The Joy of Reading! A Lesson on Schiller’s (and Beethoven’s) “An die Freude”

Friedrich Schiller’s lyrics “Freude, schöner Götterfunken…” (or even his name for that matter) might not be immediately recognizable to someone new to learning German. Luckily for language instructors, Beethoven’s decided to wed this poem to his iconic melody in fourth and final movement of his Ninth Symphony (refer to the video link below). Even a...... KEEP READING

Posted on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013 in Reading, Reflections | Comments Off on The Joy of Reading! A Lesson on Schiller’s (and Beethoven’s) “An die Freude”

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From mock mixers and event planning to—decisions regarding deportation? Tough Decisions in the Interpersonal Classroom

Reaching communicative competence goes beyond the linguistic demands towards a comprehensive discursive, strategic, and sociolinguistic understanding of a foreign language. The ability to assess the social situation, actively contribute to the conversation, and side step communication breakdowns increases the proficiency skills of the L2 learner. In meeting these goals, students need to be taught in...... KEEP READING

Posted on Monday, November 18th, 2013 in News | Comments Off on From mock mixers and event planning to—decisions regarding deportation? Tough Decisions in the Interpersonal Classroom

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Listening Comprehension Lesson Plan via Youtube

Click on the embedded link to view the clip from the film Sonnenallee (1999): Sonnenallee_Konflictvermeidung Attached below is a listening comprehension lesson plan corresponding to the short two-minute clip: Sonnenallee Listening Comprehension Viel Spaß!... KEEP READING

Posted on Sunday, November 3rd, 2013 in News | Comments Off on Listening Comprehension Lesson Plan via Youtube

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The Importance of Writing in the L2 classroom

Our daily lives are filled with moments when writing is the required mode communication. From work-related emails to short essays for a seminar, the ability to write in a foreign language is just as crucial for the L2 learner, if not more so. At first glance, writing in a foreign language demands that the learner...... KEEP READING

Posted on Monday, October 28th, 2013 in Reflections | Comments Off on The Importance of Writing in the L2 classroom

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The Role of Vocabulary in Foreign Language Learning

The essence of communication is to convey meaning. If one fails to find the words to express their thought, the grammatical structures become useless. Therefore, the role of vocabulary in the second or foreign language classroom is critical. In order to learn and retain vocabulary, or build a lexicon of words, students require a number...... KEEP READING

Posted on Monday, October 7th, 2013 in News | Comments Off on The Role of Vocabulary in Foreign Language Learning

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What is CLT?

Communicative Language Teaching, or what is often referred to as CLT, is an approach that allows for a variety of different teaching strategies, such as task-based learning, in foreign language learning instruction. The approach combines various techniques from prior methods, but ultimately strives to stress above all else the ability to communicate in the target language,...... KEEP READING

Posted on Monday, October 7th, 2013 in News | Comments Off on What is CLT?

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