Language Residents

an archive of lesson plans

Tag: Listening-Comprehension (Page 1 of 3)

RU SP24 CC INT Filler words and texting culture on the internet

May 10, 2024 /

Language Resident Name: Xeniya Amelina                                                        

Day and Date: Wednesday, April 17

Language and Level (please circle):  Russian Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed: filler words and texting culture

Goals of the class: to introduce filler words in Russian, to discuss unspoken rules of texting and video calls etc

How did you structure the class? I began from asking my S to imagine a situation when he needs to tell a really long story to a friend in a different city. He had to choose how he’d do it: vie text, voice message, video call or a carrier pigeon . After that we transitioned to discussing filler words, why they are used, whether or not they should be used etc. We broke down the Russian term for filler words, since it has a peculiar background story. Then I asked my S to listen to 2 voice messages  https://youtu.be/Zxcuea-biCM?si=sZrHBwzQdmR2y9XJ and note down any Russian filler words he can hear. Spoiler: they were riddled with them! We had an interesting discussion afterwards, talking about how many ways there are in Russian to fill your speech with nonsensical words. After discussing the video, I gave the S 7 printed out comments that I found under that video. They either contained great idioms, something funny or something related to culture. Having laughed at and discussed the comments together, I asked the S to fill out the EVAL.

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

Whiteboard, laptop, presentation, printed out comments

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

We were laughing a lot! The S said it was a super culturally-immersive CC

How could this class be improved/ modified?

As one of the follow-up activities I could give the S a text (or a set of comments, again), for him to spot the filler words and cross them out, making the speech clearer and better.

Filler-words-and-texting-culture-kriper2004Download

RU SP24 CC INT Space travel (День космонавтики)

May 10, 2024 /

Language Resident Name: Xeniya Amelina                                                        

Day and Date: Monday, April 15

Language and Level (please circle):  Russian Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:  space travel, the first human in space, space tourism.

Goals of the class: to familiarize the S with the Cosmonautics Day, which is celebrated in post USSR countries, to discuss space.

How did you structure the class? For this class we went outside and I began from showing a photo of space to my S. I asked him to describe what he saw and tell me what he knows about space. Then I gave him 2 words with some of the letters missing. He had to put the letters in the correct place to get День Космонавтики (The Cosmonautics Day) right. I encouraged the S to make suppositions about what it meant etc. My S already knew some info about the holiday, which was great! Afterwards I gave him a worksheet, which was a transcript of a 2-min video on the topic (https://youtu.be/UmV2SgrfEZg?si=W2T36RYz1w5c9psF), but had gaps and a vocabulary task. When we were done with all of this, we discussed the pros and cons of space travelling and space tourism, talked about American and Russian/Soviet space programmes.

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

Laptop, handout

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

The S enjoyed the listening comprehension activity and was invested in the topic. Plus, going outside gave us more prompts to discuss!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

It was a great class!

Screenshot-2024-05-10-at-10.23.55-AMDownload
Screenshot-2024-05-10-at-10.24.06-AMDownload

RU F21 ADV Intro to the Soviet Poetry: Gennady Shpalikov

December 10, 2021 /

Language Resident: Aleksandra Bystrova

Date: 10/05/2021

Class theme/topic discussed: Soviet Poetry of the Khrushchev Thaw (1960s)

Goal of the class: 

  • Learn about the poetry during the Khrushchev Thaw
  • Practice translating and listening skills
  • Get to know the Soviet director, screenplay writer and poet Gennadiy Shpalikov

Class structure:

  1. Greetings and warm-ups.
    Discussion in pairs: Do you like poetry? Who is your favorite poet if you have one? Do you know any Soviet or Russian poets?
  2. Introduction. Gennadiy Shpalikov
    I briefly introduce the biography of Gennady Shpalikov to the class. Why he was important for the “Ottepel” (the Khrushchev Thaw) and what the general atmosphere in the culture at that time was. I ask students if they know something about 1960s culture in the Soviet Union.
    “В воздухе была надежда на свободу, и мы дышали этим воздухом, а как точно заметил Сергей Соловьев, Шпаликов этот воздух создавал” (Юлий Файт)
  3.  Activity 1. Translate a poem.
    I give students a handout with the Shpalikov’s poem “Людей теряют только раз” (“You lose people only once…”) translated in English and ask them to come up with a Russian translation for this poem. I put students into two groups, so every group come up with their own translation. Then, I ask them to present their poems to the rest of the class.
  4. Activity 2. Comparison with an original.
    Александр Яценко – “Людей теряют только раз”
    I show students a video of a Russian actor Alexander Yazenko reading this poem in a studio. Before that, I give them a handout with an original text, so students can compare their poems with the original.
Геннадий Шпаликов
Людей теряют только раз,
И след, теряя, не находят,
А человек гостит у вас,
Прощается и в ночь уходит.
А если он уходит днем,
Он все равно от вас уходит.
Давай сейчас его вернем,
Пока он площадь переходит.
Немедленно его вернем,
Поговорим и стол накроем,
Весь дом вверх дном перевернём
И праздник для него устроим.    		Gennady Shpalikov
Translated by Igor Skryagin and Aleksandra Bystrova  
All people may be lost just once,
And a lost trace may not be found,
When a person, who is staying with you,
Leaves into the night, saying «goodbye».
And if they leave in the afternoon,
They leave you anyway.
Let’s return them right now,
While they are crossing the square.
Let’s return them immediately,
And talk to them, and set the table,
Turn the whole house upside down
And arrange a feast for them.  
Activity 1. Translate the poem.
Activity 2. Comparison with the original

What worked well in this class? What did not work?
Students came up with beautiful translations of the poem. They were very engaged into translating it. If students are interested in the Soviet culture and poetry, it can be a very enjoyable class. However, if students don’t like poetry it might be challenging. The level of the poem is appropriate for advanced learners. The groups of two students in each group worked well.

