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FOREIGN LANGUAGES
&
THE LITERARY IN THE EVERYDAY
open lessons for
L2 literacy

Lessons > Pragmatic Play

Examples: register, politeness, forms of address, functional language

Un peu de hareng fumé

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Lesson Title: Un peu de hareng fumé [ A Little Smoked Herring ]
Lesson Author: Joanna Luks
Instructional Language: English
Level of Activities: College / 1. year
Text Title: Petite lettre à la dérive / Le Hareng saur and accompanying monolgue fumiste / Recipe for marinated smoked herring
Text Language: French
FLLITE Form: LLDQ, Pragmatic Play

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Text

Text Title: Petite lettre à la dérive / Le Hareng saur and accompanying monolgue fumiste / Recipe for marinated smoked herring
Text Language: French
Text Author: Cocteau, Jean / Cros, Charles / Coquelin cadet
Genre: Poetry / Recipes
Topic: n/a

Lesson

Lesson Title: Un peu de hareng fumé [ A Little Smoked Herring ]
Instructional Language: English
Lesson Author: Joanna Luks
Level of Activities: College / 1. year
Pedagogical Practices: n/a
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
Reading: Expanding comprehension of a text through visual and oral readings. / Learning food-based idioms.
Language Use & Strategies
Reading: Identifying genre conventions for prescriptive texts. / Noun countability and noun phrase structures with invariable de.
Writing: Following recipe conventions. / Writing a prescriptive text for a chosen audience on when and how to appreciate the resulting dish.
FLLITE Form: LLDQ, Pragmatic Play

Self-presentation and Contact: Personal Ads

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Lesson Title: Self-presentation and Contact: Personal Ads
Lesson Author: Chelsea Steinert / Chantelle Warner
Instructional Language: German / English
Level of Activities: High school, College / 1. year / Novice
Text Title: Personal Ad
Text Language: German
FLLITE Form: Genre Play, Pragmatic Play

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Text

Text Title: Personal Ad
Text Language: German
Text Author: Misc.
Genre: Portraits and Biographies
Topic: Introductions and Greetings / Family, Friendships, and Relationships

Lesson

Lesson Title: Self-presentation and Contact: Personal Ads
Instructional Language: German / English
Lesson Author: Chelsea Steinert / Chantelle Warner
Level of Activities: High school, College / 1. year / Novice
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Viewing
Grammar Focus: Predicative adjectives / Relational verbs
Main Objectives:

Students read and design German-language personal advertisements and contrast how the individuals represent themselves.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Reading and responding to personal ads
  • Designing a personal ad for a fictional character based on a profile photo
  • Transforming a response to a personal ad in the form of a text message (SMS)
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Personal ads as a literacy practice in online spaces
  • Self-presentation as situated, genre-bound, and creative
  • Self-representation and other-perception as dynamic and contextual
Language Use & Strategies
  • Vocabulary choices related to self description and other description (e.g. age, appearance, hobbies and interests, etc);
  • Multimodality of profile images and texts combined; role of the visual in in self-presentation
FLLITE Form: Genre Play, Pragmatic Play

Die witzigsten WG-Anzeigen

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Lesson Title: Die witzigsten WG-Anzeigen [ The funniest Housemate Ads ]
Lesson Author: Chantelle Warner / Yannleon Chen / Patrick Ploschnitzki
Instructional Language: German / English
Level of Activities: College / 1. year / Novice
Text Title: Die witzigsten WG-Anzeigen
Text Language: German
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Pragmatic Play

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Text

Text Title: Die witzigsten WG-Anzeigen
Text Language: German
Text Author: Joab Nist
Genre: Advertisements and Personal ads
Topic: Living Arrangements

Lesson

Lesson Title: Die witzigsten WG-Anzeigen [ The funniest Housemate Ads ]
Instructional Language: German / English
Lesson Author: Chantelle Warner / Yannleon Chen / Patrick Ploschnitzki
Level of Activities: College / 1. year / Novice
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:

Learners read and respond to humorous housemate ads, which flout genre norms and politeness conventions by portraying less than ideal housemates. Learners then write a short skit of a first meeting between the person in the ad and an imagined respondent, in order to explore the characterization of individuals in short texts of self-portrayal.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Reading and analyzing a set of housemate ads, which create humorous effects by flouting the politeness norms and cultural expectations for this genre.
  • Writing a response to a humorous housemate ad, Writing and performing a text-based skit between two prospective housemates
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Conceptualizing the norms of a genre, by recognizing moments in which those norms are flouted for humorous effects.
  • Hypothesizing about the kinds of characters portrayed through housemate ads and identifying cultural references that index these character types.
Language Use & Strategies
  • Genre play (expectations of self-portrayal in housemate ads)
  • Pragmatic play (politeness norms and taboos in housemate ads)
  • Cultural play (playful use of associations with types of people)
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Pragmatic Play

Cosas de ciudad

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Lesson Title: Cosas de ciudad
Lesson Author: Natasha César Suárez
Instructional Language: Spanish
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Text Title: Puerta del Sol 2011
Text Language: Spanish
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play, Word Play

