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1. Just Off Main Street

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   “Just off Main Street” is for learner use and is an account of the writer’s experience as an Arab American. It opens with a description of the writer’s childhood and the cultural divide between life inside and outside the home. Readers will be drawn into the vivid description of daily life. The article looks at the challenges of being bi-cultural, of keeping home life separate, of being “exoticized,” of becoming comfortable and proud of one’s heritage, and of finding community. The article provides opportunities for discussions of culture, identity, and activism.

2. Hawai'i: The Aloha State

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This reading about the geography, history, and culture of Hawaii can be used with this issue's lesson plan or on its own. The author includes information about the Hawaiian Islands and offers illustrative, culturally sensitive photographs. Larger sections describe Hawaii's tourism industry and history. The author includes a glossary of Hawaiian vocabulary.

3. Being People

   Format(s): Text

   Being People is a collection of short stories and poems that draws upon the multicultural nature of American society.

4. New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article introduces students to the history, cultural diversity, art, landscape, and symbolism of America's 47th state, New Mexico. It offers a special section on the art and life of Georgia O'Keeffe and small sections are included on the pueblo peoples, the state's Spanish heritage, the transition from Mexican to U.S. Territorial rule, farming and keeping animals, and New Mexico's abundant natural resources.

5. The Cotton Club

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 2 Format(s): Text, Image / Poster / Maps

   This one-page piece details The Cotton Club, one of the most glamorous dance and music clubs in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. The Cotton Club was located in Harlem, which in the 1920s was an African-American residential and cultural business center in New York. The club had 30 to 50 chorus girls who danced and sang and were only hired if they were beautiful and very tall. Although the singers and dancers were almost all black, the audience was almost all white, which was a sign of the racial American society at the time.

6. Great Nicknames of Jazz

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The last of a three-piece article describes many of the nicknames that leading American Jazz musicians had. A nickname is a name that a person earns in addition to their given name. For example, Edward Ellington was called “Duke” by his friends and family when he was a child because he acted like a member of a royal family. Musicians like Lady Day, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie were leaders in the Jazz music culture.

7. The Lighter Side of TEFL: Folk Wisdom

   In: The Lighter Side of TEFL, Volume 1 Format(s): Text

   This section of The Lighter Side of TEFL focuses on folk wisdom from different cultures around the world. This section has an audio component.

8. FORUM City Poster Show (Set 2, 4 posters - Forum Covers)

   Format(s): Image / Poster / Maps

   These poster sets are a great, flexible classroom resource for information and discussion—each set of three posters corresponds to a city spotlighted in Forum vol. 46 and the feature article about that city, available online.

9. An Integrated Skills Lesson Plan for "Just Off Main Street" by Elmaz Abinader

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan is designed for high intermediate to advanced English language learners. Based on an authentic, contemporary essay by an accomplished American writer, the lesson plan includes tasks and activities designed to improve students’ English language skills as well as increase their understanding of American culture. The lesson includes pre-, during, and post reading activities to improve comprehension, learn new vocabulary, and make connections beyond the text. Websites of interest and useful questions for discussion or writing are included.

10. For Life's Sake

    In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

    In “For Life’s Sake,” author Linda Hogan provides the reader with a view of the cultural influences that have made her into the poet, essayist, and storyteller she is today. She describes how her ancestors and the beliefs she inherited as a Native American have inspired her choice of topics and shaped her writing into its unique style. Her love of trees is woven through the article. Hogan’s essay gives students a chance to understand and appreciate the life of a writer from another America. It includes her poem, “Affinity,” on the topic of horses, as well as a glossary of terms.

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