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Ideas for 3 day intensive class of German teenagers!
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eihpos



Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Posts: 331

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:36 am    Post subject: Ideas for 3 day intensive class of German teenagers! Reply with quote

Hi, I have a class of German secondary school students next week for 3 days, 5 hours each day. They are here (Ireland) for a week and want to get as much speaking practise as possible. They are not here for a holiday, I am told, but will be motivated and willing to learn. They should be at least pre -intermediate level. This is all the information I have been given and there won�t be any books or resources so I�m looking for ideas!

I�d imagine that they would like to learn how to deal confidently with everyday situations in an English speaking country, so that they can practise what they learn in class in the evenings while there are here. They will probably be interested in gaining a bit of cultural knowledge too.
I don�t know where to start � 5 hours a day is a long time so it will either be great fun or a disaster! I'm a bit out of practise so any ideas for activities, role-plays, games or general advice would be really appreciated!
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who's giving you your info? Your DoS? Is there nobody there to help plan a course for them?
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eihpos



Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Posts: 331

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not really. I met the DOS/owner/marketing manager yesterday . He is a primary school teacher who opened the school a few years ago. It sounds like it is still just about hanging by a thin thread and he is just taking students he gets now and again through contacts. He isn't terribly worried about it! Anyway, I need some extra money, so I thought I�d give it a go. The only advice I got was kind of vague. Do role-plays, tell them about Ireland, do a few songs....
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have found that all German students (even teenagers) expect a bit of grammar/vocabulary in each lesson.

Can you access [url]onestopenglish.com[/url] as there are lots of ideas there for speaking, listening, reading about topical issues etc, with printable handouts ?

If they have 5 hours a day, start with the "heavier" input , then move onto role plays, listening to music (fill in the blanks to lyrics) at the end of the session. Bring in free newspapers and get them to find the answers to questions in teams.

Good luck!
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've done similar projects, and 15 hours isn't really very long.

I would definitely want to exploit the area in whatever ways possible - they can study handouts and books at home, and will definitely be interested in using/studying the language in its natural habitat Very Happy . If you can take them on language-focused outings, perfect. If you can't take them out as a class, at least I'd use realia from the area as focuses!!

You could easily do some 'themed' focuses around functions.

For example, past tense review followed by an outing to some historical landmarks followed by a report (I'd do all this in pairs or small teams to make it livelier).
Reports can be oral, written, or something like making a brochure for other students who might come to Ireland in the future.

You could do predictions: plan an outing to something interesting, and ask the students to first spend time predicting what they expect to see/hear/do, etc. Then go, and again report back after, focusing on language like 'we expected ABC but in fact it was different' OR 'and it was almost exactly as we thought it would be....'

You could also do something around a local travel agency specialising in day trips to important/interesting places. The students could go and ask questions about a day trip (even if there isn't really time to do the trip) and gather information from the agency (brochures, etc). Then they could negotiate a class trip - which sites would be the most interesting? Why? The language focus here could be on question forms, comparatives/superlatives and language for negotiations (I agree/don't agree, see your point but...etc)

Anyway, it's really a short time and I agree that they'll be most engaged by something functional and relevant to the area/region.


Last edited by spiral78 on Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:29 pm; edited 2 times in total
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear eihpos,

Some of these may prove helpful:

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/german.htm

http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Bilingual/German_English/

http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi?display:1085312332-77282.txt

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/alle_grammar.htm

http://www.englisch-lehrbuch.de/uebungen/inhaltsangabe/englisch_lernen_online_inhaltsverzeichnis.htm

Regards,
John
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eihpos



Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Posts: 331

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the great advice and links guys. It's been a brilliant help in putting me on the right track.

Hopefully it all will go well!
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poetry. Germans love Irish poetry. But maybe not teens...

A traditional ballad normally goes down well. But at pre-Int, choose lyrics carefully. Something like the 'Fields of Athenry.' The usual gap-fill exercises, some cultural history, maybe even a role-play! Michael and Mary meet up again in Australia- write their dialogue. Other students can play the grown-up kids!

The Fields of Athenry

Pete St. John

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.