How could this class be improved/ modified? 
I would leave it as it is. If you have more time left, you can do the same with another poem from the Thaw’s poet Bella Ahmadulina “В тот месяц май, в тот месяц мой…” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbhaPvhokqM)

DE F20 ADV – German politics

December 1, 2020 /

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

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

Day and Date: 11/10/2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: German government and current politics

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

How did you structure the class?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How could this class be improved/ modified?

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

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

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

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

December 1, 2020 /

Language Resident/Assistant Name: Eva Saunders

Day and Date: 11/12/2020

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

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

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

How did you structure the class?

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

Watch short cartoon about St. Martin:


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How could this class be improved/ modified?

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

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

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

DE FA18 INT Art and painters

December 14, 2018 /

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

IVAN LUCIC

Day and Date:

Wednesday, 11/28/2018

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

German, Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:

Art and painters

Goal of the class:

Get to know the vocabulary regarding art. Be able to describe a picture accordingly.

How did you structure the class?

Activity 1 (5 min): Quiz. First, we started doing a kahoot quiz. I prepared a quiz on famous painters and paintings. The students had to do the quiz on their own. The students got really excited and loved doing that.

Activity 2 (10 min): Interview. I asked the students to interview each other about art and museums. They asked each other how often they went to the museums, which museum they liked the most and which painter they liked the most. After that, we gathered the results in the big group.

Activity 3 (5 min): I told the students to gather as many terms they knew about art, specifically the tools they would need to paint and to draw. The winner got a small gift (candy). After that, we briefly talked about vocabulary regarding art by collecting all the tools you would need to paint and draw.

Activity 4 (10 min): I showed a famous painting of Salvador Dali and we tried to describe the picture as accordingly as possible by using phrases (in the front of the picture, in the back of the picture, etc). I also handed them a help sheet they could use in the next exercise. This exercise should prepare them for the next task.

Activity 5 (30 min): Drawing by hearing. I split the students in groups of three. One student would sit in the front, facing away from the screen. The two other students would look at the screen and try to describe the picture best to their knowledge. The student facing away would draw it. The students had 10 minutes for each picture. Then they would switch so everyone would be in the place of drawing. In the end we would look at all pictures. The one that looked the most similar won (and the group received candy as a reward).

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

Whiteboard, pen

PowerPoint presentation (see attached)

Help sheet (attached)

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

The students really enjoyed the quiz! Also, they enjoyed drawing the pictures and explaining that to each other. They also drew really funny pictures!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

It was one of the best classes. I would keep it as it is.

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

Deutsch Fortgeschritten, 27. November 2018

Hilfe für die Beschreibung

Im Vordergrund gibt es…                                  –                       In the front there is…

Im Hintergrund gibt es…                                   –                       In the back there is..

Auf der linken Seite des Bildes…                       –                  On the left side of the picture…

Auf der rechten Seite des Bildes…                     –                On the right side of the picture…

In der Mitte des Bildes gibt es…                        –                       In the center of the picture there is…

Daneben                                                           –                       Next to it…

Davor                                                               –                       In front of it…

Dahinter                                                           –                       Behind it…

Hinten links sieht man…

Hinten rechts sieht man…

Vorne links sieht man…

Vorne rechts sieht man…

INT-28.11.2018

ES S17 ADV Immigration in Spain

May 5, 2017 /

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.

 

 

ES S17 INT/ADV Conditional Sentences and Video Description

May 5, 2017 /

Language Resident Name: Joaquin Garcia 

Day and Date: 02/06/2017

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

Class theme/topics discussed: Conditional sentences, description.

Goal of the class: Students overview conditional sentences and practice them.

How did you structure the class?  

Heads-up: upcoming cultural activities

Warm-up: I quickly remind students how to conjugate conditional verbs and I write a couple of sentences as example.

Activity 1: After a couple of comments about what they are about to see, I play a clip muted on youtube of a famous songwriter from Spain. Students are in pairs, one facing the screen, the other one facing backwards. The student who can see the screen must describe what is happening while the video is playing. Then everyone watches the clip with music and test how much they were able to describe/understand. After, pairs switch places and I play a second clip.

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HpIgZUqfn8
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-u-xjSREkM

 

Activity 2: I play again the last song. I handle out the lyrics with blanks on it, students must listen and fill the blanks. After, we discuss the lyrics and I make them realize that most of the sentences are written using a conditional structure.

