What worked well in this Event? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
Very many students and professors came to this event, which made me very happy. Since I held this event on a weekend, accordingly many people had time to come, which I can also recommend. The only problem was that the purchased food and snacks were eaten relatively quickly. Some students unfortunately could not try German food, which is a pity. For the next event, which is held on a weekend, I would definitely buy enough food. In general, the interest in a brunch event was very high and especially the white sausages were very popular and therefore eaten very quickly. What I should have next time also on the screen that you need a lot of chairs and seating. Which one should organize in advance. In general, however, it was a very sound event, which was received with a lot of joy. Especially the fact that professors came to this event made me very happy.
What worked well in this Event? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
This event went a little differently than I had planned. It was the first week of the new semester and some students had to arrive and get settled. Therefore, unfortunately, only one person was present. It would have been helpful to hold this event in the second week to have more time to advertise the event. Since I had also prepared snack in this event.
How do I describe images in a very accurate way. What sentences do I use PronounsEffects of pictures
Warm Up
Small Talk about the first weekend back at the College. Expectations for the semester
Activity 1
One person had a picture and the other person had to paint the picture. By describing the person with the picture. Then change partners with a new picture.
Activity 2
How do I describe a picture. Input from my side: – What are the characteristics- background, foreground, on the right/left side, …- Pronouns (on, under, beside,) Each person got a picture and had to describe it with the given input.
Activity 3
Everyone was allowed to choose a painting or a picture from the Internet:- Tell something about the artist and the painting- Describe the painting – Why do I like the painting / what effect does it have on me?- does it tell a story?
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
the students had a lot of fun and were able to quickly implement and use the phrases they had learned. The initial activity went very well, and the students’ drawings were very good. Next time I would probably choose simple pictures that are easier to draw.
get to know the German political parties and their programs. form your own opinion about important issues in a country. what is important for me or for society.
Warm Up
Where is which city in Germany? the students had to take a quiz on different cities on the Germany map positions.
Activity 1
I showed the students the colors of the six major parties. What do you associate with which color? What do colors stand for? What do they stand for in a political sense?
Activity 2
Input about the programs of the German parties from My Side. Results of the last elections were shown. – Which points are of great importance to you? – If I were head of a party, what things would you focus on? – What colors and what name would your party wear?
Activity 3
Voting at 16? sensible or not? Discuss advantages and disadvantages
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
The lesson was very well received by the students and was also requested as a proposal in the first lesson. the two participants were able to represent their opinions very well and participated very strongly. The students were also very interested in the input about the German electoral and party system.
Criteria that speak for and against a uni. What is important for me. How do I know which university suits me?
Warm Up
state land river game
Activity 1
If you could choose any university, which one would you attend? Top 3 What would you study? / Would you change something?
Activity 2
What characterizes your university? What do you find good? Imagine you are the head of your university. What would you change?
Activity 3
I told the students about the best German universities. Where they are located geographically and what sets them apart. We also talked about factors that make universities popular and important. But also, which cities they would fit into if they wanted to study in Germany in the future. By means of a quiz. Create a ranking with the most important things for you that a university should have. Ranking 1-10 (1= very important, 10= not so important)Do you already have an idea what you want to do after graduation?Abroad, travel, master, work…. Do you have a dream job?Why? What fascinates you about it?
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
The students have requested this topic and have shown great interest in talking about it. So little had to come from my side, because the motivation in this hour was very high. It was interesting to see which factors are important for the students at a university. I would change very little here. Time was a bit short at the end and we did not get through all the questions, as some questions were discussed for longer. You could shorten the hour depending on the class size.
Health, and Health systems compared. Be prepared for an emergency.Nutrition
Goals of the Class
Be prepared for an emergency. Know useful vocabulary related to health and use it. To know the differences of the health terms. Germany and USA.
Warm Up
Tell us about one of your hobbies. How did you get into this hobby? If you had more time, which hobby would you like to try?
