually about topics to continue with more trivial topics.

Visiting friends, family and the acquaintances plays a great paper in the social life of the United States, for that is why people travel across big distances by car, bus, train or plane to do it. Punctuality is expected in appointments or in invitations. In general, it puts on emphasis in the informality in the visits. It is expected that the guests are comfortable, they can sit where they want and that are expected to have a good time. Visits do not involve giving gifts, but many bring flowers wine it came when one invites they are invited to have lunch.

Smoking in The United States has becoming into a bad habit for the society; It is prohibited to smoke in public places, buildings, centers of study, means of transport and restaurants, having a specific area for


4


the smokers. Cigarettes are sold to 21-year-old people and with special identification.

The official language in The United States is English, though a great sector of the population, mainly immigrants, uses Spanish. Other languages that are also spoken are Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and French, among others.

With regarding to means of transports, car is the most used transport in The United States, so you can see cars everywhere. Even teenagers are used to driving from early age (16 years) using the car to go everywhere. Both visiting their friends or going to university, but so much comfort also brings disadvantages, for example the obesity, one of the principal problems in this country.

Noteworthy in this country a subject of great controversy in society and it is entitled to possession of weapons by citizens. The second amendment of the Constitution has picked the right of citizens to carry firearms.

This law emerged in England in the middle Ages and required every free man to bear arms in the service of the king, the right to gun ownership was linked to military service. Then, it was recognized the right to own guns for self-defense and years after, this law was abolished in England. Although, the Independence of the United States, gun ownership became there a right enshrined. The right to bear arms is one of the issues that have created divisions in the social, political and legal level in the U.S. 90 million Americans have more than 200 million guns. According to government statistics, the U.S. has the


5


highest rate of civilian gun ownership and gun deaths, about 80 per day, including 34 homicides. Supporters estimate that abolishing this law is a vestige of the past that only promotes violence. They argue that the amendment was established to ensure that states could maintain militias, in response to the fear they had in the eighteenth century to a too strong federal government. Those in favor of the right to bear arms argue the right to bear arms for private use, mainly in cases of self-defense.

Finally, and not less important, it is necessary to admit that the Americans are very hard-working and are used to having working days. Having a small break at lunch time and, certainly, it is not usual to exchange cards. On the other hand, they are very tidy (most of them) and respect strictly the laws.

Entertainment


6


Basketball, American football, baseball and ice hockey are the sports that more followers have and more practiced, but the Americans enjoy numerous activities, as football, cycling, racquetball (hybrid of squash and handball), tennis, swimming, golf, skittles, martial arts, walk, run and practice aerobics. Schools, cities and other organizations support sports equipments for young people and professional sports are a very important part of their culture.Leisure time changes from a region to another, from cities to rural zones and from the coast to the interior. In general most of Americans spend a great part of their free time assembled or watching television. Other activities are going to the cinema, concerts and traveling. Many Americans enjoy being volunteers of a wide variety of reasons, from forming foundations to help people to be tutors of students. Inhabitants in big cities enjoy spending their time on activities outdoors, as camping, hiking or hunting.

Holidays


7


The public holidays, as well as the ones we have in our country and which we already know, are Martin Luther King's birth, which is celebrated on the third Monday of January. Due to the fact that Abraham Lincoln's birth is February 12th and that George Washington 22nd in the same month, the Americans honor these two presidents, the others, in the Day of the President, who takes place on the third Monday of February too.

The Memorial Day that is celebrated on the last Monday of May, remembers the Americans who died in the war. The celebrations of July 4th are characterized by its fireworks, snacks and barbecues outdoors. This holiday is known also as Day of the Independence against to Great Britain in 1776.

On the first Monday of September many Americans take the day off to celebrate the Labor Day. On October 12th, Christopher Colón arrival to America. The Day of the Veterans (November 11th) yields itself honors to those that gave their life for their country during the First and the Second World War. On the fourth Thursday of November the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day, whose origin relates to the pilgrims or Pilgrim Fathers, who established themselves in New England sharing a holiday with the aborigines of the tribe Wampanoag. This day family and friends celebrate Thanksgiving Day sharing a special dinner that often includes turkey and other dishes.

Christmas time begins often Thanksgiving Day soon, usually after we find Christmas Eve (December 24), when children are usually hang socks next to the chimney for Santa Claus, believing that the he will go down the chimney during the night to leave them gifts. Many people


8


also celebrate the Christmas following other traditions, since they can change according to the region or the familiar tradition.

