Unit 1: Vocabulary: What is culture? : cours 1 Bac SM

1Course Objectives

This section outlines the concrete learning goals students are expected to achieve by the end of this vocabulary lesson on culture. Objectives cover knowledge, skills, and attitudes as defined by the Moroccan official curriculum for 1st-year Baccalaureate (Experimental Sciences).

Knowledge Objectives

Define Culture

Students will be able to define the concept of culture accurately in English, identifying it as the customs, beliefs, arts, way of life, and social behavior shared by a group of people.

Six Components

Students will identify and name the six key components of culture : language, religion and beliefs, traditions and customs, arts and crafts, food and cuisine, and values and social behavior.

Material vs. Non-Material

Students will distinguish between material culture (tangible, physical objects) and non-material culture (intangible elements such as beliefs, values, and customs).

Language & Skills Objectives

Core Vocabulary

Students will master key vocabulary : nouns (heritage, custom, diversity, ancestor, folklore, identity), adjectives (traditional, multicultural, indigenous, ancient, modern), and verbs (to preserve, to celebrate, to inherit, to share, to belong).

Cultural Collocations

Students will use cultural collocations correctly in context: cultural heritage, cultural identity, cultural background, cultural exchange, and cultural shock.

Writing Task

Students will write a short descriptive paragraph (60-100 words) about a Moroccan cultural element, incorporating at least five key vocabulary words from the lesson.

Attitude & Values Objective

Cultural Awareness

Students will develop respect for Moroccan cultural heritage and cultivate an attitude of openness and curiosity toward other cultures, in line with the values promoted by the Moroccan official curriculum.

$Objective Type$	$What Students Will Do$	$Key Content$
$Knowledge$	$Define & identify$	$Concept of culture, 6 components, material vs. non-material$
$Vocabulary$	$Master & use$	$15+ key words: nouns, adjectives, verbs$
$Language Use$	$Form collocations$	$cultural heritage, identity, background, exchange, shock$
$Writing$	$Produce a paragraph$	$60-100 words on a Moroccan cultural element$
$Attitude$	$Reflect & appreciate$	$Respect for heritage, openness to other cultures$

Summary of course objectives by category — Unit 1: What is Culture?

These objectives are designed to build progressively throughout the lesson. Students begin by understanding the meaning and components of culture, move on to practicing vocabulary and collocations in context, and conclude by producing a written piece that demonstrates both linguistic competence and cultural awareness. All objectives align with the requirements of the 1st-year Baccalaureate English syllabus (Morocco, 2025-2026) .

2Prerequisites

Before engaging with this lesson, students should confirm they have the following foundational knowledge and skills. These prerequisites are the building blocks upon which culture vocabulary is constructed.

Subject Verb Object (SVO)

The basic word order in English sentences: the subject performs an action (verb) on an object. Example: 'Moroccans (S) celebrate (V) Eid with family (O).' This structure is the foundation for all cultural description sentences you will write.

Present Simple Tense

A verb tense used to describe routines, habits, and cultural practices that are generally true or repeated regularly. Example: 'Moroccan families share mint tea with guests.' It is the primary tense used when describing cultural customs.

Parts of Speech

The grammatical categories of words: nouns (name things/people/places — e.g., 'culture', 'tradition'), adjectives (describe nouns — e.g., 'cultural', 'traditional'), and verbs (express actions or states — e.g., 'celebrate', 'practise'). Recognising these is essential for word formation tasks.

Skimming

A reading strategy where you read a text quickly to get its general meaning (gist) without stopping at every word.

Scanning

A reading strategy where you move your eyes quickly across a text to locate a specific piece of information (a date, a name, a figure) without reading everything.

Inferring Meaning from Context

Using the words and sentences surrounding an unknown word to guess its meaning, without looking it up in a dictionary.

Grammar: Present Simple for Cultural Practices

Affirmative

'Moroccan families share mint tea with guests.' / 'People wear the caftan during celebrations.'

Negative

'Many Moroccans do not eat pork.' / 'Students do not attend school during Eid.'

Question

' Do Amazigh communities celebrate their New Year?' / 'What do Moroccan families serve at weddings?'

