This book is designed to be used as a resource for English language classes (both EFL and ESL) in the United States and around the world. It could be used as a primary text or as a supplementary resource for a course about United States culture or American Studies. This book developed out of materials that I created and used for US Culture classes at Fukuoka Foreign Language College in Japan. Although I have arranged the twenty units of the text in an order that seems logical to me, each of the units is designed around one topic or theme that can be used independently of the others. Teachers may wish to select only certain units or to use the units in a different order that matches their curriculum or primary text. This resource could also be used as a tool to start conversations and discussions in virtually any kind of English conversation class. Many of the questions actually ask the reader to talk about their own culture. In this sense, specific knowledge about the USA is not a prerequisite for using this book.

This resource book, as you can quickly see, is unique in that it is simply a book full of questions. The 30 questions in each unit are arranged in groups of ten. The first group contains questions that students can usually answer from their own experience (including questions about their own culture). The middle group has more fact-based questions about the USA that may require research or assistance from an instructor. The third group of questions invites students to expand, compare cultures, and give opinions on issues related to the topic. These final ten questions could be used for discussion with higher level students or for homework assignments. In my own classes (90-minute classes that met once a week with intermediate EFL students), I often asked my students to work in pairs to answer the first ten questions. My focus was simply to get students talking about the topic in pairs, not to worry so much about correct answers.

For many of these questions, after all, there is no correct answer. After this pair work, we then shared and checked our answers to some or all of the questions as a class. Then, we worked through most of the questions in the second set together. I provided answers to the fact-based questions and encouraged students to take notes. Finally, I chose one or two questions from the final set of questions for writing homework. The following week, I used the students' written homework as a way to review some of the key points from that unit before moving on to the next one.My hope is that you will be able to use this resource book flexibly to suit your own needs. Don't hesitate to choose only those units and questions that match your students' needs, interests, and ability levels.