an archive of lesson plans

Tag: Discussion

DE S22 INT/ADV: Subjunctive & Artistic Freedom (Part 1) [Zoom-class]

Language Resident/Assistant Name:
Nicolai Diener

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.

DE S22 INT/ADV: Subjunctive & Artistic Freedom (Part 2) [Zoom-class]

Language Resident/Assistant Name:
Nicolai Diener

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.

DE S22 INT/ADV: Music & The Voice

Language Resident/Assistant Name:
Nicolai Diener

Class theme/topics discussed:
Music

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!

DE F21 INT/ADV: Advertising

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).

Werbung 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oglANsJ0nY

Werbung 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZRHuRo8Vk

Werbung 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-0kYhqoRo

DE F21 INT/ADV Desert Game

Language Resident/Assistant Name:
Nicolai Diener

Class theme/topics discussed:
Desert Game

Goal of the class:
Finding a compromise
Finding the (best possible) solution as a team
Debate & discussion

How did you structure the class?

4.30 – 4.35:        Introduction & Scenario (Welcome students to class and introduce them to the topic “desert game”. Tell them the scenario in a dramatic fashion! [students on a plane/plane crashes/they are all by themselves in the desert and were able to save 15 items, which they have to rate according to their importance for their survival/their ratings will be judged compared to the solution and then reflected)

4.35 – 4.40:        Questions & familiarize with items (Make sure that every student understands the scenario and quickly introduce the 15 items – it is really important that the students know what those items are and if they have no idea what an item could be used for it doesn’t hurt if there is a short exchange about them within the class)

4.40 – 4.48:        Step 1: Work on your own (each student now has 8 minutes to think about the items and rate them from 1 to 15, depending on how important they think a certain item is to survive in this desert scenario)

4.48 – 5.00:        Step 2: Small groups (students are divided into small groups and within those small groups have to discuss the items and then come to a shared solution. It is not allowed for students to have different solutions within the small groups, so they have to discuss with each other and find a compromise together)

5.00 – 5.10:        Step 3: Plenum (students have to come up with a solution for the whole class. As in the step before, they have to come up with a shared solution for everyone – so they have to be able to find a compromise. Depending on the size of the class or the number of small groups there are two ways on how to handle the plenary discussion: a) every group selects one speaker that has to represent and argue for their solution in the whole class, while the others of the small group have to help and assist him with arguments or questions for the others, or b) everybody can speak.

5.10 – 5.20:        Solution (the teacher reads out the solution [find in documents] – students have to compare their own, small group and class solutions with the solution offered by the teacher and calculate the difference to their solutions. While reading out the solution there will be lots of surprises and students want to discuss that. If not you can always ask “Are you surprised by this” or something like that to engage small discussions)

5.20 – 5.30:        Reflection (ask students questions to allow them to reflect on the solution finding process, like: “How did the initial group process go? How did you proceed as a group to find a solution? How did you feel about the discussion in the group? How did you manage to reach a good result? Were all group members equally involved? What was the leadership like? Did a team leader emerge? How were decisions reached?”

What worked well in this class? What did not work (how could that be improved)?

The class worked really well – students were very engaged in the discussion and had a lot of fun thinking about how to survive in this scenario by making best use of the offered items. They were also really surprised by the solution – reading that out might take longer than expected and is a bit much teacher-focused. I really enjoyed that part, how surprised the students were and the discussions that followed that – but maybe there is a better solution, like handing out a handout and then having the groups discuss in small groups again on what they think about the solution. In general, it is important to give them enough time to discuss everything – otherwise they might feel that they were being rushed. But at the same time the class is really tightly scheduled, so it is important to keep an eye on the time.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Internet resource (solution and further information : https://butterflying-akademie.de/team-challenge-wuestenspiel/ )

DE F20 ADV – German politics

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Credit to: INES FISTER, DE F17 INT German Parliament – Bundestag
(I modified her class for online. Had the group research be homework so we had more time to discuss current politics and added some explainity videos.)

Day and Date: 11/10/2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: German government and current politics

Goal of the class: Discuss current politics and trends in Germany

How did you structure the class?

A) Warm-Up: How do you feel right now that the US election is over? Did you celebrate?

B) Discussion: Did you know yesterday was the first anniversary of the fall of the Wall in Berlin? How much do you know about that? Fill in knowledge gaps, if needed with a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxWn75LSO48

C) Homework Recap: Students present their research about a German political party each. Then talk about 6 major parties in Germany and where they are on the spectrum. Look at how large each party is in the Parliament. Discuss some topics the parties have discussed recently or topics the students are especially interested in.

