an archive of lesson plans

Category: Games and Ice-breakers (Page 1 of 8)

Topics on recreation ranging from games, ice-breakers, board games, etc.

FR INT/ADV S23 French Museums and Arts

Level: Intermediate and Advanced

This lesson can take between one to two hours depending on the activities you choose to do. It is better to take more time doing each activity and thus to dedicate 2 classes to this lesson

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe different French museums and their collections while learning French vocabulary related to art.

Materials:

– Computers or tablets with internet access

– Pen and paper

Warm-up

– The teacher introduces the topic of the lesson by showing pictures of famous French artworks or landmarks such as the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, or the Palace of Versailles. The teacher asks the students if they recognize any of them and what they know about them.

Presentation / activity 1:

– introduce various French museums such as the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musée Picasso, and explains their collections and history. Show pictures of the museums and explain where they are located in France.

– introduce vocabulary related to art such as peinture (painting), sculpture (sculpture), exposition (exhibition), artiste (artist), and œuvre d’art (artwork), etc.

Activity 2:

– divide the class into pairs or small groups of 3 and assign each group a French virtual museum to explore. The museums can be found on websites such as Google Arts & Culture or the museums’ official websites.

– provide a worksheet with questions for the students to answer while exploring the museum. The questions should include specific artworks or collections to look for and descriptions to write.

– encourage the students to use the vocabulary they learnt in class to describe the artworks and to write short paragraphs in French.

Wrap-up

– ask each group to present their findings and to show pictures of the artworks they have explored.

– lead a discussion on the different museums and their collections, and ask students to share their favorite artwork or museum.

– review the vocabulary and encourage the students to continue practicing by exploring more French museums or by watching French documentaries or films about art.

FR INT/ADV S23 Introduction to French Literature

Objectives:

– To introduce students to French literature and its cultural significance

– To improve students’ reading comprehension in French

– To expand students’ vocabulary and improve their language skills through games and activities related to French literature

Materials:

– Copies of short stories or extracts from French literature (in French)

– Vocabulary lists for each story/extract

– Whiteboard and markers

– French literature-themed games such as Scrabble, and French literature trivia

Introduction:

– Begin the class by asking students what they know about French literature, what books from French authors they know and/or like/have read before.

– Discuss the significance of French literature in French and global culture and education.

Activity 1: Reading Comprehension

– Hand out copies of short stories or extracts from French literature.

– Divide the class into pairs or small groups of 3 and ask them to read the stories/extracts and answer questions.

– Each group presents their answers to the class

The following activities are examples of games you can use in this class:

Activity 2: Vocabulary Building

– Provide the students with a vocabulary list related to the short stories/extracts they read in the first activity.

– Have them work individually or in pairs to create flashcards or a quizlet deck with the new vocabulary.

– Once the vocabulary list is complete, conduct a quiz or game to test the students’ understanding of the new words.

OR

Activity 3: French Literature Trivia

– Divide the class into teams and conduct a French literature trivia game.

– Questions can include famous French writers, their works, and their impact on French culture.

Activity 4: French Literature-Themed Games

– Play Scrabble with French literature-themed words.

– This activity can help students expand their vocabulary, practice spelling, and improve their understanding of French literature.

Conclusion:

– Recap the class by discussing the importance of French literature and its contribution to French culture.

FR INT/ADV S23 French Online Influencers

Objective: To introduce French online influencers and improve French language skills through watching their videos and engaging in related activities.

Level: Intermediate and advanced

Materials:

– Access to the Internet and YouTube

– Activity sheets

Introduction:

1. Introduction of the concept of French online influencers, what they are, who some of the most popular ones are, and what they typically do (vlogs, gaming, comedy, etc.)

2. Present the influencers that will be focused on in this lesson: Squeezie, Mcfly et Carlito, and Le rire jaune, and make a brief overview of their content and why they are popular in France.

3. Ask students if they have heard of any of these influencers before, and if so, what they know about them. Encourage a discussion to get students engaged.

Activity 1: Watch a video by Squeezie

1. Have students watch a video by Squeezie on YouTube, such as his “Je teste des objets insolites” series or QUI EST L’IMPOSTEUR ? (ft Eric & Ramzy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Z1A46FknM .

2. While watching, have students take notes on any new vocabulary words or phrases they hear.

3. After watching, have students share some of the new words and phrases they learned. Create a vocabulary list on the board or in a shared Google doc online. What did they like/dislike about the videos?

Activity 2: Complete a listening comprehension activity with Mcfly et Carlito

1. Have students watch a video by Mcfly et Carlito, such as their CONCOURS D’ANECDOTES vs LE PRÉSIDENT DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE video ( this one is very long but you can show them just a part of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neqCdyadqFA&t=156s ).

2. After watching, provide students with a worksheet with questions related to the video

3. Have students work in pairs or small groups to discuss their answers and ensure they understood the video/what was shown.

Optional activity if there is time left, or can be done in the next class:

Activity 3: Create a sketch inspired by Le rire jaune

1. Introduce students to Le rire jaune, a famous French YouTuber who creates comic videos.

2. Have students watch a few of his videos and identify common themes or elements (e.g. humor, sarcasm, pop culture references).

3. Divide students into small groups and have them create a short sketch inspired by Le rire jaune. Encourage them to incorporate some of the elements they identified in his sketches.

4. Have groups perform their sketches for the class, allowing time for feedback and discussion.

Conclusion:

1. Review the new vocabulary words and phrases learned throughout the lesson.

2. Ask students to reflect on what they enjoyed about learning French through online influencers. Did they find it engaging? Did they feel like they learnt anything new?

