'Living' the Language Through Simulation.

N

42

Class Activities; Cultural Education; Family Life; German; Higher Education; Lesson Plans; Role Playing; Second Language Instruction; Teaching Methods

Extended in-depth role-playing and simulation, used effectively in the social sciences for some time, is seen as being a particularly effective technique for the intermediate level foreign language class. This paper describes a teaching unit of six or seven weeks, developed for use in the third or fourth semester of college level German, which consists of a simulation of family life in the German language area. Students are assigned roles as citizens of the ficticious community "Scheinburg" (pretended town) and as members of a family. Alternate class days are used exclusively for playing out realistic activities within families, such as goal-setting, problem-solving, and casual conversations, as well as social activities among families including serious discussions, informal entertaining, and observances of special occasions. Intervening class days are used for vocabulary building and study of cultural resources for information regarding education, political issues, family spending, celebrations, etiquette, etc. This approach provides a change of pace and maximizes student involvement and oral participation. Teaching aids for the simulation activities, in both German and English, are attached as well as a list of supplementary resources. (Author/AMH)

1982

ED216543