an archive of lesson plans

Tag: Politics (Page 1 of 2)

FR INT/ADV SP23 Political Systems in French-speaking Countries

Level: Intermediate and advanced

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and describe the main characteristics of the different political systems in French-speaking countries and their main differences.

Materials:

– PowerPoint presentation on political systems in French-speaking countries

– Handouts with vocabulary related to politics and government

– Audio recordings with native speakers discussing political systems in different countries

– Internet access for research

Warm-up activity:

Begin the class by asking students to brainstorm words related to politics and government in French. Write their responses on the board and review the vocabulary as a class. Then, divide the students into pairs or small groups of 3 and give them a list of French-speaking countries. Have them research the type of government each country has and write a brief description.

Activity 1:

Present a PowerPoint on the different political systems in French-speaking countries. Include examples of countries that use each system and the main characteristics of each system. After the presentation, divide the class into small groups of 2 or 3 and assign each group a different political system. Have each group research a French-speaking country that uses their assigned political system and prepare a short presentation describing the system and how it functions in that country.

Activity 2:

Play audio recordings of native speakers discussing political systems in different countries. Have students listen and take notes on the characteristics of each system. Then, ask them to work in pairs to compare and contrast the different systems and discuss which one they believe is the most effective.

To extend the lesson, you could ask students to research current political events in a French-speaking country and write a news report discussing how the political system is affecting the situation. You could also ask them to research political parties in a French-speaking country and create a presentation discussing their platforms and how they relate to the political system in that country.

DE 23 INT S23 German Politics/Parties

TopicPolitics
Goals of the Classget to know the German political parties and their programs. form your own opinion about important issues in a country. what is important for me or for society.
Warm UpWhere is which city in Germany? the students had to take a quiz on different cities on the Germany map positions.
Activity 1I showed the students the colors of the six major parties. What do you associate with which color? What do colors stand for? What do they stand for in a political sense?
Activity 2Input about the programs of the German parties from My Side. Results of the last elections were shown. – Which points are of great importance to you? – If I were head of a party, what things would you focus on? – What colors and what name would your party wear?
Activity 3Voting at 16? sensible or not? Discuss advantages and disadvantages
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)? The lesson was very well received by the students and was also requested as a proposal in the first lesson. the two participants were able to represent their opinions very well and participated very strongly. The students were also very interested in the input about the German electoral and party system.  

JP F22 INT/ADV 政治や外交・歴史や人権、人種差別の問題について話そう!Let’s talk about complex subjects such as Politics, Intl relations, History, racism and Human rights!

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Cozy Enrique NAKADA (Koji NAKADA)

Day and Date: 14th week (29th Nov and 1st Dec 2022) 

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):  Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: Conversation project

Goal of the class: To be able to express on the academic interest they have

How did you structure the class?

29th November 2022

16:15

              Talking about bilingualism and economical success in California

              Talking about a documentary film about heritage language

and social exclusion in Korea

17:15

1st December 2022

16:15

              Talking about microaggression and racial justice

              Talking about minority / majority issues in Japan

17:15

What technology, media or props did you use?  

   Handout, YouTube video

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

It was great two consecutive session to talk about their themes that they’re passionate about. They learned many higher / abstract words.

マイクロアグレッションの問題を説明する動画。

人種差別の無知を笑いで切り返す、爽快な動画。考えるきっかけとして最適

日本における「外人」差別をデフォルメして描いた動画。もちろん実際ここまでの人はいないにしても、多かれ少なかれ差別はあるよね。

学生の一人が制作に携わった、韓国のドキュメンタリー。いわゆる「ハーフ」の子達が、自らのルーツと向き合うためベトナムに旅行する、そのインタビューも載っているとのこと。非常に参考になる。(全て韓国語、たまに日本語も)

ハーフ達

日本における「ハーフ」のリアルを描いたドキュメンタリー映画。本当に力強く、マジョリティの「純ジャパ」と自称する人たちこそ見て考えを改めるべきで、その参考になる作品。

DE F21 INT/ADV German Federal Election 2021

Language Resident/Assistant Name:
Nicolai Diener

Class theme/topics discussed:
German Federal Election 2021

Goal of the class:
Learn and discuss about:

  • Political system in Germany
  • Comparison between German political system with U.S.
  • Comparison between Majority voting & proportional representation
  • Key political offices/names/institutions/parties in Germany
  • Distinction between party, fraction and coalition
  • Distinction between German parties

How did you structure the class?