Activity 3: In groups of 3, students must answer to some questions I write on the board that start by “What would you do if…?”

-You won the lottery

-You had a time-travel machine

-There was an earthquake

-You could have the job of your dreams

 

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

Youtube

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

It was a bit challenging for some of the students but very fruitful for others, hopefully all your students will have gone through conditional sentences at least once. The description activity is also intense, but despite the difficulty, you definitely can tell that they had a lot of fun.

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 F16 ADV Understanding of a song and analysis

December 9, 2016 /

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Martin Siebert

Day and Date: Thursday, October 13, 2016

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

Class theme/topics discussed:

Basic understanding and interpretation of a German song.

Goal of the class:

Practicing listening comprehension and understanding of texts (also stylistic devices) and justification.

How did you structure the class?  

20-25 minutes: Odd man out. The class is divided in two groups or pairs to have a competition. The LR provides 4 to 5 different words. Each group has to provide the reasons for each of the words to be the odd man out. The students are given a time limit during which they have to make up their reasons. They take notes so that they have proof that they do not copy from the other group that is presenting. Each word that they were able to describe as the odd man out will be rewarded a point. The LR varies the intensity by setting tougher time limitations. 

25-30 minutes: Song analysis of “Madsen – Geschichte”. The students listen to the song “Geschichte” by Madsen. They try to remember as much as possible (words, phrases, the general issue). The ideas are then shared with the class. Afterwards, they receive the songtext with gaps. The song is played a second time. The students then try to fill out the blanks in pairs. The LR then helps them to clarify misunderstandings and questions. Each pair gets to analyze one paragraph, the LR provides the categories that help them understanding the meaning. They present their ideas in class

3 minutes: Information about study break on 21st of October. Information about film festival next week (class will be dismissed at 4:55). Information about conversation class project – what is needed. 

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

Music so that they cannot hear each other that easily, wordlist for odd man out, TV/speakers to play the song, Songtext with gaps, questions for interpretation

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

Students liked both the song and the activities of this class.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I would keep it as it is!

 

Sheets:

Katze, Hund, Schildkröte, Elefant

Löwe, Katze, Tiger, Bär

Mensch, Delphin, Hai, Wal

wütend, fröhlich, Gewalt, eifersüchtig/neidisch

Krieg, Flut, Trockenheit, Plage/Seuche

Adler, Eule, Fledermaus, Pinguin

Arzt, Psychologe, Priester, Dichter

Archäologe, Soziologe, Historiker, Paläontologe

Helikopter, Flugzeug, Bus, Vogel

Roman, Zeitung, Zeitschrift/Magazin, Radiosendung

Apfel, Orange, Mango, Banane, Traube, Pfirsich

Indien, China, Frankreich, Uganda, U.S.A, Neu-Guinea

Finger, Blut, Herz, Auge, Muskel, Zunge

Socke, Mantel, Kleid, Unterhosen, Schal, Jeans

Rotkäppchen, Hänsel und Gretel, Schneewittchen, Dornröschen, Aschenputtel

Baum, Busch, Blume, Unkraut, Pflanze, Gras

Trompete, Trommel, Geige, Flöte, Harfe, Klavier

Fluss, Wasserfall, See, Meer, Moor/Sumpf, Pfütze

ruhig, wütend, zierlich, schüchtern, bescheiden, flott/lebendig

Frieden, Freude, Harmonie, Schönheit, Delikatesse/Spezialität

DE 13 FS15 Adv. Soul Kitchen

December 11, 2015 /

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

 

Language Resident Name: Charlotte Eisenblaetter

 

 

Day and Date: Thursday, 1 October 2015

 

 

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

 

 

Class theme/topics discussed: Movie “Soul Kitchen”

 

 

 

Goal of the class: To practice fluency and listening comprehension

 

 

 

How did you structure the class?

 

  1. Activity: I showed them the first 6 minutes of the movie “Soul Kitchen” without sound. The students exchanged seats: one facing the screen and describing, one turning backwards to the screen and listening to the other student. Every minute they exchanged seats. (10 min)
  2. I watched the first 6 minutes again without sound, this time both students could see the screen. After that, I asked them to tell me what characters they remembered from the scenes and how they might be related. (10 min)
  3. We watched the 6 minutes again with sound and they had a bingo chart with words from the scenes. They should listen for these words and try to find a row of four words. We watched part of the scenes twice because they had to listen again before they recognized enough words. (15 min)
  4. We analyzed a scene of 2 minutes (both sound and pictures) and I stopped the scene repeatedly, asking the students to explain what had been said/ seen. We watched the scene 3 times. (15 min)
  5. We talked about the class project again and found a better topic, deciding on a cook book. We plan to go through the cook books in German lounge together next week.

 

 

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

 

Movie from Youtube (“Soul Kitchen”, Fatih Akin, Adam Bousdoukos, 2009). Handout with bingo grit.

 

Link to movie:

Movie Soul Kitchen

 

 

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

 

The describing part (Activity 1) was really fun and they enjoyed it. They had to talk fast and think less about vocabulary. It would have been useful to have a script for the movie since it was hard to understand the dialogues for them. However, the most important part was not understanding the content, but producing and recognizing speech.

