This multi-purpose lesson idea or lesson resource can be used in teaching the thousands of people who study foreign language each year. It is simplicity itself and relies on a visual prompt that can elicit answers ranging from the most basic sentence to a complex group of sentences. It can be used to teach oral or written language.
Resources Needed for Language Lesson Plan
Classroom equipment
The presumption is made in this article that teachers will have access to a laptop connected to a classroom projector, but that is not essential. The beauty of this resource idea is that it can be used in much more primitive conditions, as the pages can be put on an OHP or even just held up to the class or be photocopied for distribution.
Resource Photos
Teachers should be on the look out for magazine photos or illustrations, or photos on the net that are complex illustrations of scenes of the specific country being studied, for example, pictures of Germany for a German class lesson, to teach from appropriate sources. Teachers might even choose to set out with a camera and record some scenes they feel are most useful for the lessons they have in mind.
Thus, for a lesson on trains stations, travel and introductions, the teacher might obtain a photo or illustration of a busy train station. There will be people with suitcases, perhaps people shaking hands, a train at the station with people alighting, a ticket office etc.
For a vocabulary lesson, to teach a broad rural vocabulary for example, the teacher might find a photo of a typical rural scene with cows, a stream, fences, perhaps people at work, houses or specific architecture like a church, farm house or bridge in the background. The busier the picture, the more questions that can be devised for the lesson.
Foreign Language Teaching Method
Teacher displays the chosen picture by best available means and asks students to study it carefully.
Teacher then begins to develop a series of questions based on what students can see, or even assumptions or projections that students can make. Eg: “Do you think it will rain?” Possible answers: “No, the sun is shining” or “Maybe it will. There are clouds in the sky.”
Value of Lesson Idea for Language Lesson Plan
- The questions can suit all skill and knowledge levels, even in a classroom of mixed ability.
- The question can be an open question to all in the class and a respondent selected
- The question can require a written answer, thus demanding that all students attempt an answer
- The question can be directed to specific students, thus keeping everyone on their toes.
- The directed questions can be made hard or easy, depending on the teacher’s understanding of the person’s ability.
- The teacher can pose the questions in the language of the students for ease, OR in the language being learned to add oral comprehension to the skills practised in the lesson.
Possible Questions for a Lesson on Travelling by Rail
The class might be in an English-speaking country where students are learning German, French, Spanish or any other language. The presumption is that these students may, or intend to, travel to the country speaking that particular language, and will probably use the rail network.
It is best, but not essential, to obtain a photo of a railway station in that country.
There are certain items and practices specific to that country (eg: endorsing a ticket in a machine before boarding) which could and should be included in the lesson.
The following question and answer series will demonstrate the range of material that can be covered in such a lesson, and the manner in which the teacher can control the difficulty of the questions by directing "open" and "closed" questions to various students and accept simple answers or require complex answers. For simplicity the questions AND answers are in English – transpose to the language being taught.
Of course, the question could be directed in the language being taught (thus making the lesson an exercise in comprehension) or could be delivered in English if they are not ready for oral comprehension.
Teacher: “Bill, what colour is the carriage”
Bill: “Green”
Teacher: “In a sentence please, Bill.”
Bill: “The carriage is green.”
Directions and special terms can also be taught and practised
Teacher: “What is that building in the background of the picture, on the left.”
Student: “The ladies' toilet”
Teach to whole class: “How do we know that?”
Another student: “There is a small drawing of a woman on the door.”
Teacher: “Two men are shaking hands. Which one just got off the train, do you think?”
Student: “The man on the right. He has a suitcase.”
Teacher: “What might the man on the left be saying?”
Student responses could range from: “Hello” to “Welcome to Berlin, Herr Schmidt. Did you have a good trip?”
Conclusion
This is a truly versatile idea for a German, Italian, or other language lesson plan, and its value is limited only by the teacher’s imagination. A teacher can make a picture do whatever he or she wants it to do – from teaching basic one-word vocabulary to guiding students to construct complex explanations. It can be adapted on-the-spot to slow or fast learners, and to meet specific needs. It should be clear that the prompting nature of a visual display prevents students from "drying up" when asked to construct a sentence from their imaginations – and also provides the teacher with a fertile ground for questions, rather than having to call on his or her imagination.