Key Signal Words

usually, always, often, every year, traditionally, generally, on special occasions

You are expected to already know a set of daily-life vocabulary categories that will appear frequently in culture-related texts. Review the items below and make sure you can use them in sentences.

$Category$	$Examples (English)$	$Moroccan Cultural Context$
$Family Members$	$parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, in-laws$	$Extended family gatherings during Eid or weddings$
$Food & Drink$	$couscous, mint tea, bread (khobz), harira, pastilla$	$Sharing couscous on Fridays; mint tea as a hospitality ritual$
$Clothing$	$caftan, djellaba, haik, burnous, traditional dress$	$Wearing the caftan at henna nights and celebrations$
$Social Activities$	$celebration, festival, wedding, ceremony, gathering$	$Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, Amazigh New Year (Yennayer)$
$Cultural Symbols$	$henna, couscous, Amazigh tifinagh script, mint tea$	$Symbols of Moroccan identity recognised nationally$

Core daily-life vocabulary mapped to Moroccan cultural contexts — review before the lesson.

Before this unit, you should also be comfortable using basic comparison structures . These linking words and phrases are essential when you are asked to compare cultural practices from different societies — a common task in culture-themed reading and writing activities.

Comparison Structures: Quick Reference

Similarity

Both \dots and \dots / Similar to \dots / Like \dots — e.g., 'Both Moroccan and Japanese cultures value hospitality.'

Difference

However / Whereas / different from / unlike — e.g., 'Whereas some cultures eat with cutlery, Moroccan tradition involves eating with the right hand.'

Contrast (same sentence)

While \dots / On the other hand \dots — e.g., 'While Western weddings last one day, Moroccan weddings often last several days.'

Finally, check your reading comprehension strategies before you begin. Every culture text in this unit requires you to apply at least one of the three core techniques: skimming to understand the overall topic, scanning to find specific cultural details, and inferring the meaning of new vocabulary words from the surrounding sentences. Practising these strategies now will make the vocabulary activities significantly easier.

Self Check: Parts of Speech Identification

Statement

Identify the part of speech (noun, adjective, or verb) of each underlined word in the following sentence: 'Moroccan people proudly celebrate their rich cultural traditions every year.'

Data

celebrate \to ? cultural \to ? traditions \to ?

Method

Look at how each word functions in the sentence: does it name something, describe something, or express an action?

Solution

'celebrate' — it expresses an action performed by the subject ('Moroccan people') \to it is a verb .'cultural' — it describes the noun 'traditions', telling us what kind of traditions \to it is an adjective .'traditions' — it names the things that are celebrated \to it is a noun .

Interpretation

Being able to identify nouns, adjectives, and verbs is a direct prerequisite for the word formation exercises in Section 7 of this unit, where you will learn to move between 'culture' (noun), 'cultural' (adjective), and 'cultivate' (verb).

Key Moroccan Cultural Symbols to Know

Couscous

A traditional North African dish shared on Fridays and family occasions; recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Eid Al-Fitr & Eid Al-Adha

The two major Islamic celebrations in Morocco, involving family gatherings, special food, and traditional clothing.

Caftan

A long traditional garment worn by Moroccan women, especially at weddings and formal celebrations.

Mint Tea

A symbol of Moroccan hospitality, traditionally prepared with green tea, fresh mint, and sugar, and offered to guests.

Henna

A plant-based dye used in decorative body art, especially during weddings and celebrations — a deep-rooted cultural practice.

Amazigh Traditions

The cultural heritage of Morocco's indigenous Amazigh (Berber) people, including the Tifinagh alphabet, Yennayer (Amazigh New Year), and traditional music such as Ahidous.

Plan du chapitre

Sur cette page

1Course Objectives
2Prerequisites

Dans la classe

3Defining Culture: Concept and Pronunciation
4Material Culture vs. Non-Material Culture
5The Six Pillars of Culture
6Core Vocabulary: Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs
7Word Formation and Collocations with 'Cultural'
8Cultural Diversity and Cultural Universals
9Guided Practice: Exercises and Exam Preparation
10Key Points to Remember