Modern Foreign Language

1. To introduce the theme of food.

2. To learn basic vocabulary to do with food such as fruits, vegetables, mealtimes, breakfast, lunch, dinner/tea.

3. To compile a simple paper database with the following fields: name, favourite fruit, favourite vegetable and favourite drink.

4. To collect wrappers, boxes and labels of food bought and eaten in Ireland to post to the German school.

ICT

1. To compile a database using the four field names outlined above and records for each pupil in the class.

2. To practice skills involved in using Microsoft Access: launch application, open, save, close file, insert and edit text, insert and delete fields and records, edit and replace abbreviations.

3. To email a completed database to the school in Germany.

4. To email a blank database to the school in Germany and invite them to fill out their favourites.

Materials/Resources
Photocopied handouts with German vocabulary of fruits, vegetables etc.
Photocopied class list for each group to fill in responses of class.
6 PC's with Microsoft Access.
6 German Dictionaries,
1 Laser Printer,
1 PC with email facility (Outlook Express)
1 flipchart and markers.

Prior to tackling this Patch Study of four ICT based lessons about food, it was deemed necessary to devote a German lesson to learning the vocabulary.

Initial Language Learning
Two handouts are distributed to each pupil, one to do with fruit and one to do with vegetables. Pupils are invited to read each noun with the teacher for pronunciation. They are asked to look at four at a time and then questioned on each four. When every noun has been practised a few times a memory game around the class is played, using the worksheets. " I go to the market and I buy.. ". Pupils have to concentrate on all the responses and on the correct order so they quickly learn thirty to forty nouns by playing this fun game.
Pupils are then asked to guess a fruit or vegetable from the lists based on a question /answer game such as 20 questions. To promote communication and co-operation in the foreign language, they play this game in their ICT groups. Each group gains points according to their questioning e.g.

Is it a fruit?                    Is it juicy?               Is it sweet?               Is it long?

Is it small?                     Is it green?              Is it a banana?

Then they are asked to think of their favourite fruit, favourite vegetable and favourite drink. The questions are written on the blackboard and practised. Sample answers are recorded on the blackboard.

Recording information for the database
Each ICT group is given a sheet of paper with all the class names in one column and three blank columns to record information for the database. The teacher begins by choosing a pupil and asking questions:

What is your name?             (optional: practise only)

What is your favourite fruit?

What is your favourite vegetable?

What is your favourite drink?

As the pupil answers, the rest of the class records the information. (In order to keep every pupil involved and to speed up the data collection, the class list is actually cut into two sections. Working in two's, the pupils listen to whose turn it is, find their name on the list and record the responses.) Then the pupil chooses someone else and asks the questions of the next candidate and so on around the class room until every pupil has an opportunity to practise the German questions and answers and all the information is recorded.

ICT Activity
The information is brought to the computer room and each group produces a database of the collected information. The teacher is available to help however they are not given instructions or guidelines on a handout as they have spent four weeks doing a module on databases using Microsoft Access. They are reminded to use abbreviations to speed up the data entry and then use the edit and replace facility. They are asked to check spellings using dictionaries and German handouts, and to ask for teacher approval prior to printing. Working in their ICT groups of four, the pupils should have little difficulty with completing this task in 20-30 minutes.

The first corrected completed saved and printed database can be used to send as an attachment to the school in Germany, representing the class favourites.  

This group can then be asked to compile a blank database that can be sent via email attachment, inviting the pupils in Germany to engage in a similar exercise.

Other groups completed early can use the opportunity to add background colour, alter styles etc.

Modern Foreign Language

1. To revise basic vocabulary to do with food such as fruits, vegetables, mealtimes, breakfast, dinner, tea, lunch,

2. To revise vocabulary used through out the year, such as: time, verbs, likes and dislikes.

3. To encourage pupils to construct whole sentences and short paragraphs in German about breakfast, lunch and evening meal.

ICT

1. To revise Word Processing skills such as: launch application, open, save, close, print file, insert, edit, delete text, adjust font size, style, colour etc.

2. To email a completed "story" to the school in Germany.

3. To photograph collection of food wrappers mentioned in lesson 1 to send to Germany with an email announcing the posting of a parcel.

Materials/Resources
Photocopied handouts with German vocabulary of fruits, vegetables etc. used in lesson 1.
Worksheets with readymade phrases to insert, delete or change text to produce story of mealtimes.
PC's with Microsoft Word
Floppy Disks with prepared template saved on each one.
1 Laser Printer,
1 PC with email facility (Outlook Express)
1 flipchart.

Each pupil is given a handout with four paragraphs of German text: one about breakfast, one about lunch, one about evening meal and one about food likes and dislikes. Each paragraph contains several options from which to choose such as:

I eat breakfast at ___ o 'clock
I eat breakfast at a quarter to ___.
I eat breakfast at a quarter past___.
I eat breakfast at half past ____.

I eat a cereal with ___ milk. The packet is called________.
I eat porridge with ___ milk.
I eat toast with butter/Nutella/marmelade/jam/cheese/ham..
I drink tea/milk/orange juice…

The sheet is read with the whole class. Various pupils are asked to finish different sentences until everyone understands that each individual is to compile a story that suits their food choices. The pupils are given 5-10 minutes to complete the worksheet on paper according to their eating behaviour.

Then each pupil is given a floppy disk with the original template of sentences. They open the file and insert text and delete unnecessary options according to their answers. At the end, each pupil should have four individually constructed paragraphs about their mealtimes, likes and dislikes. The grammar should be correct as the teacher has carefully constructed simple sentences that easily apply to cloze procedure. The pupils feel that they have composed many German sentences.

