CARAP teaching and learning materials

Descriptors:

In this activity each paragraph of the Russian tale “The enormous turnip” is written in a different language (English, French, Latin or Russian, according to the teacher’s choice). The comprehension is supported by illustrations. The learner is asked to identify and mark the same words in different languages to find out some differences and similarities. In a second step, the learner is requested to find equivalents of Russian words within some other Slavic languages (Czech, Polish and Slovenian). It is advisable to enrich the reflexive dimension of the tasks by inviting the students to justify / explain their proposals.

Themes: grammar/syntax/morphologyliterature/stories/tales

Source: Behr, Ursula (Hrsg.)(2005): Sprachen entdecken – Sprachen vergleichen. Kopiervorlagen zum sprachen-übergreifenden Lernen Deutsch, Englisch, Französisch, Russisch, Latein. Cornelsen, 20-21.

Descriptors:

Learners discover the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" in different languages. First, they focus on comparing words related to numbers and colours. They also compare the alphabet in Latin and in hieroglyphs (material 2). They play a game that includes these elements then they also reconstruct the story with pictures and fill up Little Red Riding Hood’s basket (material 3). At the end, they can stage a multilingual theatre performance representing the fairy tale (material 4). These activities are taken from the website "Little Red Riding Hood", class 1 where an introductory video presenting the whole material can also be found. The same fairy tale may be used in other classes with activities adapted to higher school levels, as can be seen on the website "Little Red Riding Hood", class 5 and "Little Red Riding Hood", class 7. The material is in Danish.

Themes: history of languages/language familiesliterature/stories/talesWriting (systems) / punctuation / orthography

Source: Undervisningsforløb til 1. klasse (Prof. Petra Daryai-Hansen University of Copenhagen, Department of English, Germanic and Romance studies, Denmark)

Descriptors:

Learners read an extract from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in an unfamiliar language and enter all the words they understand into a table. This work is carried out in several languages and by the end they have compiled a multilingual glossary, aided by comparisons with other languages. The first material is best suited for learners of German, while the second has been designed for those studying French. Thematically, this activity is linked to another sound-based activity in our database (The Universal Declaration of Human Rights through languages).

Themes: history of languages/language familiesvocabulary

Source: Undervisningsforløb til 9. klasse (Prof. Petra Daryai-Hansen University of Copenhagen, Department of English, Germanic and Romance studies, Denmark)

Descriptors:

The accusative case, which marks the direct object, is not formed in the same way in all the languages that use it. Learners compare sentences in Hungarian and Turkish to discover morphological differences in the construction of the accusative.

Themes: grammar/syntax/morphology

Source: Undervisningsforløb 1. g Almen sprogforståelse (Prof. Petra Daryai-Hansen University of Copenhagen, Department of English, Germanic and Romance studies, Denmark)

Descriptors:

Learners search for words in Greek and in a language they already know for greeting and thanking, as well as for other words illustrated by pictures.

Themes: comprehension strategiescultural/linguistic distance/proximityvocabulary

Source: ΚΛΙΚ στα Ελληνικά Α1 για παιδιά (6-12 ετών) (Τόμοι Α και Β) - Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας

Descriptors:

This activity aims at developing Danish speaking learners’ strategies for understanding Swedish and Norwegian. Learners become aware of regularities in the differences between Danish, Swedish and Norwegian and gain insight into the historical Nordic language community. Teachers interested in intercomprehension between other languages will find examples of teaching strategies and gain access to other languages (Romance, Germanic, Slavic, etc.) in the online corpus

Themes: cultural/linguistic distance/proximitysocial values and rights

Source: Undervisningsforløb til 9. klasse (Prof. Petra Daryai-Hansen University of Copenhagen, Department of English, Germanic and Romance studies, Denmark)

Descriptors:

Based on an extract from a newspaper article, learners reflect on the fact that gestures can vary considerably from one culture to another and that the same or a similar gesture can sometimes convey a very different communicative intention. As such, gestures as a phenomenon of nonverbal communication can be a source of cultural misunderstandings. Learners interpret each gesture on the basis of their own experience (or that of the group) and/or through online research. Then, after reading a second text, they discuss how communication with people from other cultures can be facilitated by approaching the other person with interest, openness and a willingness to cooperate. On the basis of the concrete examples (communication between Madrilenians and foreigners), learners come to understand that we interpret other cultures through our own cultural references. They then explore certain characteristics of Japanese culture, which helps them to understand the importance of cultural knowledge, the ability to conduct research and the willingness to do so are important for communicating more effectively in intercultural situations.