 

 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

 

Skip the second showing of the first 6 minutes without sound; it took too much time. Have a dialogue from the movie printed out and let students act it out themselves. Then watch the scene.

 

 

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.

Lesson Plan Soul Kitchen

Handout Soul Kitchen

RU F15 ADV Everyday Life

December 11, 2015 /

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Tatiana Ermolaeva
Day and Date: Thursday, 12/03/2015
Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Russian, Advanced
Class theme/topics discussed: Everyday life
Goal of the class: spontaneous speech practice

How did you structure the class?
1. Warm up. Dice talk.
Students throw dice. The number on it corresponds to the number of the topics on the list below:
1. What is your biggest dream?
2. How do you make friends with people?
3. Tell about the book you’ve recently read.
4. What would you like to change in the world?
5. What would you do if you won 1 billion $?
6. What places would you like to visit?
7. Would you change anything in your life if you could?
8. What is your most pleasant memory?
9. What is your favorite holiday? Why?
10. What bothers you most of all in present moment?
10 minutes
2. Guess what the movie is about
a) http://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/839253/
Listen to the trailer (no video). Try to find out what the movie is going to be about. Develop the story. Watch the trailer again with the video this time. Does it correspond to the story you’ve invented?
b) http://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/840258/
Watch the trailer without sound this time. Try to guess what the movie is about. Watch the video for the second time with the sound.
20 minutes
3. Look at the pictures of my friends and try to guess what their life looks like.
20 minutes.

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

What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The warm up activity worked great (thanks to the previous Japanese LR for the idea with the dice!). I chose questions that can be developed into serious and long conversations so the students were able to talk a lot but not endlessly. It’s a great exercise for spontaneous speech in a target language (if questions are adequate). As to the other tasks, they were not so exciting for the students though one of them now wants to watch one of the Russian movies that I showed a trailer of. In general the class went well.

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.

Questions for the 1st task:
1. Расскажи о своей самой заветной мечте.
2. Как ты заводишь друзей?
3. Расскажи о книге, которую ты недавно прочел.
4. Что ты хотел бы изменить в мире?
5. Что ты бы сделал, если бы выиграл 1 миллион долларов?
6. Какие места ты бы хотел посетить?
7. Изменил бы ты что-либо в своей жизни, если бы мог?
8. Расскажи о своем самом приятном воспоминании.
9. Какой твой любимый праздник? Почему?
10. Что тебя беспокоит больше всего в данный момент?

RU S15 ADV Music and wisdom: Boris Grebenshikov

May 8, 2015 /

Conversation Class Lesson Summary 

Language and Section: Russian Advanced 13

Date: January 22, 2015

Class theme/topics discussed:

Interview with Boris Grebenshikov

Goal of the class:

Announce two cultural activities coming up – two films at the Laemmle, introduce students to “Aquarium”, a cult Russian indie-rock band, their music, their spirituality and their fearless leader, Boris Grebenshikov

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

Activity 1 Announcements – 10 min

I show the trailers for the movies I am taking students to see:

Hermitage Revealed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJSueFTlmKE

Leviathan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oo7H25kirk

Activity 2 – “Aquarium” and Boris Grebenshikov – HANDOUT 1 – 15 min

We look at the lyrics of “Vyatka – San Francisco”, a cool song by Aquarium, and then watch two version of it: acoustic and full band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wWHIIewRkI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84503534&x-yt-ts=1421914688&v=MbkT76u2Z1M

We discuss and try to figure out Boris Grebenshikov’s

Activity 3 – Interview with Boris Grebenshikov – HANDOUT 2 (questions) and HANDOUT 3 (answers) 35 min

The original is here: http://snob.ru/selected/entry/86702?preview=print

It’s from January 21, so it’s really new! Each student gets Handout 2 with the question and a couple of answers (rescrambled). I give them 3 minutes to look at their answers. I ask them to read the questions out loud and whoever has the answer reads it. We discuss and clarify the vocabulary if needed. Some of the more sophisticated structures are great examples of a translation challenge, e.g. “не могло не отразиться”, “искусственно раздутый скандал”.

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

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

The more I do it, the more I see how great reading out loud is for students of any level! Some of my students are very fluent speaking, but seem to have hit a “glass ceiling” where they cannot really make their vocab and structures more varied – and reading really helps that, I find. Some of them have difficulty with it, but they all seem to be enjoying it. So I do want to keep integrating it, maybe in smaller doses.

The interview is great – great language and very representative of the political stance of Russian intelligentsia.

Finding answers in a great exercise – they have to look for thematic vocabulary, but most importantly, structures! Also, it’s great for listening comprehension, because the others don’t have those answers.

