Lesson 3: Legislation in Europe
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Transgender Legislation in Europe
In this lesson, students will explore the pros and cons of transgender legislation in Europe. Students will watch a video that gives a some background and then also spend dedicated time researching a European country. Students will compare the pros and cons of two countries transgender legislation as well.
This is a 90 minute lesson plan that aims mostly to help students use informal and formal registers while also helping them become aware of transgender legislation in Europe. Find the full lesson plan link here.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to...
Connect ideas from previous lessons to new topics
Practice switching between informal and formal registers of English
Compare and contrast LGBTQIA+ legislation from different countries
Practice writing and giving feedback to their peers in English
Share an opinion or idea to the class in English
Materials Guide
Appendix A: Presentation Slides
Appendix B: Europe Legislation Video
Appendix C: Vocabulary List
Appendix D: Register Practice Worksheet
Appendix E: Paragraph Worksheet
Appendix F: Rubric
90 Minute Lesson Plan
Warm Up: Turn and Talk Activity
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Procedures:
Have students pair up with a nearby classmate and hand out Appendix C for reference.
Using the slides in Appendix A, go over the definitions of the vocabulary for the video that students will watch afterwards.
After each vocabulary word has been defined, have students “turn and talk” to a partner or a nearby classmate and share one thing to connect that word with something they have learned from Lesson 2. Students should switch after each word.
Once all the words have been reviewed, watch the video.
Activity 1: Formal and Informal Register Activity
Time Needed: 20 minutes
Procedures:
Divide students into 4 groups, one for each section of video (00:00-00:20, 00:20-00:40, 00:40-01:00, 01:00-01:14). Instruct the students to watch the section of the video they were assigned and read the formal register text provided to them in Appendix C.
After watching the video and reading the text, instruct them to convert the formal text into an informal register.
When the students are finished, have them take turns reading the two texts and discuss what differences they notice within their groups.
Have the groups choose two spokespeople who will read the original transcription and the new informal register text aloud to the class in order.
Activity 2: Venn Diagram Activity
Time Needed: 25 minutes
Procedures:
Assign each student to a country from the following list: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, or Scotland. If there are more students than countries, multiple students can research the same country.
Instruct the students to research their assigned country’s transgender legislation and write down at least 2 pros and 2 cons using specific examples.
Once students are finished with research, instruct them to find a partner with a country different from theirs
After the students find a partner, instruct them to create a Venn Diagram together comparing their two countries.
Assessment: Pronunciation Practice Activity
Time Needed: 25 minutes
Procedures:
Briefly go over the activity and hand out the worksheets and rubrics.
Have students write two paragraphs (3-4 sentences), one in an informal register and one in a formal register describing and summarizing the legislation of a European country that they have learned about in this lesson. Students should have the two paragraphs cover the same content but in different registers of English.
Students will pair up and share their formal and informal paragraphs with one another while grading and giving feedback to each other on intonation and pronunciation using a rubric.
Wrap Up: Popcorn Activity
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Procedures:
Briefly introduce the activity by explaining the rules and have the students form a circle around the classroom.
A student will start by briefly sharing what they learned or felt about a European country’s LGBTQIA+ legislation from the lesson. Then students will “popcorn” by volunteering to share next without being called on. Continue until all students have shared at least one comment.