Themes: customs/social normsgesturemisunderstanding

Source: Author: María Luisa Coronado, teacher of Spanish at the EOI of Madrid, Spain

Descriptors:

The teacher makes copies of worksheet 6.3.1 and announces that during the lesson the students are not allowed to use words but only gestures. The teacher starts his usual activities with the class but tries to use a lot of gestures and little words. The students are invited to use gestures if they need something (a pen, a gum...) or want to ask for something. The students are asked to think about the gestures they use and they know. The teacher tells that the Italians use a lot of gestures to express themselves. He shows them the worksheet 6.3.1 and asks the students to guess the meaning of the different gestures. He asks the students to reproduce the gestures in an adequate situation, proposed by the teacher.

Themes: comprehension strategiescustoms/social normsgesture

Source: Jonckheere, S., De Doncker, H., De Smedt, H. (2009). Talen op een Kier: Talensensibilisering voor het basisonderwijs. Mechelen: Plantyn.

Descriptors:

"The activity is divided into eight sections: 1. The first section deals with the issue of countries around the world. First, the teacher shows snapshots of Earth from space. The pupils write down what impressed them most with regard to the presentation. Then, they discuss their answers in small groups. 2. The teacher then dispenses Worksheet 1 and 2, which are about finding information about different countries. The teacher shows a movie. The pupils have to write down the names of the countries they understand and then answer a number of questions. The class fills in Worksheet 2 with the names of the capitals and the languages spoken in those countries. 3. The pupils teach each other how to greet in the languages of the countries they previously found. They try to find similarities between the languages and categorise them with regard to those similarities. Finally, the groups present their findings to each other. 4. The fourth part is about e-mail addresses and countries. The pupils work in pairs and match the e-mail addresses to the right countries. 5. The topic of the fifth part is 'Experimenting with languages'. The pupils are asked to send multilingual e-cards to some of their partners. They can find the appropriate material on the Internet. They could also add a text by using an online translating machine. 6. The next part of the activity deals with the Strait of Gibraltar. On Worksheet 2, the pupils ought to assign languages to the countries. Afterwards, they are asked to write down as many countries as they can think of where the languages spoken around the Strait of Gibraltar (Arabic, English, Spanish) could be useful. 7. To the seventh part of the activity, named 'The black Sea and the Red Sea', belong four worksheets. The teacher provides dictionaries, Internet access, geography books, a world map and a globe. The pupils read a text about both seas. They are asked to guess the origin of the names and afterwards, to read a text to check their guesses. On Worksheet 2 they will read another text about the Black Sea. Beneath there is a list of the name in different languages (Greek, Bulgarian, Georgian, Romanian, Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian). The task is to find out which words mean “black” and which mean “sea” in the list. Similarly, Worksheet 3 is a text about the Red Sea with the name in different languages (Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew). Finally, the learner have to find symbolisms linked to these colours in their L1 or other languages. 8. The last part of this activity is concerned with time zones. Worksheet 2 provides lists of how to say 'Good morning and 'Good evening' in different languages (English, French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish). First, the pupils calculate the times in different country with London as point of reference. If the pupils know how to say 'Good morning' or 'Good night' in other languages, they are asked to share their knowledge. The greetings are supposed to be learned in as many different languages as possible. The whole class works together to create a poster of the world. The names should be written in different languages. The students write down all the foreign words that they learnt during the activity and pin them to the countries where they can be used. To finish off the project, the pupils can discuss their learning process."

Themes: geographygreetings/language ritualslinguistic borrowing

Source: ECML project CONBAT+

Descriptors:

This material deals with 7 romance languages: French, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Occitan and Catalan. It presents how humans and plants breathe and is a written comprehension work about the respiratory system in 5 languages. It also includes activities on morphology in 5 languages and comparisons to Latin.

Themes: grammar/syntax/morphologyhuman bodynature/environment

Source: Escudé, P. (dir.). (2008). J’apprends par les langues : Manuel d’apprentissage européen des langues romanes. Toulouse : IUFM/CRDP de Midi-Pyrénées.

Descriptors:

