Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Communicating About Sports
In this course, students talk about sports. While their classmates learn the names and characters for eight sports, two native speakers learn more difficult Chinese vocabulary about the Olympics. Then students practice the new vocabulary and express their likes and dislikes about sports through a series of activities, including pair discussions and group skits.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: A Cajun Folktale and Zydeco
In this course, students learn about music and storytelling in the Cajun culture. They begin by comparing Louisiana and California life. Ms. Granville then introduces new vocabulary about agriculture while retelling a traditional Cajun folktale. Next, the students re-enact the story in groups, then use a story map to review elements of the folktale. Ms. Granville concludes the lesson with an introduction to zydeco music, including an opportunity for students to play authentic instruments.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Touring a French City
In this course, students practice how to give and follow directions. Students begin by describing several buildings in a classroom-sized model they built of a French city. Then they assume the roles of tour guides and tourists and take turns giving and following directions. At the end of the lesson, students randomly select a building name from a bag and describe the building to the class.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Hearing Authentic Voices
In this course, students talk about what they like to do when they are not in school. They begin by using new leisure-time vocabulary to make plans with a partner. In groups, they brainstorm a list of what young Americans like to do in their free time, and then prepare questions to ask native speakers about how they spend their time. Next, two young native speakers visit the class and describe typical out-of-school activities in Mexico. The class concludes with a comparison of Mexican and American activities, using a Venn diagram.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Food Facts and Stories
In this course, students make connections to science, health, and math during a nutrition discussion. They talk about the effects of a fast-food diet, using a variety of authentic materials including the Food Guide Pyramid and a fast-food restaurant menu. Later in the lesson, they use Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) to learn and practice new vocabulary.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Exploring New Directions
In this course, students in Chinese II-IV work on the theme "directions." Chinese II and Chinese III students work together in groups: the Chinese III students in each group describe local restaurants to prepare for a restaurant review project, while the Chinese II students use a map to practice giving directions to the restaurants. Meanwhile, Chinese IV students prepare and present a dramatic interpretation of two poems to the class. Finally, the whole class reads and interprets a portion of a poem that contains "directions" vocabulary, and then watches a filmed, musical performance of the poem.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Comparing Communities
In this course, students discuss community life at home and abroad and practice new grammatical structures. First, students share what they like about their community, then read an article about a French-speaking Canadian community and discuss what activities they would do if they visited there. Next, students learn the conditional verb forms using worksheets, and follow up with discussions about communities. Finally, Ms. Tulou introduces a children's book that uses the conditional tense, and students practice writing sentences similar to those in the book.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Interpreting 'La Belle et la Bete'
In this course, students discuss the classic 1946 film La Belle et la Bête, written and directed by Jean Cocteau. The film is an adaptation of the traditional children's story Beauty and the Beast. Having seen most of the film, students compare it to the original story. Then, after watching the film's conclusion, they discuss the movie's symbolism and deeper meaning.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Performing With Confidence
In this course, students participate in activities that improve their oral proficiency and prepare them for the AP French Language Exam. After a series of warm-up activities, students draw on prior research to discuss the French presidential election. Then they rely on research again to perform as celebrities and journalists in a class TV talk show.
Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices: Sports in Action
In this course, students learn new vocabulary about sports. After several warm-up activities, students focus on terms related to Olympic sporting events and make cultural comparisons between Germany and the United States. Next, students listen to and interpret a story presented through Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS), then recreate that story by acting it out and narrating it themselves. They conclude the activity by rewriting the same story in their own words and contributing to a composite class version.