Impressions of America

I’ve been doing a cute lesson on America and stereotypes since I just got back from the States and have pictures to show. But first I make them list the images they think of when they think of America (which, incidentally, is a difficult sentence to construct in French). Here’s a couple of lists from different classes:

CM1

• Brooklyn Bridge
• Statue of Liberty
• Taxis
• The flag
• Cars
• Tall buildings
• Stores
• Skyscrapers
• Alice’s house
• Money (Dollars)
• Schools
• Police
• Boutiques
• Eagle
• Pidgeons
• Barack Obama
• Golden Gate Bridge
• The city
• People
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Courts
• Hip Hop
• Children
• The NBA
• Factories
• Soccer
• Parks
• The beach
• Manhattan
• Central Park
• Billboards
• Football
• Gangs
• Times Square
• Stars
• Mailmen
• Will Smith
• Movies
• Miami
• California
• Angelina Jolie
• Pools

CM2

• Statue of Liberty
• Justin Bieber
• Skyscrapers
• Bacon
• Baseball
• Lady Gaga
• Basketball
• Paris Hilton
• Limousines
• Disneyland
• The Golden Gate Bridge
• Beyoncé
• Ferries
• Chicago
• Springfield
• Subways
• Taxies
• The Lakers
• Hotels
• Michael Jackson
• Jay-Z
• Clubs

CE2

• Obama
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Pools
• The Poor
• The Beach
• Place de la Liberté (which is a square in Toulon, but of course they meant the Statue of Liberty)
• Houses
• Apartments

Dunno about that last list, but they were younger kids I guess. I also had them make collages of American images, and there were a lot of city lights, Obamas, and at least one cowboy. I was kind of surprised. For some reason I think I was expecting more negative stereotypes, fat Americans, warmongers, etc. Instead, they have a pretty glamorous view of life in the States. America looks like New York, filled with skyscrapers, celebrities, luxury, and power.

Then I showed them pictures from my break, framing it as, everyday life for many Americans who don’t live in New York. They were still very impressed though, especially by the pretty shots of Stanford and the hot dog I ate at the movies.

Finally I showed them a clip from Anastasia, the musical number entitled “Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart”, to give them an idea of what American stereotypes of French people are. The clip has sparkling Eiffel Towers, sailors in striped shirts and berets, flirtatious can-can dancers, and impressionist artists. I found it rigolo, and hopefully they found it a little eye-opening too.