Activity 1
Brainstormingwhich parts of the body do you know?What diseases do you know? what is the most common disease of mankind? Followed by an Input of Important health vocabulary Hello, I would like to make an appointment. Pain: my stomach hurts/my knees hurt, headache, Being: having a cold, being dizzy, being sick, being injured Me: being nauseous (nausea), Have: Have fever, cold, cough.Dermatologist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, family doctor. Health card, x-ray, ultrasound, blood test, urine test, a prescription, a prescription, pharmacy, pills, syrup, the creamfasting, discharge, vacation/dischargeheart surgery/appendicitis…..Body parts – vocabulary
Activity 2
You are the doctor What would you do? Number the following sentences in order (1-8) Ask about the problemExamine the patientWrite a prescription Say goodbye. Greet the patient Make a diagnosis Recommend something Write a sick note to the patientYou have been in a car accident Make a list of the first 5 things you would do after you are in an accident? 1-5
Activity 3
Imagine you are in Germany and your friend gets sick.What would you do? Step 1,….Step 5You are alone in a foreign country, and you have a bad injury, how would you react? (Broken Arm) One person plays a doctor the other person plays a patient.
Activity 4
Have your eating habits changed since you were a child? What would an average diet in the U.S. look like? What diets have you heard of, what do they consist of? How do you find the food in the dining hall? Healthy/unhealthy/sometimes healthy? Do you like the taste of it? Do you pay attention to what you eat?
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
It was very important to discuss this topic with the students, as it is part of the basic vocabulary and knowledge of the German language. It is important to know and be prepared in an emergency in a foreign country. The students took the topic with a lot of joy and motivation. The topic of nutrition was also very interesting and many different opinions were expressed. Role plays are always a good way to make the class more exciting. The vocabulary worked very well and was incorporated directly into the role plays. Also positive to mention is that many students had different opinions on nutrition and there was an interesting discussion at the end of the hour. It is always good to introduce vocabulary that fits the topic in the lesson. This gives the students a starting point for the conversation.
Food and Grocery + Vocabulary for Cooking and Baking
Goals of the Class
Identify food in a recipe and know how to cook/bake it
Warm Up
Who enjoys cooking? Who does it regularly? Has it changed with the pandemic? What’s your favorite food?
Activity 1
Quick food quiz about fruit & vegetables I showed them typical German fruits and vegetables (pictures) and they had to guess the name and translation. I showed just pictures and they had to guess the name of the fruit or the vegetable. What ingredients are used for this dish?
Activity 2
Everyone was given 3 vocabulary words (verbs for cooking) and had to explain them without using the word. Think of a dish that consists of the ingredients mentioned and then present it to the others. Not all ingredients have to be included and other ingredients can be used.
Activity 3
How to use the ingredients to cook? potatoes, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, carrots Apple, peach, strawberry, kiwi, banana What are the ingredients of your favorite foodShow us a picture
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
Especially the explanation of the cooking vocabulary worked very well, and the students were able to memorize the vocabulary and use it later. Also, the presentation of the favorite dish with ingredients and cooking instructions was well received. The fruit and vegetable quiz were a bit too easy, here one could choose more difficult products.
Know stereotypes and describe them with adjectives. Form opinions about them and be able to explain them
Warm Up
City land river game
Activity 1
Video about German stereotypes with subtitles. The text of the video was printed, and the most important adjectives underlined. Input on the descriptive features – adjectives of the video. I – You – We (Think – Pair – Share) What can you see on the picture? Describe what the picture has to do with Germany?
Activity 2
What is your experience with stereotypes? What do you think about them? True often/ True sometimes/ Not true at all?