D) Extra Activity (if not talking about the fall of the wall or if students want to go deeper):
a) Video about how parliament is elected: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAkG_D8nKTc&list=PLfRDp3S7rLds47DhlHPlRwTSK4DP5fmuo&index=55

b) Video about how chancellor is elected:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLHEBeSKfPI

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.) Prop: Share Screen function in Zoom, Chat, Youtube, Google Sheets, Course Website as a resource for homework and reference

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

I modified the previous lesson plan to having the students each present a party that was prepared as homework, because they seemed to be interested in the current policies and we had more time to talk about that this way. But the research could also be done during the class. I assigned each a party, so we didn’t hear about the same party several times.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I would leave as is. I asked the students which direction they wanted to go deeper in and they wanted to know more about parliament elections. They were very interested and engaged this way.

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

Virtual Handout in target language: https://courses.pomona.edu/la-german-2020/blog/2020/11/10/13-1-class-22-11-10-2020/  (Password: GERMAN)

DE F20 INT/ADV – St. Martin’s Day & Lantern crafting

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Day and Date: 11/12/2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Intermediate & Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: St. Martin’s Day

Goal of the class: Learn about German culture and master casual conversation

How did you structure the class?

A) Warm-Up: Have you heard of St. Martins Day or seen lantern-walks before? Why are they happening?

Watch short cartoon about St. Martin:


B) Activity: Make a lantern as is a custom in Germany on 11/11 while listening to songs that are traditionally sung, like  “Ich geh mit meiner Laterne“ and “Laterne, Laterne”.

Here is an example for an easy lantern: http://www.labbe.de/zzzebra/index.asp?themaid=237&titelid=4116
This one is made poking holes, alternatively you can have the students cut out shapes with small scissors and glue tissue paper behind it.

Maybe watch video of actual St. Martin’s procession towards the end, when people are settled in with crafting (you can find some on Youtube).

C) Discussion while crafting or after: What were your favorite Childhood activities this time of year? Is there something similar in your culture?

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.) Props: Share Screen function in Zoom, Chat, Youtube, Spotify, Course Website as a resource for homework and reference.

I emailed students a few days before with what is needed so they could get the supplies needed for making the lanterns (cardboard box, scissors, thumb tacks, glue, tissue paper, fake candle, etc.).

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The students very much enjoyed making the lanterns. It is a bit hard to make them multi-task, so they became chattier once they were almost done with their work. It worked well to listen to some traditional songs while they were crafting and showing the videos in the beginning & end.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I’d leave it as is. And we took a screenshot photo with all our lanterns at the end, which made a fun memory.

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

Virtual Handout in target language:  https://courses.pomona.edu/la-german-2020/blog/2020/11/12/13-1-class-23-11-12-2020/   (Password: GERMAN)

DE F20 INT/ADV – Octoberfest

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Day and Date: 10/1/2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Intermediate/Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: Oktoberfest

Goal of the class: Know how to order foods and drinks & how to give compliments/small talk

How did you structure the class?

A) Warm-Up:  Discussion about Oktoberfest – what do students know about it? Have you been? Learn important vocabulary (best with pictures, maybe let them pronounce the words/fill in translations for intermediate). (10 min)

*Optional for advanced students or students who have been to Oktoberfest: Wordsearch with words that they have to find (helps knowing how to spell words that they have just heard before)

Activity 2: Discussion: How do we order items/ask other people to bring us food? How do we give compliments? (10 min) – can be done online in small breakout groups either just talking or written with Google Sheets or in small classes with whole class (see example for ordering food/conversations with server attached)

B) Some facts and figures about Oktoberfest. Learn about 40th Oktoberfest terrorist attack anniversary. Talk about effects of Covid-19 and the alternate program in Munich via their Instagram page.

Fun Examples: – Watch “Bavarian Line Dance” https://youtu.be/BcU38jrw5ew

C) If extra time, show them attraction “Teufelsrad”, a spinning platform that people sit on and have to stay on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5oEn5y0H10

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.): Share Screen function in Zoom, Images, Instagram, YouTube, Google Docs, Chat, Course Website as a resource for homework and reference

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The students were engaged well. One of the students had been to Oktoberfest, so I let her knowledge and conversations lead to the topics and added some based on questions. They enjoyed ordering things and learning compliments. We zigzagged a bit in terms of topics, but I wanted to keep it organic. They very much enjoyed the videos and pictures of the alternate program to Oktoberfest this year.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

Oktoberfest is such a huge topic that it’s hard to give a true impression in one hour and have a conversation and some grammar at the same time. I assumed they had already seen the partying in tents and the atmosphere, so I focused on more practical/historical aspects of it and some special attractions that they have had in the past and are having now. I think that worked well.

