ABSTRACT

This paper aims to reflect on cultural awareness in primary English textbooks and give some advice on further primary English teaching.

This paper focuses on two sets of Primary English Textbooks including Fun with English and People’s Education Press (PEP) Primary English Students’ Book, digging out the cultural awareness in terms of vocabularies and language practice. Some advantages are found to lie in the design, contents and Chinese culture, which are suitable for children’s psychological characteristics and help to understand English culture and some cultural differences between Chinese and English culture.

The existing disadvantages include introduction to culture and application of language. They just refer to some facts and do not pay attention to social customs and communicative rules, which will cause students’ lack of the knowledge about how to  have intercultural communication properly.  

Keywords：Cultural awareness; Textbooks; Cultural differences

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTROUDUCTION-1

Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW-3

2.1 Cultural Awareness-3

2.2 Previous Studies on Textbook-4

2.2.1 Previous studies on textbook abroad-4

2.2.2 Previous studies on textbook at home-5

Chapter Three CULTURAL AWARENESS REVEALED IN THE TWO TEXTBOOKS-6

3.1 Introduction to Fun with English-6

3.2 Cultural Awareness in Fun with English-7

3.2.1 Analysis of vocabularies-8

3.2.2 Analysis of language practice-9

3.3 Introduction to PEP Primary English Textbook-9

3.4 Cultural Awareness in PEP Primary English Textbook-10

3.4.1 Analysis of vocabularies-10

3.4.2 Analysis of language practice-12

Chapter Four REFLECTIONS ON CULTURAL AWARENESS IN THE TWO TEXTBOOKS-15

4.1 Advantages-15

4.1.1 Reasonable design cultivating cultural awareness-15

4.1.2 Moderate contents arousing cultural awareness-16

4.1.3 Focus on Chinese culture-16

4.2 Disadvantages-16

4.2.1 Introduction to culture-17

4.2.2 Application of language-17

Chapter Five CONCLUSIONS-19

REFERENCES-21