4.30 – 4.40:        “Positionslinie” (Students have to position themselves along a line (“Positionslinie”) which is marked by a check on one side and a cross on the other according to three statements: 1) “I mostly understand what politics is about” 2) I feel that my opinion is well represented in politics 3) “I would go to a demonstration if I didn’t like something in the country”. Depending on where the students stand the teacher tries to collect like 1-2 opinions from students (standing on the extremes/middle/.. trying to involve everyone))

4.40 – 4.45:        Review: Political System USA – groups (the students have to discuss the following points with regard to the political system in the U.S.: “1) Key offices 2) Who votes for whom? 3) How is the winner decided?” They can use the chalkboard for illustrations)

4.45 – 4.50:        Review: Political System USA – plenum (teacher asks students for what they discussed in the groups and collects their input on the chalkboard for illustration purposes + easier comparison to German system)

4.50 – 5.00:        Scheme of key offices/institutions in German political system (students get 6 different parts of one scheme and have to bring them in the correct relation to each other. If too difficult help the students + discuss open questions)

5.00 – 5.05:        Gap text of key offices/institutions in German political system (introduce more/precise vocabulary/offices/institutions and record it with the gap text)

5.05 – 5.10:        Discuss 3 important terms: party, fraction & coalition (“party” and “fraction” important basic terms to understand the political system in Germany, as well as “coalition” – the latter one also allows to transfer to the next point: the comparison between majority voting and proportional representation)

5.10 – 5.20:        Watch Video „Wahlsysteme einfach erklärt“ + Discuss open questions

5.20 – 5.30:        Introduce & Discuss the Parties in Germany (each student gets 1 party – they have to read the short introduction and combined with their own knowledge have to answer the following questions: “1) Who is you party? What positions do they represent? 2) Where would your party position on a left-right-scale (using the same line as in the first task) 3) With which other parties would your party form a coalition?”)

XXX       Campaign issues

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

I knew that this class would be intense and we won’t be able to do all the things that I had planned – nevertheless I am really happy, as we were able to talk about the most important aspects and from my point of view the students were really (!) interested and also understood a lot (!). They were really engaged and worked pretty well on all the assignments, even though they had different degrees of political knowledge. To be honest, I switched to English several times this class – but this was a once a year occasion and it was important to me that they use German as much as possible (and I use German as much as possible in explaining things), but at the same time I really wanted them to take as much knowledge out of that class as possible – even if that meant that I had to switch to English sometimes.
All the assignments worked really well and took about the right amount of time – maybe the first task could have been a little bit shorter, but it was a really nice introduction, had the students walking around in class, discussing, sharing – so I would not necessarily change it as it is a good introduction to the class.
The comparison worked really well – students own knowledge/experience as basis to imagine how the German system could work. The explanations of the “party”, “fraction” and “coalition” terms allowed to have short little excursions to other topics – e.g. differences between the two voting systems. The video was good and worked really well in combination with further explanations by myself. They got to know the parties and what they stand for – the only thing we did not talk about were the campaign issues. But I do not really mind that – as that part is the weakest in my opinion and I will focus my study break on campaign issues. So it is not too bad that we did not do it and instead used the SHORT time for all the other important stuff. The students also asked a lot of questions after the class, left about 5.45 and I could tell them some insights to the German political landscape – all in all I would say that this was certainly a PACKED, but VERY good class.

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

Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZSCCKjttM0 (09/23/2021)

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.

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)

JP F20 INT/ADV: Naomi Osaka

Language Resident/Assistant Name:  

Kozue Matsumoto 

Day and Date:  

Wednesday September 16, 2020   

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):  

Intermediate / Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:  

  • Naomi Osaka  

Goal of the class:  

  • What Naomi Osaka did, and how the story was told.  
  • Think about racism and BLM movement, think about them in Japanese context, and express ideas in Japanese 

How did you structure the class?  

