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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.