For the wordsearch, you can make your own here: https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2017/01/make-word-search-puzzles-for-your-classroom

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

Virtual Handout in target language https://courses.pomona.edu/la-german-2020/blog/2020/10/02/13-1-class-12-10-1-2020 (Password: GERMAN)

Oktoberfest-conversations

Oktoberfest-Vocabulary

Wordsearch-Oktoberfest-10_2-food_word_search

DE S19 ADV Professions

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

IVAN LUCIC

Day and Date:

Tuesday, 26/02/2019

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

German, Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:

Professions

Goal of the class:

Get to know the professions in German, be able to describe them, get to know the salaries in Germany

How did you structure the class?

Activity 1 (15 min): Story cubes. The students had to roll dices with pictures of little figures on them. They had to invent stories with the dices that showed up. Also, they had to add a profession (of a possible protagonist) to the story they were making up.

Activity 2 (5 min): Most professions in one minute.  In one minute and in pairs, the students had to think of as many professions they could think of. The winning pair would get a small treat. Then we would talk about the vocabulary they gathered.

Activity 3 (20 min): Guess my profession. Every student would get a work sheet. In pairs, they would try to guess the partner’s profession by asking questions provided on the work sheet and adding additional questions.

Activity 4 (20 min): Create a new business. The students were asked to imagine being in the position of creating a company. In pairs of two, they should create their own company and present it to the group at the end. They had to think of the location, the service they provided, the price and what made them the most successful company. At the end, they presented their product. Also, everyone voted for the best product. Again, the winner received a brownie.

Activity 5 (additional): If you have time left, you can make some kind of a “quiz”. You ask the students which professions are the best paid/ worst paid in Germany. They have to make a ranking. Then you can show the ranking to them (in the presentation). After that, you can have a discussion if this is fair/just (if the students are into it).

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Whiteboard, pen

Powerpoint presentation (see attached)

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The students really liked the class! I think every activity went well.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

It was a good class. I would keep it as it is.

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

DE S19 ADV Tim Bendzko

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

IVAN LUCIC

Day and Date:

Tuesday, 16/04/2019

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

German, Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:

Tim Bendzko

Goal of the class:

Talk about social phenomena and German society using the example of Tim Bendzko and one of his songs, practice discussion skills

How did you structure the class?

Activity 1 (15 min): Partner interviews. In pairs, the students will talk about their music preferences. The questions on the screen will prompt thoughts and discussion between them.

Activity 2 (10 min): In the group, we would brainstorm everything they would associate with Germany. I would write that down on a big paper.

Activity 3 (10 min): Discussing pictures. In pairs again, they would receive a picture. They would talk about the picture and say what/if they associated something with Germany. Now having talked about the bright sides of German society, I would also ask them what kind of problems they could imagine. Pictures in presentation.

Activity 4 (10 min): I would show them a video of a guy “escaping” from Germany and living on an island. We would have a discussion on that why he might do that and what the students think about that. Link in presentation.

Activity 5 (10 min): After watching the muted video, the students would share their thoughts in the group. We would also watch the music video with audio, aided by lyrics. Discussion after that. Link in presentation.

Activity 6 (10 min): Wrap up and final thoughts. Also critique on the music video by a comedian. If there is still a lot of time left, you can ask the students if they see any similarities to the US. Or also show them another video of Tim Bendzko “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten”. Link in presentation.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Lyrics from the song

Pictures

Paper for brainstorming

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The students seemed to like the topic!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

It was good. I would keep it as it is.

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

DE S19 INT Movies and series

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

IVAN LUCIC

Day and Date:

Monday, 04/02/2018

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

German, Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:

Movies and series

Goal of the class:

Being able to talk about movies and series (using German words)

How did you structure the class?

Activity 1 (15 min): Introductory questions. First, the students talked briefly in pairs about the questions I gave them. They talked about how often they went to the movies, which movie they liked best etc.

Activity 2 (10 min): What fits together? I gave every pair of students several flyers of movie posters. At the same time, I gave them summaries of movies they had to fit to the movies. The fastest pair would win!

Activity 3 (15 min): Being a film critic. I gave the students movie flyers. In pairs, they had to think of the plot that could have happened in the movie. Then, they should rate the movie as a film critic. At the end, they would present the movie to the group. The LR gives the true summary of the movie at the end.

Activity 5 (20 min): Inventing your movie. The students were told they would invent their own movie. For that, they would draw cards with different tags on them. They would have to draw a genre card and four plot cards. The things on the card had to be added to their idea. At the end, the students would present it to the group again.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Whiteboard and marker

9 pieces of paper for the game «problem on the forehead»  

Powerpoint presentation (attached)

Fill in the blank exercise (see attached)

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The students had a lot of fun: especially the film critic part and the movie inventing were a lot of fun.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I would keep it as it is. It was a great class.

