European Day of Languages Class – 45 Minutes
Aim:
To raise awareness and appreciation for the linguistic diversity of Europe, promoting curiosity and enthusiasm for languages and encouraging collaboration among students through engaging group activities.
Warm-Up Activity: Group Formation with Greetings (10 minutes)
Instructions:
- Teacher preparation: Prepare slips of paper with greetings in different European languages (e.g., “Bonjour,” “Hola,” “Guten Tag”), ensuring one pupil per slip. One student in each group should also have the name of the language written in that language.
- Teacher instruction: Distribute one greeting slip to each pupil. Instruct students to greet each other in the language on their slip and find the other members of their group by listening for the same greeting. The student with the language name in the original language becomes the “group leader.”
- Group formation: Each group must then find the workstation labeled with their language (both in the original language and in English).
Aim of the Warm-Up Activity:
- To introduce students to different European languages through a fun and interactive greeting activity.
- To facilitate group formation for subsequent activities.
Expected Outcomes:
- Students will successfully form groups based on the greetings they use.
- Students will become familiar with a range of greetings and languages.
Activity 2: Pub Quiz with Language Trivia (15 minutes)
Instructions:
- Digital quiz option: Teacher sets up a quiz using a digital platform (Kahoot, Quizizz, Blooket, etc.). Students join the quiz using laptops/phones and answer trivia questions about various European languages. Results are given immediately after the quiz.
- Pen-and-paper quiz option: Teacher hands out quiz sheets to each group. After the quiz is completed, groups exchange answer sheets and check each other’s answers using the attached presentation, which highlights the correct answers.
- Teacher guidance: Ensure that questions cover a variety of language-related topics such as the number of speakers, countries where the language is spoken, fun facts, etc.
Aim of the Quiz:
- To test students’ knowledge of European languages in a fun and competitive format.
- To reinforce the diversity and uniqueness of languages spoken across Europe.
Expected Outcomes:
- Students will enhance their knowledge of European languages.
- Students will engage in friendly competition, either digitally or via pen and paper.
- Groups will practice collaboration and discussion in order to agree on answers.
Activity 3: Poster-Making in Groups (20 minutes)
Instructions:
- Teacher preparation: Provide each group with a piece of cardboard, several speech bubbles featuring different European flags, and names of languages. Assign each group a word (e.g., “Help,” “Thank you,” “World”).
- Student research: Groups use laptops or phones to research how their assigned word is translated into the languages on their speech bubbles.
- Poster creation: Students write the translated words on the speech bubbles and stick them onto the cardboard to create a visual representation of how the word is expressed across different European languages.
- Teacher role: Guide groups through the research process and assist where needed.
Aim of the Poster Activity:
- To engage students in an artistic, collaborative project that celebrates the diversity of languages in Europe.
- To encourage research skills and the creative presentation of language learning.
Expected Outcomes:
- Each group will produce a completed poster with the assigned word translated into multiple European languages.
- Students will gain practical research experience in finding translations and language resources.
- The classroom or school will be visually enriched with student-created displays celebrating European languages.
Wrap-Up and Conclusion (Optional, if time allows):
- Teacher reflection: Briefly discuss the importance of linguistic diversity in Europe and globally.
- Poster display: Encourage students to proudly display their posters either in the classroom or around the school to spread awareness about the European Day of Languages.