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Learn it your way
A short class with Sarah and her students. The other ways are under More.
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What practice would you like to compare for your first post?
Food in Spain.
That could fill a book. What is one food habit you could compare with your own?
Maybe New Year. In Spain people eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for each chime.
Good, that is focused. What will you compare it with?
How my family celebrates New Year at home, and what both traditions are hoping for.
Could I compare school lunches in France and here?
Yes. A clear focus makes the comparison much easier to write.
Where will you find information about school lunches in France?
Articles and videos in French, and maybe our school's partner students.
Interviews are excellent. What must you do with every fact and every photo you use?
Write down where it came from and give a credit.
Right. And if one website says something surprising?
Check it in a second reliable source before putting it in the post.
Here are two sentences: 'In Spain people eat grapes at New Year. At home we watch fireworks.' What is missing?
They don't connect. It is just a list.
How could you link them in the target language?
With 'mientras que' in Spanish: while people in Spain eat grapes, my family watches fireworks.
Exactly. Then explain what the two customs have in common.
Both are about starting the year with hope and with the people you love.
Now that is a comparison worth reading.
compare one practice, such as New Year customs, rather than a whole culture.
use target-language sources and interviews, and record where every fact comes from.
every post shows similarities and differences, linked with comparison language.
catchy title, hook, organised paragraphs, and a question for readers.
each image has a caption in the target language and a source credit.
describe practices accurately and avoid stereotypes.
A post on New Year could compare the Spanish custom of eating twelve grapes at midnight with the way the writer's own family celebrates.
A post on festivals could compare the Day of the Dead in Mexico, when families build altars called ofrendas with photos, marigolds and favourite foods of relatives who have died, with a day of remembrance at home.
A post on school life could compare the school day, lunch arrangements and uniforms, using an interview with a partner-school student.
A two-column table of similarities and differences can open a post and give readers the comparison at a glance.
Pick it, check it, then compare and connect; caption every picture and write with respect.
Lena planned a post called "Food in France" and found herself with fifty facts and no point. She narrowed it to school lunches in France and at home, interviewed a partner student, and her readers wrote dozens of comments comparing their own lunches.
Focus, Facts, Frame, Finish: choose a focus, gather facts, frame the comparison, then finish by editing and publishing.
B.L.O.G. - Background research, Linked comparisons, Organised paragraphs, Give credit.
Term
What does the Cultural Exchange Blog ask you to compare?
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Term
Name three features of a good blog post.
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Term
Why must images and facts be credited?
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Term
Give two comparison connectives in Spanish or French.
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Term
What is a stereotype, and why should a blog avoid it?
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A website made up of posts, usually shown with the newest post first.
A single entry on a blog, usually focused on one topic.
A custom or way of doing things shared by a group, such as a festival, a meal or a school routine.
Writing that shows both similarities and differences between two things.
A linking word or phrase, such as whereas or on the other hand, that joins ideas.
A short line of text under an image that explains what it shows.
A note stating the source of an image or piece of information.
An oversimplified idea that all members of a group are the same.
This lesson describes the Cultural Exchange Blog task in detail: what the finished blog contains and the steps from choosing a topic to publishing posts that compare cultural practices in your own culture and a culture where your target language is spoken.
In the Cultural Exchange Blog you write a series of posts in your target language comparing a cultural practice, such as food, festivals or school life, in your own culture and in a culture where the language is spoken. This lesson walks through the task step by step: choosing a focused topic, researching with reliable sources, planning the comparison, writing posts with a clear structure and comparison language, adding visuals with captions and credits, and responding to readers. It ends with a model post outline and the pitfalls to avoid, such as stereotypes and posts that list facts without comparing them.
The task in one sentence Create a blog in your target language that compares cultural practices, such as food, festivals or school life, in your own culture and in a culture where the target language is spoken.
What the finished blog contains
Step by step
Writing for a blog audience Blog posts are usually shown newest first, and readers skim, so use short paragraphs, subheadings and questions that invite a response. Keep the tone friendly but clear. Describe practices accurately and respectfully: avoid statements about "all" people in a country, and explain why a practice matters to the people who keep it.
A model post outline
Pitfalls to avoid