Activity 3
What stereotypes are there about the 5Cs 😀 Which ones about other countries?Do you know any stereotypes from TV? NerdsCheerleaders egos?Athletes? What are these stereotypes like? Find adjectives to describe these stereotypes Think of a stereotype Act out the stereotype
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
The topic of stereotypes was very well received by the class. Since many students in this class come from different countries, it was very interesting conversations about possible stereotypes. The warmup game also went very well, in which the students had to find a city, a land, a river, a food and a brand for a certain letter. Stereotypes is an interesting topic for multicultural classes.
Class theme/topics discussed: Konjunktiv & Kunstfreiheit (Teil 1) [Zoom-class]
Goal of the class: Learn about “Konjunktiv II” (When and how to use it) Discuss “Kunstfreiheit” (artistic freedom) Put pictures in relation to “Kunstfreiheit” and discuss their historical context Compare artistic freedom in Germany and the US Discuss the content of a music video based on isolated pictures
How did you structure the class?
4.15 – 4.20: Welcome (Welcoming students to class, talking about how they feel and getting all the technology starting)
4.20 – 4.33: “Was würdest du machen, wenn…” (Practicing the Konjunktiv II with the “würde”-form, e.g. “What you would do if you were to win a million dollars?” “I would buy an island if…”. Students join breakout rooms and ask each other one of the two questions in groups of 2-3 people. Three rounds with 2 questions each + always different groups)
4.33 – 4.37: Review Konjunktiv II (short review of when to use and how to use the Konjunktiv II with its two forms. One of them the “würde”-Form, which we practiced in the task before)
4.37 – 4.45: “Kunstfreiheit” + pictures (The term “Kunstfreiheit“ (artistic freedom) is introduced and students are then asked to look at 4 pictures, describe them, tell the group what is depicted in the pictures (and the context) and then put that in relation to “Kunstfreiheit”. If the students do not know about some of the pictures, the teacher can help them and explain their context. After that we take a quick look at how artistic freedom is embedded in the basic law for Germany)
4.45 – 4.55: “Kunstfreiheit” experiences (students join breakout rooms first, and then come back to share with the group. They are asked to share their experiences with artistic freedom. Either because something that they themselves were involved, or something they have heard of and that has a relation to artistic freedom
4.55 – 5.00: “Danger Dan” impression (“Danger Dan” is the name of the musician we are going to hear a song from. The students are asked to share their impressions when hearing the name)
5.00 – 5.05: Pictures from the song (students see 4 pictures from the music video to the song “Das ist alles von der Kunstfreiheit gedeckt”. They are rather provocative and can be interpreted in different ways and the students are supposed to share their impressions of those pictures, and also what they think the video could be about and what it is supposed to express. Students discuss that in breakout rooms)
5.05 – 5.10: Watch music video
5.10 – 5.15: Music video impressions (students share their impressions from the music video and compare it with what they had shared before, when they just saw 4 isolated pictures from the music video)
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Power Point Presentation Zoom (+ Breakout rooms) Pictures & videos (see Power Point Presentation)
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
The introduction worked really well because the students seemed to be really engaged with the questions, as they had a lot of fun thinking about those scenarios and “what they could do, if…”. Also, it was a really good introduction and transition to explaining the Konjunktiv II, which is used a lot by Danger Dan in his song and therefore offers a great grammatical foundation for working with the song later on.
When we looked at the pictures, the students were able to identify most of them and put them in connection to artistic freedom. I chose the pictures because two of them are important pieces in the history of Germany, the Charlie Hebdo-picture is important in the context of contemporary European affairs, and the last one was a fun, little story that is connected to artistic freedom. We took a look at the basic law, and the exchange of their “Kunstfreiheit” experiences was really interesting. Same can be said for talking about the name “Danger Dan” and the pictures from the music video. Finally, we watched the music video and the students shared their impressions. Generally, it was a good mix of learning about current affairs in Germany, pop-culture and Konjunktiv II on the one hand, and sharing their impressions, thoughts and experiences on the other hand.