The activity is divided into five sections. 1 The first section is concerned with the exploration of diversity in our immediate environment. It provides six worksheets. On the first worksheet, the pupils have to match the text with the languages (Russian, Czech, German, Italian, Slovak, Vietnamese, English, French, Spanish, Polish and Swedish). Afterwards, the pupils show on a map where these languages are spoken and add the phrases in other languages, if they know any. Worksheet 2 deals with the different continents. The pupils start this exercise by writing down the names of the continents on a map. If they know the names of the continents in other languages, they may add those. On Worksheet 3, the pupils ought to find their country on a map and mark the place where they live. They can work in pairs. The teacher shows a big map of Europe, asking the students to say the name of the neighbouring countries in the language of those countries. Worksheet 4 provides a diagram where the pupils can fill in the name of their country and the languages spoken there. The fifth worksheet requires group work. The groups are asked to discuss the difference between migration, immigration and emigration in English or in their native languages. If they are not sure, they can use an encyclopaedia. Lastly, the topic is supposed to be discussed in the whole class. 2 The second section is concerned with moving from the place where one lives. It provides four worksheets. Migration and family perspective is the issue of Worksheet 1. The students are asked, whether one of their family members ever lived abroad. Worksheet 2 elaborates on the Czech perspective of migration. Using worksheet 3 and 4, the pupils solve mathematical problems concerned with the topic of migration in Czech Republic and discuss the issue of immigrants in their town. 3 'Meeting new friends in our town' is the topic of the third sections. Worksheet 1 deals with new classmates and the students are asked to play a role play. Worksheet 2 is about the town/region one lives in. The pupils read a text about the area around Havlíčkův Brod in the Czech Republic. In groups, they discuss the text in another language and write down the text´s main ideas in English on a table. The third worksheet is concerned with the town and the world: The class prepares an excursion, they make an excursion and explore in groups their parts of the town/region and take evidences (photographs, recordings etc.). They then present their findings to the class and develop thematic maps of the town/region. 4. The fourth part is about the exploration of the multicultural aspects of one's town/region. Worksheet 1 presents an English translation of a part of a poem by Téra Fabiánová. The students listen to it. Afterwards, they can also listen to the poem in Czech. Worksheet 2 introduces an out-of-school exploration. The worksheet suggests some tasks for group work such as where there are museums in the town/region or how many villages there are in the region. The answers are related to the town of Havlíčkův Brod and the Highland region. 5.With the last section of this activity, the results of the exploration are presented.

Themes: cultural/linguistic diversitygeographytown/region/country

Source: ECML Project Combat+

Descriptors:

This activity involves work with four languages: Spanish, Galician, Catalan and Basque. Depending on their linguistic competence, the teacher can ask learners to compare the languages they are studying to other languages, not mentioned in this activity (L1 of learners, other romance languages studied as L2, L3, etc). First, the learner is asked to identify the languages of the texts presented and to hypothesise about whether they are related or not. The next activity consists of an exercise in written comprehension which leads to a translation. A moment of grammar follows, where learners identify articles in Galician and in Catalan. The pupils then look for loans from Spanish in the Basque language. These exercises aim to produce a comparison between word order in the three romance languages observed, as well as the grapho-phonemic relationship ñ!/ ɲ / in Spanish, in Galician and in Catalan. Possible further activity: organisation of a debate about the advantages and disadvantages of monolingualism, bilingualism and plurilingualism; a discussion about the linguistic realities in each country where the languages observed enjoy a certain status.

Themes: geographyhistory of languages/language familiestown/region/country

Source: Original document created by Vega Llorente Pinto, profesora de Español para Extranjeros de la Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Salamanca, España.

Descriptors:

In a first step, learners are asked to outline in a list the main points /ideas referring to the text and the photo. After this pre-reading activity, they are requested to read the text carefully and to translate sentence after sentence into a language they already know or learn and to write down all their observations referring to the lexis and the proceeding. Finally, they shall present and compare in class their results, reflections, methods, strategies etc.

Themes: comprehension strategiesgrammar/syntax/morphologyperforming arts/theatre

Source: Morkötter Steffi & Schröder-Sura Anna, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Institut für Romanistik, Deutschland.

Descriptors:

First, learners are asked to find the topic of the text by looking for keywords. After a detailed and thorough reading, they are asked to write down all the words they have understood in the English text and the equivalent translations they know in other languages. Finally, in the last column, they write down their observations. The table can be completed by gradually adding the translations of the text into English and German or other languages.

Themes: feelingsmusic/songs

Source: Morkötter Steffi & Schröder-Sura Anna, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Institut für Romanistik, Deutschland.

Descriptors:

The material is designed for native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese who are learning Spanish as a foreign language at level A2. The task focuses on developing reading and speaking skills in Spanish and comparing skills about time management in Brazilian and Spanish-speaking areas. The activity can be based on the comprehension of documents written in Spanish (a sample is available via the link embedded in the course material) or on the comprehension of their spoken versions prepared by the teacher on the basis of the written model. In a first step, learners explore their own Brazilian practices in a reading and/or listening comprehension activity. After the introduction of Brazilian time management practices in Spanish, learners formulate their own time management practices in groups, reflecting on possible differences and their possible causes (in Spanish or Portuguese). In the next step, in groups, they also compare their time management with practices in one or several Spanish-speaking areas (using audio material and/or a written document embedded in the course material). The course material focuses on the time management practices in Spain, but the approach becomes more pluralistic when the daily time management practices are also compared with those in, for example, Mexico and South America. An additional pluralistic perspective may include a discussion of everyday practices among Indigenous populations, past and/or present, in Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America. After understanding and discussing the differences in time-management, learners work in groups A and B, in small groups on a question-and-answer task to develop oral skills in Spanish as a FL, focusing on the daily routines previously discussed.

Themes: customs/social normsdaily lifetime

Source: Activity created by Carlos García de la Santa for DidactiRed, Centro virtual Cervantes