3. Encourage students to continue watching videos by these youtubers and other French influencers as a way to continue improving their language skills outside of class.

FR S22 INT/ADV – Votre Week-End idéal

This class was done online and could also be done in person.

Warm –up (10 minutes) –group discussion = (main zoom chat : send the link of the Google Doc with vocabulary on the routine as well as the following questions students have to discuss in breakout rooms)

•Quel est selon-vous le WE idéal? Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire en général le WE? – What do you think is the ideal WE? What do you usually like to do on weekends?

Activity 1: Video ‘French people describe their WE’ (20 minutes –8 minutes for the video, 10 minutes for the group discussion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unmu4yKfBg0

Instructions: jot down what you understand from the video –écrivez sur une feuille de papier / sur votre ordinateur -ce que vous comprenez dans cette vidéo: Quelles sont les activités que les personnes interviewées aiment faire le week –end ? – What are some activities that the persons interviewed like doing on Weekends? Qu’est-ce qu’ils aiment faire avec leurs amis ? – What do they like doing with their friends?

Then we discuss it as a class and the students share what they understood and think about it –10 to 15 minutes –

Vocabulary input: What do these words mean? (Habituellement, Je bosse, aller en boîte, le confinement, se balader, faire un tour à…, profiter, la province); If there is some time left I propose a game they would play in Breakout rooms– ‘Qui est-ce?’ OR ‘Tu préfères’:

Tu préfères…Voyagez dans le monde entier sans pouvoir revenir à ton pays d’origine ou jamais sortir de ton pays ? Arriver toujours 1 heure avant à tes rendez-vous ou toujours arriver 1 heure en retard ? Passer toute ta vie à manger de la junkfood ou ne plus jamais manger tes plats préférés ? Vivre dans la maison de tes rêves dans un quartier chaud ou vivre dans une maison moche dans le quartier de tes rêves ? Être pauvre aux côtés de l’amour de votre vie ou être multimillionnaire sans jamais connaître l’amour ?

Resources:Vocabulary sheet (google doc provided)with expressions and words to be able to talk about one’s routine, Zoom Screenshare, Youtube, Powerpoint

JP F21 ADV: 大きな数、否定疑問文、ジェスチャー(Big numbers, negative question such as “Do you mind if ~~”, Gestures)

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Cozy Enrique NAKADA (Koji NAKADA)

Day and Date: 12th week (15th to 19th Nov 2021)  

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):  Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:  ちょっと文法コーナー(ややこしいこと、大きな数や単位の計算について)、ジェスチャー・寸劇

Answering to questions with negation (Complicated issues such as big numbers, calculating units.), Gesture; Making a short skit

Goal of the class:

Students can learn the linguistic / cultural differences of responding to questions, different gestures, different meanings.

How did you structure the class?

16th Nov 2021

16:30

Check in with students (to wait a little bit for some students from different campus.)

16:40

Explain the grammatical difference on 否定疑問文, let students make 3 example sentences to practice the grammatical pattern.

17:00

Students learn big numbers, look for some statistic data

17:20

Students calculate temperature of different places

17:30

End

18th Nov 2021

16:30

Wait until students fully come to the class by checking in

16:40

Show video about misunderstanding with air quote: https://youtu.be/4DqoQq1zME8

The funny aspect of gesture, reflection from students

16:45

Explain each Japanese gesture

17:00

Students start discuss with partner to make a short skit

17:18

Starts presentations (everyone)

17:30

End

What technology, media or props did you use?   

Students’ mac laptop, handouts

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

Almost everyone seem to enjoy. But compared to intermediate class, they are not fully satisfied with the lecture. ( I do not know the needs of students,,, ) (Or it is just because they are too tired to do things due to mid term examination.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ handout ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2021年11月16日(火)

ちょっと文法コーナー!〜()(てい)()(もん)(ぶん)(こた)(かた)

日本語(にほんご)日常(にちじょう)会話(かいわ)でもよく使(つか)われる()(てい)()(もん)(ぶん)返事(へんじ)仕方(しかた)練習(れんしゅう)しましょう。

今日(きょう)ってテストじゃないよね?We don’t have exam today, right?

       ⇨ うん、テストじゃないよ〜。No, we don’t have one.

  ⇨ いや、テストだよ! Yes, we have!

ごめん、(せん)(げつ)()りた30ドル、まだ(かえ)してなかったよね?

Oh, I didn’t give you 30 dollars back yet which I borrowed from you last month, did I?

  ⇨うん、まだ(かえ)してもらってない〜><

  ⇨いや、もうもらったよ。(せん)(しゅう)(すい)(よう)()にスタバで()った(とき)にくれたじゃん。

ポイント:日本語(にほんご)では、相手(あいて)質問(しつもん)正誤(せいご)最初(さいしょ)判断(はんだん)してから、自分(じぶん)意見(いけん)言います(い   )

  • パートナーと一緒に、否定疑問文の例を作ってお互いに質問しましょう。

♪メモ用紙♬

ややこしいもの・こと

いち One
じゅう Ten
十万
百万
千万
一億
十億
百億
千億
一兆

アメリカの総人口

           人

日本の総人口

           人

ハワイ州の人口

           人

沖縄県の人口

           人

〜年時点で

As of (year ~~)

♪お互いに大きな数字を使うクイズを出そう!

気温について語ろう!