  1. Good news? (5min) *We share positive stories at the beginning of each class.
  1. Ask about some Japanese news they know (5min)  
  1. Listen to the news (10 min)  
    1. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012615261000/k10012615261000.html  
    2. Check the basics of the news (Who she is, what she did, her action of wearing masks etc.) 
  1. Breakout room (30 mim) 
    1. What do you think about her action of wearing masks during the US Open? 
    2. Lots of Japanese people believe that top athletes like her shouldn’t talk about any political or controversial issues. What do you think about it? 
    3. For so long time, for Japanese people, “Japanese people” mean people who look like Japanese, speak Japanese, live in japan for entire their life, and have both Japanese parents. Now things are changing. The Japanese society needs to adjust to multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-everything reality. As a person who lives in USA, what would you like to suggest, advise, or teach Japanese people about living in a diverse community? 
  1. Main room (10 min) 
    1. Share ideas regarding the last question (4.c) 

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

Class agreement, breakup rooms 

Zoom, Breakout room, chat section, news web site 

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

  • Listening to Japanese news stories (created specifically for children and non-Japanese native people) seemed to be a little difficult, but they got a basics about the story (I believe the photos helped too.) 
  • Students had so much to say about this topic.  They had thoughts and ideas. They sometimes struggled to express it in Japanese. But I felt their willingness to challenge themselves and share their thoughts in Japanese. I think this is great. 
  • I had another news story to discuss as I thought that one topic wouldn’t cover the whole hour. I was wrong. Students had a lot to think and share.
  • I tried to reflect some reality of Japanese society. Also, I tried to have them think about it in relation to their reality in the USA. I received a lot of great points about question 4.c. One said that the USA has lots of issues itself and that it is difficult to provide any advice. This is understandable, too. 
  • I wasn’t sure how students would react to this topic, but they were very serious, and I can tell that this is not a new topic for them. They have been thinking about this issue for a while.  

Advanced:

  • Even before we start first discussion about Naomi Osaka, students had a lot of questions about Japanese society, such as how Japanese people understand things like BLM, whether there is racism in Japan and if so what kind, how Japanese people think about being different, whether and how people talk about politics, about the media’s political stance, how people learn about the USA. We had a good discussion. 

How could this class be improved/ modified? 

  • Providing a basic key terms in Japanese at the beginning of the class might have helped. But at the same time, if I did it, that’s going to frame how and what they are going to think. So probably, just start free flowing, and help them when they ask about certain words.  
  • I see that the advanced class can learn and discuss a lot about Japan’s social and political issues as well as cultural things. I appreciate their curiosity.  

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.

DE F17 INT German Parliament – Bundestag

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Ines Fister

Day and Date: Monday, October 2, 2017

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): German, intermediate, 3 students

Class theme/topics discussed: German Bundestag – political parties

Goal of the class:

Have a basic knowledge about 3 major political parties

How did you structure the class?

4.15 – 4.25 (10 mins): Repeat most important vocab: students get 2 vocabulary cards each and they have to explain the words they have (taboo); they get points for being fast in explaining and for knowing the words of others

4.25-4.55 (30 mins): research about one political party (allowed in English) and prepare a short presentation about your findings in German! (students have macbooks) – handout for guidance.

4.55-5.15 (20mins): present and discuss/ask questions

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

whiteboard, Mac books, TV in lounge, Worksheet

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

It worked fine. During the presentation, they did not pay too much attention, though.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

Give them a task during for the while-listening period. Maybe “find differences to the party you researched about” or similar.

 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 poltical party presentation

ES S17 ADV Immigration in Spain

Language Resident Name: Joaquin Garcia

Day and Date: 04/19/2017

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advance

Class theme/topics discussed: Debate

Goal of the class: Debate about immigration

How did you structure the class?

Heads-up: Announcements and upcoming cultural activities

Activity 1: We read an article about second generation immigrants in Spain. Students read loudly the article in turns and we comment paragraph by paragraph and they share thoughts and compare it with the immigration situation in the US.

http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2016/09/13/actualidad/1473758176_296143.html 

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 love the topic. We had to divide the original class plan into two sessions because the discussion was very long! 

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.

 

 

DE S17 INT German and U.S. education system

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

 

Language Resident Name: Martin Siebert

 

Day and Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2017

 

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

 

Class theme/topics discussed:

 

The German and U.S. education system in comparison

 

Goal of the class:

 

Students learn or recap vocabulary about school and education, talk about their educational background and compare it with the German system.

