You want to do what for your birthday?!

Author: Kathy Fegely  07/20/2006 09:03:00 AM EST		 TaskStream - Advancing Educational Excellence

VITAL INFORMATION
Subject(s):
Foreign Language
 
Topic or Unit of Study:

Animals and birthday celebrations
 
Grade/Level:
Deutsch 2 / grade 9
 
Objective:

Highlighting proposed PA standards to be addressed.

Students will be able to navigate a German web site in order to shop for a selected item. (Communication 2.1,3.1), (Culture 3.2),(Connections 1.3, 2.3), (Communities 3.4) - Interpretive

Students will be able to convert dollars to Euros to maintain a budget.(Culture 2.2), (Connections 3.3) - Interpretive

Students will plan a child's birthday party at the Steiff Museum in Giengen an der Brenz. (Culture 1.2, 2.2, 3.2) / (Communities 2.4) - Interpersonal

Students will find directions from Munich to Giengen by car and using public transportation. (Communication 3.1), (Culture 1.2), (Connections 2.3) - Interpretive

Students will purchase a stuffed animal at Steiff by using the on-line order service and explain why they selected the animal.  (Communication 1.1, 2.1), (Connections 2.3,3.3) - Interpretive / Presentational

Students will read a web site to share an overview of the history of the Steiff company.  (Communication 2.1), (Connections 2.3) - Interpretive / Interpersonal

Students will read a web site and tell about Margarette and Richard Steiff by presenting a brief English summary of information they understood in a German web site.(Communication 2.1, 3.1), (Culture 2.2), (Connections 2.3) - Interpretive / Interpersonal

Students will view a film about the life of Margarette Steiff and the development of the Steiff business reinforcing information from the website and developing listening skills needed to view a German film with no English prompts.  They take notes about what they already knew and what information was new for them.  These may be written in German or English.  (Communication 2.1, 3.1), (Culture 3.2), (Connections 1.3, 2.3), (Communities 2.4, 3.4) - Intrepretive

Students will be able to answer questions related to the manufacture of stuffed animals at the Steiff factory and share the information with group members. (Communication 1.1, 2.1), (Culture 3.2),  (Connections 2.3), (Communities 2.4,3.4) - Interpretive / Interpersonal

Students will read from a web site and give a brief summary of what can be seen in the Steiff Museum.  (Connections 2.3) - Interpretive / Interpersonal

Students will create a party invitation and a thank you card for gifts received. (Communication 3.1), (Culture 2.2) - Presentational

Groups of students will interact to create a scrapbook reviewing the party to share with students in other classes. (Connections 2.3), (Communities 2.4) - Interpersonal / Presentational
 
Summary:
  Using various tools to check understanding of a German web site (including directed questions and English summaries for comprehension), an integrated performance assessment has been created for students to share their acquired information in a jigsaw activity providing background to begin the project.  Students will then work as a family to sponsor a birthday party for a family member at the Steiff Museum.  Each family will create a scrapbook related to the planned party to share with classmates and other classes. The scrapbook will include invitations, food served, activities at the party, gifts received from whom, and thank you notes to gift givers.  Rubrics will be used as assessment tools.
 
IMPLEMENTATION
Learning Context:
This activity would take place after students have had the opportunity to learn vocabulary and situations related to purchases using Euros.  They have also been exposed to vocabulary about the family and animals.  They know how to express dates and times in German.  They have a basic vocabulary knowledge of foods and beverages.  They have recently been introduced to the grammar concept of the conversational past tense which will be needed to express themselves throughout the project presentations.
 
Procedure:

As a group, the class will view the web site www.steiff.de to review vocabulary and to see the variety of stuffed animals available from the company.  They will then check the cost of several products. 

Students will be directed to consider questions such as:  Why do these toys cost so much?  /  Where is this toy factory and what is some background information about it?  /  How could I see the museum and store?  /  How would I plan a birthday celebration here?

