FINAL ORAL PROJECT ENGLISH III

Purpose: To raise cultural and intercultural awareness by doing research online, reading, analysis and contrasting the
Colombian culture with the one of other English speaking countries.

Goal: To do an oral presentation in small groups based on a specific assigned festival, including its characteristics,
comparison with the Colombian culture and a gastronomic sample for the class.

ACTIVITIES

Part 1: Let´s get into the context, How much do you know about the culture of other countries and of the USA?

Assigned: October 28th. Due date: By November 13th in your google folder. (GROUP WORK)

1. Answer the Intercultural Quiz provided in the following link. Copy the screenshots of your correct
answers to this quiz:
https://www.londonschool.com/lsic/resources/intercultural-quiz/
2. Watch the following video about the American culture. How much do you know? Answer and type your
group responses in the document to be uploaded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MYkqpX95fY
3. Research about the Festival or celebration assigned to you in class for a specific English speaking
country of your preference. Find out information about its origins, characteristics, main events that
happen in this celebration, main food(s) served during this celebration, etc. Include the summary of this
research in your document.
4. Compare the information that you researched with the Colombian way of celebrating this event. Present
a parallel with at least 5 differences and 5 similarities. Include this in the document too.

Part 2: (You need to bring a powerpoint presentation, or prezzi or any other visual aid with your summarized
research. Maximum 10 slides)

Assigned: October 28th. Due date: By November 30th in class. (GROUP WORK)

1. Prepare a report to the class using your visual aid. Your group needs to present from 12-15 minutes
approximately. Use editing tools, effects and animations to provide an excellent presentation to the
audience. Explain the information and do a short game in the end to verify that the information was
understood.
2. Bring a sample of the food(s) served traditionally during this celebration to be shared with the class.
3. We will have a jury witnessing your presentations. The best 3 presentations according to the jury will be
exonerated of taking the final test!!!

Evaluation criteria:

1. The presentation needs to be 12-15 minutes long approximately. All students in the group need to speak
a similar amount of time. (5 minutes each student approximately). You need to include a short
introduction in the beginning of your presentation stating your names, the celebration assigned and the
country that you chose and compared to Colombia. Also you need to have a short closure at the end to
give out your sample to the class.
2. Pronunciation needs to be excellent. Your English needs to be clear and fluent. No corrections or
mistakes.
3. The content needs to be complete keeping in mid the parameters established in the research.
4. The activities uploaded in the google folder by November 13 will be taken into account for this final
grade.

1R// QUIZ:
2R// DO YOU KNOW THE USA?

a) The state with the longest coastline in the US is California.

R//Coastline Of Alaska. Alaska has 33,904 miles of coastline, the longest in the United
States. The state is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Bering Sea to the west,
and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

b) One out of every seven Americans owns at least 10 credits cards.

Is this correct?
R// According to data from Gallup, the average American has 2.6 credit cards, although
this includes the 29% of Americans who don't have any credit cards at all. When you
exclude this group, the average among people who have at least one credit card is 3.7.

c) Willis Tower in Chicago is the highest building in the US(apart from the One World Trade
Center). True or False
R//One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan has officially been ruled to be taller than
the Willis Tower, in Chicago. That judgment came from the primary arbiter of structural
stature, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat .

d) Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president ever of the US. Is this True?
R// Theodore Roosevelt (42 years, 10 months)
Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president in history. He was also one of the most
innovative, brash, and vigorous.
TR was installed as William McKinley's vice president because his competitors wanted to
bury Roosevelt in a do-nothing, isolated job. But when President McKinley was
assassinated in September 1901, TR became arguably the most influential man in the
world.
He moved the White House from the sidelines to the center of American life and was the
epitome of the young American leader.

e) Internet Users the largest number of them in the world is from the US. Yes or No?

R//

f) 99% of the pumpkins sold in the US are for the sole purpose of decoration. Is this correct?
 R//American's commercialised version started to surface in Britain in the late 1990s and
the country has fallen under its spell in a big way.
Its rise in popularity has triggered a huge demand for pumpkins, with one million bought
in the UK last year for Halloween, according to retailers, 99% of which were used as
lanterns.

g) Catch 22 During negotiations this phrase refers to dead en situation. True or False?
R// A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because
of contradictory rules or limitations.[1][2] The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used
it in his 1961 novel Catch-22.
An example is:
In needing experience to get a job..."How can I get any experience until I get a job that
gives me experience?" – Brantley Foster in The Secret of My Success.

h) Tipping your forefinger against your forehead is sign of disapproval. Is this true?
R// Loser, made by extending the thumb and forefinger to resemble the shape of an L
on the forehead is an insulting gesture.

3R//

THE HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING.

In 1621, a group of settlers from Plymouth, the current state of Massachusetts, shared a meal with
the Wampanoag Indians to celebrate the autumn harvest. For more than two centuries,
Thanksgiving was celebrated in the colonies and states, although it was not until 1863 when - in
the middle of the civil war - the then President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed 'Thanksgiving' as a
national festival the fourth Thursday of November is celebrated.
HOW IS THANKSGIVING DAY CELEBRATED?

In the United States, families and friends gather at a table to share a banquet and spend a pleasant
time. Before dinner, it is traditional to offer a prayer of thanks to God for the good things that
happen.

MAIN FOODS SERVED DURING THIS CELEBRATION.

The traditional Thanksgiving dish is roasted or baked turkey, which is usually accompanied by salad
and a stuffing in a pan, corn and sage. Cakes are also prepared and various fruits are eaten, mainly
apples. The tables are full until the end, also at the time of dessert or desserts, as it is usual to
serve a variety of sweets. The most popular is pumpkin pie. The food is usually accompanied by
apple cider, wine and champagne.
MAIN EVENTS THAT HAPPEN IN THIS CELEBRATION.

In Manhattan, New York, a department store chain organizes a colorful street parade that attracts
millions of people, including tourists and Americans. The show consists of an exhibition of giant
balloons and live performances by different artists.

THE PARDON OF THE TURKEY.

Thanksgiving is also celebrated in the White House. In 1989, then President George H. W. Bush
inaugurated the tradition of pardoning a turkey before Thanksgiving and all his successors have
held this ceremony. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has also fulfilled the
tradition of this holiday, the most popular in the country.
TYPICAL TRADITIONS OF THANKSGIVING DAY.

Football game: In the United States it is typical to meet to watch the football game before
Thanksgiving dinner, they even prepare it.

Macy's Parade: On Thanksgiving it is also typical to see, live or on television, the parade of the
Macy's department store, which has been held since 1927. In the parade we can see giant balloon
animals and favorite television characters of children, in huge and beautiful floats.

Centerpieces: another of the traditions of the Thanksgiving table is that you prepare a beautiful,
handmade centerpiece. Many times, children prepare him at school for this special occasion.