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

JP S19 ADV Working Environment in Japan

Language Resident Name: Ayaka Matsuo

Day and Date: Thursday, May 2nd

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced Japanese 

Class theme/topics discussed: Working Environment in Japan

Goal of the class: To learn the current movement regarding working environment improvement in Japan and to be able to say opinions on it using appropriate words.

How did you structure the class?

Activity1 (10 min): Warm-up

Students talk about their good or bad working experience. 

Activity2 (10 min): Vocabularies

Students make a pair and write at least 5 Japanese words that are used to talk about working or one’s company life. I also add some new vocabs that are useful to know.

Activity3 (10 min): Japan’s recent movement to improve working environment

I introduce a movement initiated by the government to improve the working environment in Japan. 

Activity4 (20 min): Discussion

We discuss why is a job so important? What do we work for? What makes the environment harder and harder in Japan? Old generation (workaholic) vs New generation, which do you agree with?

Activity5 (10 min): Wrap-up

I ask the whole class some wrap-up questions. 

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

It worked pretty well. There were many new words that students didn’t know, so I tried to check on them if they know the words and tried to make the class environment comfortable so they can always ask questions. It was interesting enough for them, hopefully. 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

This class could be more interesting and a peer-learning style with tasks in which students look for any problem the movement initiated by the government, think about them and present them to the class. 

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

ES F18 INT Publicity

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: JOSE GOMEZ

Day and Date: 11/14/2018

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed: Adverts and marketing

Goal of the class: To discover a bit more of Spanish culture through commercials, to practice hypothesis

How did you structure the class?

Pre-warm up (10’):

Students will answer these questions in pairs and will share later with the whole group

Publicidad:

¿Qué tipo de publicidad hay en tu país?

¿Crees que te afecta a la hora de comprar cosas?

¿Dónde sueles ver publicidad?

¿Es más efectiva en TV, o en Instagram y otras redes sociales?

students watch a controversial American commercial and give their opinion about it.

We use an American one to compare later with Spanish commercials.

Activity 1 (30’):

Students get a piece of paper with 6 different commercial slogans. Then, they have to guess what product these slogans are selling and why

After that, they will see if they were right or wrong by seeing the actual adverts.

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdNKhn6WCSo
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIHRh496i7g
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jtG7GBjfhM
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yPqfFWACw8
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD7HmnxexFI
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO_Y_OFHLMg
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR6WfTlKt30
  8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttGUj6KS6C4
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pCtXJDjiGs

Actividad 2 (20’): Students create their own advert of a product.

They have to imagine that they work for a marketing company. I will bring some items to class and in groups they will have to create an advert and act it out in class. They should include features and the slogan of their advert.

The rest of the students get a worksheet to write good and bad aspects of the classmates’ product. Then, they can make questions about the product and therefore bringing a discussion about the topic.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

6 sheets about slogans

Youtube

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Students learn a lot about the Spanish culture if you add some comments before the commercials of after them. They really enjoy edit and managed to think about very creative products.

Bringing authentic materials is always interesting for students

I used a worksheet from the webpage ELEINTERNACIONAL

LA_PUBLICIDAD_EN_CLASE_DE_ELE_-_ELEInternacional

How could this class be improved/ modified?

Maybe some more updated commercials would have been better. Also, using a worksheet for students to rate their classmates’ products was great. They got more engaged and it helped develop discussion.

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan,please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

¿Qué es lo último que compraste en Amazon y por qué?  
¿Cómo crees que te influencian los anuncios de Youtube?  
¿Por qué tienes un Iphone y no un Android? ¿Por qué un Android y no un Iphone?  
¿Prefieres llevar ropa de marca? ¿Cuál es la marca de la ropa que llevas puesta?  
¿Cuál es la última publicidad que has visto en Instagram? ¿Crees que es más efectiva que en Televisión?  
¿Estarías dispuesto a pagar por Spotify Premium para evitar anuncios?  
¿Crees que la publicidad americana es agresiva o irrespetuosa?  
Háblame de algún anuncio que recuerdes ¿qué tiene de especial?  

ES F18 ADV Rosalía (Spanish culture and music)

ES-ADV-F18-Rosalía

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: José Gómez

Day and Date:

09/18/2018

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

Spanish advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:  

.Goal of the class: To learn and discuss about traditions in Spain.  To discover new music artists in Spain

How did you structure the class?