Students will then be broken into five small groups and given worksheets to research specific parts of the web site.  They will work within the groups to answer questions specific to their worksheet. The completed worksheets will be submitted to the instructor before students leave the room.(Interpretive)

After completing the worksheets and comparing them with group members, students will be asked to form different groups in order to share the acquired information with one another.  Each person in the group has researched material needed to complete the group question form.  Each group should submit one completed questionare for assessment.  Presentation directives will be distributed to the group at that time.(Interpersonal)

These new groups will remain together and form the "family" for the project.  Each family will plan a birthday party at the Steiff Museum.  They will develop a guest list, send invitations (represented by one sample invitation), determine a budget for the party, send directions to attendees, describe the activities which took place at their party (including which Steiff animal each selected to give as a gift and why).  They will also write thank you notes for the gifts (using one example).  The entire package will be presented as a scrapbook using a Power Point presentation to be shared with the class and at least one additional German class in the school. (Presentational)

As students prepare their presentation outside of class time, we will view a film  by RTL about the life of Margarette Steiff and the business.  The film is 80 minutes in length and will require two instruction periods.

Assessment rubrics will be distributed prior to each phase of the project.
 
Differentiated Instruction:
Each student with a special need will be addressed individually.  Most IEP students would require different expectations in the area of grammar.  Adjustments would be made as needed.
 
Sample Student Products:  
 
Collaboration:
Students will work collaboratively & individually. Students will work in groups of 5.
 
Time Allotment:
7 class periods. 45 Min. per class.
 
Author's Comments & Reflections:

Although it is not easily displayed in this format for a grading rubric, I would also have space at the bottom for individual comments for each student and give them the opportunity to reflect upon his/her individual assessment and progress.

I developed the grading rubrics through adaptations from "PSMLA Standards and Guide to Assessment:  What to teach and How to Test It!" - Fairfax County School District and Deanna Baird of Upper St. Clair School District rubric samples and a sample rubric presented by Dr. Frank Medley adapted from a document by Dr. Maria Amores.
 
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Instructional Materials:
Attachments
  1. Directives for group project / task assignment sheet The expectations for group project are clearly described. The members complete a task sheet showing how each member will be involved.
  2. Questions for Website / group answer form Each student will research a part of the web site answering the given content questions. The students will complete the group information form based on their individual research.
 
Resources:
  • Materials and resources:
    laptops
    www.steiff.de
    video: Margarette Steiff from RTL
    www.mapquest.de
    www.bahn.de
  • Technology resources:
    PowerPoint
  • Students Familiarity with Software Tool:
    Students have created PowerPoint presentations in the 8th grade technologies class. This reinforces this technology.
 
STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT
Standards:
PA- Pennsylvania Academic Standards
• Subject : Geography
• Area 7.1: Basic Geographic Literacy
• Grade 7.1.6:   Grade 6
 Standard B.: Describe and locate places and regions.
•Coordinate systems (e. g., latitude and longitude, time zones)
•Physical features
In Pennsylvania (e. g., Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Appalachian)
In the United States (e. g., Great Lakes, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains)
•Human features
Countries (e. g., United Kingdom, Argentina, Egypt)
States (e. g., California, Massachusetts, Florida)
Provinces (e. g., Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia)
Major human regions (e. g., Mid Atlantic, New England, Southwest)
Counties (e. g., Lancaster, Lackawanna, Jefferson)
Townships (e. g., Dickinson, Lower Mifflin, Southampton)
Major cities (e. g., London, Los Angeles, Tokyo)
•Ways in which different people look at places and regions (e. g., as places to visit or to avoid)
•Community connections to other places
Dependence and interdependence
Access and movement
• Subject : Mathematics
• Area 2.2:   Computation and Estimation
• Grade 2.2.8:   Grade 8
 Standard E.: Determine the appropriateness of overestimating or underestimating in computation.
• Subject : Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
• Area 1.2: Reading Critically in All Content Areas
• Grade 1.2.8:   Grade 8
 Standard A.: Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.
· Differentiate fact from opinion utilizing resources that go beyond traditional text (e.g., newspapers, magazines and periodicals) to electronic media.
· Distinguish between essential and nonessential information across texts and going beyond texts to a variety of media; identify bias and propaganda where present.
· Draw inferences based on a variety of information sources.
· Evaluate text organization and content to determine the author’s purpose and effectiveness according to the author’s theses, accuracy and thoroughness.

USA- ACTFL- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language: Standards for Foreign Lang. Learning
• Strand : Communication: Communicate in languages other than English
 Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
 Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
 Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
• Strand : Cultures: Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures
 Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.
• Strand : Connections: Connect with other disciplines and acquire information
 Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
• Strand : Comparisons: Develop insight into the nature of language and culture
 Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
• Strand : Communities: Participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world
 Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
 Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.
 
Assessment/Rubrics:
Rubrics
  1. Completion of group question form
  2. You want to do what for your birthday?! complete project assessment