華氏から摂氏への変換方法

(F°− 30)÷2≒C°

例)Los Angeles 73°

(73―30)÷2=21.5

JP F21 INT : 芸術の秋 Art related activities

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Cozy Enrique NAKADA (Koji NAKADA)

Day and Date: 11th week (8th to 12th Nov 2021)  

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):  Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:  芸術の秋1・2(Artistic Autumn part 1, 2)

Goal of the class:

Art 1

Students can express how to describe shape, texture, size, and impression in Japanese.

Art 2

Students can introduce their favorite films, books in Japanese.

How did you structure the class?

9th Nov 2021

16:30

Wait until everyone comes, by showing Intermediate class’ video.

16:40

Explaining the procedure of competitive drawing game. Reviewing all the expressions.

16:45

Game start! (for 3 different drawing, so that everyone have opportunity to draw at least once.)

17:25

Students put phrases which they want to know, on google sheet.

17:30

End

11th Nov 2021

16:30

Wait until everyone comes, by checking in with students who came on time.

16:40

Explaining how to describe feelings, thoughts, introduce film / book to others. Demonstrate teacher’s example.

16:45

Preparing short paper to talk with partner.

17:00

Start talking with partner

17:15

Presentation of favourite films by 3 students (2 assigned, 1 volunteer)

17:30

End

What technology, media or props did you use?   

Students’ mac laptop, handouts

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

Handouts always help both students and me. For the advanced class, they seemed to enjoy the activities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ handouts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2021年11月8日(月)

(げい)(じゅつ)(あき) 〜アートに()れよう その1

☆あみだくじをひきます。

☆当たった人は絵を描きます。

☆クラスの後ろの方に座り、壁の方を向きます。

☆ジェスチャーを使うのはOKです。

☆できるだけ英語は使わないで相手に説明してください。

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

丸い

三角の

四角い

ふわふわした

ギザギザの

やわらかい

かたい

ゆるやかな

急な

右側

左側

中心

とがった口

眉毛が 太い 細い

鼻毛が出ている

おでこ・ひたいにしわがある

ほっぺたが赤い

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2nd handout ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2021年11月10日(水)

芸術(げいじゅつ)(あき) パート(ツー)  好き(す )(ほん)映画(えいが)について話そう(はな  )!(口語(こうご)

表現(ひょうげん)したい内容(ないよう)簡単(かんたん)にメモしてから、知りたい(し   )単語(たんご)をSheetに書く

Q1. その((ほん)(えい)())の(ひょう)()(ひと)(こと)()うと?

楽しかった(たの      ) 悲しかった(かなし     ) 切なかった(せつ      ) 爆笑(ばくしょう)だった 怖かった(こわ    ) 叫びまくってた(さけ       ) )

Q2. 簡単(かんたん)なあらすじを紹介(しょうかい)

 主人公(しゅじんこう)は( 貧乏(びんぼう) 金持ち(かねも) 女性(じょせい) 男性(だんせい) 高校生(こうこうせい) )で、( 1960の東京(とうきょう)・1992年のロス )を()(たい)に、( ()(かい)(すく)う・(せい)()のために(たたか)う ) という(はなし)

Q3.  一番(いちばん)(こころ)動かされた(うご)のはどんな(内容(ないよう)・シーン)ですか?

Q4.  この作品(さくひん)(だれ)勧めたい(すす)ですか?

Q5. それはなぜですか?

例)

♪わたしがオススメしたい映画(えいが)は 「コニー アンド カーラ(Connie and Carla)」です。主人公(しゅじんこう)売れない(う   )女性(じょせい)歌手(かしゅ)二人(ふたり)で、殺人(さつじん)現場(げんば)見た(み )せいでアメリカ中(    じゅう)を逃げないといけなくなり、ドラッグクィーンの世界(せかい)大活躍(だいかつやく)するというドタバタコメディーです。逃げる(に  )(なか)主人公(しゅじんこう)自信(じしん)取り戻して(と もど  )行く(い )様子(ようす)がとても好き(す )です。いまとにかく、(なに)考えず(かんが  )笑いたい(わら   )!そういう(ひと)におすすめの(えい)()です。

ES S21 ADV NASA

Language Resident Name: Tamara Olivos

Day and Date: April 20, 2017

Language and Level : Advanced Spanish

Class theme/topics discussed:

Goal of the class:

How did you structure the class?

Reminder of cultural activities

Warm up: pictionary. Using the whiteboard, ask students to draw something. The rest of the class has to guess what the drawing is.

NASA activity: See attached link

Set the mood and give context using this story.

“Each one of you is part of the crew of a spaceship that is going to meet the ‘mother ship’ on the illuminated part of the moon. Due to some mechanical difficulties, the space ship had to land about 350km from the original meeting spot. During the landing, a big part of the space ship equipment suffered considerable damage and due to the fact that the crew’s survival depends on getting to the mother ship, you must select the most important material to take with you, and leave the least important ones behind.”

“Cada uno de ustedes forma parte de la tripulación de una nave espacial que iba a reunirse con la “nave nodriza”, en la superficie iluminada de la luna. Debido a unas dificultades mecánicas que surgieron, la nave espacial tuvo que alunizar en un lugar que dista unos 350 km. del sitio donde tenía que encontrarse con la otra nave. Durante el alunizaje, gran parte del equipaje de la nave en que iban ustedes, se estropeó o sufrió daños de consideración, y puesto que la supervivencia de la tripulación, o sea de cada uno de ustedes, depende de que puedan llegar a la “nave nodriza”, tienen que seleccionar el material más importante para llevarlo, dejando lo menos importante.”

Read the list of objects and equipment that were left unharmed after the forced landing. The participants must rank them according to importance and usefulness in order to get to the mother ship. 1 = most important, 15 = least important.