 

How did you structure the class?

 

20 minutes: Match the people. The LR presents a list of about ten jobs on the board. Then each student writes down ten associations that he or she has with one of these jobs. All of these have to be a single word, no matter if noun, adjective or verb. The students then work in pairs: they have to guess to which of the job the associations correspond. The associations shouldn’t be too obvious. When the partner guessed correctly, the explanation for each of the associations should be provided.

 

40 minutes: The German and U.S. education system in comparison. Students get in pairs. Together, they work to provide an overview of the U.S. school system (regarding all educational institutions from birth to the first real job). This should entail information such as the different schools (e.g. kindergarten, primary school), the age groups, the subjects studied, curriculum, the classes within the school, the qualification of teachers, hours that children stay in school daily, compulsory schooling, difficulty of studying, private vs. public schools, job training, university education, tutoring, grading/grades, food at schools, homeschooling etc. The students then share their collected information with the group. Subsequently, they watch a short video about the German school system and compare in their groups the most obvious differences. Then they share their thoughts and comments with the group. The LR provides vocabulary and additional information.

 

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

 

Whiteboard, Video about the German education system, Vocabulary sheet.

 

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

 

Both activities went well. It was interesting for the students to hear about the different educational backgrounds that they each had and liked to get to know new information about the “German way”.

 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

 

Maybe I would provide a table/sheet that helps the students to better organize their educational background.

20170125_Das_hessische_Schulsystem

 

RU S17 ADV Political news

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Tatiana Ermolaeva

Day and Date: Tuesday, 04/11/2017

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

Class theme/topics discussed: Political news

Goal of the class: practice reading and speaking skills

How did you structure the class?

  1. Warm up. General questions on how their day went.
  2. Students got an article from BBC Russian on political situation between USA and Russia. The task is to read the article, create a vocabulary for talking about politics on the board and tell the news they read.

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

Internet, printed news articles

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

The class went well. As the articles were authentic, they were very challenging but the students understood the majority of information. We even had a small discussion on political situation n the world.

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.

 

 

DE SP16 ADV Election campaigns then and now

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

 

Language Resident Name: Charlotte Eisenblaetter

 

Day and Date: Thursday, 14 April ‘16

 

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

 

 Class theme/topics discussed: Election campaigns then and now

 

Goal of the class: To discuss and understand some old and new posters used in elections by various political parties in Germany.

 

 How did you structure the class?

 

  • Each student got a paper with pictures of about 16 electoral campaign posters since 1949. They took turns reading out and describing them and we tried together to understand their meaning and context in the election back then. It also served to introduce students to the different political parties that exist in Germany and their general profile (liberal, social, environmental, and so on).
  • I showed students some contemporary campaign posters from 2013 and we discussed their effects and their messages.

 

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

 

Copied pictures from a book about political education from my high-school years (I attach the pdf).

Wahlplakate_früher1

Wahlplakate_früher_2

 

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

 

It was a good introduction to the names and profiles of the general political parties. It was just hard to explain all the allusions and the political context because this is sometimes very specific and complicated. But nevertheless, students got a lot to speak because they had to describe the pictures and formulate hypotheses about the message.

 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

 

Talk also about campaign posters in the US – it is more relatable to the students and you might get to know a lot about American politics.

Lesson Plan

 

FR S14 INT Family & Marriage

Language and Section: FR 11

Date: 04/15

Class theme/topics discussed:

Family and marriage

Goal of the class:

Review the family members

Talking about one’s family and one’s own ideas about marriage

Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below): 

1 General discussion

How is their family? Are they close? Do they see them often?

2 Taboo

Pairs. A student draws a card with the name of a family member. He has to make his partner guess who is it without saying it.

3 Brainstorming

I give them a handout with 12 questions about the family. They pick up one and answer it in front of the rest of the class.

