Culture shock

Here's an activity I created for B2 students to talk about culture shock and to introduce the use of the suffixes ful and less. Throughout this lesson, students will be introduced to the use of suffixes, they will analyze its meaning and use, and finally they will apply it.

Warm up: Listen to the song "Englishman in New York" by Sting. 

How does the singer feel? 
Have you ever been in a similar situation? Share.

Activities 1, 2 and 3: Trailer watching. 

Teacher's copy

Ful or less?

This is a touching story of a woman, full of character, with an idealistic vision for herself and her daughter, and a typical American family. The woman and daughter emigrate from Mexico seeking a better life in America, and discover that the family culture, at least in one American family, runs counter to the values that the woman holds dear. The woman starts working as a maid for the American family which is wrought with some typical American family dysfunction. The American mother is thoughtless to the needs of her daughter and husband--she has been caught up in the "me" age of self improvement, addicted to high paced life of a working mother, turning into a heartless mom. The husband is a sensitive, caring, and thoughtful chef and father who has become estranged from his wife due to her emergent self obsession and insensitivity to the husband and daughter's needs from a mother and wife. The stark contrast in cultures between the beautiful emotionally intelligent Mexican woman and the American family, whose matriarch is lacking in the same valuable characteristics present in the Mexican mother, provides learning opportunities. The daughters learn to appreciate each other's cultures. The husband and Mexican woman discover in each other a special connection which transcends language barriers and allows the husband to see what he is missing in his meaningless relationship. And the daughter of the Mexican woman discovers that she appreciates her mother's values more than she ever thought possible.

Follow up: Writing.

Task A) Send Flor a lettter and offer her some tips on how to deal with her new family life and how to fit right in. Try to include some pieces of advice on ways not to feel homesick as well.

Task B) Traveling can be a very enriching experience; however, moving to another country can pose many challenges. It is not easy to adapt to new places and there are cases in which it does not happen even after many years of living in the new site. Write an essay stating the advantages and disadvantages of moving to a new place.

Here's the worksheet

See you around,

Claudio