A "Story" from each group is emailed to the school in Germany, to give them an idea of eating habits in Ireland.
The pupils print out their work and paste it into their German book. They practise reading it aloud to a partner or group, exchange their work amongst their peers and question each other etc.
The work is saved and used in lesson four as material for the one-page magazine.
Other word processing activities based on Food could be carried out. A cartoon strip of pictures based on a story to do with food could be given to each ICT group, who then use their German language to compose their own simple story, which can be typed up using the Word processing application. The pictures can be scanned in using the scanner. A story which I used is called “Der Bauer, Der Esel, Die Pflaumen und die Wespe”.
Anther suitable story is “Der Süße Brei”, which lends itself to dialogue, drama and other methods of incorporating language and activity.

Modern Foreign Language

1. To provide an opportunity to see normal life in German speaking countries by visiting web sites to do with food and drink.

2. To use the Internet to find out cultural information, recognise German vocabulary and practise using German vocabulary.

ICT

1. To practice typing in an address, using links and navigational icons, printing a web page.

2. To photograph school lunches and some lunch boxes to use in lesson 4.

3. To ensure that every ICT group and every individual has been photographed for lesson 4.

[This would have been done earlier on in the school year when the digital camera first arrived. Pupils sat in their ICT groups and were allowed to photograph one pupil in each group. The camera was then passed on to another group. Hence, every pupil had an opportunity to take at least one photograph.]

Materials/Resources
3 PC's with Internet access.
Digital camera, school lunches.
Flipchart with safe, useful web site addresses listed.
German copies and pens/pencils.

Prior to the lesson, various safe and interesting web sites were selected for the pupils to visit. Each group was given the address of one web site and asked to look for various information, such as:
Visit a German shop i.e. Aldi and find out German prices of different foods.
Visit McDonalds in *Germany and find out what they call the Quarter Pounder.
Order a Pizza in German.
Find a recipe for starter eaten in *Germany.
Find a recipe for a salad eaten in *Germany.
Find a recipe for a main course eaten in *Germany.
Find a recipe for a dessert eaten in *Germany.             [*Germany/Austria/Switzerland]http://www.aldi-sued.de/

http://www.mcdonalds.com

http://www.mcdonalds.de

http://www.awinnipeg.ca/~oberle/essen.html

http://gabiscott.com/gabi/index.htm

http://home.main.rheiner.de/pet.ra/index/htm

http://www.oetker.de

The web site addresses are recorded on a flipchart and each group is allocated one activity listed above.
Because the Internet access in our situation is generally very slow and likely to time out when several users are on line at the same time, this activity requires a group rota. This lesson is also run in conjunction with the desktop publishing lesson - lesson 4.

Useful web pages are printed out and pasted in their German books or saved for putting together with lessons 1, 2 and 4.
The information collected is recorded in their German books in written form.
The material will be useful to add to their one-page magazine about food, compiled in lesson 4.

Modern Foreign Language

1. To consolidate the theme of food, by integrating as much material and vocabulary used as possible.

2. To allow the pupils to creatively communicate their own likes and thoughts about food.

3. To produce a one-page newsletter with the following:

1 Headline or title                                 (e.g. Our Favourite Food, Healthy Eating etc.)

1 Recipe or fun fact from the Internet   (e.g. about Aldi, McDonalds in Germany etc.)

1 article             (or more)                 (e.g. word processing articles about mealtimes)

1 table                                                    (e.g. word search/favourite fruits in the class)

1 graphic             (or more)                  (e.g. Insert Clipart/Picture file)

1 Photograph                                           (e.g. individual/group photos, wrappers collected, school lunches, someone's lunch box.)        

ICT

1. To revise desktop publishing skills such as: launch application, open, save, close, print file, create text frames, table frames, insert WordArt, Clipart, import scanned images, digital photos, resize and move frames, enhance presentation by adjusting colours, font styles, font sizes etc.

2. To integrate the use of various applications and peripheral equipment.

 Materials/Resources
A Worksheet for each group listing the contents required for the newsletter and noting the useful folders on a PC containing suitable photographs.
German books with photocopied handouts of German vocabulary of fruits, vegetables etc. as used in all lessons 1 to 3.
Floppy Disks with Word Processing articles completed in lesson 2.
1 PC with folders containing downloaded photographs suitable for the newsletter e.g. of school lunches, food wrappers, pupils involved.
6 PC's with Microsoft Publisher.
6 German Dictionaries,
2 PC's with German language software for reference i.e. Talk Now, Junior Talking Dictionary.
1 PC with email facility (Outlook Express) to check responses from Germany.
1 Laser Printer,
1 flipchart and markers.

The pupils work in their ICT groups. Each group is given a list of information: what is required/expected on their one page and how to import files and photographs.
In each group, the pupils are expected to designate tasks themselves. One pupil could be typing, and another proof reading and checking spellings. Another pupil could be compiling a word search in their German copy based on fruits etc. Another pupil could be referring to the German language software for vocabulary or ideas, or choosing an article, photograph etc. Each individual should have input in the page.
When it is complete, the teacher corrects it and approves prior to printing.

The pages can be emailed to the school in Germany.
The printed magazine page can be pasted into their German book.
The pages can be read out loud in pairs, groups, in class, to the other language class in the school.
They can be exchanged amongst their peers.
The work can be displayed in the school.
A class Food magazine can be compiled from each group.
Each individual can put their group page with their other work to have a little booklet about food containing: a table from a database, word processing exercises, Internet information, magazine with photographs.

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