Fist step : Each student will rank the objects individually (column labeled indv)

Second part: Depending on your class size, you can create groups or pairs. Ask students to share their individual rankings, and then rank the again under column group.

Third part If you used pairs in part two, you could create bigger groups and ask them do rank them again. If not, provide the official ranking made by NASA and compare with each groups’ ranking. Students share observations on the process.

Collaboration, active listening, and flexibility are key for this class.

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

Students were really surprised about the results. They collaborated a lot and they realized how talking to others improved their chances.

 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.

You can find the items list in this link:

https://jugamos.jimdo.com/juegos-cognitivos/el-juego-de-la-nasa/

DE SP21 Study Break: Easter Escape Room

Excel file used for Easter-themed virtual Escape Room:

(Each group of students playing against each other gets a separate file. We used Google Sheets so they can all work on the same sheet within their group. The Excel file can be imported into Google Sheets, if necessary).

The Key file has one tab with the solutions and one “Student” version tab that can be copied for the files to be used and filled by the students.

DE SP21 INT/ADV – Student Presentations

Note: This is a two-part class! I did one class brainstorming and then one to two classes presenting.
ADV: 15-20 minutes per presentation, over several classes
INT: 5-10 minutes per presentation, can be held in one class, depending on number of students.

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Day and Date: 4/15/2021, 4/20/2021, 4/22/2021,

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

Class theme/topics discussed: Presenting

Goal of the class: Learn interactive ways to present a topic

How did you structure the class?

Class 1

A) “Word of The Day” Game: Students are given a very specific and not well known word that fits the topic of the day (For example a slang word: “Trantüte”). They write a quick description of what they think the word could be (on a card, piece of paper, or in Zoom they would privately message you). When all have submitted their description, you read all of them, including the correct one and let the students guess which one is right. I do this at the beginning of every class as an ice breaker, but it can also be done as a quick random activity.

B) Presentations Discussion: What makes a good presentation? Which ones do you remember best? Tell us about your favorite and worst presentations you have heard or seen. As the teacher, filter out bullet points of Do’s and Dont’s that the students can have access to.

C) Brainstorm: What you could do in your presentation? Each student deliberates for themselves. The questions are asked one after another, so the students have to sit with them for a bit to give them a chance to go deeper.

1) If you had to talk about a topic, what would you talk about and why? – everybody gets 5 minutes to think about a topic (or optional: topics can be assigned, but I found they enjoy picking their own more)

2) How would you put a new spin on it? – 5 minutes

3) Think of an interactive exercise to incorporate in your presentation – 5 minutes

4) Which other aspects of what we reviewed earlier (your bullet points) can you incorporate in your presentation? Brainstorm for 10 minutes (or until the end of class)

D) Optional homework: Pick a topic and prepare a 5-10 (INT)/10-20(ADV) -minute presentation. Think of an interactive exercise and a new way to present your topic.

Note: If you don’t want to do it as homework, students can work on a shorter presentation in the next class in the first half and present in the second half of the class

Class 2:

Students present their topics. Afterwards you can have a discussion about what they liked, what new things they learned, etc.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.), Props: Share Screen function in Zoom for presentations, Google Doc to write down bullet points

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

This class worked very well, the students were very engaged talking about presenting in the first half. The second half was quiet work where they could start preparing the concept of their presentation and brainstorm ideas about how to present it. Every five minutes I changed prompts to help them brainstorm.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

You could have less prompts and more talking about presenting, but with four people we had a good chunk of time at the end for prep. It reduces some of their homework time to let them start on it in class and gives them a chance to really think about it and take their time.

DE SP21 INT/ADV – Environmental Protection

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Day and Date: 4/29/2021

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

Class theme/topics discussed: Environmental pollution and protection

Goal of the class: Being able to talk about how to protect the environment

How did you structure the class?

A) “Word of The Day” Game: Students are given a very specific and not well known word that fits the topic of the day (For example a slang word: “Schmarotzer”). They write a quick description of what they think the word could be (on a card, piece of paper, or in Zoom they would privately message you). When all have submitted their description, you read all of them, including the correct one and let the students guess which one is right. I do this at the beginning of every class as an ice breaker, but it can also be done as a quick random activity.

B) Green Politics Vocabulary: Give each student or group of students a few words relating to environmental protection (see examples below) . The students shall find pictures that illustrate each word and write a description of what each word means.

C) Household items: (See examples below) Together with the students, go through pictures of machines or appliances and let them fill out the English words (or ask them and fill in for them). Pronounce each German word together.

D) Discussion:
Advanced: How can we use these household items to be more mindful of the environment?
Intermediate: How can we describe these machines? What do they do? (Good exercise to learn relative sentences).

E) Extra Activity: Pick one machine, but don’t tell the students which one. Now they have to ask questions to guess which of the machines you are thinking of, for example: is it being used outside or inside? Is the color grey? etc. Once a student guesses correctly, they will pick a word and everyone else will guess again. (Can be yes/no questions to make it more advanced, but doesn’t have to be).

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.), Props: Share Screen function in Zoom, Google Docs & Google Sheets (for exercises)

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

This was inspired by two assignments from the book “Passwort Deutsch 4” in another class, so I re-used the vocabulary for this class, because protecting the environment is something I noticed the students are very interested in. They learned a lot of fairly simple vocabulary to be able to talk about this topic better. It worked out well.

