Conversation Class Lesson Summary

 

Language Resident Name: Charlotte Eisenblaetter

 

Day and Date: Tuesday, 19 January ‘16

  

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

 

Class theme/topics discussed: Introduction and ice-breakers

 

Goal of the class: To get to know each other, assess students’ interests

 

How did you structure the class?

 

  • 2 truths and a lie: students tell three facts about themselves, of which one must be false. The other students try to guess what is wrong. (10 min)
  • Selecting topics of conversation and discussing which is interesting: Students get 14 cards with possible topics in the conversation class, e.g. German-American relations, culture, news, history, etc. They each pick 4 of them and explain why they find these topics interesting. They reveal interests and hobbies, course of studies etc. (30 min)
  • I asked the students what kind of topics they would like to add. They added some topics related to American politics. (10 min)
  • Class agreement and announcement of the welcome party. General advice on going to the language tables and information on my website, upcoming events. (10 min)

 

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

 

Flashcards with topics written on them (see Lesson Plan and also German lounge folder “advanced”)

 

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

 

Both students are pretty good at speaking, so the flow was very dynamic and I did not have any problem to fill the hour even though they are only two students in the class. Selecting topics worked very well because it gave me an idea of their interests and it gave a lot of opportunities to ask further questions about their hobbies, stories etc.

 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

 

The first game: 2 truths and a lie. Instead of guessing, students should ask tricky questions in order to make the student reveal what is not true by answering vaguely.

 

Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan 19. Januar