4 Same-sex marriage

I tell them about the law that was adopted last year. I show them a video with the negative comments about it and then ask their opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcb7hHKc5a4

 

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

 

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

As I had only three students, I had to modify it a little bit. Actually, we took a lot of time just talking about our families. I think now they are comfortable enough with the language to have more debates and general conversations about a topic, which is really interesting. We also talked more generally about marriage if they would like to get married, when, why

 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

 

 

LA FAMILLE

 

 

  1. Quelles sont les différences entre les familles américaines et les familles françaises si vous en connaissez ?

 

  1. Qui devrait prendre soin des personnes âgées ?

 

  1. Quels sont les modèles de famille en dehors de la conception traditionnelle de la famille ? (par exemple : les familles monoparentales, les familles recomposées, le mariage homosexuel…)

 

  1. Depuis que vous êtes à l’université, votre relation avec vos parents a-t-elle changé ?

 

  1. Le mariage est-il essentiel pour le bon fonctionnement de la famille ou de la société ?

 

  1. Pouvez-vous comparer la vie d’un jeune Américain à l’université et celle d’un jeune Français ?

 

  1. Mariage religieux ou mariage civil : lequel est le plus important pour vous ?

 

  1. Quelles valeurs pensez-vous devoir enseigner à un enfant ?

 

  1. Les droits des parents séparés sur la garde des enfants : que pensez-vous de la situation des pères ?

 

  1. Quels sont les avantages et/ou les inconvénients des familles multiculturelles ?

 

  1. Pensez-vous que les enfants d’aujourd’hui sont négligés en raison des longues heures de travail des parents ?

 

  1. Que pensez-vous du droit des homosexuels d’adopter des enfants ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MON PERE

MON COUSIN GERMAIN

MA GRAND-MÈRE PATERNELLE

MON GENDRE

MA NIECE

MA BELLE-MÈRE

MA DEMI-SOEUR

MON JUMEAU

MA TANTE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RU S14 ADV Sochi Olympics

Conversation Class Lesson Summary – Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi

Language and Section: Russian Advanced 13

Date: January 23, 28 and 30 2014

Class theme/topics discussed:

Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi: optimistic (PART 1), critical (PART 2) and application (PART 3) 

Goal of the class:

Talk about the social and economic aspects of the Olympic games in Russia before the games begin, develop argumentation skills and critical analysis of language

Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below): 

PART 1: POSITIVE

Activity 1 – Warm-up

Handout 1 – Who do you root for? Who won what? Using Handout 1 we talk about the contents of the official website of the Olympics http://www.sochi2014.com: sports, medals, teams. We also look at http://o14.yandex.ru for content that the students comment on using the Handout.  What do you watch? Who do you support? Which teams/athletes won what?  – 15 minutes

Activity 2 –  Advantages and disadvantages of holding Olympic games – preparation for the video

Students list advantages and disadvantages of hosting Olympic games (blackboard) 10 minutes

Activity 3 – Video Opinion poll http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXvGgTTByY

Before watching: what is the general consensus? What does that tell us about the people organizing the poll? Do they have an agenda? Watch the first half first for a general picture. Then watch question by question and discuss. – 25 minutes

Activity 4 – What would you ask Russian people if you were doing the poll?  Other students try to answer – 10 minutes

PART 2: CRITICAL

Activity 1 – Warm-up – general discussion, classes, news – 15 minutes

Activity 2 – Vocabulary revision (Handout 2) – Taboo game – 10 minutes

Activity 3 – Video Sochi Olympics –  Feast in Time of Plague

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY6HYbYVpTY

Watch once for general comprehension, the speech is very fast but it’s very visual and all the numbers are shown on the screen – 5 minutes

Activity 3 – Article & Discussion (Handout 3) – 30 minutes

Students read an article summarizing foreign press articles about the Sochi Olympics. They each have one main problem to characterize based on the article. General discussion includes comparisons with the previously studied material (the optimistic opinion poll). Analysis of rhetoric strategies and specific language in the article and in the videos.

PART 3 – THE FUTURE – Presenting an application to host the Summer Olympics 2024

Activity After a 5-min warm-up, the students prepare their applications based on the handout (each one gets their own city) for 10 minutes, then each of them presents while the others ask questions.

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

Video, Internet

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

The class went very well because students are interested in the topic. Part 3 (presentation of cities) was especially successful, since students were able to recycle a lot of useful vocabulary from two previous classes. They also practiced their argumentation skills and, most importantly, asking questions.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

Please attach your lesson plan and handouts for this class below – if you used any.

