English Lesson Plan: Stereotypes

Lesson Overview

This topic always gets students talking. It's fascinating to hear how other nations see each other. I created this lesson plan a couple of summers ago when I had a very diverse group of students studying in England – from Japan all the way to Argentina.

This lesson focuses on speaking in the form of giving opinions and views. It also has a reading-through-video stage where students read subtitles quickly for key information. Additionally, it builds vocabulary and expressions for describing people and habits.

Before you start, make sure your students won’t get offended and can handle the topic respectfully. You’ll also need access to some technology, as there is a video involved. If you use this lesson with a monolingual group, I’d be really interested to know how it goes, as I haven’t… yet.

Step 1 – Perfect World vs Awful World

1. Introduce the lesson by displaying or handing out the following prompts:

In a perfect world the police are… the cooks are… the mechanics are… the lovers are… and everything is organised by the…

Put students in pairs or groups and ask them to complete their ideas. In feedback, let them share their sentences, expand on interesting answers, and correct any general mistakes that come up.

Then repeat the activity, but this time with:

In an awful world the police are… the cooks are… the mechanics are… the lovers are… and everything is organised by the…

Step 2 – Stereotypes About America

2. Show students the American flag and ask them to write down words they think of when they think about America and the people.

Important: Stress that they should think about the people, otherwise you’ll just get a list of “American things”.

In feedback, ask students to share their ideas. Then tell them you’re going to show them a video.

Step 3 – Video: What Do Other Countries Think?

3. Tell students you are going to show them a video in which different people give their opinion about America and its people.

Each person speaks in their own language (including English), so it is their job to read the subtitles and listen for how each country's person describes America.

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCap6I9MlOw

Give students the opportunity to watch the video twice before going through the answers. After checking, ask:

• Were any answers surprising?
• Did they say the same things as you?

Optional Extension – How Do Languages Sound?

An extension that works quite well – and is a bit of fun – is to ask students before the second play to decide which language they like the sound of most.

After you’ve checked the answers, ask which language they preferred. Then ask if anyone can imitate the sound of Chinese (sorry, China!). There will probably be a chuckle.

You can then show them this video and ask if they think the languages in the video really sound like that:

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY66ZJ0TFUI

Step 4 – Country Stereotypes Activity

4. Tell students you’re going to give them a list of countries. Ask them to work with their partner(s) and think of an adjective, expression or more to describe each country.

You might use the country you are in as an example. Encourage students to use stereotypes.

Here are the countries I used. I split the list down the middle and had A and B groups. Of course, you can add, change, or chop them.

In a multinational class, you will find out a lot in feedback. Be ready for vocabulary support – almost always, students will want to say something they don't know how to say in English.

Step 5 – Matching Comments to Countries

5. Tell students you went on the Internet and took some comments from people talking about the same countries they’ve just discussed.

Give an example from your own country and then hand out the list. Some language is in bold – encourage peer teaching first and help groups who are struggling.

Students should decide which country each comment is about. These comments are not real and were typed up by me. You can change them or create your own. There is no right or wrong answer, but I have my own suggested answers if you’d like to use them.

In feedback, go over the answers and clarify any bold adjectives and expressions. You’ll probably want a short remembering stage to help students remember new vocabulary. I had an upper-intermediate / advanced group, so there were only a few new words. I used an impromptu remembering game here.

Step 6 – My Country: Mingle Task

6. To end the lesson and reinforce the adjectives and expressions from earlier, give students the “My Country” handout.

Give them a few minutes to think about their answers. Then ask them to get up and mingle with other students, sharing information and talking about stereotypes related to their own country.

Round off the lesson by asking:

• Did you find out anything interesting?
• Any surprises about how others see your country?

Luke – Native Speaker Online

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