Examples:

Green Politics Vocabulary List:
Die Umweltschutzbewegung, Alternative Energien, Die Umwelt verschmutzen, Abgase (Pl.), Das Gift, Umweltfeindlich, Müll & Recycling, Der Smogalarm, In einer Bürgerinitiative aktiv sein, Der Stromverbrauch, Der Lärm, Umweltschädlich, Die Katastrophe

Houshold items List (Excel)

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I wouldn’t change anything.

RUS SP21 ADV/INT: Untitled Goose Game

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

MARIA GLUKHOVA

Day and Date:

Thursday, 04/06/2021 and Thursday, 04/08/2021

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

Russian, Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:

Untitled Goose Game

Goal of the class:

To play Untitled Goose Game together, practice imperatives, and have fun.  

Untitled Goose Game for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details

How did you structure the class?

  1. Greetings, announcements, general questions.
  2. In advance, create a vocabulary list with necessary words (especially verbs). Work on this list together with your students and ask them to make imperative forms of verbs: run! swim! etc. It’s also helpful to talk about directions: go left, jump on, etc. 
  3. Open the Untitled Goose Game on your computer and share the screen. Most likely, you can change the settings and choose your target language as the language of the game.
  4. Explain the rules. You’ll be the one playing, but your student will have to tell you what to do.
  5. Show them the “To-Do List” for the first episode. Read it together. You can also play it together for a few minutes to give students an idea of how the game works.
  6. Divide students into groups. In the break-out rooms, each group has to come up with instructions for you to complete one of the tasks from the “To-Do List.” For example, one group can think about hiding the food, while the second group has to steal the key. They can brainstorm for 5 minutes or so.  
  7. Once everyone has a strategy, open the game again. Each group has 3-4 minutes. They have to guide you and tell you what to do to complete the task: “Run up, hide in the grass, wait until the farmer can’t see you, grab the carrot,” etc. 
  8. Have fun! 🙂

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

Untitled Goose Game, Zoom

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

The class worked out great, we had a lot of fun! I did two classes on this game because it takes time to work on vocabulary, explain the rules, etc. Also, make sure you know how to play this game first because it’s not always intuitive.  

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I would leave it as it is.

DE SP21 ADV – German politicians & Social Media

Day and Date: 3/23/2021

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: Current German politics, Social Media

Goal of the class: Get to know party leaders (= candidates for chancellor)

How did you structure the class?

A) “Word of The Day” Game: Students are given a very specific and not well known word that fits the topic of the day (For example a slang word: “lindnern” or “verschlimmbessern”). They write a quick description of what they think the word could be (on a card, piece of paper, or in Zoom they would privately message you). When all have submitted their description, you read all of them, including the correct one and let the students guess which one is right. I do this at the beginning of every class as an ice breaker, but it can also be done as a quick random activity.

B) Instagram Profile Revamp: Each student is assigned an important politician (leader of a party or chancellor candidate). They look up one of their Social Media profiles (for example, Instagram or Facebook) and think about how their page could be re-done in order to speak to them as an audience. Alone or in groups, they work on a new Profile Image, Instagram handle (Name), a concise logline, three lines of bio description and three posts consisting of a picture of the politician with a post text. Use of emojis is strongly welcomed. This activity can take about 25 minutes. (Note: they do not create an actual Instagram account, that should be made clear. They can do the task in a Word or Google Doc.)

C) Presenting their work/politician: Students present their revamped Instagram pages to each other, so that the students get to know each politician in a fun and engaging way.

D) Discussion: Compare to existing social media accounts and talk about the differences.

E) Optional extra activity: The students record a selfie video telling their friends why they should vote for this politician’s party.

Example: One student went above and beyond (which was not expected) and photoshopped his answers so it looks real. Can be part of the exercise as well.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.), Props: Share Screen function in Zoom, Google Docs or Word Doc for students to write down their Instagram material

What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The class worked well. The students seem to enjoy the creative exercises.

How could this class be improved/ modified?
The Instagram task could also be done as homework, if applicable, and the class can be used to talk more in-depth about the parties. If the Instagram task is done in class, the selfie-video exercise can also be done as homework or done in a previous class about politics and watched before the exercise.

ES F20 INT Health and Verbs

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Tamara Olivos

Day and Date: November 11, 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Intermediate Spanish

 Class theme/topics discussed: Health and Verbs

Goal of the class: To practice vocabulary related to health and verb conjugations

How did you structure the class?

Board game: I shared on my screen the verb tenses board. I assigned each tense a number, so when they roll the die they are rolling a verb tense. (I used the virtual Google dice, just search “roll dice”)

1: presente

2: futuro

3: pret perfecto

4: pret imperfecto

5: subjunctivo

6: preterito

Bingo: We review the vocabulary to make sure everyone understands everything. Then, I read only the definitions and students must know the word in order to cross it out of their bingo cards. I put several bingo cards in Sakai (a different set for each student)

http://marcoele.com/descargas/4/mielgo-bingosalud.pdf

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

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

The verb practice was much appreciated and we spent some time explaining some difficult verb tenses.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I didn’t have time to create an interactive board. I would do this for next time, on Genialy.

JP F20 ADV: Reading Kanji

Language Resident/Assistant Name:  

Kozue Matsumoto 

Day and Date:  

Tuesday November 24, 2020   

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):  

Advanced 

Class theme/topics discussed:  

  • Last class: kanji games 

Goal of the class:  

  • Guess how to read unusual kanji

How did you structure the class?  