Of course, get them to sing it too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJG3mHp8lAs
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eihpos



Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Posts: 331

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great ideas Sasha - I want to do an Irish song and I'm sick of Molly Malone! I love the Mary and Michael scenario in OZ too.
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artemisia



Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 875
Location: the world

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It�s true; it sounds like a daunting amount time but it really isn�t long with them at all. You�ll have to quickly assess what they handle. Here are some possibilities: (if they�re too easy you can move through exercises quickly or leave them out)
-Meeting, greeting language and introducing themselves /each other
Find out from them if they�ll be in homestays: Perhaps how to politely state food preferences as well could be good.

-Fast food/ restaurants roleplay situations:
Props: real menus, pictures

-Asking for and understanding directions:
You could organise a �treasure� hunt of things they have to locate throughout the building [outside area if it�s not raining] by following directions and with new directions left at the spot they find. First team/ pair back with evidence they went to all places win a small prize. Practise in class and then real maps with specific locations to find and bring back evidence in pairs (eg. a train map at the train station) on short journeys. This depends on weather, class size and how responsible they are. You will have to check it�s permitted for them to go out. Road rules - crossing roads- are important, too (Right drive in Germany).

-Shopping? roleplays also for comparative/superlatives. (I�ll pm you something I did with a class that I think'd be okay for pre-int)

-Any cooking facilities? I got an admittedly small class of kids to make pancakes: good for processes and following instructions. What about brack or soda bread? (Probably not common these days!)

-Museum/ zoo trip? (with task sheets)

-Songs? Plenty of Irish bands!

-Yes, a travel agency task (or tourist centre?) They have to go in pairs and find out some info on a local site or activity & bring back brochures to present to the others (maybe for a future trip)

-Onestopenglish.com does have quite a lot of different scenarios and resources, but not all of it is free. Bogglesworld.com is free to download if you find anything useful, and if you have access to the �Reward Resource Pack� books (different levels) they have quite a lot of different kinds of activities.

Planning is a little hard if you don't know class numbers and how free you are to go out with them, or they are able to go out together in pairs.
All the best with it!
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HLJHLJ



Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador

PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you are looking for songs, as well as the usual big names, Irish folk rock (e.g. Saw Doctors) and Irish American punk (e.g. Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly) are still popular in Germany. Saw Doctors lyrics are easy to use as you would poetry, though Dropkick Murphys etc are likely to go down better with teenagers.
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Tudor



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339

PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

HLJHLJ wrote:
If you are looking for songs, as well as the usual big names, Irish folk rock (e.g. Saw Doctors) and Irish American punk (e.g. Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly) are still popular in Germany. Saw Doctors lyrics are easy to use as you would poetry, though Dropkick Murphys etc are likely to go down better with teenagers.


Good call, I always use a gapfill of the Saw Doctors' "I Useta Lover" when teaching 'used to' - good for the pronunciation and it always raises a few giggles in class.

I've got a load of Timesaver books, which contain different activities for teens. I haven't actually used them, but they look quite good. You can get PDFs of many of them on englishtips.org.

Good luck!
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smithrn1983



Joined: 23 Jul 2010
Posts: 320
Location: Moscow

PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sashadroogie wrote:
Poetry. Germans love Irish poetry. But maybe not teens...



Yep. When I taught at a summer camp in Ireland, I used Yeats with the Germans. They loved it, and even wrote their own poems mimicking his style. That was a rather advanced group, though.
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twilothunder



Joined: 09 Dec 2011
Posts: 442

PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Showing them The Great Escape and Fawlty Towers should kill a few hours.
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Denim-Maniac



Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238

PostPosted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I teach German teenagers in the UK on short summer breaks. Not quite as intensive as your course of course. Mine is spread over 2 or 3 weeks.

German students are normally quite respectful and will pretty much do what you ask of them. Older teenagers are especially motivated and will happily do lessons that include all skills and grammar. The younger ones less so and they really tend to be looking for fun in the groups that I teach. 13 years olds have normally only been studying English for a couple of years.

Its worth trying to find out more about the students prior to the classes. Age groups and type of schooling is key. Germany has a tiered school system, and the motivated, keen students come from the 'Gymnasium' schools. Thats the top type of school. I cant remember the name of the bottom school...but those students are generally horrendous!
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