This post outlines the teaching resources offered by three NYC museums as a way to start filling your “toolbox” with visual-based activities. Many museums have developed valuable resources for educators interested in implementing activities based on artworks. With a bit of adjustment to your own teaching and learning environment, these may be fruitfully […]
In this low-stakes exercise, students create an image that they design themselves, using a set of vocabulary words being studied. For this example, the language unit was focused on fashion, and so each student created their ideal outfit using fashion and textile words in the target language. However, this exercise […]
Around NYC: Clue into the target language by keeping a journal The following activity is specifically designed to bring our city into your classroom and is great for all language levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. One way to get students to start thinking about the resources around them is to ask them […]
It may seem to your students that their language class has no connection to their other classes. Unless they’re studying linguistics or world literature, they may approach language class as if it takes place in a vacuum. The following activity will encourage your students to make connections between the language […]
In this activity, students are introduced to image poems called calligrams. They are then asked to create a self-portrait calligram with a short description of themselves. This activity is perfect for beginners who have just learned how to talk about themselves. Descriptions may include: Name; Age; Origin; Languages […]
This post presents a lesson designed for an Undergraduate Elective Course entitled “Focus on French Grammar”. Building on an exhibition held at the Musée du Quai Branly in 2018-2019, this content-based activity was tailored to help students practice the use of adjectives in French. As students learn about French colonial […]
Pedagogy Scholarship has emphasized that storytelling is effective in L2 learning because it is fun, engaging and highly memorable. Storytelling has been praised for raising learners’ interest in listening to stories, as well as in speaking, writing and reading about them (Claudio Rezende Lucarevschi, The role of storytelling in language learning, 2016). […]
This is a 20-minute interactive winning game in which: Students team up; They observe a set of artworks on Slides; They hypothesize the origin of each artwork among 4 options. (I usually give 20 to 30 seconds for each artwork.) We check their answers together. (Slides in French) Each group that gave […]
This is a 30-minute activity in which: Each student chooses a portrait image they like (My set here); In groups of 2, they describe their characters’ appearance; Finally, they present their artwork(s) to their classmates. Depending on the level of proficiency, the instructor may ask them to explain what they found arresting […]
This activity can be modified to suit all language levels. Beginners will read an English translation, advanced students will read the original. Provide a selection of short stories, excerpts or book titles for the students to choose from Write a short review of one of these to serve as an […]
The following activity is great for all language levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Choose a song in the target language Create a handout with lyrics (leaving easily identifiable blanks to be filled in by the student) and a glossary of new vocab Begin the lesson with pronunciation instruction for […]
This is a 20-minute interactive winning game in which: Students team up; They observe a set of artworks on Slides; They hypothesize the date of each artwork among 4 options. (I usually give 20 to 30 seconds for each artwork.) We check their answers together. Each group that gave the right answer […]
Assigning Wikipedia in higher-education courses has become increasingly popular in recent years. Since Wiki Education Foundation was created in 2010, 2,000 courses have been taught through their program, 43,000 students have taken on Wikipedia assignments, and 97% of instructors said they would do it again (as of 2018). What can […]