  1. How are you doing? Hanging in there? Good news if any??? (7 min) 
    1. Hawaiian Thanksgiving dishes – lots of Asian food included  
  1. Guess and read the kanji (45 min) 
    1. Veggies
    2. Fruits 
    3. Things in the water 
    4. Family names 
  1. Most complicated kanji (10 min) 
    1. Some legendary mysterious kanji 
    2. Officially registered real kanji

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

Class agreement, breakup rooms 

Zoom, white board 

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

  • We talked how we feel at the end of the semester. Since everything happened online at home, there is not a huge difference compared to pre-COVID time when students used to move back to their hometown etc.  
  • We talked a bit about Hawaiian Thanksgiving food 
  • Kanji guessing game was fun, and they had very good questions such as when these vegetables were introduced to Japan and how their kanji were decided like that. 
  • One student was sharing her knowledge about how Taiwanese use the same kanji for the same fruits and how a kanji was chosen for a certain fruit because of the meaning of kanji (蕃) 
  • We guessed some strange and rare family names and some super complicated kanji as well. 
  • We had a pretty fun time. They used everything they know to guess the kanji, such as a documentary film about fish that they watched the other day, the knowledge of Taiwanese usage of kanji, etc. 

How could this class be improved/ modified? 

  • There are lots of kanji. Some are easy to guess, and others are just impossible to guess. We can do a lot about this. 

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. 

Below are what we did with whiteboard

Fruits 

Vegetables 

Things in the water 

Rare and strange family names 

Complicated kanji 

Taito たいと – a family name (not officially recorded in anywhere but there is a story around this kanji) 

https://www.benricho.org/kanji/img-kakusuu/Taito_small.gif

Biang – From Chinese kanji 

https://www.benricho.org/kanji/img-kakusuu/biang-68-500.png

Jin ジン – dust 

https://glyphwiki.org/glyph/u269c4.png

ES F20 ADV Crime

Spanish Conversation Class – Advanced (Credits to Katherine Pérez)

Class theme/topic discussed: Trials, alibis

Goal of the class: To practice past tense and questions.

Class structure

Activity: A crime has been committed (specify place and time). When students first get to the classroom, you talk about a crime of which they are suspects (you make up a story as to how they are all suspects).

El miércoles pasado ocurrió una tragedia inimaginable, el asesinato de Mr. Zoom. Mr. Zoom estaba en Claremont dando un paseo por Marston Quad cuando un grupo de personas lo confrontó por permitir que los zoom bombers mostraran fotos obscenas en las clases de Pomona. Algunas personas incluso insinuaron que los zoom bombers actuaban bajo el conocimiento de Mr. Zoom, que él los ayudaba incluso. Todo esto ocurrió entre las 6 y las 10 de la noche del pasado miércoles.

Los detectives encontraron pelos de los pugs de Ari, las llaves de la casa de Sam y Vivian, la chaqueta de San Francisco de Eloise, una carta muy “” de Sammy, y el libro de estudios africanos de Ella. Cualquiera de ellas pudo haberlo hecho.

Los detectives encontraron pelos de los pugs de Ari, las llaves de la casa de Sam y Vivian, la chaqueta de San Francisco de Eloise, una carta muy “ de Sammy”, y el libro de estudios africanos de Ella. Cualquiera de ellas pudo haberlo hecho.

  • ALIBI: In pairs, they have to create an alibi to free themselves from the charges. Both students have to memorize their alibi as they will later stand trials separately and both of their stories will have to match. During the trial they are also going to be judges, therefore, they have to prepare some questions for the defendants as well.
    • TRIAL: One group volunteers or gets chosen to be the first defendants (acusados). The trial starts when one of the students leaves the classroom (into a breakout room) and the judges start the interrogation. *The jury should make the same questions to both defendants while trying to find inconsistencies in their stories. If the judges happen to find some discrepancy they can’t start talking about them while the trial is ongoing
  • Follow-up/Post-task: Students decide who where the culprits while commenting on each others alibi: whether there where inconsistencies in the stories or not, which one was the funniest one, etc.

Resources used

  • Alibi table (see below)

Reflection: What worked/did not work? How can it be improved?

  •  Students loved this activity! Do this activity after you’ve learned some things about your students. A personalized story will make a difference.
  • Have a YouTube link or something for the student in the breakout room to watch. I used a music video in Spanish.

Annex

  • Alibi table
Para tu coartada:¿Dónde estabas?¿Con quién estabas?¿Qué estabas haciendo?
18:00 – 19:00   
19:00 – 20:00   
20:00 – 21:00   
21:00 – 22:00   

DE F20 INT/ADV – Christmas Escape Room

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Day and Date: 11/24/2020

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

Class theme/topics discussed: Christmas & the holidays

Goal of the class: Learning about German customs and escaping Krampus’ mine

How did you structure the class?

A) Warm-Up: With the lights off and your Zoom background set to a coal mine, tell the students they have been captured and brought to a coal mine because they opened their advent calendars too early! Impersonating Krampus for this is highly recommended & fun (I wore a Santa hat and used a flash light to make myself look frightening)

B) Give them the “escape room” game Google Sheet link and explain (as “Krampus”) how they are going to find the code word to get out (which is “Merry Christmas” in German, but backwards, see Key sheet). Stress that they are supposed to talk to each other to solve riddles together, one at a time. Then set a timer for 45-50 minutes for them to solve the questions and to guess the code word.

It’s good to remind them of the time they have left every once in a while (half time and maybe 5 minutes before, depending how they are doing on time). I plan about 5 minutes per question on average as a guideline. If they are taking longer, feel free to help them a bit by telling them if their answer is right or wrong before they type them in, to avoid detours. And giving hints or more information about a correct answer works well, too.