Class theme/topics discussed: Konjunktiv & Kunstfreiheit (Teil 2) [Zoom-class]
Goal of the class: Analyze the lyrics of a song (describe in own words/research context/interpret what artist wants to express) Compare different parts of a song with each other Discuss differences and possible interpretations Discuss whether the song “Das ist alles von der Kunstfreiheit gedeckt“ is an example for Kunstfreiheit or Beleidigung (insult) Discuss whether Böhmermanns „Schmähgedicht“ is an example for Kunstfreiheit or Beleidigung
How did you structure the class?
4.15 – 4.23: Recap (Recap last class and thereby make a transition to this class’ topic)
4.23 – 4.35: Group work (students have to get together in 3 groups and analyze the lyrics of one verse based on 3 questions that ask them to describe the lyrics in their own words, research the context of the song and interpret what the artist wants to say and how he writes his song in order to achieve that message. Each group meets in one breakout room, while they have access to the questions and a vocabulary list on our GoogleDoc)
4.35 – 4.55: Presentation group work (Each group presents their findings according to the 3 questions that were given to them – there is a particular emphasis on finding the Konjunktiv-forms, as they are an important instrument for Danger Dan in his song and also connect to the last class and the grammatical topic)
4.55 – 5.00: Bridge (We look at the bridge of the song and try to analyze in which ways it is different from the rest of the song and why that is the case)
5.00 – 5.07: Positionsline + discussion (students have to locate themselves along a position line ranging from Kunstfreiheit to Beleidigung. Based on that they have to discuss their own position)
5.07 – 5.13: Böhmermann-Affäre introduction + video (Most students probably see the song as an obvious example for Kunstfreiheit, thus I present them a case that could be more critical to evaluate. The so-called “Böhmermann-Affäre” is introduced in a few minutes, and then we watch the video of it)
5.13 – 5.20: Positionsline + discussion (students are again asked to locate themselves along the same position line and then discuss what led them to their judgements)
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Power Point Presentation Google Doc (Questions + vocabulary list) Zoom (+ Breakout rooms & annotate functions) Pictures & videos (see Power Point Presentation) (Jan Boehmermann Erdogan poem) https://vimeo.com/163537121
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
This class worked really well! It was a good conclusion to this 2-class-topic, which connected a song as a cultural element, with an important contemporary topic and a grammatical input. The class had different elements (discussions, group work, interpretations, media consumption etc.), a coherent structure and a few take-home messages.
The addition of a vocabulary list to the group work was very important and ensured efficiency, which allowed for a greater focus on the presentations and the discussions later. In those discussions, the students were really engaged and seemed interested in both the topic as well as the others’ opinions. The position line worked really well and also as I expected (everybody saying it is Kunstfreiheit), which allowed me to introduce the “Böhmermann-Affäre” as a less clear-cut example for that topic. It is worth mentioning that the class ended about 5 minutes later – which is acceptable considering the complexity of the topic and the importance of the last discussion.
Goal of the class: Learn about German music from the last ~25 years Discuss music by elaborating on what you dis/like about it
How did you structure the class?
The class started of with an Introduction, explaining the rules of the game which focuses on German music. It doesn’t necessarily matter how many different artists you take and which one you focus on – I took 8 artists and tried to have a diverse range of artists (from Herbert Grönemeyer to Nena to Helene Fischer to Rammstein [the latter being rather well known in the U.S., though maybe not so much for their criticism, which can be talked about in class]).
The game works somewhat similar to “The Voice” – the students hear an artist for a maximum of 1 minute (they have the chance to raise their arms when they already know what they want to vote – if every student raises their hand, the song will be stopped before the minute is over – which happened when Rammstein was playing for example) and think about whether they like it and want to give it a vote to get to the next round or whether they dislike and want the artist to be “disqualified”. Then, they have 2 minutes to discuss the artist in the group and then vote on whether they want them to be in the next round or not.
