Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices
View & Analyze the Video
As you reflect on these questions, write down your responses or discuss them as a group.
Before You Watch
Respond to the following questions:
- How might you connect with content of other disciplines? What content areas might enhance the learning of your students?
- What kinds of activities engage young children in the language classroom?
- What are some strategies you can use to introduce new sets of vocabulary to students with minimal target language skills?
Watch the Video
As you watch “Vegetables We Like,” take notes on Miss Lahoud’s instructional strategies, particularly how she manages a classroom of young learners, keeps students in the target language, and connects art-based lesson content with language goals. Write down what you find interesting, surprising, or especially important about the teaching and learning in this lesson.
Reflect on the Video
Review your notes, and then respond to the following questions:
- What was the purpose of the opening routine? Why might establishing consistent routines be helpful when teaching younger students?
- What was the benefit of the classroom store? What kind of language did it allow the students to practice?
- How did Miss Lahoud make her speech comprehensible to her students? What techniques did she use?
Take a Second Look
Watch the video again, but this time, focus on the following teaching practices: content-based instruction and classroom management.
Practice: Content-Based Instruction
Through art projects, students in Miss Lahoud’s Art and Arabic class build vocabulary and cultural knowledge.
- How might learning content from other subjects increase learner engagement?
- What evidence do you see of students learning art content? What evidence do you see of students learning Arabic?
- How might drawing help students process the new vocabulary words?
Practice: Classroom Management
Miss Lahoud’s strong classroom management skills foster engagement and keep students in the target language.
- What routines has Miss Lahoud established to create smooth transitions between activities? How did the classroom store enhance those transitions?
- What role did the students take in establishing an Arabic-only environment? How did the students interact with each other when they heard English?