Work on stereotypes

ISSUE

Cultural Stereotypes About Americans 
 
ACTION 1

Answer a quiz and check your knowledge about American culture

 http://fr.slideshare.net/eloizasss/american-quiz-36896009
(or copy the key-words " slideshare eloizasss american quiz"

 ACTION2

Discover and think

Make a wordle or a mindmap 

with all the words you associate with « Americans ».

Use one of these tutorials.

 http://lewebpedagogique.com/latelierdelastrolabe/les-tutoriels/utiliser-wordle-logiciel-en-ligne/

Sébastien's Mindmap on "Americans"

Mattéo's Mindmap on "Americans"

Margot's Mindmap on "Americans"

Marine's Mindmap on Americans

Céline's Mindmap on Americans

Célia's Mindmap on Americans

Dior'a Mindmap on Americans

Sylvie 's Mindmap on Ameicans

Arthur's Mindmap on Americans

Lucie's Mindmap on Americans

Nour's Mindmap on Americans

ACTION3

Read, think and tick

This is a list of cultural stereotypes compiled in the late 1990s by Spanish high school students between 15-21 years of age who had never been to the U.S. nor had any American friends, as circulated to an international education e-mail list.

Which, if any, are "accurate descriptions" of American culture? Which may particularly reflect how the Spanish students perceived American culture as being different from their own ?

TOPIC A ?	FALSE	TRUE	NONSENSE	NO IDEA
Most Americans are very tall with blue eyes and blond hair.
All American men are as handsome as movie stars.
Men in the U.S. have muscular builds; they resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. America men like to wear short, sleeveless T-shirts to show off their physiques.
American women are either unusually fat or unusually thin, never of normal build.
Women in the U.S. wear a lot of make-up.
Americans wear very bright colors and mixed patterns, and they wear summer clothes even in the winter. They have no sense of style.
The typical American "native dress" is jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat.
TOPIC B ?	FALSE	TRUE	NONSENSE	NO IDEA
Americans spend almost all day at work; they have very little free time.
Although they are extremely punctual and efficient in their jobs, Americans don't consider their work important; family comes first.
The first two things an American wants to discuss are salary and age.
The two favorite leisure-time activities in the U.S. are movies and rodeos.
oung people usually just take walks for fun, because they're not allowed to drink or go to discos.
TOPIC C ?	FALSE	TRUE	NONSENSE	NO IDEA
Most Americans live either in skyscrapers or on farms.
In big cities everyone has a large car like a Cadillac, but outside of cities people usually travel on horseback.
Americans divorce repeatedly and have very complicated private lives.
In marriages in the U.S., the wife always dominates.
American cities are so dangerous that a person has a good chance of being killed in the street; therefore, American men either know kung-fu or carry a gun.
TOPIC D ?	FALSE	TRUE	NONSENSE	NO IDEA
Americans eat almost nothing but hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and Coke.
Americans generally eat fast food Monday through Saturday, but never on Sunday.
American men are always drinking beer, even at breakfast.
American breakfasts are huge. A typical one might consist of eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes with peanut butter.
TOPIC E ?	FALSE	TRUE	NONSENSE	NO IDEA
Americans speak very quickly and very loudly. They use their hands a lot, often gesturing in an exaggerated way when they talk. Their strange intonation makes their speech sound like singing.
American English is extremely difficult to understand because people speak as if they were chewing gum.
The typical American is very rude, often putting his feet on a desk or table and frequently belching in public. He yawns a lot, never trying to hide it. In international affairs as in personal life, Americans do whatever they want and don't care what other people think.

 

ACTION4
Some striking results!
TOPIC  A

A majority of us think that...

"The typical American "native dress" is jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. "
 
 TOPIC  C

Some of us think that...

" Most Americans live either in skyscrapers or on farms."

 We believe that...

" In big cities everyone has a large car like a Cadillac, but outside of cities people usually travel on horseback."

We have a rather mixed feelings about the fact that...

" American cities are so dangerous that a person has a good chance of being killed in the street; therefore, American men either know kung-fu or carry a gun."


TOPIC  D

We rather think that...

" Americans eat almost nothing but hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and Coke."

 Many of us don't really think that...

" American men are always drinking beer, even at breakfast."

We are a lot to think that...

" American breakfasts are huge. A typical one might consist of eggs, 
toast, bacon, and pancakes with peanut butter."


 TOPIC  E


 We really think that...

" Americans speak very quickly and very loudly. 
They use their hands a lot, often gesturing in an exaggerated way when they talk. 
Their strange intonation makes their speech sound like singing."


We daresay that...

" American English is extremely difficult to understand 
because people speak as if they were chewing gum."


We have no idea about the fact that...

"  The typical American is very rude, often putting his feet on a desk or table and frequently belching in public. He yawns a lot, never trying to hide it. In international affairs as in personal life, Americans do whatever they want and don't care what other people think.'
 

 ACTION5

Think, speak and check

Give your definition of a stereotype. Then check your answer in an online-dictionary.

https://framindmap.org/c/maps/84576/public