Hi! Need some advice.Next week I need to teach a class. My task is to find a text (I have found it,it's a german literature)and now I need to do something with this text and it needs to last for 45-60 minutes.It shouldn't be just one task but more(3 at least)My friend has done this last week.First, students(23 year olds) have read the text, tried to draw the book cover(what they think the book cover would look like)and afterwards prepared a talk show according to the given text.So i need to do some activities with my text.Some ideas?
1.Just some ideas.... divide into groups and have each group write a 3/5 min skit based on the discovery moment of the book. Have them give the skits and then explain why they portrayed that moment as they did.
Pick a major event. What if this had not happened, how would the characters have responded based on their basic characteristics... Can divide into groups and then have each group present to class and then have a general class discussion to reach a synthesis.
Not knowing more details about the book makes it very difficult to give specific suggestions.
You need to know what you want the students to know about the text. What did you get out of it that you believe is important to share? What do you think the students will find interesting? How does it relate to your life and their lives?
Veil Glück! Thanks for asking.
The story is about a love couple who is living together.she is nervous all the time,and writing all the time what she needs to buy in the store.She asked him 2-3 times when they are going to have a baby.She put the list of groceries on the fridge under the title What is missing(That is btw the title of this short story).But she also put a picture of a baby from newspapers.The next day she tells him he needs to move out of her apartment.5 months later she comes to him with a big stomach:)The last line in the story is: "and he begins to calculate"that's it.:)Any more ideas?Btw a skit sounds great:)
KNOWN: your students are 23-year olds, it's German literature, you need activities (3 or more) to last a class-period
UNKNOWN : is this a literature class done in English, is this a literature class done in German
My students did a lot of activities: one week every day was a TPR activity and one week every day was a journal. I've done World Literature in English and AP/IB Spanish literature in Spanish and French literature in French. So, here are some of the things we did - brainstorming, so to speak.
1. How to cover the 3 basic styles of learning - auditory, visual, kinesthetic and combinations thereof and the 5 senses = seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling (difficult but not impossible), touching. Was the purpose to concentrate on: character, setting, conflict, style, or theme. When I ran out of ideas my students themselves wrote activities, some of which I would not have considered! Did you want an individual or group activity. Let your imagination run wild!
2. Your "Book Cover" is good. We did that too, or "Book Markers" they would use.
3. If the literature is "open-ended" they wrote the ending OR they wrote a different ending.
4. Other art ideas: visually represent a scene, plot diagrams, postcard, a collage.....
5. Depending upon the time, some made film clips, wrote additional dialogue for a character, picked a character for an interview, wrote questions for a contest (boys against girls or 1/2 the room against the other half), wrote an epitaph for a character, an imaginary scene, invented a new character.
6. I made 8-1/2 X 11 "cards" with lines of dialogue and they classified them by standing in groups for each character. OR with lines from the text and they had to line up chronologically according to when it took place.
7. If it is a class in German, you can concentrate on vocabulary, idioms, style of writing (linear, circular)...crossword puzzles, "hangman"...
8. If they have read other literature = compare & contrast
9. Letters to the author (some wonderful questions for the author = who, what, when, why, where...)
10. Is there anyway you can coordinate with what they are doing in another class? When they were reading "The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in an English class, each student got green paper and instructions in Spanish to make an "Origami frog." Most of my students were Korean so that was a snap for them and many frogs had slanted eyes! There was a chalk line on the floor and they actually had a "jumping frog" contest. Silly? Of course, but also fun. People passing by would often stop in the doorway to see what they were up to!
11. One of my favorite writing exercise. We saw the film "The Mission" in Spanish. Each student wrote what happened from the perspective of a) one of the "slavers" b) one of the priests c) one of the indians. The most sensitive one was from the perspective of one of the few surviving children.
So first you PLAN, then they EXECUTE and then CRITIQUE.
Hopefully this will give you ideas.
Sra (aka Mme)
Certainly! Here are a few activity ideas you can use with the German literature text to engage your students and make the class interactive:
1. Character Analysis: Divide the students into groups and assign each group a different character from the text. Ask them to analyze the character's personality, motivations, and actions based on the text. They can present their findings using a character profile or create a short skit portraying the character's journey.
2. Debate or Discussion: Choose a thought-provoking theme or topic covered in the text and organize a debate or discussion around it. Divide the students into two groups, assign each group a viewpoint, and have them argue or discuss their perspectives. Encourage them to support their arguments with evidence from the text.
3. Creative Writing: Ask students to imagine an alternative ending or a continuation of the story. They can use their creativity to write a short story, a diary entry from a character's perspective, or even compose a poem inspired by the text. Allow them to share their creative pieces with the class.
4. Theme Collage: Assign each student a specific theme or motif from the text and ask them to create a collage representing that theme. They can search for relevant images, quotes, and symbols to include in their collages. After everyone has completed their collages, have a gallery walk where students explain their choices and discuss how their assigned theme is evident in the text.
5. Reader's Theater: Select a key scene or dialogue from the text and have students act it out as a reader's theater performance. Assign different roles to the students, and encourage them to interpret the characters and emotions based on their understanding of the text. This activity will help bring the text to life and enhance their comprehension.
Remember to provide clear instructions and guidelines for each activity, and allocate sufficient time for students to complete their tasks and present their work. Adapt these activities to suit the level and preferences of your students, and encourage participation and discussion throughout the class.