Bringing Language to Life: Culture in Foreign Language Learning

Culture is often an afterthought in the high school Spanish classroom given the emphasis on reading and writing in a foreign language. Lexical and grammatical components of the language overshadow the inclusion of the Spanish culture. Several researchers, however, have conducted studies and presented data arguing that the incorporation of culture into the curriculum is necessary. Cultural information may increase student engagement in the classroom, as well as lead to higher communicative competence. In this literature review of educational research, I explored the relationship between culture and language and the benefits of incorporating culture into foreign language learning. Based on the literature, I have developed lesson plans that integrate cultural aspects of the target society into the curriculum in order to bring the language to life in the classroom