So in class yesterday we did an activity where we had 4
people (two at each table) and each table had specific parts of a puzzle that
made an image. We had to put the puzzle together with the group behind us
without looking at them and only using verbal cues. We could not turn around or
anything and no one in the class could help us.
I wish this was something we could have had the middle
school students do because they are having a hard time learning how to
communicate effectively and respectfully in the classroom. Not so much now that
it’s the last week of the session but in previous weeks it has been difficult.
I think this is a good way to get your class to communicate in different ways.
You could even make it harder by doing it silently and showing only each piece
at once.
We talked about how we would incorporate this into a foreign
language classroom and this is what we came up with.
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| Liberty Leading The People- Eugène Delacroix |
-These photo puzzles are a good way for students to learn
the directions along with situational descriptions.
-Use the picture of something culturally relevant, so for
French I would use “Liberty Leading the People” or possibly a photo of a
special landmark or like Sacre Coeur. I
don’t think I would use the La Tour Eiffel because it would be too easy.
| Use a picture of a set table for table vocabulary (plate, fork, knife, napkin, spoon, etc.) and food vocabulary in addition to explaining where things are on the table. |
If you did a picture of people for part of body
vocabulary. You can
basically use it for anything as long as there is vocabulary to be learned.
I like this idea, especially for a foreign language classroom. How do you see this fitting into the expected learning goals for your French students? Would this be a lesson, or a way to prime your class for a lesson? It might serve more than one purpose: in my political science class, I envision this activity as an assessment for students' knowledge of the Bill of Rights. How else could you use this in a day's lesson?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching those guys figure out a way to work together using only their words. It was pretty amazing how they made that puzzle together, each with half the puzzle missing. I liked the idea of putting together pieces of a short narrative, or a pargraph. The puzzle idea would still be there, but they would be able to look at which piece each person was holding, and work together to put it in the right order. It also makes sense for smaller tasks like grammar and sentence structure, but I think the paragraphs and narratives would be more fun for students.
ReplyDeleteDestiney, I really enjoyed reading your post! I think you could really utilize the puzzle game we played in class to fit your content area of French. As you stated in your post you could choose from lots of great pictures depicting famous French historical photos, or popular French landmarks in your puzzle. You could also modify the rules so that the students can only communicate using French. You could maybe use this activity to start a new lesson and introduce the new vocab to your students. Anytime you can disguise learning and make it fun I think you as an educator have done a great job.
ReplyDeleteThis would have been really cool with the middle school kids! I would have loved to see how they learn to communicate for this. Maybe four weeks isn't enough time for them to work together that well, but further into the year, it could be a fun CPR activity.
ReplyDeleteOne of the alterations our group came up with was using a map. It might be useful for students to learn the regions of France or French-speaking African nations. I also love your idea about using French cultural pieces. The kiddos will probably remember them much better if they have to interact and think about the works of art or monuments that aren't the Eiffel Tower. Such great ideas!
Destiney, I really think your idea of using this game in a foreign language class could be beneficial. It would enable a student to learn about using adjectives to describe the picture. It would teach students comprehension skills as well as communication skills. The student may even have to figure out another way to describe the picture because the listening classmate may not understand what the student is explaining. This only further develops the language skills necessary to learn a foreign language. Interaction with one another while communicating in the foreign language has potential to really develop a student's vocabulary and understanding of sentence structure, meaning of terms, and comprehensive skills.
ReplyDelete