Culture in the English language classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to provide a didactic programme for the subject of English as a First Foreign Language. It is to be implemented along a school year, it comprises nine units and it is devised for a 2nd year of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) classroom. This group is composed of 25 students, two of which have Specific Needs of Educational Support (ADHD and dyslexia). A variety of methodologies and strategies are implemented to cater to the learning process of each student, and through which they can contain the necessary tools to think critically, attain their stage objectives, work cooperatively, and feel engaged with their own learning process through the development of dynamic activities. A significant portion of the language is intimately entwined with the culture, for this reason, some elements of English culture pertinent to the topics of the units have been gradually introduced. It is of essence to remark that the evaluation of this didactic programme can be described as continuous, formative, summative, and integrative. To conclude, this work was designed to appeal to the students' motivation and interests, as well as demonstrating that what they are taught can be directly related to the English culture and their own lives. The aim of this didactic programme is to emphasise the value of interaction and the communicative function of the language, which is the goal of learning a foreign language.