I wanted to give them time to work in pairs and answer the interview questions from a completely different perspective – say, that of a hardcore Putin supporter, or a communist, or a pop star, but we didn’t have enough time. I should have definitely cut down the number of questions. But they still enjoyed it!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

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

CC_RUSS13_Interview with Boris Grebenshikov_Jan22

FR S15 INT Movies vs Life

May 8, 2015 /

Language Resident Name:
Clémence LEFEVRES

Day and Date:
Tuesday, April 28th

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

Class theme/topics discussed:
Movies vs Life

Goal of the class:
To learn about movies currently in the theaters in France
To create stories

How did you structure the class?
1. Warm-up: how was your weekend? Coming CA
2. Posters
I make groups of 2 or 3. I give them a poster of a movie currently screened in France. They have to describe it to their classmates and imagine the movie behind this poster
Then, we watch the actual trailer: what do they understand? Is it close to what they imagined? Which version do they prefer?
3. Movies vs life
I show them the video from Suricate – Golden Moustache called “Movies vs life”. In small groups, they have to imagine their own and present them in front of the class.
Then, we watch the “Movies vs Life 2”

How did it work?
Students always LOVE creating stories and acting. Those exercises gave them enough freedom to be creative. Especially the “movies vs life”, they had a lot of ideas.

FR S14 ADV Party (2 classes)

May 9, 2014 /

Language and Section: FR 13

Date: 04/15 & 17

Class theme/topics discussed: Student party/Parties

Goal of the class:
Learning vocabulary about party and partying.
Learning slang

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

1 Warm-up
Weekend? Did you go to a student party?
Dans votre pays d’origine, participiez-vous à des soirées étudiantes? Racontez-nous vos soirées étudiantes, vos meilleurs souvenirs et vos anecdotes.
Est-ce que vous aimez les soirées étudiantes ? Pourquoi ?
Avez-vous déjà participé à des soirées étudiantes dans d’autres pays ? En quoi sont-elles différentes ?
Quels conseils pouvez-vous donner aux étudiants qui s’apprêtent à aller pour la première fois en soirée étudiante aux Etats-Unis ?

2 Article
Read altogether an article about the French student parties.
Qu’est-ce que ces témoignages vous apprennent sur le mode de vie des étudiants français ?
Quelles sont les alternatives aux soirées étudiantes ?
On rentre chez les parents le week-end ; soirées étudiantes le jeudi ; pas de « vie de campus » à l’américaine

3 Brainstorming
What are the reasons to party? (talking about “la pendaison de crémaillère”)

4 Listening comprehension
Video from Norman about birthday parties
http://www.normanfaitdesvideos.com/2013/12/04/les-anniversaires/

Students then have to answer to 10 questions about this video

5 Scenario
You are at an American student party with a French friend. You have to explain him (in French) the meaning of two words or expressions of American slang.

6 Song
Tryo “Désolé pour hier soir”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1yCKZMnbI
They have to “translate” the slang from this song into a “correct” French

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

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

This class took me actually two days instead of one. Students who already lived in France loved sharing their experiences about students’ parties. One of the good surprises was the scenario exercise: it worked really well, and it was a good activity to paraphrase something they know and realize the connotations and levels of language in their own language, so then they understand better the French slang as we worked on translations.

ADV 18 Soirées étudiantes

FR S14 ADV Cinema & Cannes festival (2 classes)

May 9, 2014 /

Language and Section: FR 13

Date: 04/22 & 04/24

Class theme/topics discussed:
Cinema and Cannes Festival

Goal of the class:
Discovering the most viewed French movies in France
Learning the history of the Cannes Festival
Creating stories from movie posters

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

1 Video about Cannes Festival
http://www.flevideo.com/fle_video_quiz_high_intermediate.php?id=4583
In pairs, they have to answer the questions about this video.
Ask them some other questions related to the festival, they have to guess the answers (available on the website + which Disney movie received a Palme d’Or? Dumbo. Which countries received the most Palmes? USA – France – Italy).

2 Top 10 in France
I give them a paper with pictures from the 10 most viewed movies in France. They have to match these pictures with the title and the year, and rank them in the right order.

3 A l’affiche
Groups of 3. I give each group a poster of a movie screening now in France. Then have to imagine the story, write it down and then present it to the other students. In the end, they decide with one should receive the Palme d’Or.

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

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

I did not expect this class to last two days. They loved it. Especially when they had to create skits to present the movies. We watched the actual trailers, and they were really interested in watching them.

Top 15 films français

RU S14 ADV Proust Questionnaire

December 13, 2013 /

Conversation Class

Lesson Summary

Language and Section: Russian Advanced 13

Date: October, 8 and 10, 2013

Class theme/topics discussed:

Proust Questionnaire – Traits of character/qualities

Goal of the class:

Talk about traits of character/qualities, listening comprehension (normal speed spontaneous speech)

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

PART 1 (60 minutes)

Activity 1 – Warm-up

First glance at the lyrics of “Vasya”, a song by  Bravo, a 80’s-90’s Russian disco/rock’n’roll band – some words are missing (see handout 1) – 3 minutes

Video 1 – music video of “Vasya”, live from 1991 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKl7xDirIIg

Fill in on the first listen, check together, discuss etymology of words, watch again – 7 minutes

Activity 2 – Marcel Proust’s Questionnaire – 30 questions divided into 3 parts (number of students). Each student reads their question to make sure everyone understands it – 15 minutes. Make sure we understand the vocabulary.

