Lesson Plan Session 8: Shopping (C1.1) & Health and Nutrition (B2.2)

For the eighth session of classes my C1.1 level focused on the theme of Shopping while my B2.2 level focused on Health and Nutrition. As I had previously taught on the subject of health for my C1.1 classes during session 5, I decided to reuse my material for my lower level students.

C1.1- Shopping

For this session's theme of Shopping I wanted to not only touch on shopping habits of those in the US and abroad, but to discuss the reasons and/or drive as to why people make a purchase. I began by showing two of my favorite commercials and then analyzed them as a class. After watching the commercials, I asked my students what tools the advertisers used to persuade a consumer to buy their product as well as how the two commercials were similar and different. Next, I discussed how and why shopping habits and trends have changed in the United States over the last fifty years which we compared to those in Spain. Finally, a lesson on shopping would not be complete without discussing the rise of online shopping. My students discussed their reasons as to why they chose to shop online along with the dangers of doing so.

Being that during the past weeks during Session 7 my C1.1 groups and I prepared for their upcoming speaking exams, I found that the situation which gave them the most anxiety was the fear of forgetting a word. So, while creating my activity for this session I decided to create my own game of Taboo. Taboo helps players to hone their abilities to communicate a message even when then don’t have the exact vocabulary for what they'd like to say. Below are the cards I created specifically on the theme of shopping:

While my game of Taboo added a little sense of competition --which my students love-- they all seemed thankful for my special attention to their concerns by creating activities that will help them down the road.

B2.2 - Super Size Me

See attached link for Session 5 blog post to view slides, discussion questions, and previous outcomes.

https://ryannvanderzwiep.wixsite.com/mysite/blog/lesson-plan-session-5-health-c1-1-local-issues-b2-2

While more questions over vocabulary and grammatical use were asked while watching the documentary, my B2.2 students were able to attain a strong comprehension of the material at hand. We had many interesting discussions about how the fast food industry has such a cultural influence in the United States and, more interestingly, how the very same companies have started to become a part of common routine for citizens here in Spain.