World Languages Learning
Activity Types
1,2
The activity
types for world languages presented below aim to provide a systematic,
pedagogically meaningful scaffold that guides teachers’ instructional
thinking,
decision-making, and technology integration while promoting the
development of
students’ communicative competence. These activities draw from the
American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Standards for
Foreign
Language Learning, which state that communication in the target
language is
understood as a process that involves three modes: (a) interpersonal,
(b)
interpretive, and (c) presentational.
The
interpersonal mode involves two-way written or oral communication with
active
negotiation of meaning. Because of this feature, speaking, listening,
reading,
and writing can be involved. The interpretive mode focuses on the
appropriate
interpretation of meanings (e.g., listening to a broadcast, reading a
text, or
viewing a movie). Because the author of the news, text, or movie is
absent, there
are no opportunities for active negotiation of meaning. This mode
involves
listening, reading, and viewing abilities. The presentational mode is a
one-way
communication mode therefore, no opportunities for negotiation of
meaning
between presenters and audience are provided. This mode involves
speaking and
writing abilities.
Because
these communication modes require students to work on different skills
as they
develop their communicative competence, we have conceptualized and
organized
these activities into five genres that address different abilities: (a)
listening, (b) speaking, (c) reading, (d) writing, and (e) viewing. In
each of
the genre tables, learning activity types are listed along with
descriptions. A third column in
each table is comprised of possible technologies to use that are keyed
to each
of the activity types. The software
titles and specific Web sites included are meant to be illustrative. The taxonomy authors do not necessarily
endorse any of these technologies.
These
activities—used in combination or alone—are designed to promote
communication in the target language (L2) as well as to provide
opportunities
to explore the connections between the target language and its
underlying
culture(s).
Listening
Activity Types
Listening skills may seem more passive or
less
demanding than other language skills. However, when students are
engaged in
listening activities, they employ different competencies. For instance,
when
trying to comprehend and interpret a message, they need to know
morphology,
syntax, vocabulary (grammatical competence), the social and cultural
expectations of native speakers in the language studied
(sociolinguistic
competence), how to use pronouns and conjunctions in a cohesive and
coherent
manner (discursive competence), and how to make educated guesses to
compensate
for gaps in their knowledge (strategic competence). In sum, listening
activities require the interplay of different types of knowledge that
go beyond
“getting what it was said.”
Table 1: Listening Activity
Types
|
Activity
Type |
Brief
Description |
Possible
Technologies |
|
Listen to a conversation |
Students listen to a conversation in L2,
either live or recorded (e.g., from a textbook supplement, radio
broadcast, skit, guest speakers). |
CD, Web audio site, audioconferencing |
|
Listen to a teacher’s prompt(s) |
Students listen to teachers’ prompts in L2
(e.g., assignment directions, game prompts, questions). |
Podcast, recorded audio |
|
Listen to a broadcast |
Students listen to a broadcast in L2 (e.g.,
radio, television, news, performance). |
Web radio, podcast |
|
Listen to a poem/song |
Students listen to a poem recited or song
sung in L2, live or recorded. |
CD. Web (e.g., TeacherTube), podcast |
|
Listen to an audio recording |
Students listen to a recording in L2
(teacher- or student-made, professionally produced). |
Podcast, Web audio site |
|
Listen to a presentation |
Students listen to a live or recorded
presentation in L2 (e.g., guest presentation, student-created oral
report, teacher-created lecture). |
Presentation software, video/audio conference |
|
Listen to a story |
Students listen to a story written and read
aloud in L2. |
CD, audiobook, Web (e.g., TeacherTube),
podcast |
Speaking Activity Types
When
learning a foreign language, speaking skills are crucial to students’
engagement
and sustained language development. After all, what is the purpose of
learning
a language if you cannot speak it? The activity types proposed below
are
appropriate for students with different levels of language proficiency
within
the continuum described in the ACTFL
Guidelines.
