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How to Learn About American Culture
Today we answer a question from Kotaro in Japan.
Question:
“I want to learn about American Culture. Can you tell me about that? – Kotaro, Japan
Answer:
Dear Kotaro,
First, thank you for writing!
Learn the language
One of the best ways to learn about the United States and its culture is to study American English. This opens the door to understanding Americans when you can read, listen and watch them speaking about their lives.
Follow the stories on VOA’s Learning English website and you will learn and improve your English.
Watch television and movies
Watching American-made television shows and movies is another way to learn about American culture. Watch carefully in these programs to see what daily life is like for Americans.
Read articles and books
Next you can read books and articles written by and about Americans. Many U.S. newspapers, magazines and websites publish stories about cultural information online.
Look for websites and writers from different parts of the country. People in the Southern U.S. are different from those living in the Northeast, Midwest or West.
Social media
If you are interested in an American singer, artist or writer, follow them on social media. There, you can see what Americans are talking and posting about. Think about how it is different, or the same, from your culture.
Visit Museums
Museums are wonderful places to find out about American culture. If you travel to Washington, D.C., make sure to visit the Smithsonian Institution — the world’s largest museum, education and research center. If you cannot come here, there is still a lot to see and learn about American history and culture online.
American culture combines the rich traditions of all the people who have come here in hopes of finding their American dream.
We hope you enjoy finding out about American culture.
And that's Ask a Teacher!
I’m Anne Ball.
Let us know what you would like to learn. Write to us in the comments section below. We want to hear from you!
Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
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Words in This Story
article – n. a piece of writing about a particular subject that is included in a magazine or newspaper, or online
museum – n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public