Conversation Class_RUSS13_SOCHI_OLYMPICS

DE S14 ADV News and broadcasting

Date: 04/22/2014

Class theme/topics discussed: News

Goal of the class: talk about current events, news and their importance, understand and compare different kinds of news broadcasters

 Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):

–       I asked whether students watched or read news

–       We summarized the big topics in current international and national affairs

–       I asked students what kind of news they watched

–       What kind of shows did they know

–       I also asked why they preferred a certain show over another.

–       We watched the beginning of that day’s German news

–       Students were asked to describe the news with regard to tone, design, presenter, gestures, facial expression etc

–       I asked them what news for children should be like: we gathered ideas

–       I showed them Children’s News and we analyzed their presentation and the topics and compared it to the previously seen “normal” news broadcast 

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

White board, TV, computer

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

The question of what news students watched and liked sparked a tiny discussion among them which I had not expected since the class is not very “independent” when it comes to talking and usually needs a lot of guidance. That was a good moment.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

—–

DE S14 ADV Reading a newspaper article

Class theme/topics discussed: reading on the Crimean Conflict 

Goal of the class: read a text and be able to understand it properly 

Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):

–       I gave students a text on the Crimean Conflict from www.zeit.de

–       The class was divided into 3 groups and each had to work on a paragraph in the article

–       Each group then summarized the paragraphs and presented unknown vocabulary to the class

–       We discussed the title of the article and the content

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

handout

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

It went really well and students were happy to practice reading at some point in this class! They had perviously asked for a reading exercise.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

—–

DE S13 ADV 80 years of NS takeover

Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation

Date: 01-31-2013

Class theme/topics discussed:

–       Introductory small talk

–       80th anniversary of the NS take over

Goal of the class:

–       Knowledge about the National Socialist Terror Regime

–       discussing

Structure of the class:

–       We watched the news and particularly a video in which the take over of Hitler’s national socialists was explained and commemorated as the end of the first German democracy

–       Students were asked to describe what they had seen and to reproduce in their own words what the holocaust survivor in the video said

–       The teacher asked several question, some provocative

–       A discussion started about guilt, collective failure, uniqueness of the dictatorship, and the general dangers to a democracy.

–       We ended with another video which explained the strengths of the second German democracy

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

Tv, internet

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

I ran out of time due to the lively discussion which emerged. I let it go though because it produced 30 minutes during which I did not say a word. All students were involved. Guilt, responsibility, knowing and not knowing, injustice, and democratic weaknesses seem to interest a lot of students.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I did not expect the class to become so great. I would therefore not modify anything.

DE F12 ADV Elections, Comparison of Political Systems

Conversation Class
Lesson Summary

Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation

Date: 11-08-2012

Class theme/topics discussed:
– Elections in America and in Germany

Goal of the class:
– Discussion of the results of the recent presidential elections
– Understanding of the working of German democracy
– Familiarization with difficult vocabulary in politics
– Comparison of two systems of electing a parliament

Structure of the class:
– students talked casually about the outcome of the elections
– we reviewed the system of American presidential elections
– we watched a video on a German news channel and evaluated if the explanation was good and could be followed
– I distributed a list of words concerning politics, parliamentary business, etc.
– We went through all the vocabulary
– We watched a video which explains the system of German federal elections
– We watched another easier video provided by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education, explaining the same thing again
– We discussed the system: is it complicated, is it easy, is it just?
– What are the advantages, what’s a possible disadvantage?
– Students asked for more explanation
– We talked about earlier outcomes of German elections
– How is the chancellor elected?
– I explained the existing parties to students

What technology, media or props did you use?
TV screen, laptop, German public TV media offer, video, white board

What worked well in this class? What did not work?
Students were VERY interested, asked LOTS of questions, told me to actually keep on doing such topics. I feared it would be too much centered on me but it was a successful conversation class.

How could this class be improved/ modified?
Very time-consuming, in “weaker” classes there might not be as much talk. Risky but interesting.

