For our level 1 students, my department does daily drills that each focus on a different theme. This is something they started doing last year and I loved the chance it gives me to tie in things that we normally wouldn't get to address because of time constraints. We get a quick look at cultural topics like food and music that can spark student interest so they can investigate further on their own.
My themes are:
- Musik Montag: Students listen to a German song and look at the lyrics
- Denkmal Dienstag: Students learn about a monument or building in a German-speaking country
- Mensch Mittwoch: Students learn about a famous German-speaker
- Kunst Donnerstag: Students look at a famous painting
- Essen Freitag (Food Friday): Students learn about a German dish and look at the recipe
Each day has specific questions related to that topic, as well as links and resources for students to investigate on their own.
The questions and resources are in English. These are my Level 1 students and I want this to encourage them to investigate the culture vs find the language as a barrier to their interests. My hope is that it will get students engaged based on their own interests and that will get them engaged with the language. I've always noticed that students who have a personal interest in a city, the history, the food are more likely to continue on with the language - they have that travel bug growing inside them that will motivate them :)
I have these as an optional activity for students, something they can do for Euros (I don't think I've written a post about the Euro System I use for participation yet - I'll have to do that next!). This gives students even more freedom to pursue the topics they like while giving them just enough of a nudge to do it. I find some students do all five every week because they want the Euros, and I have others who will only do their preferred topic of music, food, or whatever they like best.
If you're interested in learning more, click here for a copy of the first week I did (and of course check out Slidesmania for the template I used to create these!) - you'll be able to see my questions and use this as a template if you'd like to use or modify the idea!
How do you bring culture into the classroom? Do you feel that you do it enough?
- Frau Leonard
