Sam and I were talking about the following questions: How important is culture when learning a language? How important is it to learn the culture that goes with the language you’re studying? Is it even necessary? I explained to Sam the importance of learning about culture.
Culture and language are inseparable. They go hand-in-hand. The geography and landscape, the flavors of the kitchen, and descriptions of flora and fauna all bring a sense of place to every language.
And learning about a foreign culture is one of the more enjoyable aspects of language learning. It takes you out of your mental comfort zone and opens your mind to new ways of experiencing life.
I wanted to give Sam a real idea of the types of foods that Latin Americans eat, why they eat them, and how they prepare food.
First, I pre-taught the vocabulary for the main ingredients of Guacamole. (also, we watched a video) Once Sam felt comfortable recognizing vocabulary, I introduced the recipe. As I talked about each ingredient Sam was able to learn about it. The complete (recipe) ingredients were listed in Spanish so that Sam could work on continuing to recognize these new words. So, we had all the ingredients and prepared this delicious dip and learned from a culture and language concept. Sam really enjoyed making this delicious Guacamole.