Teaching and learning materials

The aim of this activity is to encourage students to read and try to globally understand a series of news items written in a language which is new to them, Maltese.
In “Maltese News 1”, learners start by attempting to match the news item’s title to a corresponding picture. Later they are asked to try to read the news item and match it to the correct title. If they need help, students can ask for some hints which can guide them to get through the activity. At this stage a number of words derived from English and Romance languages will be highlighted. These words make up a substantial part of the Maltese lexicon. At the end, students are asked to reflect upon the activities they have just carried out and to think about other languages which have acted as “bridges” to the unknown language.
In “Maltese News 2”, learners have already familiarized with the Maltese news items, and will now be asked to go a step further by actually attempting to answer some questions related to the contents of the news item. Learners must make use of skills such as observing and analysing linguistic elements which are more or less familiar to them, recognize loan words of international origin, compare phonetic, morphological and syntactic features of different languages and perceive / establish linguistic proximity and distance. At the end of the activities learners will be encouraged to watch a short feature on the Maltese ricotta ice-cream, Ġelat tal-irkotta, taken directly from the 8pm news on a local TV station. In this listening activity, learners must make use of the knowledge and comprehension skills already mastered in languages which are familiar to them.
Duration: 45mins + 45 mins
Card compiled by: Phyllisienne Gauci, Raymond Facciol


Approach : Awakening to languages
Type of material : iconic documents ; video, clip
Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKVGJKquDX4