Wir Schreiben auf Deutsch
We Write in German
Project Based Learning
What I most enjoy doing with my students in class is often the creative projects they do, and describe in German. I have had many types of projects. I ask students to tell me their interests, hobbies and talents and then help guide them to do something at which they excel. Students sometimes do whole group projects, such as the autobiographical paragraph on the poster. Sometimes the work is mostly done in small groups, such as in the video of students ordering in restaurant. Sometimes it is done individually, or in pairs, as was done with the gingerbread castle. In every case, though, the goal is language learning, which is done by various types of writing. There is always a written component. Projects that I have felt were valuable include: poems, musical performances, German foods, sculptures, a dance, a painting or a photograph. One year, I did not explain well enough or set the criteria clearly and my bright German 4 class, which included mostly girls, produced lots of posters of photographs of themselves with their friends “hanging out”. These posters included lots of glitter, for which the custodians did finally forgive me.
Needs Assessment:
The content of my Demo will demonstrate how project based learning benefits students’ writing abilities and learning of the German language. Students improve their ability to write, and their confidence in their writing ability by writing. In my German classes students write nearly every day, and some of their best work has resulted as part of artistic projects they have done. I have learned that when students take ownership of their ideas, they become very interested in the written expression of those ideas; and when they know their work will be displayed in some way, they become very interested in creating something of which they can be very proud. Students need the opportunity to be creative and to have their ideas and their work validated. Their use of multiple intelligences enables all learners in my classes to create work and to write in a way that shows that learning has taken place. My students, just like adults do not produce excellent writing without revision, review, collaboration and polish. Producing a project and writing about it requires that students think, learn, and demonstrate their learning by writing about it.
Learner Analysis:
The target audience of my instruction is, of course, ninth through twelfth grade students in German 1 – 4 classes. Each student comes to my class with a different set of expectations and needs. I have included examples of work I have done with German 1, 2, and 3 students. When students come into German 1, they think they know nothing, but I introduce them to cognates (words that are the same or very similar), such as Maus, Hand, and Computer. Students see that they can be successful in a class that can seem very difficult. I make lots of efforts to help them feel at ease. Sometimes I am too successful, hence the inclusion of Harry Wong’s book in my bibliography. When students are working independently, I must have clear expectations and plan ahead ensure that I manage my classroom well. My students are from a small town, and learning a foreign language opens up a whole new view of the world for many of them.
Instructional Objectives: I will show three different instructional practices in this Demo, but the stated goal at each level is to help students learn German grammatical concepts, to increase their German vocabularies, and to read, write and speak in German at the appropriate grade level. Some more tenuous goals are to help students become better speakers and writers of English, and to become more aware of German and world culture.
Strategies, Practices and Theories: Hopefully, my students will become better communicators. During the 1990’s I attended the Ashland Community College Teaching Learning Conference for a period of 5 years. At two of these conferences, I heard Dr. Richard Dias, who was at that time at Arizona State University present “Project Based Learning” and was introduced by him to the work of Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, which by now everyone knows. I was thrilled, and my students have benefited since.
Materials: For all students, paper and pen or pencil were required. They used their textbooks, and other written resources. Some German 3 students used the Internet; the students who made the Gingerbread castle printed a picture of Ramstein Castle, on which theirs was based, to include with their description. Some German 2 students printed pictures for their menus. I provided any materials, and resources beyond very basic supplies, unless students chose to buy materials.
Implementation/Activity: In each level of projects, these, or in others, there are the following steps:
- I must define what grammar and vocabulary skills students must master or have mastered. I do not attempt more than one or two new ideas for a major learning/writing project. These projects are a time for students to demonstrate what they know so far – their best practices, where they can learn to “trust the process.”
- Students actually do the work of creating a project and at the same time writing about the project. During this time, I set goals and deadlines and times for revision.
- Students must bring me rough drafts, ideas, demonstrations of what they have completed, and what is still being done. This varies with the class and with the project.
- If students are working in pairs or small groups, each person must write his or her own paper, and I must see drafts. I do not accept a final paper that I have not critiqued as it was written.
- Before any project is completed, I offer help, resources, and advice as students work.
I will explain three projects students do in German 1, 2, and 3. Projects generally take about one to two weeks.
German 1: Students have learned German for seven or eight weeks, and this project is an excellent part of their final assessment for their work during the first nine weeks, but I do not tell them this. I do not want them to think of this as a test, but rather as a means of self expression in German. Students begin with the list of twenty questions, which form a general outline for their final drafts. Students begin by answering the questions on a handout from me. Since some questions do not apply to some students, they may choose not to answer some, and to substitute other information. Students use their texts and are allowed to confer with others, and with me while answering the questions. We do a whole group answering session, and students revise their answers. Students also ask me the questions. Students then get a “clean copy” and write their revised answers for peer review. Finally, I read their answers and suggest improvements, and then students handwrite their paragraphs on colorful paper. I use a different color of paper for each class, and staple them to bulletin boards for the first Parent/Teacher conference.
They are really proud, and the more ambitious students give me far more than I originally asked.
German 2: Students who are in the video are using the modal, mochten, which means to want, as well as the German for I will have_________ to eat. They have written a menu, and have learned German foods. They have written a dialogue, but for this video, these students did not use the dialogues they had written in groups.
German 3: Students were assigned to design an artistic project, and then to write a description of their methods and/or describing their projects. The Gingerbread castle is the work of two students, each of whom had to write a separate paper. As with the German 1 and 2 projects, some were more elaborate than others.
Assessment: Students, who do projects, know in advance the criteria they will have to meet. I have not always given them a rubric, but I think this is a good practice that I need to adopt for these projects. In general students are graded on the quality of their writing, based on the appropriate grade level and instruction. Neatness and appearance are important, and timeliness counts as well. I have included samples of the assessment criteria.
Conclusion/Evaluation/ Reflection: Project Based Learning is applicable in many situations in any subject area at every grade level. When students produce a product, whether it is a leaf collection for a biology assignment, a mathematical product, an artistic expression, or any expression of learning; the evidence that the learning has taken place is in the student’s ability to write fluently about it. Personally, I prefer that a student’s work show creativity rather than perfection. We can always edit and revise. I would like to see a year end project fair in schools, in which every department or grade has students produce a project and write about it for display. Parents could be invited to applaud their children’s academic accomplishments. This could be a tribute to students’ most effective learning.
This would be fun, and learning should be delightful!
Annotated Bibliography:
Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
This book is very helpful with specific writing strategies, and for helping teachers help students overcome the frustrations of getting their thoughts on paper. In foreign language instruction, one of the constant struggles is the dilemma of teaching grammar and having students speak and write. Peter Elbow gives great advice on grammar and mistakes in writing, and how to address this issue. This is a great source for teachers who teach writing at any level.
Kittle, Penny. Public Teaching: one Kid at a Time. Portsmouth, NH: 2003.
Penny Kittle presents a series of stories about teachers and students who deal with the daily issues, rewards and heartbreaks in the classroom. It makes the reader identify with the “humanness of reaching students, and the need to validate all of them.
Strong, William. Write for Insight: Empowering Content Area Learning, Grades 7 – 12.
Boston: Pearson, 2006.
This book is a valuable resource for anyone who teaches writing. The key words are< “empowering the writer.” The title is correct; he focuses on helping the writer gain insight through writing. This book was my best source, and possibly a validation of what I already believe.
