building communicative and cultural competence

Building Communicative and Cultural Competence

By Alma PettengerGlendale High SchoolSpringfield, Missouri

apettenger@spsmail.org

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

How do you teach culture?How do you interconnect culture and language?

WHAT WILL I LEARN IN THIS SESSION?What is CBI?

Why and how it works?

Some practical ideas for projects that interconnect

language and culture

What is CBI?Content Based Instruction is a method to

teach significant and relevant content in the second language.

Relevant ContentFrom a serious science topic such the formation of stars

To a fun topic such as pop stars

Why does CBI work?CBI offers several advantages

It makes learning a language more motivating by using language to fulfill a real purpose: relevant content

SAMPLE LESSON #1My Study Abroad Program

Student Sample #1

My Study Abroad Program

Step 1 (select a topic of interest)

Why this topic?Knowledge of student

Introduce Your Topic in the most creative way you can!

For this particular project, I brought a formal student of mine as a guest speaker, to present to my students on her study abroad experience.

BE CREATIVE!

Clear Goals and Instructions• Students should be able to visualize the

expectation• Provide an End- Product sample such as

pictures, video, or an actual product

Scrapbook Sample

Interpersonal Communication

Assign a Research TopicFor this project, I allowed my students to pick

one of five countries that have popular exchange programs in local universities and colleges:

ArgentinaCosta RicaEcuadorPeruSpain

CollaborationOnce students have picked their country, I

allowed them to group with other students who had also picked the same country.

Collaboration is a 21st century skills that we must promote in our language classes

THE PRESENTATIONFor this, I used an interpersonal mode of

communicationFor this particular projects, students shared

their projects with one partner at a time

Interpersonal Mode

Language Structures I focused on:

Preterite and ImperfectComparisonsGusta phrases

What Challenges Does CBI Present?

•It is much more challenging in the lower levels

•Students may feel confused and overwhelmed; Deal with this by offering language and vocabulary instruction

Authentic Sources

It can be difficult to find resources in the target language at the proper level

Deal with this by allowing students to do their research in English and adapt it to the target language for their presentation

What Challenges Does CBI Present?

What Challenges Does CBI Present? It is hard to teach with CBI, if you are tied

to the book or to a specific set curriculum set by your district or your school

Sample Lesson 2

De Vacaciones en Costa Rica

Interpersonal Mode: Un restaurante

Interpersonal Mode

Sample Lesson 3:

Holidays and Tradition in the Spanish Speaking World

Presentational Mode

Sample Lesson 4: La tragica vida de Frida Kahlo

Sample Lesson 5Famous Argentines

Meet Eva Peron

Sample Lesson 5: Leyendas y Mitos

Presentational Communication