Overview
This lesson is situated in a university IEP integrated skills class, ideally at the highest or second highest level (high-intermediate to advanced proficiency). This particular class session requires at least one computer for every four students, unless perhaps students are equipped with fairly powerful/advanced tablet devices. Student phones/tablets can be utilized in some parts of the lesson. The class has 12-16 students, and the course is designed to prepare them for academic English use. The purpose of this lesson is to raise student awareness of complex cultural perspectives across the English speaking world, develop the ability to make connections between multiple texts and self, and share ideas in group discussions. It also seeks to develop vocabulary by directing focus to salient words and expressions in relation to a specific topic and encourages students to use those items in a writing assignment.
The primary CALL tool used in this lesson is LiveBinders, a website that allows users to bundle a variety of web content (including multimedia) to their liking/for their own purposes. Within the LiveBinder, several current articles from a variety of websites are presented for students to read. This serves two purposes: building comfort with digital reading and exposing students to contemporary, nuanced cultural perspectives. Dooey (2008) notes that concerns have been raised regarding the differences between digital reading and paper reading in the field of language assessment, and to that end, this lesson provides experience with authentic digital reading to build student comfort with an increasingly popular mode of reading. With respect to culture, Guth and Helm (2012) note that culture is sometimes reduced to presentation of cultural/national products while often ignoring cultural perspectives, and this lesson seeks to provide students a chance to thoughtfully reflect on perspectives of a contemporary, contentious cultural issue, gay marriage, across several countries, including their own. The lesson also utilizes Wiffiti for a walk-in brainstorm activity that activates background knowledge and offers an initial opportunity for students to share their own thoughts/knowledge on the issue.
The primary CALL tool used in this lesson is LiveBinders, a website that allows users to bundle a variety of web content (including multimedia) to their liking/for their own purposes. Within the LiveBinder, several current articles from a variety of websites are presented for students to read. This serves two purposes: building comfort with digital reading and exposing students to contemporary, nuanced cultural perspectives. Dooey (2008) notes that concerns have been raised regarding the differences between digital reading and paper reading in the field of language assessment, and to that end, this lesson provides experience with authentic digital reading to build student comfort with an increasingly popular mode of reading. With respect to culture, Guth and Helm (2012) note that culture is sometimes reduced to presentation of cultural/national products while often ignoring cultural perspectives, and this lesson seeks to provide students a chance to thoughtfully reflect on perspectives of a contemporary, contentious cultural issue, gay marriage, across several countries, including their own. The lesson also utilizes Wiffiti for a walk-in brainstorm activity that activates background knowledge and offers an initial opportunity for students to share their own thoughts/knowledge on the issue.
Intercultural Reading
and Discussion Lesson Plan
Pre-lesson Inventory
Ø Things to bring/prepare: wiffiti board, LiveBinder with collaboration
permissions for Ss, Blog Entry Rubric
Ø Equipment: computer w/ large TV
or projector, Student phones/tablets/PMPs, PCs (enough for one per 4-5
students)
Warm-up activity ( 10 min.): Walk-in with Wiffiti
Purpose: activate
student background knowledge, provide initial frame of reference for future
comparison
Procedure:
Ø Key Vocabulary: gay marriage, civil
rights, country names
Ø Building/Activating Background
Knowledge
-
Project a Wiffiti board with
the following question: What do you know
about gay marriage?
-
As students enter the
room, ask them to use their phones/tablets/PCs (via SMS or Twitter) to answer
the question.
Ø Presentation of New Information
Ø Practice
-
Allow Ss a few minutes
to share their thoughts/knowledge on the topic and to read each other’s messages.
Ø Apply
-
Briefly, ask if students
learned anything new from their peers.
Also, ask what is the status of gay marriage in their countries.
Ø Comprehension Check
-
Review important
vocabulary from the brainstorm/responses
Transition: This is a very
sensitive topic, but what we’re going to do today is explore the issue of gay
marriage in several English speaking countries.
This will help us understand how different people, which makes us better
communicators, and we’ll also pick up some useful vocabulary along the way.