Also there are special days that, though they are not official holidays, they are also celebrated. The Day of the Marmot (February 2) is a rural tradition that affirms that if a marmot goes out of his burrow on this day and it sees its shade, he will hide on having predicted six more weeks winter. San Patricio´s day (March 17) is the day Ireland and is celebrated by parades, holidays and wearing green clothes. The Flag´s day (June 14) celebrates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777. Halloween (October 31) has his roots in the ancient British autumn´s festivals to reject the evil spirits and to celebrate the crop; United States it is one night in which children wear extravagant clothes and knock on doors asking “trick or treat”.


9


The principal months of holidays are from June until beginning of September, when schools close. Though some of them have more free time, many workers have only two weeks in the year, much less than most of the Europeans. Some states have own holidays and some cities have days for their special celebrations.

As we have shown, life in The United States is different from many other countries in the world. The Universal San Antonio lists 10 customs that a sorrow is worth learning adapt better in the style of life.

1.-To respect the laws: American society is used to following the laws and authorities are harder than in other countries in the world. It is usually respected by people they are hardly punished if they don´t do it.

2.-To take the shoes off: In many houses in this country people take shoes off from, especially in the states where it snows in winter, since otherwise they would get dirty too much. As a rule, guests also must do it.

3.-To respect the native symbols: Most of the Americans are very proud of their country, so they respect enough the flag and the national anthem. (The foreigners do not need to sing the anthem, but they are asked them to be quiet to stand with.

4.-Not to prejudge the others: The United States is a multicultural and multiracial country so they don´t discriminate people by his race, religion or appearance.


10


5.-To be direct: Many people in Mexico and other Latin-American countries give him too many returns to the things. The Americans are as a rule more direct and are grateful than people are like that with them.

6.-To pay taxes: Most Americans pay their taxes on time. The one who does not do it can get into legal serious problems.

7.-To learn the metric American system: It is important to learn to use the measures of The United States, as degrees Fahrenheit, miles (1 mille=1.61 km), feet (1 foot = 0.305m), yardsticks (1 yardstick = 0.914m), inches (1 inch = 2.54cm), gallons (1 gallon = 3.7854L), pounds (1 pound = 0.4536kg), ounces (1 ounce = 28.85g), etc.

8.-To be punctual: As English men, the Americans are very punctual and unpunctuality is a very bad thing since it is a lack of consideration to the time of the others, due to the fact that many holidays and celebrations last only a couple of hours.

9.-Not to visit people without a previous notice: In many countries it is not bad manners to visit a friend without a previous notice, but in The United States it is not polite.

10.-To behave according to the occasion: The Americans can be very informal in some certain situations, but extremely formal in other ones. Also they follow codes of gown very well established depending on the occasion.


11


FOOD IN USA


12


http://prezi.com/-7m96na6fmxe/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

INTRO

The typical food of the United States is very difficult to determine, as the first American is one who works all day, but also the United States is so diverse mix of people, which have moved their culinary culture to their new country. EEUU is a country created mainly of immigrants from different countries of Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. So its food is characterized as practical or easy to prepare and have a strong bond with their migration.


13


Thus, although many dishes have their origins in other countries, Americans have substantially altered those dishes with the passing of the years and now, they are considered typically American. Examples include hot dogs, hamburgers or pizzas, brought by immigrants from Germany or Italy and all of them very different to those found in Italy and Germany.

EATING HABITS. Culture sets the table.In the U.S. the main values are: family, work, money, and entertainment. These four things are the reasons behind their products and practices. Their general practice respond to an optimization of time: time is important so you can work to earn more money.

Meal times are very different than the Spanish one. Timetable is marked by the American lifestyle. They make a hearty breakfast at 6 or 7am characterized by:

Juice Milk Cereals


14


Bacon Eggs Toast

By midday, 12 or so a light meal that usually consist in:

Sandwiches with chips or salad.

Dinner however is a very important for family enjoyment and that is why the food is far more elaborate. It is also quite common for at least three times a week eating out (usually in fast food restaurants). Dinners are usually based on:

Meat Vegetables Potatoes Salad Pizza Sometimes precooked.

In the U.S., people like many drinks such as sodas, smoothies, juices and sometimes beer.

INTERNATIONAL CUISINEThe Mexican, German, Chinese, Greek, Vietnamese or Italian cuisine, to name a few, is already part of the culinary landscape of this country.


15


We could call Native Americans to all Indians tribes and the rest of Americans becomes a fusion of different culinary cultures. When we think about the U.S. food comes to our mind fast food, but that is only part of their food, well known for its attractive marketing. But there is another side of culinary culture in the U.S. based on old traditions of cooking meat from cattle.

→ EEUU FOOD= FAST-FOOD & TRADITIONAL FOOD

CUISINE REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Because of the large size of its territory, is not surprising that cuisine is different in each State and can have more than one regional variant. For example:

Cuisines of the east coast: fish and seafood

Middle Eastern cuisine: beef and corn have greater weight and works the best.

