Author: uli (Page 1 of 2)
Date: 02/20/2014
Class theme/topics discussed: adjectives + qualities
Goal of the class: guess your classmate, use grammatical constructions to give reason
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– Activity 1: students got a piece of paper and had to write down three things about themselves, using adjectives
– The paper was collected and read out
– Students had to guess who they were and say why
– Activity 2: Definitions
– One student left the room while the rest looked up a random word in a German dictionary. Each class member had to come up with a random definition of the term, one student had the right one.
– The one student was called back, saw the word written on the white board, and had to guess which definition was the right one and say why.
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
White board,
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
It was a lot of fun, students really enjoyed it.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Date: 04/22/2014
Class theme/topics discussed: News
Goal of the class: talk about current events, news and their importance, understand and compare different kinds of news broadcasters
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– I asked whether students watched or read news
– We summarized the big topics in current international and national affairs
– I asked students what kind of news they watched
– What kind of shows did they know
– I also asked why they preferred a certain show over another.
– We watched the beginning of that day’s German news
– Students were asked to describe the news with regard to tone, design, presenter, gestures, facial expression etc
– I asked them what news for children should be like: we gathered ideas
– I showed them Children’s News and we analyzed their presentation and the topics and compared it to the previously seen “normal” news broadcast
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
White board, TV, computer
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The question of what news students watched and liked sparked a tiny discussion among them which I had not expected since the class is not very “independent” when it comes to talking and usually needs a lot of guidance. That was a good moment.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Class theme/topics discussed: reading on the Crimean Conflict
Goal of the class: read a text and be able to understand it properly
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– I gave students a text on the Crimean Conflict from www.zeit.de
– The class was divided into 3 groups and each had to work on a paragraph in the article
– Each group then summarized the paragraphs and presented unknown vocabulary to the class
– We discussed the title of the article and the content
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
handout
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
It went really well and students were happy to practice reading at some point in this class! They had perviously asked for a reading exercise.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Intermediate German Conversation
Date: 11/19/2013
Class theme/topics discussed: gaming and its dangers
Goal of the class: talk about gaming habit and discuss potential dangers
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– I asked students what kinds of games they liked to play
– I tried to make students talk about their favorite games and playing habits, present and past.
– What are the advantages of board games, what are those of computer games?
– I asked student about what they preferred. We also looked up videos on youtube which would give us an impression of the games students named. I also asked what exactly they liked about the respective games.
– We watched a 9 minute long video about computer games and their potential connection to violence and gunman incidents at school
– We discussed the topic and the very complicated and difficult implications
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
TV screen, computer, white board
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
Even though the discussion became pretty difficult and abstract, students did a very good job.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
The problem was that both students were not really computer game players so at certain points I was somewhat hanging and had to improvise to keep the class flowing. However, I think this is a danger due to a small class.
Advanced German Conversation
Date: 11/14/2013
Class theme/topics discussed: Immigration, part II
Goal of the class: Discuss current issues on immigration, the idea of culture
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– We started off by watching a short video on new immigration into Germany due to the European crisis. Students were asked to summarize the video, identify the previously mentioned problems and advantages of living in Germany. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0pdauy7jGo
– Summarize and recapitulate the episode of “Türkisch für Anfänger” for the students who had not been to class the week before
– Citizenship test: I wanted to do the German citizenship test with my class. First, I divided the class into 3 groups and asked them to discuss what they thought would be important enough to be part of a test as such.
– When we collected the ideas, a discussion started about culture and nationhood which went very deep and made almost everyone contribute significantly. I decided to leave the test for next class and let them go on.
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
TV screen, computer
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
One of the best classes so far. The discussion that students spontaneously started was a highlight of this semester.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Advanced German Conversation
Date: 09/10/2013
Class theme/topics discussed: politics in Germany
Goal of the class: learn about political parties, colors, governmental system, etc.
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– Students were shown the “colors” of the four major political parties
– They were asked about what associations they had with the color and what it could stand for.
– Class was divided into 4 groups: each group got a color
– Task: what political agenda do you associate with the color, how would you call your party, what would your ideology be like?
– Students presented their parties to the class
– “solution”: I informed students about the parties and where their party program coincided with the actual one.
– Final activity: We watched the campaign TV commercials of the parties
– Students were asked about the mood, the way they were made, and the message they conveyed. Which one is most appealing to you and why
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
White board, TV screen, computer
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
Students seem to be quite happy about the topic politics so the class went pretty well.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Advanced German Conversation
Date: 09/26/2013
Class theme/topics discussed: German commercials
Goal of the class: watch commercials and understand what is being said, analysis of pictures and scenes
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
– Activity 1: we watched several commercials from Germany. Students were supposed to find out what is being said, how it is said, and what means are used to convey the message
– We concentrated also a lot on stereotypes, gender roles, equality, and ethnic diversity.
– Students were encouraged to give their own opinion.
– Activity 2: Students were divided into 3 groups and each group got a piece of paper with a number on it
– Each number corresponded to an item (vacuum cleaner, hair drier, beer)
– Students were supposed to make a commercial on the items.
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
TV screen, internet, items
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
A perfect class!
