Integrating language instruction into existing class content is another example of best practice. Talking about how Germany ties in with class content allows students to see relevancy of learning and allows for an authentic experience.
In the Year 6/7 class they were learning about renewable energy. As a class we discussed the town of Freiburg, Germany famous for renewable energy. We created a Venn Diagram of similarities between Clare and Freiburg – what popped out was that both used Wind Farms. Students were very eager to learn more, so I organised an excursion to the local wind farm.
Students then created presentations using Tellagami, Aurasma, EduShadow Puppets and iMovie in German discussing the wind farms.
We ended the unit by engaging in some global education. The class noted that the Waterloo Wind Farm Wikipedia page was very limited. As a class we collated our own information, fact checked it and edited the worldwide Wikipedia page. The students were very proud of their efforts in educating the world about our renewable energy and, as one student said “It’s going to be read all over the world – we’d better get it right” – the authenticity of this activity required that students are accurate with their work. In a best practice classroom all activities would be relevant and as authentic as this one!!
FromtheForest 