This paper reviews literature on cultural models, knowledge structures shared by members of a culture, and having profound effects on speech, understanding, and the propagation of certain beliefs. After addressing the construction of these models and their relationship to schema theory, some examples of models which have negative effects on people's sense of self and cross-cultural communication are discussed. Cultural models are part of people's cognition, and thus discussion of the related notions of conceptual metaphor and thinking for speaking are useful for understanding and seeing the possibility of cultural models as part of a language curriculum. The notion of cultural models needs more attention and development, as it provides a starting point to create more equal societies and better international cooperation through language and literacy education.