Activity 1:

Students get a piece of paper with prompts to discuss about their musical taste

They stand up and walk around asking each other

Activity 2:

Students are asked the features that a good artist needs to have. We write those words in the whiteboard

Activity 3:

Students look up the artist Rosalía on Instagram. They describe what they see and what they think of her.

Activity 4:

We brainstorm different elements from the Spanish culture. Students are guided with a powerpoint presentation in order to get them to discuss about semana santa, bullfighting, suburbs…

Activity 5:

Students watch the Malamente music video by Rosalia. They have toidentify the elements we have learnt before. Then we discuss how they arerepresented in the video and figure out the meaning of the video.

Activity 6:

Now that students are more familiar with the artist and the imagery. We discuss about elements that are relevant also in the US. Cultural appropriation and Rosalía.

Activity 7: If there is time, we watch another music video by the same artist that shows similar topics, and discuss the different elements portrayed in it.

What technology, media or props did you use? (Internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

We used prompts to bring up the topic at the beginning of the class.

We also used a powerpoint presentation to bring the imagery of the artist to the classroom and make it more fun to engage in the topic.

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

This class worked very well with advanced students because they really liked the artist. They could see and discuss elements from the Spanish culture that they were already familiar with, and put them into a different perspective. After this class, this artist became a recurrent topic in class, students would follow her progress and the new material she was releasing. It was a fantastic resource for them to bring Spanish home and keep practicing. 

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

There is a PowerPoint presentation attached.

DE FA18 INT Politics

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

IVAN LUCIC

Day and Date:

Monday, 11/26/2018

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

German, Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:

Fukushima incident

Goal of the class:

Get to know the vocabulary regarding politics. Talk about the incident of Fukushima and its consequences on German politics in particular.

How did you structure the class?

Activity 1 (15 min): Interviews. I asked the students if they liked reading the news and how often they did it. They should also tell the story of an incident they read in the news and rephrase it. Then, we discussed the results in the big group.

Activity 2 (5 min): Vocab gathering. Every student had to contribute a word or a sentence what they had in mind regarding politicians and politics.

Activity 3 (20 min): The Fukushima incident. First, they had to think what happened in Fukushima in2011. They should talk to their partner then. After this, I handed them an input sheet about the Fukushima incident. They should discuss their results in a small group.

Activity 4 (20 min): Have a speech. I divided the class into two groups. To each small group, I handed a work sheet: one which was in favor of nuclear power and the other one who was against it. In their groups, they should gather the information for their sides from the sheets. Also, they should find more information about it. Additionally, as a group they would prepare a speech for their side and present it later on (like having a discussion in the parliament). At the end, we had a nice discussion going on which the students seemed to like.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Whiteboard, pen

PowerPoint presentation (see attached)

Input sheet (attached)

Worksheets (see attached)

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Even though the text on the Fukushima incident might have been a little bit difficult, the students enjoyed the speeches they made.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

It was a good class. I would keep it as it is. I could adjust the texts for the next time.

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

Atom-Katastrophe (atomic disaster) in Japan

Ein Erdbeben (earth quake) und ein Tsunami beschädigten (damaged) am 11. März 2011 das Atomkraftwerk (powerplant) in Fukushima.

Nach einem starken Erdbeben und einem schweren Tsunami fiel am 1. März 2011 das Atomkraftwerk in Fukushima aus. Dabei kam es zu einer Kernschmelze (meltdown). Außerdem gab es in einem Reaktor eine Explosion. Dadurch wurde radioaktives Material in die Luft geschleudert (thrown in the air) und ein großes Gebiet mitStrahlung (radiation) kontaminiert.

Was passiert am Atomkraftwerk?

Bis heute versuchen Arbeiter die Situation unter Kontrolle zu bringen. Um eine weitere Kernschmelze zuverhindern, kühlen (cool down) sie das Atomkraftwerk mit Wasser. Für die Arbeiter ist das gefährlich, weil sie täglich viel radioaktive Strahlung (radiation) abbekommen. Außerdem gelangt kontaminiertes Wasser vom Atomkraftwerk in die Erde und ins Meer. Das soll mit einem Wall (embankment) in der Erde verhindert werden.

Was ist mit den Bewohnern (residents)?

Ein großes Gebiet rund um das Atomkraftwerk wurde besonders stark radioaktiv kontaminiert. Deshalb hat die Regierung dort eine Sperrzone (forbidden area) errichtet (enforced). Etwa 100.000 Menschen, die in diesem Gebiet lebten, mussten ihre Wohnungen verlassen. Einige Gebiete werden noch sehr lange kontaminiert bleiben. Einige Menschen werden also wahrscheinlich (probably) nie mehr dorthin zurückkehren können.