C) Once the game is finished, go over the answers the students provided or answer any outstanding questions about Christmas in Germany.

D) Extra activity: Watch “Cat-A-Claws”, a 2-minute Christmas themed cat movie https://vimeo.com/381605666 (this is my own production, but available publicly). Find traditions and words we talked about in the movie.

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

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

The students enjoyed the surprise escape room very much and solved the riddles just in time. I clarified some things during the game and helped a bit to keep it moving. It was a fun way to learn!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I’ve tried this both with just one student and a group of three students and both took about 45-50 minutes to finish it. If the group is much larger, communication might be hard so they should probably be split up into groups of three or four and you can jump from room to room to help if necessary.

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/2020/11/24/13-1-class-25-11-23-2020/ (Password: GERMAN)

Note: You can use the key document for yourself and then load the blank template tab into Google Sheets to have the students work in the same document. It’s best if one student shares their screen of it so all can see what’s asked.

ES F20 INT/ADV Jeopardy Trivia

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Tamara Olivos

Day and Date: October 21, 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed: Trivia

Goal of the class: To think fast in the target language. Healthy competition

How did you structure the class?

Ice-breaker: We talk about our pets and our favorite animals. I showed them this picture to discuss dogs in particular. Students can also share funny stories with their pets or share pictures of their pets and describe them. https://www.instagram.com/p/By_fXrinn7D/

Activity 1: Share your screen and select the number of teams. You can choose to have pairs be a team. Write the name of the students where it says teams. For the buzzers, I used a website called buzzin.live. You can host a game, and share the game pin with your students. They will need to use the phone to buzz (it tells you who did it first). You also have to add/subtract the points manually using the + and – signs. You can edit this link, but if you will make major changes please create your own and copy the questions you want to keep.

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/trivia-en-espaol-10

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

Zoom, mobile phones.

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

I redid the game taking into account my Advanced class suggestions (I had created a game that was too difficult and asked for their feedback). They loved it and said the questions were neither easy or difficult.

F2020 Online: Ice-breakers #2

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

Marie Segura

Day and Date:

Week 1, second class, Fall 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

All

Class theme/topics discussed:

Getting to know each other #2

How did you structure the class?

Warm-up

Use a very short poll to start your class, eg:

  • What’s the strangest thing you did while attending an online meeting? (Multiple choice)
    1. Ate breakfast
    2. Wore pajamas
    3. Brushed my teeth
    4. Cooked lunch/dinner
    5. Watched Netflix
    6. Other but my lips are sealed
  • What’s your best personal remote work hack? (Open text)
  • In one word, how are you feeling right now?

Activity 1 – Interviewing each other

  • Pair up participants in twos.
  • Give them a list of questions to ask each other.
  • Ask each pair to interview each other, either via email or in breakout rooms.
  • When all the participants convene together in the same virtual room, each participant will introduce the participant they interviewed.

Activity 2 – Thumbs-Up or Thumbs-Down?

  • Students should choose a view that allows the entire class to be seen at once. They can also use a voting function if one is available in the virtual tool. Students take turns stating something they like/dislike or something they’ve done. For example, “I like shrimp.” or “I’ve visited Washington, DC.” Classmates indicate their similarity or difference with the person by showing a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down (or by using the voting function).
  • To personalize the activity even more, challenge students to offer an activity or accomplishment that they think is rare or unique about themselves, and see if anyone shares it. For example, “I cleaned out my refrigerator last night.” or “I was born on February 29.”

Activity 3 – ‘One Random Object’ Virtual Training Activity

  • Ask a student to pick one random object that is in their room and not tell anyone what it is.
  • Explain that the other participants will have to guess what it is, by asking questions that require a yes or no answer.

Online tools you can use:

You could use a chat board for this, but it is not necessary. You could just run the activity by speaking and maybe use a virtual board to record the scores.

Activity 4 – ‘Take a Picture of Something’ Class Activity

  • Ask participants to take a picture of something.
  • Typically, you choose a specific theme. For example, ask participants to take a picture of their shoes, or a picture of something that is on their workstation or the view outside their window.
  • Remember to ask participants to take the picture and upload it before the training session starts, as otherwise it might take too much time out of the training session if they were to do it in real time.
  • Ask participants to share the picture on a virtual board.
  • Start a discussion. For example, you could ask why they chose that particular item on their desk, or what they like the most about the view they can see from the window etc.

Online tools you can use

Online whiteboard, chat board, or a shared google doc.

Activity 5 – Find someone who

  • To run the activity online, create a 5 by 5 table with interesting facts, one for each box of the table. For example, you could write things such as: speaks more than two languages, has been to Argentina etc. Or, it would be a good idea to tie the facts with the topic of the class.
  • Share the file with the table with your participants, either in advance or during the session. You can share by email, through the file-sharing feature of the web conferencing system or with an online sharing tool such as a Google doc. Alternatively, you could do the activity in real-time using a tool such as Padlet.
  • Depending on the size of your class, send students into breakout rooms or do it as a whole class. Ask participants to write their name under each of the statements that apply to them.
  • Ask them to share the answers and discuss.

Activity 6 – Would you rather

  • Send students into breakout rooms in groups of 3/4.
  • Send to every room a series of “would you rather question” and ask students to discuss and defend their opinion.

Resources used:

  • Shared google doc
  • Zoom chat
  • Breakout rooms

Some comments:

There are too many activities in the class, but depending on the group, some may work better than others, I think it’s always better to have a variety of activities at hand, and some can also be used to start any other class.