Table 2: Speaking Activity
Types
|
Activity
Type |
Brief
Description |
Possible
Technologies |
|
Have a conversation with a partner/small
group |
Students converse with a limited number of
others in L2 (improvised or with prompts). |
Audio/Video conference, telephone |
|
Have a conversation with a large group |
Students converse with a large group in L2
(e.g. question-and-answer with a guest speaker, improvisational
performance, class discussion). |
Audio/Video conference |
|
Perform role plays |
Students speak in L2 in character in a
simulated situation (e.g., ordering dinner in a restaurant, checking in
at the airport, skit, play, impersonation, puppet show). |
Video camera, audio recorder |
|
Engage in an oral question-and-answer activity |
Students ask and/or answer questions from
others in L2 (e.g., exchange personal information, request directions,
interact with guest speaker). |
Audio/Video conference |
|
Repeat |
Students repeat what someone else says in L2
(e.g., tongue-twister games, “Whisper Down the Lane”/”Telefono
Descompuesto,” oral exercises). |
Podcast, audio recorder |
|
Have an informal debate |
Students debate an issue in L2. |
Audio/Video conference, audio recorder |
|
Deliver a presentation |
Students deliver an (in)formal presentation
(e.g., advertise a product, present a report, perform a commercial for
a tourist destination). |
Presentation software, video recorder |
|
Create an audio/video recording |
Students create a recording (e.g., a
commercial for an invented or real product, “how to do it”
demonstrations, a song or rap). |
Audio recorder/ video recorder, podcast |
|
Tell a story |
Students tell a lengthy or short story in L2. |
Audio recorder/ video recorder |
|
Sing |
Students sing a song in L2. |
Audio recorder/ video recorder |
|
Define terms orally |
Students provide L2 definitions for L2 words. |
Audio recorder |
|
Describe something |
Students describe an object, person, place,
or idea in L2. |
Audio recorder |
|
Recite |
Students recite a rehearsed piece in L2
(e.g., poem, quotation, common phrase). |
Audio recorder |
Writing Activity
Types (both
expository & creative)
Writing in
L2 focuses on both the process and the product. When working with
writing
skills, students can engage in all three modes of communication—
interpersonal,
interpretive, and presentational. In addition, writing abilities
involve the
same four competencies mentioned above (grammatical, sociolinguistic,
discursive, and strategic) that enable learners to convey meanings with
accuracy across cultures. The activities proposed below address both
expository
and creative writing skills.
Table 3: Writing Activity Types
|
Activity
Type |
Brief
Description |
Possible
Technologies |
|
Engage in a written question-and-answer
activity |
Students ask and answer questions about
different topics (e.g., daily routines, personal traits, target
culture, likes and dislikes). |
Word processing software, chat, Email, online
discussion |
|
Write a paper |
Students compose a written response (e.g.,
position paper, essay, report) to a prompt (e.g. art critique, passage
from textbook, newspaper article). |
Word processing software, blog, wiki |
|
Label objects |
Students prepare labels to match to objects
in the class, at their homes, and/or at school. |
Word processing software, drawing software,
concept mapping software |
|
Define terms in written form |
Students use new and old vocabulary to
compose a glossary of terms (e.g., glossary of terms for textbook
chapter, literary piece read in class or as a homework) |
Word processing software, concept mapping
software, wiki |
|
Write a sentence/paragraph |
Students write a sentence or paragraph to
describe an object, situation, and/or place. |
Word processing software, concept mapping
software |
|
Create a comic |
Students create a comic strip to apply
functions, culture, grammar, and/or vocabulary related to a given topic. |
Comic creation software, word processing
software, drawing software |
|
Write a script |
Students write a script for a soap opera
episode, a comedy skit, or a play. |
Word processing software, wiki |
|
Write a poem |
Students write a poem (e.g., haiku, cinquain,
diamond, concrete poetry). |
Word processing software, wiki |
|
Write a letter |
Students write a letter in response to a
prompt (e.g., penpal/keypal communication, letter to a family member,
letter to the Editor, a complaint). |
Word processing software, Email |
|
Create a game |
Students create a game to practice
vocabulary, grammar, language functions, culture (e.g., flash cards,
Bingo, Jeopardy). |
Word processing software, game creation
software, presentation software |
|
Write a story |
Students write a story inspired by personal
experience, a cultural topic, or a literary work read as part of course
assignments. |
Word processing software, blog, wiki |
|
Write journal entries |
Students write journal entries using targeted
grammar structures and vocabulary (e.g., diary, blog, dialogue journal). |
Blog, word processing software, wiki, Email list, online discussion forum |
|
Create a book |
Students create a book (e.g., biography,
cookbook, poem collection, picture book). |
Word processing software, drawing software,
presentation software, Web authoring software |
|
Participate in an online discussion |
Students engage in online discussions and
take a stand on assigned topics (e.g., global warming, bilingual
education, international policy). |
Online discussion forum, chat room, text
messaging |
|
Create a test |
Students create a topic or chapter test alone
or with a peer (e.g., multiple choice, cloze, true or false, matching
pairs). |
Word processing software, test creation
software, Web authoring software |
|
Create an illustration accompanied by text |
Students create a map, a concept map, word
pictures, a mural, or a storyboard to illustrate historical events or
cultural topics related to a textbook unit. |
Drawing software, concept mapping software,
presentation software |
|
Create a newspaper/newsletter/ news magazine/
brochure |
Students synthesize information from
textbooks, encyclopedias, and/or websites and develop a print-based or
electronic periodical. |
Word processing software, desktop publishing
software, Web authoring software, wiki |
|
Create a chart/table |
Students compile and synthesize information
from different sources and organize it in charts and/or tables. |
Word processing software, spreadsheet |
|
List word families |
Students develop word clusters (e.g.