Video 2 – “Pozner” – Russian tv-show by Vladimir Pozner. Questionnaire part of the interview with director and tv personality Aleksandr Gordon, starts at 46:03 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhXPdJZK8Uk  – 7 minutes

Video 3 – “Pozner” – Russian tv-show by Vladimir Pozner. Questionnaire part of the interview with magazine editor Aliona Doletskaya , starts at 45:32

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUq75oxt7TU – 7 minutes

Ask your partners a few of «your» questions, discuss – 20 minutes

PART 2 – SHORT (30 minutes)

Activity 1 – vocab revision – take one sentence from HANDOUT 3 (all adapted from handout 2) and describe a situation/evaluative scenario which ends with this sentence, 9 sentences – 25 minutes

Activity 2 – discuss conversation class projects – 5 minutes

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

 Video, Internet, text

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

I thought the class went very well.

Vasya is a fun song and relatively easy to understand for this level, serves as a nice warm-up for any class, regardless of the topic. With it, we also establish continuity for this class as well as for an advanced Russian/Post-soviet culture class all the 3 students are taking (they will be covering different subcultures, including stilyagi)

The Proust Questionnaire integrates well thematically with the topics we have covered so far: learning types (visual, aural, kinesthetic), personal preferences in life and work as well as recycles an important task type – personality test questions.

Going through the questions in activity worked well: 1) listening comprehension (each students has 10 out of 30 questions); 2) structural transformations/synonymy (some of the Proust questions are phrased slightly differently by Vladimir Pozner). Also, students are generally interested in learning about themselves and each other, and in this group they are very comfortable discussing these matters, the group dynamics are very good and is only strengthened by the use of such exercises.

Watching interviews with very interesting Russians – journalists, writers, politicians etc. seemed to be appreciated by the students as very good exposure to the culture.

Describing an evaluative scenario which leads up to a sentence containing vocabulary to be revised is very effective (Handout 3), and I will definitely use it more. It creates a “context” and thus 1) really checks whether the students understand the word well, and 2) helps them remember new vocab better, because their situations are personalized even if they are completely imaginary.

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

 

Handout 1

Группа «Браво» – «Вася»

Когда 
_____ ______  огнем витрины

На старых улицах Mocквы

Не трудно встретить этого мужчину

Небесной 
_____ ______ _____

На нем всегда _____  ______   отличный

Оттенка _____  ______ с 
_____ ______ _____

И побродить по улицам столичным

_____  ______ _____  ______   _____

Спросите у любого на Тверском бульваре,

Кто лучше всех танцует __________ и ­_____  ______ _____,

Кто лучше всех _____  ______ _____  Пресли на _____  ______ _____

-
На это каждый ответит, каждый ответит:

– Конечно, Вася, Вася, Вася,

Ну, _____  ______ _____ _____  ______?

Вася, Вася, Вася – стиляга из Москвы.

Пойдите в ­_____  ______  “С­­­­­­овременник”,

На _____  ______ _____ в Дом  _____  ______

В таких местах всегда вы, _____  ______ _____,

Встретите ­его

­_____  ______ _____  ______ “Спартак”-“Динамо”

И переполнен _____  ______ _____

А это ­кто сидит с _____  ______ _____ _____  ______ –

Ну, конечно, он.

 

Handout 2

Опросник Марселя Пруста Часть 1

1. Что такое, по-вашему, крайне бедственное положение?

2. Главная черта Вашего характера?

 

3. Качества, которые Вы особенно цените в мужчинах?

4. Качества, которые Вы особенно цените в женщинах?

5. Что Вы больше всего цените в друзьях?

6. Ваш главный недостаток?

7. Ваше любимое занятие?

8. Что для Вас наивысшее счастье?

9. Что было бы для Вас самым большим несчастьем?

10. В какой стране Вы хотели бы жить?

Опросник Марселя Пруста Часть 2

11. Ваш любимый цвет?

12. Цветок, который Вы любите?

13. Ваша любимая птица?

14. Ваши любимые писатели?

15. Ваши любимые поэты?

16. Любимый литературный герой?

17. Любимые литературные героини?

18. Любимые композиторы?

19. Любимые художники?

20. Любимые имена?

Опросник Марселя Пруста Часть 3

21. Что Вы больше всего ненавидите?

22. Исторические персонажи, вызывающие у Вас презрение?

23. Военное событие, достойное, по-вашему, наибольшего восхищения?

24. Реформа, которую вы оцениваете особенно высоко?

25. Способность (дар), которой вам хотелось бы обладать?

26. Как вы хотели бы умереть?

27. Состояние духа в настоящий момент?

28. Проступки, вызывающие у вас наибольшее снисхождение?

29. С кем из ныне живущих людей Вы хотели бы встретиться?

30. Ваш девиз?

Handout 3

Я испытываю к этому человеку глубокое презрение.

Я по-настоящему ей восхищаюсь.

В общем, он очень нетерпеливый.

Одним словом, у него много необычных способностей.

Доверчивость – одна из ее главных черт.

Одним словом, наша организация находится в бедственном положении.

В общем, его девиз – «Один раз живем!»

Поэтому теперь она сидит дома и погружается в уныние.

Но это все не так важно, больше всего, конечно, я ценю в нем его доброту и честность.

