Airport instructions (Task 9)
This is a project activity that focuses on cross-cultural communication and the way we communicate parts of this information to different people. First, the students will read a text regarding airport transportation, and they will write informal short messages as part of written text communication with an exchange student. Then, the students will have to use the same information and write a formal email to the student’s parents.
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Themes: Travelling/ countries
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Relaying specific information in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeBreaking down complicated informationAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): EnglishFinnishFrenchGreek
Tower of Babel – WhatsApp group (Task 13)
The aim of this activity is to practise the student’s reception and production skills in an authentic situation. Firstly, the students discuss the features of a typical social media (WhatsApp) message. Then, working in small groups, they read five different WhatsApp messages (Language B/C), and provide an answer either in Language A and/or B(/C), depending on the instructions given in the message. Finally, they share their answers with the rest of the groups. As a follow-up activity, students have to write their own message in Language A as part of their homework, and next time, in pairs, they answer their own messages in Language B (/C).
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Themes: Communication/social media
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Processing text in speech / in writingTranslating a written text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeBreaking down complicated informationAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): English
Hot topics and digital media (Task 16)
Engaging students in the crisscrossing of information available in several media in different languages, this task aims at developing their critical thinking and skills of relating and interpreting. Because young people consume information in several languages, this task intends to bring their multiliteracy skills to the foreign language classroom. The tasks, even if classroom-specific, are oriented towards students’ authentic, every day needs as consumers and producers of media.
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Themes: Communication/social media
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Relaying specific information in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: B2
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): CroatianEnglishFrenchGerman
Student-teacher e-communication (Task 18)
This is a project activity that focuses on email communication between students and teachers. The duration of the project is two lessons. There are eight distinct steps in this project. The aim of this activity is to familiarise the students with the style of email communication in general, and raise awareness of intercultural communication in particular.
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Themes: Communication/social media
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Relaying specific information in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B2
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): EnglishFinnishGreek
First-aid poster (Task 22)
This is a project activity that focuses on first-aid instructions. Students will create informative posters and present them in front of a small group of students.
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Themes: First-aid instructions
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Relaying specific information in speech / in writingProcessing text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeBreaking down complicated informationAdapting languageAmplifying a dense textStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B2
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): EnglishFinnishGreek
Celebrating Mother’s Day in Portugal (Task 29)
Students are put in a role play situation: Celebrating Mother’s Day in Portugal. They will go through some “adventures” to get to buy a present together with their dad, who doesn’t speak a word of Portuguese. The aim of the lesson is to activate students’ previous knowledge and develop their mediation strategies, skills needed to deal with informal situations encountered in daily life.
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Themes: Costumes/ cultureEurope
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Relaying specific information in speech / in writingNote taking (lectures, seminars, meetings, etc.)
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): EnglishPortuguese
World mythology (Task 31)
The aim of this activity (which could be adapted to include Languages A-B-C) is to familiarise the students with different cultures and media texts. Firstly, the students discuss the features of myths. Then, working in pairs, they listen to a YouTube video about a myth in (Language B/C), and do the activities (e.g., to collect new vocabulary). Next, they listen to another YouTube video or read a text about a myth with the same topic in Language A and take notes in Language B. Based on their notes, they will have to create a short podcast in Language B. Finally, they have to write an article for the school newspaper where they compare the two myths and discuss in Language B (/C) how myths could be used as examples of different cultures.
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Themes: Travelling/ countriesCostumes/ cultureMythology
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text: Relaying specific information in speech / in writingProcessing text in speech / in writingNote taking (lectures, seminars, meetings, etc.)
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies involved:Linking to previous knowledgeBreaking down complicated informationAdapting languageAmplifying a dense textStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: C1
Language(s) of the teacher's material(s): English
Language(s) of the student's material(s): EnglishFinnishGreek