Cultural Exchange In-Class Show-and-Tell
Age and Level: Middle School, B1-B2
Length of lesson: 90 minutes day of Show-and-Tell activity, 15 minutes day before
Prior learning related to this lesson: Students will already have learned about the different holidays of different cultures. Students will also already be familiar with descriptive vocabulary as well as vocabulary related to food in order to introduce their show and tell items to their partners and the class.
Materials needed:
Show-and-Tell Worksheet
Technology in order to access adobe spark (although this part of the lesson can be omitted if there is no access to technology)
Adobe Spark: https://spark.adobe.com
Click "get started"
Log in with an appropriate email (school email) in order to make an account
Use only the free version
*Note*
Teacher will need to inform students of this activity at least one day in advance (preferably more than one day)
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to...
Describe an artifact from their culture and another culture in English
Share some vocabulary from a language that is neither their native language nor English
Explore various cultural backgrounds of students in the classroom
Utilize adobe spark in order to make a video presentation about their partner's artifact
Before Show-and-Tell Activity
Culture Introduction
Time: 15 minutes
LO Targeted: #1
Steps and Teacher Directions:
Have students get into groups of four and discuss the meaning of the word ‘culture’ for 3 minutes
Write the word ‘culture’ on the board or display it on a powerpoint if available
Tell them to be prepared to share with the class what they come up with for the definition
Have the groups one-by-one explain what they came up with for the word - 10 minutes
Either pass out the worksheet→Cultural Exchange Worksheet below about the show-and-tell activity or just explain it
Instruct the students to bring an item that represents some part of their culture to class next time
If you pass out the worksheet, explain that they must fill out the worksheet and have it ready with their item for class next time
If you decide to give the students the worksheet the day of the show-and-tell activity:
Give the students 10 minutes to fill out the worksheet individually
Warm Up (KWL 1)
KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) Part 1
Time: 15 minutes
LO Targeted: #2, #3
Steps and Teacher Directions:
Have students get out a blank piece of paper and a writing utensil
Have the students draw three columns on their paper and label the columns:
What do I know about my partner’s culture already?
What do I want to know? (They will ask their partner what they wrote if it hasn’t been addressed already before presentations.)
What did I learn about my partner’s culture?
Instruct the students to fill in the first two columns of their sheets (what they already know and what they want to know)
CCQ: Are we filling out all three columns of the worksheet?
Give them 5 minutes to do this
Have them turn over their papers and put down their pens when they’re done.
Show-and-Tell
Cultural Exchange Show-and-Tell
Time: 60 minutes
LO Targeted: #1, #2, #3, #4
Steps and Teacher Directions:
Instruct students to take their items and worksheets and get into pairs (either allow them to choose pairs or count them off so the pairing is random)
Have students go over the answers they wrote for their items in question-answer format one at a time
Model: If the question asked: “Why is the item you brought important to your culture?” have the students ask that exact question of their partner
Give students 10~15 minutes for this discussion
CCQ: How many people are you discussing your item with?
Explain that the students will have to share their partners item to the class (switch items), and that they will have 3 minutes each to present their partner’s items (less if there are too many students in the class)
Explain that if the partners can teach each other any key words from their heritage languages to explain their items they will get bonus points (whatever that entails - extra credit, candy, etc.)
Once students are done exchanging information about their items, have them switch items and go back to their seats.
Have students get out their KWL papers
Have students fill out the final column of their paper (What did I learn about my partner’s culture?) - give them 3~5 minutes for this
Once they are done filling out their papers, have them flip them over and put their pens down
Students will use Adobe Spark to make a presentation about their partner's object. (see video tutorial below)
Students will use a google doc (like the one shown below) to upload a link to their presentation.
Post Activity (KWL 2)
KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) Part 2
Time: 15 minutes
LO Targeted: #3
Steps and Teacher Directions:
KWL Part 2
Have students choose one presentation from the google doc that is neither theirs nor their partner's.
Have students get out their KWL papers
Have students flip over their paper and make two new columns:
What did I learn about another student's culture?
What do I still want to know about that other students' culture?
Encourage them to ask that student.
Have the students fill out their two new columns - give them 10 minutes for this
Have them flip over their papers and put their pens down when they are finished.
Optional: Have the KWL worksheet be an exit ticket
Caveats and Additional Options
Caveats
Students may forget to bring an artifact (in this case have them just fill out the worksheet and let their partner read off of the worksheet). Students may not know how to answer a question or tell a certain part of a story about their artifact in English since there may be some descriptive vocabulary unique to their native language.
Options
If they forget to bring in the artifact, just have them write on the worksheet and pull up a picture online if possible. If they struggle to find certain words in English, they should share it in their native language and should try to then describe that word using words that they do know, draw a picture, etc. to give context clues to their partner.