Boden und Wasser verseucht

In einem riesigen Gebiet ist auch der Boden immer noch verseucht. Deshalb baggern (to dig) Arbeiter die kontaminierte Erde einige Zentimeter tief ab. Das dauert sehr lange und es gibt eine große Menge an kontaminierter Erde. Bisher ist nicht klar, wo diese Erde sicher gelagert werden kann. Bis das Atomkraftwerk und das verseuchte Gebiet sicher sind, wird es noch viele Jahre dauern.

Rede für die Atomenergie (Opposition)

Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen!

Meine Damen und Herren!

Trotz (despite) der schlimmen Ereignisse in Japan, muss Deutschland die Atomenergie (nuclear energy) behalten. Dafür gibt es mehrere Gründe.

Erstens. Atomenergie ist umweltfreundlich. Es ist bekannt, dass Strom aus Atomenergie sehr viel umweltfreundlicher ist als alle anderen Weisen der Energieproduktion. Kohleproduktion (coal) verschmutzt die Umwelt mit ihren Abgasen (waste gas) und Gasproduktion zerstört die Natur für immer. Nur die Atomenergie ist eine umweltfreundliche Alternative für die Gasproduktion.

Zweitens. Atomenergie ist sicher. Die Ereignisse in Fukushima sind schrecklich, aber das ist kein Grund (its no reason), um die Atomenergie abzuschaffen (to abolish). In der Geschichte der Menschheit (mankind) gab es nur zwei Katastrophen mit Atomkraftwerken: Tschernobyl und Fukushima. Ansonsten (other than that) gab es nie Katastrophen mit Atomenergie. Die Nutzung von Atomenergie ist die einzige sichere, zuverlässige undumweltfreundliche Alternative zur Energieproduktion.

Wir sind überzeugt, dass es besser für das Land ist, wenn wir die Atomenergie behalten. Deutschland braucht Atomkraftwerke für seine starke Wirtschaft und die Gesellschaft.

Erklärung von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel zu Fukushima. Rede gegen die Atomenergie (Regierung)


LiebeKolleginnen und Kollegen!
Meine Damen und Herren!
 
Vor 90 Tagen wurde Japan vom schwersten Erdbeben in der Geschichte des Landes getroffen.Anschließend traf eine zehn Meter hohe Welle seine Küste.
 
Heute, 90 Tage nach diesem schrecklichen 11. März, wissen wir: Im Atomkraftwerkgab es eine Kernschmelze (meltdown). Noch immer gibt es radioaktive Strahlung (radiation). Die Sperrzone wird lange bleiben, und an ein Ende ist noch nichtzu denken. Letzte Woche gab es viel Strahlung. Die Situation in Fukushima istsehr ernst.
 
Ohne Zweifel (without doubt), die dramatischen Ereignisse (incidents) in Japansind ein Einschnitt (turning point) für die Welt. Sie sind es auch für uns. Wirerkennen (realize), dass die Risiken der Atomenergie nicht sicher sind.
 
Deshalb müssen wir die notwendigen Konsequenzen ziehen (take the consequences). Wir brauchen umweltverträgliche und sichere Energie in Deutschland. Deshalbhaben wir folgende Gesetze beschlossen (passed the following laws):


Erstens. Bis 2022 wird die Nutzung der Atomenergie in Deutschland beendet.
 
Zweitens. Für die Energie der Zukunft werden die erneuerbaren Energien im Mittelpunkt stehen (to be central).
     
 
Wir (die Regierung) sind überzeugt: Deutschland hat das Potenzial und die Kraft für eine Zeit der alternativen Energien. Die Energie der Zukunft soll sicher und umweltfreundlich sein.

ES FA18 ADV Argentinian Spanish

  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Tuesday, November 27th    
  • Language and Level:Spanish Conversation Advanced
  • Class theme/topics discussed: Gender violence, Argentinian accent
  • Goal of the class:

To discuss gender violence in the Latin American context

To analyze the Argentinian accent.

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Activity 1: Students watch a PSA video against sharing personal pictures online. The video is from Argentina and the dialogues have a strong Argentinian accent. 
  • Follow up: A set of questions about the topic is discussed and pairs and then in the class. 
  • Follow up 2: A set of questions about the Argentinian accent are discussed in the class. Students pose questions and doubts in regards to the dialect. 
  • Activity 2: In groups, students enact a given situation using the Argentinian accent and dialect.
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts

  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Bringing audiovisual material always works well in class. Analyzing both, the topic and the Argentinian Spanish, worked out quite well as students could get acquainted with a less standardized Spanish. Even though the topic might be a little bit difficult or even triggering for some people, students were able to provide their insights while being responsible about it. 

