Sample 2: Grade 8

Topic: European Cities and Towns

Prescribed Learning Outcomes:

Communicating

It is expected that students will:

• participate in short conversations
• describe activities and interests in oral and written form

Acquiring Information

It is expected that students will:

• extract and to some extent process specific information from German-language resources to complete authentic tasks
• convey acquired information in oral, visual, and written forms

Overview

The teacher developed a three-week series of activities centred around European cities and towns. Evaluation of oral and written skills was based on role-play dialogues and tourist brochures of European cities.

Planning for Assessment and Evaluation

• Students studied German maps and brochures of cities and towns. They developed class charts of related vocabulary and discussed how the general layout of European cities differs from North American cities. Students reviewed previously learned vocabulary and expressions and used other resources (e.g., maps, brochures, dictionaries, and phrase books) to identify new language related to buildings and tourist attractions (der Hauptbahnhof, das Schloß, das Museum, die Jugendherberge, die Kirche) and directions (an der Ampel, gehen Sie geradeaus, auf der linken Seite). The teacher recorded lists of useful vocabulary and sentence frames.
• Each student practised using some of the language by writing a list of five local buildings and sharing it with a partner. Students also practised giving instructions on how to get to one building from another.
• The teacher used written quizzes to check each student's knowledge of relevant vocabulary and grammatical structures.
• Students listened to taped dialogues in which native speakers asked for and provided directions to attractions or sights in a German-speaking city. (Entschuldigung, wie komme ich am besten zum Dom?) They responded to questions about what they heard, and added vocabulary and structures to the class charts.
• The teacher asked students, working in pairs or groups of three, to practise one-to-two-minute role plays using city maps from German, Swiss, or Austrian cities. In each group, a tourist was to ask a local resident for directions to an attraction or point of interest (castle, museum, cathedral). The local resident would respond by providing detailed directions. The students discussed criteria and a rating scale before they began practising.
• Students then presented their role plays to the class.
• Working alone or in pairs, students created models or posters of their own European-style cities, which included 6 to 10 different buildings. Students each included an accompanying brochure that provided basic information and directions to the various sights. Before they began, students discussed requirements for the brochure and agreed to include:
  • a map showing the location of each building
  • a brief description of each building (could be in point form) that includes name, purpose, location, and one or two key details (e.g., size, shape, age, key features, hours of operation)
• Students then used their cities and brochures to role-play tourist office conversations. They provided suggestions on what to see and do in their cities, and on how to get to two of the main attractions. Each student had opportunities to be both tourist and local expert.

Defining the Criteria

As students worked on their assignments and practised their oral presentations, the teacher outlined the requirements and discussed the following criteria.

Role Play: Giving Directions Using City Maps

To what extent do students:

• extract accurate information from the map or other resources
• use appropriate question structures they have learned
• use simple, patterned phrases correctly to give directions
• sequence directions logically
• make themselves understood using German (approximate pronunciation and intonation)
• show control of vocabulary and structures that have been practised (correct use of articles, prepositions, pronouns)
• sustain the interaction (no long pauses interfere with the message being communicated)
• use intonation, miming, gestures, and body language to support communication

Brochure

To what extent does the brochure:

• provide all required information for the 6 to 10 buildings
• include relevant and interesting details appropriate to European cities
• include appropriate labels on the map
• use appropriate vocabularyspelled correctly and including capitals, articles, pronouns, and prepositions (zum/zur)
• reproduce German words and patterns in understandable form
• show appropriate organization of information

Role Play: Tourist Office

To what extent is the student able to:

• provide a comprehensible message
• include some understandable detail (e.g., directions, adjectives, adverbs)
• recognize and respond to simple questions and statements
• use appropriate patterns and frames to include known expressions and vocabulary
• sustain the use of German throughout the activity
• use intonation, miming, gestures, and body language to support communication

Assessing and Evaluating Student Performance

The teacher used performance rating scales to evaluate students' work in this unit. Students were given copies of the rating scales and samples of projects completed previously. The rating scales were discussed in English before students began working on their assignments. For the tourist brochures, students included self-assessments with their work. For the tourist office role plays, each student was scored individually.

*The two students who worked together collaborated to assign self-ratings.

Key:
5--Outstanding
4--Very Good
3--Satisfactory
2--Marginal
1--Not Demonstrated

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