I love to have my students create podcasts to improve their speaking skills. I give them a topic and some links to online resources to do research on the topic. The assignment is to have an intelligent conversation about the topic with a partner. The students are supposed to record their conversations on their mobile…More
Diagnoseaufgaben für die Jahrgangsstufe
Im nächsten Schuljahr übernehme ich (mal wieder) eine Klasse in ihrem letzten Jahr, kurz vor der Abiturprüfung. Die größte Herausforderung für mich ist dabei immer, einen schnellen Überblick über den Leistungsstand der einzelnen Schülerinnen zu gewinnen. Dieses Mal werde ich mit Mikro-Schreibaufträgen als Diagnoseaufgaben arbeiten. Ich habe versucht, typische Aufgaben im Umfang möglichst stark zu reduzieren,…More
Questions on a text – the other way round
Instead of confronting students with pre-fabricated questions on a text, why not have them create their own set of questions before reading a text? As an example I’ll use an article and a video from The Guardian’s website that cover the fascinating Mars One project, in which they search for volunteers to establish a human…More
Discussion Activity: ‘Googling in Exams’
This activity is based on a pro/con-article from The Guardian in which the two authors debate whether googling should be allowed in exams. For the exercise to work I cut the article in half giving each student only one side. I used the article as prompt and model for a pro/con discussion done in pairs.…More
Role Play Activity “Skype Translator”
Preparation: Watch the following video clip presenting the Microsoft’s new Skype Translator: LINK TO VIDEO Now read the following reaction of a journalist who could test the new app: This week I’ve been using the preview version of Microsoft’s Skype Translator. And it’s breathtaking. It’s like science fiction has come to life. I don’t speak…More
Twitter fiction in the classroom
On nanoism.net you’ll find stories of the shortest kind. Each story is comprised of not more than 140 characters – the length of a tweet. In the classroom I use the stories in two ways: – I like to print out a few dozen of the stories and stick them to the classroom walls. Now students can…More
The Amazon Dash Button – a focus on language
As a follow-up on yesterday’s more content-driven lesson I’d like to share a few activities that are supposed to focus on language. They don’t come in the shape of traditional grammar activities, so it might be important to explain their aim to your students beforehand. Dictogloss Use the first three paragraphs of the text (124…More
Linking language input and output with chunks
This lesson is based on a funny and insightful animated short film call “What the internet is doing to our brains”. It is supposed to closely link language input and output. LINK TO VIDEO 1. Tell your students they will watch a film called “What the internet is doing to our brains” and ask them about…More
TPSPS on the Amazon Dash Button
Here’s a quick lesson on Amazon’s new Dash Button that follows the structure of “Think, Pair, Square, Pair, Share” (TPSPS). THINK: Watch the ad for the Amazon Dash Button. Could you imaging using such a button? What products would you use it for? PAIR: Share your ideas with a partner. Now read a newspaper article from…More
Keep it in the ground
Dear reader, this blog is supposed to be about teaching. Today it is about acting like a responsible human being. Please support The Guardian’s ‘Keep it in the ground’ campaign. To me pressuring companies and foundations to divest from fossil fuels seems to be the last possible exit route we have before we end up…More
[DEUTSCH] Texterörterung Aufgabe
“Deutschland ist für die digitale Revolution nicht gerüstet”, postuliert Henrik Müller bei Spiegel Online. Sein Kommentar eignet sich als Grundlage für eine Texterörterung. Die Formulierung der Aufgabe entspricht dem Abiturstandard (berufliches Gymnasium BW). Aufgabe: – Arbeiten Sie die Aussagen des Autors heraus; berücksichtigen Sie dabei, wie er den Text gestaltet hat. – Setzen Sie sich kritisch…More
[DEUTSCH] Textanalyse Aufgabe
Georg Diez nahm am Freitag in seiner Kolumne auf Spiegel Online Reaktionäre aufs Korn: ein sprachlich sehr farbenfroher Kommentar, der sich gut für eine Textanalyse mit Stellungnahme eignet. Aufgabe: – Fassen Sie die Aussagen des Textes zusammen. – Erläutern Sie die Argumentationsstrategie des Autors, und untersuchen Sie in diesem Zusammenhang den Einsatz sprachlicher Mittel. –…More