08-11-2012, Alles Wahlen, Vokabular

08-11-2012, Politik-Vokabular

DE F12 ADV Role Playing & Politics

Conversation Class
Lesson Summary

Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation

Date: 11-13-2012

Class theme/topics discussed:
– Political parties in Germany

Goal of the class:
– Spontaneous speech production
– Knowledge about political parties in Germany

Structure of the class:
– We started off with some weekend talk, this took longer because students were actually very engaged and talked to each other, asking questions, etc.
– We played a game: students had to grab a piece of paper from an envelope. They paired up and had three minutes to improvise a scene in which the concept/mood expressed on the paper would be represented
– The rest of the class guessed
– We started a talk about political parties in Germany
– Students grouped up again. One party each group.
– Students were supposed to find out their parties stance towards education, family affairs, economy, and environment; research was done with laptops and smartphones

What technology, media or props did you use?
Paper, envelopes, laptops, internet smartphones

What worked well in this class? What did not work?
All worked very well. In fact, I consider this one of my best classes so far.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

13-11-2012, roles

FR S12 INT Food

Lesson Summary

Language and Section: French 11 SP 12

Date: 02/14/12

Class theme/topics discussed: French food habits in France and in the United States
Goal of the class: Make the students learn and exchange about the different food habits in France and in the United States.

Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):

-Warm up activity with the previous vocabulary (10 minutes)
-Open conversation about the different food habits in France and in the United states(20 minutes)
-Comment on a campaign made by the INPES (French Institute for Health) in 2008 (10 minutes)

-Working in pairs, the students had to talk about the cultural differences they noticed between eating in France and in the States (30 minutes)

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

-Paper Sheets to write down the vocabulary for warm up activities for next class
-TV and computer for the video.

What worked well in this class? What did not work?
-The students were excited about the topic and had a lot to say about they’re food habits (What they are cooking, what they like to eat, why they are vegetarian…)

How could this class be improved/ modified?
-In the intermediate class a few people went to France, I had to talk more than I should.

FR S12 INT Institutions

Conversation Class
Lesson Summary

Language and Section: French 13/ SP 12

Date: 03/29/12

Class theme/topics discussed: Political institutions.

Goal of the class: give the students and Idea of the French political institutions and the main political parties.

Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):

-Review of the vocabulary of animals (10 minutes)

-Conversation and explanations regarding the French political institutions compared to the united states (35 minutes)

-Screening of two videos regarding French politics from news website and the Zapping+questions(15 minutes)

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

-Whiteboard, tv screen and computer

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

-The students had the choice between this class or planning a trip to France. The intermediate class choose to talk about politics.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

-I should re-print the handouts from the French embassy I used during the first semester.

FR F11 ADV Politics

Language and Section: FR 13

Date: 09/27/11

Class theme/topics discussed: France’s national institutions and politics

Goal of the class: Make the students able to hold a colloquial conversation about politics in French

Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):

-Warm up with previous class’ vocabulary (10 minutes)

-Introducing the French national institutions in interaction with the students making them read and comment the French embassy’s documents for foreign people, and the political parties (20 minutes)

-Group work : your party just won the 2012 presidential elections and your representatives holds the two assemblies, according to the party you choose, write a 5 points political program for the country (10 minutes)

-Discussion about the political program the students made up  (20 minutes)

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

-Whiteboard, TV screen, computer, documents from the embassy.

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

-The class worked well, the students were very interested in French politics and institutions, but it was a lot of information at the same time.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

-Maybe an article about the primary elections would have been interesting.

 

ES F11 ADV Political Debate

Language and Section:  SPA 13.2

 Date:  09/15/2011

 Class theme/topics discussed: National Identity

 Goal of the class: To debate and promote reflection on different political systems, as well as introduce vocabulary relating to those systems.

 Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):

 –        Each group got assigned a political system on which they had to make a presentation and an argument for its implementation in the new nation (even if they don’t personally agree with the system) They were: Absolute Monarchy, Liberal Democracy, State Socialism.

–        Each group made their case and then fielded questions put forth by the other groups.

–        The class as a whole votes on a system to implement in the new nation

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

 Whiteboard

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

The students were engaged and they presented very good points. The quizzing by their classmates forced them to think on their feet and express themselves quickly, which they did with very satisfactory level. They managed to articulate a very complex system to an astonishing level of detail, as the questions and debate became more focused on pragmatically matters. WARNING: this worked well because I knew the group was very politically-minded; other groups may not be as interested or even offended.

 How could this class be improved/ modified?

 If a group has truly differing opinions it could work less as a roleplaying exercise and more as an honest debate, though this can be a double-edged sword.

 

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