Potential technical difficulties: students may not be able to take a picture, so activity 4 may have to be skipped. Having too many breakout room changes can take a lot of your class time, maximum twice in one lesson should work.

F2020 Online: Ice-breakers #1

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

Marie Segura

Day and Date:

Week 1, Fall 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

All

Class theme/topics discussed:

Getting to know each other

Goal of the class:

  • Dealing with the administrative aspects of the class
  • Assessing the students’ technical capacities
  • Introducing myself
  • Getting to know the students and their needs/interests/feelings about the class

How did you structure the class?

Setting up Zoom

  • Ask students to make sure they put the name they want to use as their username or to change it accordingly (maybe add their pronouns)
  • Brief explanation that the videos should be turned on as often as possible (except if discussed before or if impossible) because it makes conversations more natural. The mic will be off to start with/during instructions but students should feel free to interact before the class starts/after instructions/in breakout rooms. If a you have a big group, maybe ask them to raise hand or signal themselves before speaking (but it truly depends on the size of the group, it may be easier to just jump in).

Activity 1 – Where are you joining us from?

  • Depending on the size of the group, it may be useful to use a word cloud
  • Ask students where they are (city, country…)
  • Start introducing yourself by explaining where you are + where you are from, then ask students to introduce themselves: name, where they join from, where they are exactly, what their workspace looks like (if they have the video on) or what their virtual background represents for them, why they chose it etc.

Activity 2 – Introducing myself, Jeopardy Style

  • In pairs, students are asked to think of two questions they would like to ask to get to know me. Pair them up orally and ask them to come up with two questions in a private chat or use the breakout rooms.
  • Then, they are shown information about the LR on a powerpoint presentation (for instance dates, colors… that are answers to questions you may ask to get to know someone). To be allowed to ask the questions they have just prepared, students must, in pairs, try to find the question that might match the answer. 
  • Eg: on the screen, write you birth date. Students should ask you “When were you born? “, “When is your birthday?” etc. If they find the right question, they can ask you an extra one that they had prepared.

Activity 3 – Speed dating

  • Split your students into groups of 3 or more and allocate them to breakout rooms.
  • Ask each group to write down as a list on an online whiteboard or virtual sticky note all the interesting things that they all have in common (ask them to avoid obvious things, such as all being students or taking a conversation class) and something unique to each participant. They will have 5-10 minutes for this task. (online tip: set a timer for your breakout rooms + send a message 2mn before the end to warn the students that their time is almost over).
  • At the end of the 5-10 minutes, ask each group to share their list to the rest of the class via an online whiteboard.

Extra-activity 1 – New Academic Year’s Resolutions

  • Share with your students a google doc with a table showing different resolutions. 
  • (If the class is big) Students are separated into groups of 3/4 and sent in breakout rooms. In turn, they randomly pick a number (can use an online tool/Siri for that or just choose randomly) and discover their new year’s resolution. Then, they have to convince their skeptical friends that they are actually going to keep their resolution this year and to explain why it is so important to them.

Advanced: Besides explaining why it’s an important resolution, students have to explained how they plan on doing it. The others, the skeptical friends or relatives, can ask questions about the resolution.

Extra-activity 2 – 2 truths 1 lie

  • Ask one participant to write three statements about themselves: 2 true and 1 false.
  • Ask the other participants to vote on which statement is true and which is false.
  • After the first person has shared their statement and the group has decided which statement is false, the first person will reveal the truth.
  • Move on until each person in the group has shared their statements.
  • The participant with the most incorrect votes wins.

Online tools you can use:

Resources used:

  • Breakout rooms
  • Online whiteboard, chat board, other collaboration tools such as Padlet or Lino.
  • Google doc to share with the class in the chat
  • Ppt presentation

DE F19 INT Introduction

Language Resident Name: Tilman Viëtor

Day and Date: Wednesday, 09/04/19

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

Class theme/topics discussed: Introduction (personal & organizational)

Goal of the class: The students and I get to know each other; they understand what the class will be like. Also, they get to talk about themselves, practice asking questions and describing the past.

How did you structure the class?

  1. Introducing myself (in German), with a stick figure representing myself and answers to questions about myself around it. The students guess the questions to the answers.
  2. Organizational introduction (class agreement, attendance sheet, syllabus (task for second lesson: look over the syllabus, think about what topics may interest you)
  3. Students do the self-introduction like I did in step 1
  4. What did you do this summer?

In pairs: One person explains, the other person draws a picture of the holidays. Afterwards, the person who drew shows the picture to the other pair and explains their partner’s holidays using the picture.

  • Speeddating: Students pair up, and they get 5 Minutes to find 4 things they have in common. Then they switch partners and repeat.

Difficult decisions: I ask “either or” questions and the students position themselves on one or the other side of the room, according to their opinion. Then they explain their decisions.

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

White Board, pens

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

Everything went well

ES SP19 ADV: Mini Debates

  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Thursday, February 7th 
  • Language and Level: Spanish Conversation Advanced
  • Class theme/topics discussed:

Mini debates

  • Goal of the class:

To have mini debates

  • How did you structure the class?  
  • Class is divided in three groups, one consisting of two persons (the jury) and two big groups of four persons each. One topic is given, and both groups are playing against each other, whether it is for the statement or against it. Students present their arguments in 5 minutes and then the jury decides. Another statement is given to the students, this time a little more serious. Statements go from “Birkenstocks and socks are a good look” to more serious ones. 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The Activity worked out very well. Students were eager to debate even about “dumb” topics. It also gave an opportunity to discuss serious issues within American society. The format was really appreciated by students too.

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked very well. 

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