 

 

RU F11 INT Sports

December 9, 2011 /

Language and Section: Russian; RUSS011-PO11

Date: 29 November 2011

Class theme/topics discussed: Sports

Goal of the class: to get the student to learn names of different sports and terms for discussing soccer

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

Lesson Plan attached

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

Laptop, TV set

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

The plan worked very well. The student loved the topic because he’s interested in sports and does sports a lot. He especially loved the last activity, where he should have commented the clip from a cartoon about soccer. It was fun!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I had only one student in this class, so it was fine, that I asked him so many questions about sports (we discussed everything within 20 minutes). Probably, if it’s a bigger group, there wouldn’t be enough time to discuss everything, so it’s better to lessen number of questions then and choose those which are more personal. Also, while discussing controversial questions, it might be more interesting to divide the class into 2 groups “for” and “against” and ask them to think of as many arguments as possible.

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

RU F11 ADV Music

December 9, 2011 /

songLanguage and Section: Russian – PO Russ 13.1

Date: 8 November 2011

Class theme/topics discussed: Music

Goal of the class: to practice speaking and listening skills based on the topic “Music”; learn Russian equivalents of different music styles and instruments

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

Lesson Plan attached

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

Internet resources, laptop, TV set

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

Everything worked wonderful, students loved the lesson!

How could this class be improved/ modified?

With my class long open discussion of their musical preferences worked well. Probably for some groups of silent students it’s better to make more task-based activities.

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

RU F11 ADV Crime

December 9, 2011 /

Language and Section:  Russian – PO Russ 13.1

Date: 8 September 2011

Class theme/topics discussed: Crime 

Goal of the class: to learn vocabulary connected with crime; to practice listening skills 

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

Lesson Plan attached

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

Internet resources (video), laptop, TV set

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

Everything worked quite well. However, though the video is perfect for weather + crime vocabulary (the previous lesson was about weather so with this video students repeat previous vocabulary and learn new), it was a bit too difficult even for advanced students. 

How could this class be improved/ modified?

Probably cut some parts of the video and make shorter the video and the list of vocabulary (from 6 min to 3 or so). In this case, it won’t be so tiresome for students to listen to it.

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

RU S11 INT/ADV Song + Student Presentations

April 26, 2011 /

Class theme/topics discussed:
Listening Practice + working on individual mini-lessons.

How did you pick this theme or topic? n/a

How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Handouts, presentation, general discussion.

How did students react?
The text, even with commentaries, turned out to be difficult for them. (Maybe they were tired – since it’s the end of the semester. Not motivated, vey low participation, slow reaction… Might be general condition, not a reaction to the song…)
Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes.

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
Handouts, laptop, TV screen.
A laptop/ computer for each student (ask in advance to bring laptops in class)

Please attach a copy.
Lesson 27_April 26_Несчастный случай – Batman Is Back

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes.
Why or why not?
Students can share with the group sth that they find interesting / entertaining. They can design a new activity that they think everyone would enjoy. Moreover, it is a geat way to find out what they like doing in class and where their interests lie (so I would suggest having this class somewhere in the middle of the semester, too).

Intermediate Russian
Lesson 27
April 26, 2011

1. Warm-up: song (15 mins max.)
Distribute the lyrics, read and discuss.
Listen to the song.

2. Introduce the tasks for this class :
Next class will be created by the students themselves, 50 minutes of class time are divided between students in class (3 students = approx. 15 minutes for each of them). Students are expected to share sth they personally find interesting about Russia/Russian language. It can be a short presentation / video followed by a discussion; a grammar exercise; role play; a game – anything!
Their task for today is to create a mini-lesson plan for these 15 mins.
Again – they can do anything they want to, the only requirements are:
– a maximum of 5 minutes can de dedicated to presentation, i.e. showing a video/ the presenter’s talk, etc. 10 mins should go to GROUP work, i.e. discussion/ exercises/ practicing;
– discussion/ activity should be structured and well organized (with vocabulary notes, if needed, or handouts with questions).
By the end of class they should email the instructor their plans/ handouts/ links/ list of equipment they need + instructions on what materials have to be printed, how many copies.

NEXT CLASS – Student Presentations.

Intermediate – 1) showed a cartoon “Винни-Пух” (1 episode) + a short pPowerPoint about this character;
2) showed a video about logging industry and corruption in Russia (w/English subtitles); 3) designed a taboo game.
Although the task was made clear, two of the students used the whole time period for a presentation and did not prepare any discussion/ activity based on what they presented. Was interesting, but lacked conversation. Put more stress that the presentation should only be 3-5 minutes! They cannot show a 10-15-minute long video.

Advanced – 1) designed a Apples to Apples game in Russian; 2) designed a word guessing game-competition; 3) prepared a mini-lesson that included a) short intro with a powerpoint about V. Mayakovski; b) a song by Splin “Mayak” on a poem by V. Mayakovsky “Vmesto Pis’ma” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaSicf98fn4; c) a writing activity – writing a short love letter.
Advanced mini-lessons were perfect! Could be used in the future.

FR S11 INT – bullfighting and course camarguaise

April 7, 2011 /

Corrida and Course Camarguaise

How did you pick this theme or topic?