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Language and Section: German Intermediate Conversation
Date: 01-29-2013
Class theme/topics discussed:
– My room
– Our dream house
Goal of the class:
– Being familiarized with all possible vocabulary related to houses, rooms, furniture, living, etc.
– Dative prepositions
– Using these words creatively
Structure of the class:
– We first did brainstorming: anything related to a house, room, apartment, flat, etc.
– I had drawn a blueprint of my room on the whiteboard
– I explained my room and what you find in it to the students, pointing at the drawing, using prepositions and the appropriate cases.
– Students were asked to draw their own room
– After that, each student showed the picture to the class and explained what is in their room and where is what
– Students had before received a list of vocabulary related to “My Room”
– We now took the same sheet and concentrated on the vocabulary lists on “My House” and “My Garden”
– We went through the words and made sure everyone understood
– Students were asked to get together in pairs and design their dream house
– The task also included the drawing of at least one room
– The house was supposed to also include a garden
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
Paper, whiteboard
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
All worked fine.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
It all took much longer than I thought. We could not finish the last task.
German Advanced Conversation
Date: 01-29-2013
Class theme/topics discussed: Introductory small talk, Dialects
Goal of the class: Knowledge about the dialectal variety in Germany, Talk about and imitate sounds and patterns
Structure of the class:
– The class was asked about their experiences with dialects in Germany
– Dialect vs. accent
– What dialects are there in Germany?
– We focused on the following: Plattduetsch, Schwiitzerdiitsch, Bavarian, Saxon, and Swabian
– We watched a video about each dialect on youtube
– Students were asked to describe the sounds and think about possible problems for non-native and native speakers
– We repeated sounds and words not known in standard German
– Eventually focus on Bavarian
– We watched part of the show of a Bavarian comedian
– Students were asked to listen carefully and reproduce several concepts that the comedian explains in her show
– After that, students were given a paper with a dialogue in Bavarian.
– We read the text and students practiced the pronunciation by repeating
– Students were asked to act out the dialogue
– The teacher asked individual students questions in Bavarian and students answered respectively.
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
Paper, tv, internet, you tube
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
All worked extremely fine, students enjoyed themselves A LOT.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation
Date: 01-31-2013
Class theme/topics discussed:
– Introductory small talk
– 80th anniversary of the NS take over
Goal of the class:
– Knowledge about the National Socialist Terror Regime
– discussing
Structure of the class:
– We watched the news and particularly a video in which the take over of Hitler’s national socialists was explained and commemorated as the end of the first German democracy
– Students were asked to describe what they had seen and to reproduce in their own words what the holocaust survivor in the video said
– The teacher asked several question, some provocative
– A discussion started about guilt, collective failure, uniqueness of the dictatorship, and the general dangers to a democracy.
– We ended with another video which explained the strengths of the second German democracy
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
Tv, internet
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
I ran out of time due to the lively discussion which emerged. I let it go though because it produced 30 minutes during which I did not say a word. All students were involved. Guilt, responsibility, knowing and not knowing, injustice, and democratic weaknesses seem to interest a lot of students.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
I did not expect the class to become so great. I would therefore not modify anything.
Conversation Class
Lesson Summary
Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation
Date: 11-08-2012
Class theme/topics discussed:
– Elections in America and in Germany
Goal of the class:
– Discussion of the results of the recent presidential elections
– Understanding of the working of German democracy
– Familiarization with difficult vocabulary in politics
– Comparison of two systems of electing a parliament
Structure of the class:
– students talked casually about the outcome of the elections
– we reviewed the system of American presidential elections
– we watched a video on a German news channel and evaluated if the explanation was good and could be followed
– I distributed a list of words concerning politics, parliamentary business, etc.
– We went through all the vocabulary
– We watched a video which explains the system of German federal elections
– We watched another easier video provided by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education, explaining the same thing again
– We discussed the system: is it complicated, is it easy, is it just?
– What are the advantages, what’s a possible disadvantage?
– Students asked for more explanation
– We talked about earlier outcomes of German elections
– How is the chancellor elected?
– I explained the existing parties to students
What technology, media or props did you use?
TV screen, laptop, German public TV media offer, video, white board
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
Students were VERY interested, asked LOTS of questions, told me to actually keep on doing such topics. I feared it would be too much centered on me but it was a successful conversation class.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
Very time-consuming, in “weaker” classes there might not be as much talk. Risky but interesting.
Conversation Class
Lesson Summary
Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation
Date: 11-13-2012
Class theme/topics discussed:
– Political parties in Germany
Goal of the class:
– Spontaneous speech production
– Knowledge about political parties in Germany
Structure of the class:
– We started off with some weekend talk, this took longer because students were actually very engaged and talked to each other, asking questions, etc.
– We played a game: students had to grab a piece of paper from an envelope. They paired up and had three minutes to improvise a scene in which the concept/mood expressed on the paper would be represented
– The rest of the class guessed
– We started a talk about political parties in Germany
– Students grouped up again. One party each group.
– Students were supposed to find out their parties stance towards education, family affairs, economy, and environment; research was done with laptops and smartphones
What technology, media or props did you use?
Paper, envelopes, laptops, internet smartphones
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
All worked very well. In fact, I consider this one of my best classes so far.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
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