Lesson Plan
Cultural Conversation Roadmap
Students will develop empathy, active listening, and cultural awareness by identifying language identities, engaging in respectful multilingual dialogues, and reflecting on diverse perspectives.
Building social-emotional skills and global competence helps students navigate real-world cultural conversations, fosters empathy, and promotes inclusive communication.
Audience
11th Grade Students
Time
60 minutes
Approach
Interactive warm-up, presentation, role-play, reflection.
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the slide deck: Navigating Voices Presentation
- Print or digitally share the Language Identity Icebreaker
- Cut and organize the Role-Play Roundtable Activity Cards
- Prepare paper or digital copies of the Reflective Exit Ticket Prompts
Step 1
Language Identity Icebreaker
10 minutes
- Distribute Language Identity Icebreaker handouts.
- Students answer prompts about their language background and cultural influences.
- Pair-share responses, focusing on listening without judgment and asking clarifying questions.
Step 2
Navigating Voices Presentation
10 minutes
- Project Navigating Voices Presentation.
- Introduce key SEL strategies: active listening, empathy, respectful turn-taking.
- Discuss real-world examples of multilingual conversations and cultural misunderstandings.
Step 3
Role-Play Roundtable
30 minutes
- Form groups of four and distribute Role-Play Roundtable Activity Cards.
- Each card describes a cultural conversation scenario (e.g., bilingual family dinner, international group project).
- Students take turns role-playing, practicing active listening and respectful responses.
- After each round, groups debrief: What surprised you? How did it feel to listen and respond?
Step 4
Reflective Exit Ticket
10 minutes
- Hand out or project Reflective Exit Ticket Prompts.
- Students write brief reflections on:
- One strategy that helped them listen more empathetically.
- A cultural insight they gained.
- How they’ll apply this in future conversations.
- Collect responses to inform next steps in SEL and global competence lessons.
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Slide Deck
How Can We Navigate Cultural Conversations?
Building empathy, active listening, and cultural awareness through real-world multilingual dialogues.
Welcome students and introduce today’s session. Emphasize that we’ll explore how to engage respectfully in multicultural conversations using SEL strategies.
Session Objectives
• Identify your own language and cultural influences
• Learn key SEL strategies: active listening, empathy, respectful turn-taking
• Practice multilingual conversations through role-play
• Reflect on cultural insights and next steps
Review the session objectives. Invite students to think about times they’ve experienced language or cultural misunderstandings.
Active Listening Strategies
- Give full attention: maintain eye contact, minimize distractions
- Paraphrase: "So what I hear you saying is…"
- Ask open-ended questions: "Can you tell me more about…?"
- Notice nonverbal cues: tone, body language
Explain each strategy with examples. Ask for volunteer examples of active listening in their lives.
Empathy & Respectful Turn-Taking
• Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes: how might they feel?
• Validate emotions: "I understand this is important to you."
• Wait your turn: avoid interrupting, use gentle signals to take a turn
• Use polite phrases: "May I add…?" or "I appreciate your perspective…"
Highlight empathy and turn-taking as essential to respectful dialogue. Encourage students to observe their own patterns.
Cultural Vignettes
Vignette A: A bilingual student switches languages mid-conversation and peers react with confusion.
Vignette B: In an international group project, cultural norms about hierarchy lead to a misunderstanding.
Present two brief vignettes. After each, ask students to consider what challenges each speaker faced.
Guiding Questions
• What surprised you about these vignettes?
• How could active listening or empathy have changed the outcome?
• What questions would you ask each speaker to better understand their perspective?
Guide students through reflective thinking. These questions will also appear on the exit ticket.
Role-Play Roundtable
• Groups of 4 with scenario cards
• Take turns role-playing cultural conversations
• Focus on practicing strategies we’ve discussed
• Debrief after each round: share insights
Briefly outline the upcoming role-play. Remind students of group size and materials.
Reflective Exit Ticket
Respond to prompts:
- One strategy that helped you listen more empathetically
- A cultural insight you gained
- How you’ll apply this in future conversations
Explain the exit ticket process and encourage honest reflection.
Warm Up
Language Identity Icebreaker
Fill out the prompts below. Answer as openly as you feel comfortable.
- What languages do you speak or hear at home? What do these languages mean to you?
- Share your favorite word in any language. Write the word, the language, and what it means or why you like it.
- Describe a family tradition or cultural activity where language was central to the experience.
- Reflect: How do you feel when you hear someone speaking a language you don’t understand? How might this awareness help you be more empathetic in future conversations?
After writing, pair up and take turns sharing one insight you discovered about your own language identity and listening to your partner without judgment.
Activity
Role-Play Roundtable Activity Cards
Below are six scenario cards for small‐group role‐plays. In groups of four, assign each student one role. Use active‐listening, empathy, and respectful turn‐taking as you dialog. After each role‐play, debrief with these questions:
• What strategies helped include everyone?
• How did empathy change the conversation?
• What would you do differently next time?
Card 1: Bilingual Family Dinner
Scenario: You’re at a weekend family gathering. Grandparents speak only Spanish, while younger cousins switch between English and Spanish. Some family members feel left out when language shifts.
Roles:
- Grandparent (monolingual Spanish speaker)
- Teen Cousin A (bilingual)
- Teen Cousin B (mostly English speaker)
- Family Friend (translator/helper)
Guiding Focus: How can you include everyone and show respect when languages switch?
Card 2: International Group Project
Scenario: Four students from different countries collaborate on a science project. Some hesitate to share ideas because of accent or grammar concerns.
Roles:
- Student from Japan
- Student from USA
- Student from Nigeria
- Student from Brazil
Guiding Focus: Which active listening strategies (paraphrase, open questions) will help each member contribute?
Card 3: Community Festival Planning
Scenario: A planning meeting for a multicultural neighborhood festival. Cultural norms about speaking order and decision‐making differ, leading to tension.
Roles:
- Festival Organizer
- Local Immigrant Representative
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Concerned Long‐time Resident
Guiding Focus: How can you apply empathy and validate each perspective to reach consensus?
Card 4: Virtual Exchange Classroom
Scenario: A live video chat between students in India, France, and Kenya. Technical delays and strong accents cause miscommunication.
Roles:
- Student in India
- Student in France
- Student in Kenya
- Session Moderator (classmate)
Guiding Focus: How can open‐ended questions and nonverbal cues (nodding, hand signals) improve understanding?
Card 5: Sports Team Communication
Scenario: A coach gives tactical instructions at practice. One player has limited English and misses key details.
Roles:
- Coach
- Player with limited English
- Team Captain (bilingual)
- Peer Translator
Guiding Focus: How can you paraphrase instructions and confirm understanding without embarrassing anyone?
Card 6: Healthcare Appointment
Scenario: At a clinic, a patient who speaks only Mandarin needs to understand post‐visit care. Cultural views on health and directness differ.
Roles:
- Doctor
- Patient (Mandarin speaker)
- Interpreter
- Accompanying Family Member
Guiding Focus: How do you practice respectful turn‐taking and ask clarifying questions to ensure patient comfort and clarity?
Cool Down
Reflective Exit Ticket
Take a few minutes to thoughtfully respond to the prompts below. Your reflections will help shape our next steps in social-emotional learning and global communication.
- One strategy that helped me listen more empathetically:
- A cultural insight I gained during today’s activities:
- How I’ll apply what I’ve learned in future conversations:
Please hand in your exit ticket before you leave.