In the first round there are 8 artists, in the second round 5, in the third 3 and then you can go for a winner. In my class I had 7 students, and when one artist had 4 upvotes they got into the next round. But that also means that when the students have already voted 5 artists in the next round before having heard the last ones, they won’t get a chance to go in to the next round (vice versa: if the students have already disqualified 3 artists in the first round before having heard the remaining artists then the remaining ones make it to the next round nevertheless the actual vote).
BUT there is one more rule to make it a bit more interesting: every student gets the name of one artist who bribed them. They get one point by having their candidate win “The Voice” (thereby you have students arguing for one artist who most dislike). Also, to give them something to “do” when “their” artist should have been disqualified in the first round – every student also writes down the name of one artist who they don’t want to win. If that candidate doesn’t win, they also get a point.
Rules for 2 students: For 2 students (in my conversation class intermediate) I slightly changed the rules. The students get 8, 7, 6, 5… points for the first round and can give each point-number to any artist. They listen to the song – they discuss it (which is a point where they can deceive or trick the other student, by saying they really like that artist but then giving only little points) and then they give points: for example student A gives 7 points, student B gives 4 points: artist has 11 points and depending on how many points the other artists get will make it to the next round or not. Student A cannot give 7 points to any other artist in this round, student B cannot give 4 points to any artist in this round.
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Computer with music + music box Whiteboard to write down names of songs, voting results and rules
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
Generally, the class worked really well. The students learned about different German singers/bands (which they specifically asked) for and I incorporated that into a game which forced them to discuss and engage with each other, while trying to convince the others from their point of view and being somewhat embedded in the structure of a show that most of them know (“The Voice”).
I did not tell them the names of the singers before they were disqualified to make it more of a challenge for them to decipher which candidate is actually the one that they support (e.g. if their singer-name seems like a female, and there are 3 female singers, they know that one of them has to be their candidate, but they do not really know which one exactly is their candidate) – I’m not sure if this was necessary though and if it might not have been even more engaging when they would know the names right out of the gate.
Other than that I wouldn’t really change anything. The introduction took about 10 minutes, which was fine, because the timing of the rest worked out really well.
Intermediate: The rule change for the intermediate class (with 2 students) worked really well. They were very engaged and tried to deceive each other a lot – which was particularly fun for me, as I always knew why they would say or do something (because I knew who they supported). Great class here as well!
Goal of the class: Learn about German poems & rap Create & present your own poems
How did you structure the class?
4.15 – 4.20: Welcome (Welcoming students to class, talking about how they feel)
4.20 – 4.25: Introduction to topic (talk about “Gedichte” and rap to introduce to the topic)
4.25 – 4.35: Rap OR Poem (students receive 8 “texts” of which half are German rap and the other half are German poesy – students have to guess in groups which is which)
4.45 – 4.50: Elfchen – Group/Modelling (teacher and students create an “Elfchen” together)
4.50 – 5.00: Elfchen + Presentation (students have to create their own “Elfchen” and then present it to the class)
5.00 – 5.10: Create your poem! (students are put in groups and then have to write down 1 topic and 2 words – they then give that topic and the words to the next group. The next group has to write a poem (at least 4 lines) about the topic that the other group gave them and include the two words that the other group gave them)
5.10 – 5.15: Poem – Presentation (Students present their poems)
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
The class worked well. Introduction was interesting for the students, as they were very curious to find out which text is rap and which is poem – the solution of that provided funny moments. The “Elfchen” was a nice way to get them going themselves on the poems, and the writing of a 4-liner, where the other group gave them a topic and words to be included provided creative and very funny poems. Well-rounded class without too much hick-hack.
Goal of the class: Communicative practice and fun! Learn how to have an argument Learn about basic vocabulary connected to state founding
How did you structure the class?