Omaha: the form of steaks (steaks)

Maine: Lobster

Pacific Coast: Salmon

Maryland: blue crab and crabcake

Kansas, Texas, and North Carolina or Tennessee: the best BBQ with their pulled pork, beef brisket, pork ribs and smoked slowly.


16


In addition to its wealth, American cuisine has handover borders. We can see in restaurants in tex-mex cuisine, barbecue restaurants and others that can be found in many parts of the world, being the most popular fast food and burger restaurants. Their sandwiches are known worldwide perhaps because they mix with intelligence two basic ingredients: meat and bread. In this way, they have burgers, subways, hot dogs, donuts, and the sloppy Joe.

TYPICAL DISHES KITCHEN AMERICAN.

Fried Chicken: This preparation is the American favorite home cooked meal. Even known it was a favorite of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman. The grace of this chicken is the crispy crust and juicy meat inside.

Burgers: Frankly irresistible when made with good meat and good ingredients. The custom in the United States is to make them on the grill, especially to celebrate specials dates. The basic version consists of American cheese (very similar to cheddar), tomatoes, lettuce and a little mayonnaise. But there are many variations, one of the most famous and typical American burger BLT is the leading crispy bacon.

Hot dogs: This is a classic street food in all U.S. cities we can see a hot dog car. Whether grilled or broiled if in a roast, sausages are eaten in a bun with mustard and accompanied with various sauces and as consumer tastes. Classic dishes are onion sauce and chili (hot pepper) and green tomatoes.


17


Ribs in Barbecue Sauce (Barbecue Ribs): Americans are the kings of pork ribs with barbecue sauce and therefore are present in all their grills and celebrations. How to prepare the BBQ sauce varies by region, but generally takes ketchup, vinegar, spices (different types of pepper) and honey.

Cole Slaw: This refreshing salad is famous worldwide. A mixture of green cabbage and carrots, where fine cut vegetables and dressing are the key.

Cherry Pie: This pie is one of the most traditional desserts of North America. Is typical of Fourth of July celebrations, as in the U.S. it is summer and therefore cherries abound at this time. Crispy dough usually served warm and accompanied by whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. The mass of this walk can also be performed with Philadelphia cheese to bring you more smoothness to this dessert that combines sweetness and acidity *pulled pork: The chest and ribs are usually very finely chopped and shredded pork meat

NOW YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD / AMERICAN FOOD?

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

Is American food as bad as we think? Just eat “fast-food” The food is bad, unhealthy and fattening Do not know how to enjoy the act of eating Is monotone: not out of the burger People can not cook They have nothing to teach


18


Nothing in the USA is better than in Spain

EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATESEducation in the United States is compulsory starting from age five to eight and ending between ages sixteen and eighteen, depending on the state. Children in United States can attend public schools, state-certified private schools, or can stay home and study an approved home school program.

In most schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Children are usually divided by age groups into grades, from kindergarten and first grade for the youngest children, and then second, third and up to twelfth grade as the final year of high school. They study from kinder to fifth at the elementary schools, from sixth through eight at middle schools and from ninth trough twelfth at high schools

Public education in public schools is available for all children. Public education is controlled and funded by three institutions, that is to say, through the state, local, and federal governments.

On the one hand, on the local side, public schools are ruled by school districts. School districts are ruled through locally elected school boards that also vote on the curricula and policies for individual school districts.


19

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_district

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_district

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_law_(United_States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_education

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_grade

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_grade

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_levels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_school

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_education_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_education_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_school

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_education


On the state side, educational standards are set by state governments that also mandate standardized tests compulsory for all public school systems. On the federal side, the U.S. education system is also centralized at the federal level with common standards and common assessments mandated by the nation across all states. But sometimes American schools show a very different picture depending on the state and K-12 education can be different depending on where you live. Local school boards and state governments play more prominent roles than the federal government.

Private schools are generally free to determine their own curriculum and staffing policies, with voluntary accreditation for their teachers available through independent regional accreditation authorities.

88% of school-age children attend public schools, 9% attend private schools, and nearly 3% are homeschooled.

As of 2009, the public K-12 system included more than 17,800 districts educating more than 49 million students, about 16% of U.S. population. The country’s education system is very diverse. One challenge with such a large and diverse student population is ensuring all have access to the academic content and skills they need to be able to graduate and pursue the career of their choice.

Graduation Rates: About 73% of students who enter high school graduate within four years, but only about 60% of African American and Latino students earn a diploma within four years. In 2010, 38% of Americans had attained at least an associate’s degree or higher.


20

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standardized_testing


The Cost of Education: The U.S. Department of Education, which has a budget of about $70 billion, covers only about 10% of overall K-12 public school funding. The remaining 90% comes primarily from state and local governments, with some support coming from private sources.

