Discussion questions about culture
Here is a worksheet of conversation questions about culture for speaking classes. This is always a great topic for ESL students who are learning about a new language and culture and are often hoping to move overseas.
This is quite an advanced activity and is suitable for upper intermediate level learners and above. The most challenging terms on this worksheet include – foreign, rude, celebrated, customs, advice, elderly, treat, typical, traditional, stereotype, embarrassing, polite, religion, eye contact, and behave.
The discussion questions about culture are –
1 – How do you usually greet people in your culture?
2 – What should you learn about a foreign country’s culture before visiting it?
3 – What are some eating customs in your country? What things are rude?
4 – How are important holidays celebrated in your country?
5 – Which foreign culture do you find most interesting? What makes it interesting?
6 – If a foreign person was coming to your country, what advice would you give them?
7 – How are elderly people treated in your culture? Give some examples.
8 – When do people give each other gifts in your culture?
9 – Is there anything you don’t like about your own culture? What is it?
10 – Which country do you think has a strange culture? Why is it strange to you?
11 – What happens at a typical wedding or birthday party in your culture?
12 – What are the roles of mothers and fathers in your culture?
13 – What is a traditional meal in your home country?
14 – Would you be able to move overseas and live in a foreign culture for a long time?
15 – What is the traditional style of clothing where you are from?
16 – How are men and women different in your culture?
17 – Has your country’s culture changed much in the past 50 years? In what ways?
18 – Are there any stereotypes about your culture that are not true?
19 – Have you ever made an embarrassing cultural mistake? What happened?
20 – What is a polite thing to do when you visit someone’s house in your country?
21 – Does religion play a big part in your culture? Can you give an example?
22 – What is something that people should never do in your culture?
23 – Is it important for people to make eye contact when they talk in your culture?
24 – How are children expected to behave in your country? What are some rules?
25 – How can a country with many different cultures exist peacefully?
Some useful materials related to the discussion questions about culture include the world flags worksheets and the world landmarks worksheets.
Further activities
Here are a few activities you can do once your class has completed the discussion questions about culture.
- Get your students to write a list of do’s and don’t in their culture. It can be a simple writing task or you can ask them to present their lists to the class afterwards.
- Ask your students to translate some of the traditional idioms from their culture. These are often quite different and interesting to compare with native English equivalents.
- Have a discussion about traditional body language and hand gestures in your student’s culture.
- Finally, you could set a research assignment about any foreign culture that students find strange or interesting.
- For a further related discussion activity try the manners conversation questions.