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out quite well as it was. Though, it is always important to ask the class whether the topic might be triggering or make them uncomfortable. 

RU F16 ADV Horror Stories

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Tatiana Ermolaeva 

Day and Date: Tuesday, 09/06/2016

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Russian, Advanced 

Class theme/topics discussed: Horror stories 

Goal of the class: to talk about horror stories (repeat the vocabulary for this topic); to introduce small pieces of Russian horror stories 

How did you structure the class?

  1. Warm up.

– Do you like horror stories?

– Did you read them when you were a kid?

– Do you watch scary movies? Why or why not?

5 minutes.

  1. Introduce the vocabulary for horrors.

Фильм ужасов

Страх

Сцены насилия

Человеческие внутренности

Сверхъестественное существо

Призрак

Монстр

Вампир

Спецэффекты

Леденящий кровь

10 minutes

  1. Listen to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVLSzzB43m4 (The Ad about Vacuum Cleaner). Try to guess what is going on there. Then watch the video and compare it with the students’ replies.

10 minutes

  1. Invent a horror story. The class is divided into pairs. Each pair gets a beginning of the story in comics. The task is to finish it.

Stories used for the comics:

  1. Проснулся я из-за того, что услышал стук по стеклу. Сначала я подумал, что кто-то стучит в мое окно, но потом услышал стук еще раз… из зеркала.
  2. С утра я обнаружил на телефоне фотографию спящего себя. Я живу один.
  3. Мама позвала меня на кухню, но по пути туда я услышал, как мама шепчет из другой комнаты: “Не ходи туда, я тоже это слышала”.

15-20 minutes

  1. Talk about your favorite horror stories or the famous 5C horrors.

10 minutes

  1. Wrap up. Video “Mashkini strashilki”: http://xn—-7sbajjbec0dd3k7b.xn--p1ai/mashkiny_strashilki/3-pro-chudovishh.

5 minutes

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Internet, Comic Life app

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The class went well. The students didn’t know any horror stories about 5C but we found some other questions to discuss. The cartoon was a little bit difficult as there’re no subtitles but they got the idea of it and that’s great!!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

 

 

RU F16 INT Discussion on Varied Topics

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Tatiana Ermolaeva 

Day and Date: Wednesday, 09/28/2016

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Russian, Intermediate 

Class theme/topics discussed: Discussion on varied topics

Goal of the class: practicing speaking skills 

How did you structure the class?

  1. Warm up. Questions board game (Handout 1). A student rolls the die and moves the marker to the correct place. Then a student reads the question out loud and answers it. Student gives the die to the person sitting on the right. The person who gets the finish first wins.

15 minutes

  1. Discussion. Each student chooses a piece of paper with a topic on it (Handout 2). He/she has 3 minutes to prove to the other students the importance of this thing for mankind. The other students should bring counterarguments.

20 minutes

  1. 10 ways to say you don’t care in Russian (Handout 3). Read the article and discuss. Make you own sentence with the vocabulary from the article.

http://blogs.transparent.com/russian/10-ways-to-say-you-dont-care-in-russian/

20 minutes

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The class went well; students talked a lot. I had a student who didn’t want to participate and I had to make him talk.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

For the second task the students decided that they want to make others guess what they were talking about so it turned out to be even more fun!

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that).  Please attach any handouts as well.

Handout 1

Начало Что ты любишь делать в свободное время?

ààà

Сколько чашек кофе в день ты пьешь? Что ты любишь смотреть по телевизору?

|

\/

Как часто ты ходишь в кино?

|

\/

Сколько раз в неделю у тебя курс русского языка? Где ты завтракаешь? Куда ты ходишь гулять?

<-<-<-

Куда ты ходишь за покупками? Что ты делаешь по вечерам в пятницу?

->->->

Что ты ешь на ужин? Во сколько ты ложишься спать?

|

\/

Куда ты ездишь на праздники?

|

\/

Какая у тебя людимая еда? Где живет твой лучший друг? Куда ты ходишь в выходные?

<-<-<-

Какую одежду ты любишь носить? Как часто ты видишься с друзьями?

->->->

Во сколько ты встаешь в воскресенье утром? Сколько времени ты делаешь домашнюю работу?

|

\/

Конец Кем ты хочешь работать? Куда ты ходишь, чтобы отдохнуть? Какой твой любимый цвет?

<-<-<-

                                                                                             

Handout 2

цветы Нью-Йорк опера корабли
пластиковые ложки открытки на день рождения паспорт часы
Современное искусство детективные романы школы носки
бумага пекарня застежка на молнии колесо

 

Handout 3

10 Ways To Say You Don’t Care In Russian

Russian has many ways to say you don’t care about something. They range from neutral to decidedly low-register to downright vulgar.