State Education Spending: In 2010-11, about $10,500 was spent per child on K-12 public school instruction (which doesn’t cover other administrative costs, such as transportation, school lunches or supplemental services, which can increase the per-pupil estimate significantly). As is the case with most sides of the U.S. education system, there are mayor differences in funding levels across states.

University: There are also a large number and wide variety of publicly and privately administered institutions of higher education throughout the country. Post-secondary education, divided into college, as the first degree, and graduate school.

LET’S SPEND A DAY IN ELEMENTARYScheduleA student’s day at a public Elementary school in USA, Texas, starts pretty early. The school opens at 7 for students to start arriving. They will either walk or ride their bikes, or ride the bus or their parents will drive them to school.Once at school, the bell that announces the beginning of the lessons rings at 7:30. At that time, all students should be sitting at their desks


21

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_school

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education


with their homework from the day before, open so that the teacher can check that is was done and that there are no mistakes.

But before that, most students will go to the cafeteria of school and have breakfast sitting at huge tables with their brothers and sisters or their best friends. Both breakfast and lunch are provided for free at public schools if the kids qualify for economical disadvantage.

It is considered an abuse to not eat sufficiently to perform at schools, so teachers constantly remind the students to go and have breakfast at the cafeteria if they have not had it, as it is not unusual that kids come to school without having eaten any breakfast at all.

Before the start of the regular lessons, using the speaker, the principal and often some of the students say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag; the students and teachers in all classrooms stand up and say the pledge with their hands in their hearts. After a minute of silence, the Principal does the announces to the whole schools through the speakers so that all classrooms can listen to any special events that are happening that day, interesting activities that are going on at school or even wish happy birthday to a student or teacher. After announces the regular schedule begins.

All classrooms have their particular schedule posted on their walls, and same grade levels will have the same schedule.


22


The students have on a daily bases Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and one Special Area. They will stay in their classroom with their teacher for all subjects except for special areas, Physical Education, Art and Music, that they will go to the Gym, the Art room or the Music Room.

While the students are at special areas, all the teachers of the same grade level get together to plan for the next day or to share strategies and lesson plans. Every week the teachers present their lesson plans for the week to the Principal. They usually do Friday test to evaluate what the students have learned and repost the results in an online report that parent can get on their internet.

At 2:45 pm, when school has finished, parents pick up the kids, or they go home by car, and teachers stay for another 45 minutes getting ready for the next day or in meetings with other colleagues. Once a week there is a faculty meeting after school until 4:00pm to address everything that the Principal or Superintendent finds useful. Teachers usually give their personal phone to students and families so that they can call, and they also communicate via email very often.

Classrooms usually have the teacher computer, a set of 4 or more computers that the kids can use, as well as a cart with 20 laptops that is shared by the same grade. Usually classrooms have a projector and a TV set available. The students have their text books provided by the school district for free. The books usually stay at school unless the parents or teacher send some of with the student to home for an assignment.


23


Public education is free for all students from kinder through 12th grade. The district buys the books for students, all the books texts and all the books kids need to read, study or work with, Activities may be also in activity books that are given to the students by the school.Parents are responsible for buying school supplies like notebooks, pencils, colors, cardboard paper and so on.Lunch is at school, and students can either bring their own lunch and eat at school at no cost, or buy their lunch at the school cafeteria. Low income families do not have to pay for lunch. They have 30 minutes to eat at the cafeteria and 20 minutes of recess. While students are having lunch at the cafeteria,

teachers go to the teacher lounge to have their own lunch. The students can bring a lunch box with home food or they can buy it and the parents can go to take a lunch with their kids every day. Transportation to the school in school buses is free for all students if they don’t live in a walking distance.


24

Handwriting curiosity:

Students are taught to write in bold letters in the first years of elementary and not until fourth or fifth grade they start learning how to write in cursive.

Also the writing of numbers is different as the numbers one (1) and seven (7) have only the vertical lines (the 7 has also the top horizontal but none in the middle), and it is the same with the letter zeta (z).

Teaching Math is also different and division algorithm in that the dividend in placed above quotient. Quite strange!

And remember that billion in USA would be a thousand million in Europe.


All teachers have to have their teacher certificate gained in the state they are going to teach, and they have to go under professional development for several days every course year to complete the district requirements. The trainings are free for teachers, the district pays for them different times all teachers in public schools have to have a background check to verify that you have not committed any crime and be approved as a teacher.They have to take training in first aid and defibrillation in case of an emergency. Different tomes in the school year, the school practices different ways of evacuation in case of a fire, of an estranger coming into the school, or in case of a tornado alert.


25

Date post:	18-Apr-2017
Category:	Documents
Upload:	pilar-garcia-vaso-canovas
View:	235 times
Download:	0 times

usa final.docx

Documents