CLIL tasks
Hello!
Little late but here I am. Today I would like to write something about the tasks used in my CLIL unit.
Except for some typical language activities such as drilling, playing games that support memorization we also did some stuff that would be more meaningful and picture things that I wanted to introduce better.
The thing I'm the proudest of is an experiment! As my unit was connected with nature education and science I let myself use 2 experiments to introduce the topic. The first experiment was based on some physics. With a glass, plate, candle, and water we tried to prove that in our classroom there is an oxygen...and how much oxygen there is in one glass! It was super fun, especially with the usage of colors! Children shared them predictions, observed and later described the course of the experiment. Lots of language and lots of fun! How do I know it was fun? Whenever I posed the question "What do you remember from our previous classes?" I've heard at least 3 people talking about this experiment. Of course, I was the one who conducted it, but students were impressed and I'm sure they will remember it for a long time.
The second experiment was a long term one, as we had to wait for any result for around a week! We seeded some grass in small flowerpots. One pot was put onto a windowsill, the other to the wardrobe. And our aim was to put a hypothesis and then verify it. After a week time my students welcomed me with "Miss Dagmara, look! our experiment grows! amazing!". And indeed, it was amazing. here comes the picture!
On our last session, we explained why yellow grass is yellow and tall and green is not so nice. Students came up with some brilliant ideas! And the real answer was guessed by one student who said: "we seeded it incorrectly probably". So true.....mea culpa!
Those 2 experiments were full of different vocabulary, had some direct connection with the content and demanded lots of cognition. That's why it's called CLIL :P
Then, when we were talking about some natural disasters students got a group work on a chosen harm caused by humans on the planet. Later on, they had to present it with some short sentences and then, self-evaluation on their cooperation, poster, and speaking. It came out my students are pretty critical towards themselves. There were some fights about how one group should mark themselves, but I said I won't tell them because it's their work. Frustration on their faces was biiiiig. But they managed and I felt so proud they came to a consensus.
This task demanded some cooperation, language skills, a few arts, and self-reflection. It was hard to organize it, but in the end, it was fine.
We also did some recycled instruments! It was fuuun! Dirty, noisy, frustrating for me, but very interesting and engaging for students. We've learned a poem (I wrote it by myself!) and then we played it with an accompaniment of our instruments.
Recycling is important! <shook, shook shook>
Recycling is the key! <shook, shook, shook>
This way I managed to implement some musical education into the unit. And the art again. And language too.
A tiny piece of advice: bottles are quite small...and students are motorically weak...so to avoid a mess ask students to bring something with the wider thread...
On the last session, we had some station work. I've prepared some quizzes, puzzles, word searches, math and lots of things. Students had to work in groups again. It's hard and my mentor teacher said she doesn't like when they work in groups because they are loud...but I don't mind. The last session, they had fun, it was hard but they managed!
Can you solve the math?
Let me know in comments :D
PS my students did it without any problems! Are you more clever than a 1st graders? ☺
That's it I suppose. I don't want to make this post too long. I hope it was detailed enough.
From this unit I've learned 2 things:
1. CLIL is so extremely tiring and demanding!
2. At the same time...it's extremely fun for students because it's different. I hope pupils have learned a lot and they will use their knowledge in real life.
Eco-peace, Keep calm and recycle on!
XOXO
Little late but here I am. Today I would like to write something about the tasks used in my CLIL unit.
Except for some typical language activities such as drilling, playing games that support memorization we also did some stuff that would be more meaningful and picture things that I wanted to introduce better.
The thing I'm the proudest of is an experiment! As my unit was connected with nature education and science I let myself use 2 experiments to introduce the topic. The first experiment was based on some physics. With a glass, plate, candle, and water we tried to prove that in our classroom there is an oxygen...and how much oxygen there is in one glass! It was super fun, especially with the usage of colors! Children shared them predictions, observed and later described the course of the experiment. Lots of language and lots of fun! How do I know it was fun? Whenever I posed the question "What do you remember from our previous classes?" I've heard at least 3 people talking about this experiment. Of course, I was the one who conducted it, but students were impressed and I'm sure they will remember it for a long time.
Those 2 experiments were full of different vocabulary, had some direct connection with the content and demanded lots of cognition. That's why it's called CLIL :P
Then, when we were talking about some natural disasters students got a group work on a chosen harm caused by humans on the planet. Later on, they had to present it with some short sentences and then, self-evaluation on their cooperation, poster, and speaking. It came out my students are pretty critical towards themselves. There were some fights about how one group should mark themselves, but I said I won't tell them because it's their work. Frustration on their faces was biiiiig. But they managed and I felt so proud they came to a consensus.
We also did some recycled instruments! It was fuuun! Dirty, noisy, frustrating for me, but very interesting and engaging for students. We've learned a poem (I wrote it by myself!) and then we played it with an accompaniment of our instruments.
Recycling is important! <shook, shook shook>
Recycling is the key! <shook, shook, shook>
This way I managed to implement some musical education into the unit. And the art again. And language too.
A tiny piece of advice: bottles are quite small...and students are motorically weak...so to avoid a mess ask students to bring something with the wider thread...
On the last session, we had some station work. I've prepared some quizzes, puzzles, word searches, math and lots of things. Students had to work in groups again. It's hard and my mentor teacher said she doesn't like when they work in groups because they are loud...but I don't mind. The last session, they had fun, it was hard but they managed!
Can you solve the math?
PS my students did it without any problems! Are you more clever than a 1st graders? ☺
That's it I suppose. I don't want to make this post too long. I hope it was detailed enough.
From this unit I've learned 2 things:
1. CLIL is so extremely tiring and demanding!
2. At the same time...it's extremely fun for students because it's different. I hope pupils have learned a lot and they will use their knowledge in real life.
Eco-peace, Keep calm and recycle on!
XOXO
I really enjoyed this post as I think those tasks are extremely creative! I know I would have loved the experiments, so I’m truly not surprised that it was what the student remembered most. I believe it’s great that you managed to get your students so invested in those projects and learning—really shows how much of a fantastic teacher you are! So good job :). Ps. the answer is “don’t forget to buy recycled products”
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely impressed with your activities. You have a lot of fantastic ideas! I am really glad that the children enjoyed experiments on your lessons. Students always remember more information when something is interesting. Furthermore, the project with making instruments from recycled materials is a nice way of implementing music on CLIL lessons and showing children that recycling is important but can be also fun. On my CLIL lesson, children made sculptures from recycled materials, it was fun for them but unfortunately, they used too much Polish language.
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