Normally, we say “[adjective/noun in the dative case] + всё равно́” to mean “I don’t care.”

Мне всё равно, куда́ идти́.

Note that “всё равно” is followed by a subordinate clause. Literally, it means “It’s all the same (to someone).”

A more formal way of saying this is “[dative] + безразли́чно” — “makes no difference to someone.” Note that “безразлично” is used similarly to “всё равно” to introduce a subordinate clause. In addition, безразлично can refer to a noun (something you don’t care about), in which case it has to agree with that noun in gender and number.

Пото́м мы по-пре́жнему и́зредка ви́делись, она́ мне нра́вилась, и, как мне каза́лось, я то́же ей не был безразли́чен, хотя́ она́ не подава́ла ви́ду. 

  1. По бараба́ну

A colloquial way of saying you don’t care is [dative] + по бараба́ну. Бараба́н is a drum.

Нам тут всем по барабану, что в Москве́ о нас напи́шут. (All of us here couldn’t care less what they write about us in Moscow.) 

  1. Фиоле́тово

“Фиоле́товый” is the Russian word for the color purple. Its derivative adverb, фиоле́тово, is thought to refer to the purple color of the neutral litmus test.

― От того́, что бу́дет про меня́ говори́ть типи́чный москви́ч, мне абсолю́тно “фиоле́тово”.

  1. Паралле́льно

This is an adverb that, literally, means “parallel.” The idea is that if something is “parallel” to you, you don’t cross paths, so you have nothing to do with it.

Э́тому чува́ку вообще́ всё паралле́льно (This dude doesn’t care about anything).

  1. Плева́ть

This verb means “to spit.” To say you don’t care, you can say “мне плева́ть на + accusative noun.” This colloquial turn of phrase is a bit more established in the general language and appears in general dictionaries. You could also say “Плевать, что…” to introduce a subordinate clause.

Плевать на жену́, лишь бы де́ти бы́ли дово́льны! (Who cares about the wife as long as the kids are happy).

  1. до ла́мпочки

Лампа is the diminutive of ла́мпа (lamp) and usually means “light bulb.” [Noun/pronoun in dative] + до ла́мпочки is yet another synonym of “I don’t care.”

Я прошу́ их помо́чь мне, но им всё до ла́мпочки (I’m asking them to help me, but they don’t care about anything).

  1. до фе́ни

“До фе́ни” works the same way as “до ла́мпочки” in that it is followed by the person in the dative case. As most words on this list, this is a slang expression that should not be used in formal situations.

Ему́ все до фе́ни, лишь бы буты́лки сдать (He doesn’t care about anything other than returning bottles).

  1. до фонаря́

Фона́рь is a lantern or a street light. The etymology of this expression is disputed, but it is considered a variation of “мне до ла́мпочки.” Grammatically, it is followed by a noun/pronoun in the dative case, like many of its synonyms.

Пра́вда, тако́му челове́ку, как она́, все эти бана́льности до фонаря́ (Actually, a person like her doesn’t care about these trivial things).

  1. по́ фигу

Yet another synonym is по́ фигу + dative. You may also come across this slang word spelled по́фиг or по́фигу. Фи́га is the Russian for “fig (tree).” Фига is also the non-offensive gesture meaning “You’re not getting anything.”

― Мне то́же ра́ньше бы́ло стра́шно. А сейча́с ― по́ фигу. 

  1. чиха́ть

Чиха́ть is literally “to sneeze.” This word is followed by the person in the dative case + на + the thing they don’t care about in the accusative case.

Изве́стно ли вам, что есть лю́ди, кото́рые воспринима́ют шу́тки сли́шком серье́зно? ― […] Но мне чиха́ть на э́тих серье́зных, прости́те!

 

 

 

 

 

FR F15 “Leisure Time”

Language Resident Name: Julien Moniz

 

Day and Date : 11/24

 

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): French intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed: Leisure time

Goal of the class : Get the students to mobilize vocabulary about leisure activities.

 How did you structure the class

First the students were asked about the vocabulary they already knew about leisure activities. Then they discussed in pairs about their pastimes, favorites activities, etc… and were then asked to introduce their counterpart in front of the class. Finally they drew two random activities from a hat and were asked to find 5 pros for one and 5 cons for the others, still in pairs and tell them to the class.

 What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

 What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The students spent almost all of the time speaking so the class was really effective.

 How could this class be improved/ modified?

 

If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that). Please attach any handouts as well.

FR 11 class 25

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