Activity 1 ( 25 min.): Article Analysis
Purpose: To
develop intercultural knowledge related to a contemporary issue, to read for a
purpose and identify sides of an issue
Procedure:
Ø Key Vocabulary: controversy/conflict, taboo
Ø Building/Activating Background
Knowledge
-
Relate what students
offered during the Walk In activity and briefly ask what they know about the
status of gay marriage in English speaking countries.
-
Tell Ss that now they
will get a chance to read in-depth about the issue in a particular English
speaking country and find out more.
-
Review key vocab
controversy/conflict and taboo
Ø Practice
-
Break Ss into 4 groups. Each group should have a computer.
-
Direct groups to the
following LiveBinder: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=868913
-
Assign each group one
article (the most advanced readers should take Singapore article)
-
Designate one Scribe for
each group, who will log in and take notes in the binder (Note: set up collaborations with all students for
this particular binder)
Ø Presentation of New Information
-
Go over the questions in
the notes section. Show how Ss can add
text, and model adding an important vocabulary word or expression for one of
the articles.
Ø Apply
-
Allow groups time to
read, discuss, and take notes on their articles.
Ø Comprehension Check
-
Have each group share
the conflict/controversy in their article (one person) and a least one argument
for (another person) and against (another person)
-
Ask if there were any
vocab/expressions that seemed important but were confusing. Clarify and direct Scribes to update that
section of their notes
Transition: Great job analyzing
these articles and taking helpful notes.
You’ll be able to use the LiveBinder you all contributed to for a
writing assignment later. Now, I’d like
to mix up the groups and give you all a chance to compare what you read, and
think about the big, international picture of gay marriage.
Activity 2 ( 20 min.): Jigsaw: “Looking at the big picture” discussion task.
Purpose: share
knowledge, synthesize information, interact in group discussions. Plan for writing task.
Procedure:
Ø Key Vocabulary: “big picture”,
popular opinion, taboo, acceptance
Ø Building/Activating Background
Knowledge
-
Place students into new
groups composed of one member from each of the previous groups
-
Remind students that
they have information their new group members don’t know (as well), so it’s
their job to share it and contribute!
Ø Presentation of New Information
-
Assign one member to be
a Scribe. Have Scribes log in to their
GoogleDocs and create a document (to be shared with other group members)
-
Tell Ss that now they
will be talking about the “big picture”- synthesizing information from all four
countries (America, NZ, SA, and Singapore)
-
Project the following
questions (via Word, Docs, PowerPoint- T preference):
·
Generally, across all 4
countries, what is the popular view on gay marriage? How does it compare with your country?
·
Among the 4 countries,
are there different levels of gay marriage acceptance? Explain (and cite proof)
·
Across the 4 countries,
what are common arguments FOR and AGAINST gay marriage?
·
From the articles, what
are some appropriate and useful words and expressions for talking about the
issue of gay marriage? Can you contrast
any of these with other words you know?
-
Clarify questions. Review Key Vocabulary as needed.
Ø Practice
-
Give groups time to
discuss the questions. Circulate and
help facilitate discussion as needed.
Ø Comprehension Check
-
Towards the end of the allotted
time, make sure that the GoogleDoc for each group’s discussion questions has
been filled out.
-
Ask Ss to share how
views on gay marriage in the 4 countries compare to their countries.
-
Ask Ss for one thing
they learned today that surprised them.
-
Remind Scribes to share
the GoogleDoc with group members (and T, if desired)!
Transition: Well, I think you all learned a lot about gay
marriage in different countries.
Regardless of your personal feelings, it’s important to understand varying
views on major issues. Let’s spend the
last few minutes of class talking about the Reflection you’ll write on your
blogs for homework this weekend.
Summary/Cool-down/Homework ( 5 min):
Introduction to reflection writing assignment
Purpose (link to
objective): provide clear directions and expectations for assignment,
review resources for writing
Procedure:
-
Title for
reflection: “Gay Marriage: Comparison Across Countries”
-
Remind Ss that this is
part of their ongoing blog project and will be graded. Briefly review Blog Entry Rubric (display or
hand out, T preference)
-
Ss should use notes from
their group discussions and the LiveBinder articles/notes to help their writing
-
Pay special attention to
the vocabulary we found! Try to use it!
Materials
Wiffiti Walk-In Board sample:
Intercultural Readings Live Binder: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=868913
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