Comparative Culture Pamphlets

Purpose: To encourage meaningful dialogue between learners, volunteers and teachers about cultural and educational differences. This activity can be done with any level, but lower level students should do shorter, more simply written pamphlets and use more pictures and or drawings.

Preparation Time: Five minutes to gather materials; 30 minutes to make a sample pamphlet (desirable for lower level students who might not understand verbal instructions).

Materials: Writing paper, small notebook or several sheets of paper stapled together, pens, pencils and markers; optional scissors, glue, tape and magazines for decorating.

Preparation: Assemble the notebooks or put the pamphlets together, one for each student, or have the students assemble the pamphlets themselves. Think about how you will explain the activity. Showing a sample will help students visualize the end product.

Procedure:

1. Give each student a notebook or pamphlet and explain the activity.
2. Create questions with your student(s) that you want to write about in the pamphlet. Write these on the board or on a separate piece of paper. For example, “What is your favorite food in your country and in the United States?” Depending on the level of the student(s), you can write a lot of questions or just a few. Work together to answer the questions. The teacher, volunteer, or student (depending on student’s level) writes down the answers to the questions.
3. Together decide on what order you want the answers to be written into the pamphlet.
4. The students record the answers in the pamphlet and illustrate or decorate the pamphlet if desired.

Variations:  

• Have students ask each other questions, based on what they’ve written in their pamphlets. Practice question forms, interviewing skills and vocabulary.
• Pick a cultural theme and make pamphlets around a single theme.