“Familias de Palabras”). |
Concept mapping software, word processing
software |
|
Edit |
Students assist each other with their writing
projects (e.g., peer editing). |
Word processing software, wiki |
|
Take notes |
Students record relevant information on
course topics (e.g., presentations, field trips, videos). |
Word processing software, concept mapping
software, wiki (for collaborative note-taking) |
Reading Activity Types
The cognitive processes involved in reading
in a
foreign language are similar to those described for the listening
skills.
Students bring into play grammatical, discursive, sociolinguistic, and
strategic competences when attempting to comprehend and interpret a
written
message. The following activity types may be performed either silent or
aloud.
Table 4: Reading Activity Types
|
Activity
Type |
Brief
Description |
Possible
Technologies |
|
Read a story |
Students read and analyze stories by relevant
authors from their target language to get acquainted with different
literary styles (e.g., J. Borges, A. Matute, H. Quiroga). |
Web, ebook reader |
|
Read a poem |
Students read and analyze poems by authors
from different nationalities and literary traditions (e.g., P. Neruda,
J. Hérnandez, G. Mistral, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz). |
Web |
|
Read a newspaper/magazine |
Students read and extract information from
newspapers and magazines from different countries where their target
language is spoken. |
Web |
|
Read a book/novel |
Students read and analyze books and novels
from different literary traditions and authors (e.g., G. Garcia
Marquez, J. Cortazar, E. Zola, L. Esquivel).
|
Web, ebook reader |
|
Read a letter |
Students read letters from newspapers or
magazines, family archives, legal documents (e.g., from and to editors,
from one family member to another one, legal notifications). |
Email, Web |
|
Read a textbook |
Students read and extract information from
textbooks (e.g., cultural notes, grammar, vocabulary lists). |
Web, ebook reader, CD |
|
Read a comic (e.g. for children, political
cartoon) |
Students read a comic and relate it to the
cultural and/or political reality/realities represented (e.g.,
“Mafalda,” “Maitena,” “Asterix,” “Ramón”). |
Web |
|
Read a chart/table |
Students read chart(s)/table(s) to extract
information and to connect it to course topics (e.g., weather service,
census data by languages, health issues by countries). |
Web |
|
Read an article (e.g. encyclopedia entry, Web
page) |
Students read article/s to further their
knowledge about course topics (e.g. encyclopedia entry, Web page,
electronic journals and magazines). |
Web, CD |
|
Read a diary/journal |
Students read entries from peers’
diaries/journals posted online. |
Web, blog |
Viewing Activity
Types
Viewing abilities are critical for “zooming
into” the target language culture. Through viewing activities, students
can
observe authentic interactions among native speakers, learn about
differences
among dialects, accents, registers, and body language without leaving
the
boundaries of their classroom. As with reading and listening, students
learning
an L2 bring into play the same four competencies to comprehend and
interpret a
message. The viewing activity types below vary in the degree of
challenge
offered to students in terms of comprehension and interpretation of
meanings.
Table 5: Viewing Activity Types
|
Activity
Type |
Brief
Description |
Possible
Technologies |
|
Watch a performance |
Students attend a live performance or watch a
recorded event (e.g., DVD of Ballet Folklórico de México,
concert, play). |
UStream, Web (e.g., TeacherTube), DVD |
|
Watch a video |
Students watch contemporary or classic
movies, video clips, commercials, documentaries, to enhance
comprehension of course topics. |
Web (e.g., TeacherTube, Hulu), DVD |
|
Observe a live interaction |
Students attend or watch interactions in the
target language to get acquainted with different communication styles
(academic and non-academic) in different settings (e.g., sporting
event, at the airport, a job interview, at the doctor’s office). |
Web, videoconferencing, UStream |
|
View an exhibit |
Students take physical or virtual field trips
(e.g., to an art museum, cultural sites, other students’ works, school
exhibition). |
Web, Web-based virtual fieldtrip,
videoconference |
|
View image(s) |
Students use images to elicit information
about course topics (e.g. pictogram, photographs, drawings). |
Web, CD |
References:
National Standards in
Foreign Language Education Project (2006). Standards for
foreign language learning in the 21st century. Yonkers, NY: Author.
American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (1998). ACTFL
Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners. Yonkers, NY:
Author.
|