4.15 – 4.20: Welcome (Welcoming students to class, talking about how they feel while introducing the topic)
4.20 – 4.45: Role play (students get a role card and have to discuss the topic on their card with their respective partner. They have about 5 minutes to come to a compromise. After that they draw a new card and thus get a new partner (if more than 4 people), a new role and a new topic to discuss about)
4.45 – 4.50: Discussion (quick follow-up discussion on how students handled the different situations and what solutions they found)
4.50 – 5.10: State foundation (students get a worksheet that gives them the task to found a new state)
5.10 – 5.15: State foundation – Presentation (students present their new state to the other students – after that, students are asked which state they would like to join
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
The class worked really well. The role playing was very communicative and lots of fun – students had to get into new roles all the time, adjust to the situation and the person they are talking to and at the same time trying to find a compromise with a person that has the opposite opinion to theirs. The short discussion afterwards was helpful in order to compare the different solutions – on one hand as an exchange of knowledge, but most importantly to give the students a stage to share their interesting/funny solutions. I decided not to do it after every round in order to give students the chance to experience a new situation without having heard before how another group has solved it.
The state foundation task was a nice addition, even though – for the sake of coherence – it would be nice to find a smooth transition from one task to the other. If not, it’s two really neat tasks – which is also fine.
Students were really creative and came up with “interesting” states – some of the vocabulary might be a bit too complex – but they also did not really have that much time to take a deep dive into all the aspects but should rather focus on a general idea and for that the task was certainly sufficient while giving them the chance to create something creative as a group together. The following presentation gave them the opportunity to present their state and make other people join that state – either because the idea is very funny or because the state seems really promising. Students can certainly take different paths to finding a solution to that task.
Class theme/topics discussed: Art & Picture description
Goal of the class: Students know locations in/within a picture Students can describe the location of objects to each other (positions) Students are able to describe a picture Students can interpret pictures
How did you structure the class?
4.15 – 4.30: Warm-Up: Who are what am I? (students get either the name of one person or one object (e.g. painting, building) or the corresponding description to a person or an object. By asking each other questions they have to “get to know each other” and thereby find out whether their role fits the other person’s role)
4.30 – 4.35: Review: Picture description (short review of important vocabulary when describing pictures and the different directions (e.g. in front of, behind, next to… in the centre/right hand side))
4.35 – 4.50: Describe & Draw (depending on class size either 1on1 or 1 describing and 2 drawing: one student sits with the back to the board and the other one with the front. Then a picture is faded in so that only the student with the front to the board can see it. That student now has to describe the picture to the other student, and he/she/they has to draw it based on the descriptions of the other student. 5min per turn, then they can look at the board to compare how good the drawing was. Then they switch position, and now the other student has to describe and the other to draw. With 3 students, 2 are drawing and sitting with the back to the front and they make 3 rounds with every one describing at least once)
4.50 – 5.05: Group work (students can choose between 6 paintings by German artists and then analyze that picture in 3 steps. They have instructions on the power point and are allowed to use their phones)
5.05 – 5.15: Presentation (each group presents their painting, according to the 3-step-analysis that was given to them)
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?
I taught a similar class last semester, but wasn’t really happy with it – thus, I wanted to teach it again with improvements. These improvements have worked really well! The warm-up was a nice way to walk around the room, talk to each other, ask each other questions, while at the same time starting to familiarize with the topic. The “Describe & Draw” is a really well-working, engaging and fun activity. The group work about paintings from German artists was a well-rounded conclusion to this lesson and put it on a higher level than the first time I taught that class. The students were able to learn about German art, had lots of discussions in class and had to present something as well. Thus, I would say that this class worked really well, I was happy about how it worked and wouldn’t really change anything.
One possible modification: instead of giving them pictures, the group work could also work if they choose their own paintings. Upside: more personalized and individualized, but several risks: no sufficient resources (maybe not everyone has a mobile phone/laptop handy), not sure what paintings, no German paintings.
Goal of the class: Communicative Practice Creative Story-telling
How did you structure the class?
