Listening Activity
About This Activity
Language
German
Level
Elementary 2
(2nd semester college level)
Video Topic
Time Needed
One 50-minute class
Goal
For students to use their listening skills to learn about German holidays through video and then subsequent discussion, and be able to use what they learn in hypothetical and real-life situations.
Materials Needed
- Projector & screen
- Internet
- Access to film clip
- Handouts 1-2
- Whiteboard
- Markers
- Presentation/information about holidays & traditions
Teil Eins – Section One
Pre-Listening
Time needed: 5 minutes
Materials needed: whiteboard; markers
The pre-listening section of the lesson will prepare the students for the video. Students will discuss what they already know about German holiday traditions, and the teacher will write their ideas on the whiteboard. Students here can mentally prepare for the activity to come, and collect ideas and words to listen for.
Teil Zwei – Section Two
While Listening
Time needed: 15 minutes
Materials needed: Handout 1
The “While Listening” section utilizes a Deutsch im Blick video and a handout that provides questions about the video content. This portion of the lesson is split into 3 tasks.
Task 1
Students will watch the video without the handout, and make note of words they recognize. After the first watch of the video, students will go over the words they recognized with the teacher, and the teacher will supplement their list of recognized words with any other important words they need to know for the rest of the activity. Also, the teacher will ask students to explain the general gist of the video.
Task 2
Students receive Handout 1 and the teacher reads through the activity with the students to ensure all students know what is being asked.
Task 3
Students watch the video for the second time, and listen for the answers to the questions on the handout. After the video, students go over their answers with the teacher and discuss the holidays mentioned in the video in context of what the speaker said (if students struggle to finish all the questions, students can watch the video for a third time in order to finish).
During this activity, students go from broad listening to intensive listening, as they first listen for the gist and discuss what they believe are the main points, and then listen closer for the answers to specific questions.
Teil Drei – Section Three
Post-Listening
Time needed: 25 minutes
Materials needed: presentation/information about holidays & traditions
The post-listening section utilizes what students learned from the video in context of both German culture and American culture. Students can use the knowledge that they got from the video and the entire lesson to understand more about German culture and the similarities and differences between Germany and America. This portion of the lesson is split into 2 tasks.
Task 1
Students will learn history and traditions for Tag der deutschen Einheit (Unification Day), Weihnachten (Christmas), and Ostern (Easter).
Task 2
Students receive Handout 1 and the teacher reads through the activity with the students to ensure all students know what is being asked.
Hausaufgabe – Homework
Students can use what they learned in the lesson to write about their hypothetical holiday in Germany.
My Thoughts
I feel that this lesson utilizes the different aspects of a listening activity well. The discussion before the video allows students to be prepared for what they will listen to. During the video, there are opportunities for listening both broadly and intensively. After the video, students can learn deeper and then reflect on what they have learned. They can also write about the information in hypothetical situations, and also know the traditions for if/when they are in Germany for a holiday.