I realized they didn’t know what a corrida was, and even though I hate the concept, I think that it’s an important part of culture in the South of France, as well as Course Camarguaise which I actually enjoy.

How did you present the material? (Handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)

Videos
Song with blanks
General discussion

How did students react?

They reacted well.

Did they engage with each other and you?

Yes.

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)

Handouts
Youtube videos

Please attach a copy.
Below is the plan I had with me in class.

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes

– Raseteur/course camarguaise vs corrida
⇒ Video de corrida on youtube

⇒ Francis cabrel’s song with lyrics
La Corrida
music video

⇒ Video de course camarguaise
course camarguaise

⇒ Funny video
Remi Gaillard

FR S11 INT – Spring Break + song “Plaire” about eating disorders

March 24, 2011 /

Spring Break + song “Plaire”

How did you pick this theme or topic?

After talking about food, I wanted to make them think about the idea of getting slim for someone else and to have them practice their comprehension skills.

How did you present the material? (Handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Song with blanks
General dicussion

How did students react?
They reacted well

Did they engage with each other and you?
yes

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)

Youtube
Handouts

Please attach a copy.

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
yes

Intermediate 3/21

1. Warm-up : Spring Break – 10 min
⇒ 5 min to talk about what they did for Spring break
⇒ 5 min to share with everyone

2. Song – 20 min
Plaire
– They listen to it for the first time, without the handout.
→ Then, discussion to see what they understood, if they could pick up some words, the general ideas, who is singing…
– I give them the sheet with the lyrics with blanks
– They listen to the song again
→ need to fill in the blanks
– They can listen to it a third time if they feel like it
– correction

3. Vidéo – in pairs – 20 min

– They have to imagine a video clip – 10 min
– They tell the class – 5 min
– We watch the real video

4. Discussion générale – 10 min

– troubles alimentaires

→ quels troubles alimentaires connaissent-ils ?
→ comment se manifestent-ils ?
→ pourquoi certaines personnes ont-elles des troubles alimentaires ?
→ connaissent-ils quelqu’un qui a eu des troubles alimentaires ?
→ qu’en pensent-ils ?

⇒ est-ce courant de vouloir maigrir pour plaire ?
⇒ pourquoi ?
⇒ qui est à l’origine de cette obsession de la minceur ?
⇒ quelles personnes célèbres sont vraiment maigres ?

DE S11 INT TV Series

February 17, 2011 /

Conversation Class
Lesson Plan

Section: Intermediate Conversation
Date: 17th Feb 2011

Class theme/topics discussed:
TV series “Tuerkisch fuer Anfaenger”

How did you pick this theme or topic?
Popular German TV series which reflects the stereotypes of Turkish people living in Germany

How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Showing the series, discussing the stereotypes we saw in it.

How did students react?
Liked the series.

Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
DVD

Please attach a copy.
FLRC

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes

Why or why not?
It reflects German culture and immigration in Germany

FR S11 ADV – asking questions + song M.Pokora

February 10, 2011 /

asking questions
Song

How did you pick this theme or topic?

I wanted to do something fun with them, and 20 questions is a game that allowed them all to speak and learn some new vocab and defend their opinions (why yes and not probably? Etc…).
Also, I wanted them to know which song had won the NRJ Music awards 2011 and get to know a little more what was on French radio stations now.

How did you present the material? (Handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)

Group work
Handout with lyrics

How did students react?

Very well. They asked for another round after the first game. And then, they were very interested in the video for the song.

Did they engage with each other and you?

Yes, a lot!

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)

Game 20 questions on the internet
Youtube video clip of the song

Please attach a copy.
Below is the plan I had with me in class

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes!!

Advanced 2/10

1. Game = 20 questions
⇒ Each has to read a question and everyone has to reply

2. Song – M. Pokora
Juste une photo de toi
lyrics
• 1 ecoute, discussion + fill in the blanks
• 2e ecoute, fill in the blanks
• correction

• Discussion
→ what do you think of this song
→ do you know M. Pokora? NRJ Music Awards 2011
→ what’s you favorite style of music?

RU F10 INT A Song – Viktor Tsoi “Kogda tvoya devushka bol’na”

December 2, 2010 /

Class theme/topics discussed:
Listening Practice: a song by Viktor Tsoi
Evaluation

How did you pick this theme or topic? Students were interested in Russian popular songs.

How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Listening exercise, handouts, general discussion.

How did students react? They enjoyed the class.
Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes.

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
Handouts, laptop, youtube.com
Please attach a copy. Lyrics for the song with blanks.

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes.
Why or why not?
It is an efficient listening exercise, and it provides a springboard for the discussion.

Intermediate Russian Conversation
Lesson 27
December 2, 2010

Listening Class

1. Students listen to a song without a handout with the lyrics.
We discuss what they understood: what is the song about?..

2. Students get a handout with the lyrics, where they have to fill in the blanks.
If needed, they listen to a song twice.

3. Reading and translating the lyrics. Checking the blanks.

4. Discussing the singer/song: did they like the song? Why/ why not? Do they know anything about this singer? What Russian music do they know?..

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