4.30 – 4.35: Welcome & Introduction to “Bigfoot” topic (Talking to students about how they feel and how they have spend their weekend. Let the students explain the story behind “Bigfoot”)
4.35 – 4.45: Introduction to the worksheet & reading the story (+ review vocabulary)
4.45 – 4.55: First drawings (students have to draw the “branches breaking” in two boxes and describe what is happening)
4.55 – 5.00: Present their drawings
5.00 – 5.20: Groups: Finish the story (students have to get together in groups and brainstorm about how they want to finish the story. Then they draw the story & describe what is happening)
5.20 – 5.30: Present the story (students present how they finished the story)
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The class worked really well. No surprise, considering Adan delivered that idea to us! The students had a lot of fun – the beginning was nice, but at the end of the class everybody was laughing, having fun and – most importantly – communicating a lot in German. I tried that class with both my conversation classes (one of them more communicatve, the other a little less) and it worked better with the communicative one, but they also took more time for each activity, so you have to keep that in mind.
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Language Resident/Assistant Name: Nicolai Diener (credits to Marie Segura “FR SP21 INT/ADV Advertising & Slogans”)
Class theme/topics discussed: Advertising& Slogans
Goal of the class: Learn about German brands and “Werbeslogans” Learn about German commercials Create your own slogans and ads Discuss effects & mechanisms of advertising
How did you structure the class?
4.30 – 4.35: Welcome and Introduction (welcome to students to the class and use the first image of the slide [popcorn] to make a transition to advertising [eating popcorn in the movies during the advertising before the movie])
4.35 – 4.42: Matching brand & slogan (in pairs: students get 10 german brands and slogans and have to watch them with each other)
4.42 – 4.46: Matching brand & slogan: solution (teacher offers the solution to the task. I added a competitive element and gave them points for each correct one, and the winner of this task will be allowed to have the first pick of one (or more) of the “Impossible Objects” later)
4.46 – 4.50: The good slogan (students have to think about and discuss the characteristics of a good slogan. After that the teacher will offer a definition of “Werbeslogan” and based on that either sum up what students have said already or add elements that they might not have thought about)
4.50 – 4.55: Your own slogan (in pairs: students have to come up with the best possible slogan for an object that they use everyday [2min] – then present it to the others [can be used to come to decision regarding whoever picks the objects first, as in my case the “matching” activity ended with a tie])
4.55 – 5.00: Advertising (students have to brainstorm aspects that publicists rely on when they want to sell a certain type of product (e.g. food, cars, jewelry etc.))
5.00 – 5.15: 3 German commercials (students see 3 German commercials and while watching have to pay attention to the following questions: “1. What is advertised? 2. Which aspects are emphasized? 3. What do you think of the advertisement? Is it effective? (Who is the target group?)” After each commercial we discuss these questions. Either by putting them in small groups for the discussion, or by putting them in small groups and then using their discussion as a foundation for a class discussion or discuss it in class right away. I would prefer one of the “small group” options, but depending on time the “only class” option could be the best idea.
5.15 – 5.25: Create your own commercial (students pick on (or more) of the “Impossible Objects) and then have to create a commercial for that object. They obviously don’t have the resources to create a commercial in that short amount of time, so instead they have to focus on the following questions: “1. Which aspects should be emphasized? Who is the target group? 2. What is happening? (+ WHERE does the advertising take place? WHO is playing?) 3. What is the music like? Is there a slogan? Is there a logo?”)
5.25 – 5.30: Present your ad (students present their ad/commercial)
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)? The class worked pretty well – students enjoyed the creative parts, where they had to create their own slogan and then particularly the task in the end, when they had to create their own ad (which was very funny). They also liked the German commercials very much, thought they were funny or gave a good impression of/to German culture. The first task took a bit too much time unfortunately – so I would recommend to either choose less brands/slogans, or maybe discuss the slogans beforehand so everybody has the same knowledge and knows what every slogan means (or could refer to).