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Text

Text Title: Puerta del Sol 2011
Text Language: Spanish
Text Author: Natasha César Suárez
Genre: Image
Topic: Media and Technology / Historical and Cultural Events

Lesson

Lesson Title: Cosas de ciudad
Instructional Language: Spanish
Lesson Author: Natasha César Suárez
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:
  • Researching about contemporary social movements
  • Activating social / civil commitments
  • Reviewing grammar content (Imperative mode)
Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Analyzing an image with phrases on the target language
  • Understanding the meaning of summarized expressions related to the topic of the activity.
  • Imagining hypothetical social movement in Spanish language.
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Accessing a socio-historical content in Spanish language
  • Reflecting on the relevance of contemporary social movements
Language Use & Strategies
  • Language skills: reading, writing, speaking
  • Language competences: imperative mode
Design Elements
  • This activity is designed for activating the knowledge of social movements, and stimulating the commitment of the students. It could be complemented with images and / or music related to the most recent world social movements.
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play, Word Play

Alles offen: Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel und Weltoffenheit

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Lesson Title: Alles offen: Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel und Weltoffenheit [ It’s all open: Public Transportation and Cosmopolitanism ]
Lesson Author: John Benjamin / Devon Donohue-Bergeler / Katrin Fuchs / Alexander Lorenz (all authors contributed equally)
Instructional Language: German / English
Level of Activities: High school, College / 1. year / Novice
Text Title: “Is mir egal” (Dez. 2015)
Text Language: German
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Pragmatic Play, Sound Play

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Text

Text Title: “Is mir egal” (Dez. 2015)
Text Language: German
Text Author: BVG / Kazim Akbogu
Genre: Advertisements and Personal ads / Music and Music Videos
Topic: Travel and Vacation / Literature, Music, Art

Lesson

Lesson Title: Alles offen: Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel und Weltoffenheit [ It’s all open: Public Transportation and Cosmopolitanism ]
Instructional Language: German / English
Lesson Author: John Benjamin / Devon Donohue-Bergeler / Katrin Fuchs / Alexander Lorenz (all authors contributed equally)
Level of Activities: High school, College / 1. year / Novice
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:

Students watch, decode, and transform a music video/advertisement for the Berlin public transportation system in which the protagonist, a rhythmic BVG employee, promotes tolerance and multiculturalism by not caring about anything. In doing so, students analyze and transform humorous content; use the describe, analyze, and relate framework to ground interpretations in observations and textual evidence; and question genre conventions. Students will consider Berlin’s liberal reputation through social and individual reflection.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Analyzing the genre and content of a viral music video/ advertisement
  • Using the describe, analyze, and relate framework to ground interpretations in observations and textual evidence
  • Transforming the text into students’ own context
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Public transportation and who uses it
  • Multiculturalism
  • Liberalism: live and let live
  • Transculturalism and translingualism
Language Use & Strategies
  • Choice of informal “du” with unknown customers in Berlin
  • Minimal catchy beat, rhythm, rhymes
  • Visual and verbal depictions of unusual situations
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Pragmatic Play, Sound Play

Las narrativas transmedia a partir de un cuento de hadas

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Lesson Title: Las narrativas transmedia a partir de un cuento de hadas [ Transmedia Storytelling with a Fairytale ]
Lesson Author: Maybel Mesa Morales
Instructional Language: Spanish
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Text Title: Transmedia Storytelling
Text Language: Spanish
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Narrative Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: Transmedia Storytelling
Text Language: Spanish
Text Author: Elpublicista Revista
Genre: Social Media
Topic: Media and Technology

Lesson

Lesson Title: Las narrativas transmedia a partir de un cuento de hadas [ Transmedia Storytelling with a Fairytale ]
Instructional Language: Spanish
Lesson Author: Maybel Mesa Morales
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Pedagogical Practices: Writing / Speaking / Listening / Viewing
Grammar Focus: Pretérito/Imperfecto
Main Objectives:

Learners will be able to recount and expand a story or story experience across multiple platforms through transmedia practices using current digital technologies.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Analyzing and interpreting an infographic to elaborate a definition of transmedia storytelling.
  • Analyzing, understanding, and explaining a video about transmedia storytelling.
  • Expanding and writing a new end for the (comic) through personal creative intervention
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • Telling stories across multiple media allows content to form a larger, cohesive, and rewarding experience.
  • Telling stories across multiple media increases the author’s and reader’s awareness of the characteristics of each medium and genre, promoting digital literacy.
  • Transmedia practices may expand the potential reach of storytelling by creating different adaptations for different audience segments.
Language Use & Language Play
  • Preterite and Imperfect
  • Vocabulary about technology and social media
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Narrative Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play

Ich hätte gerne Ihre Hilfe! – wie man Ratschläge benutzt, um Probleme zu lösen

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Lesson Title: Ich hätte gerne Ihre Hilfe! – wie man Ratschläge benutzt, um Probleme zu lösen [ I would like your help! – how to use advice to solve problems ]
Lesson Author: Emily Claire Krauter
Instructional Language: German/English
Level of Activities: High school, College / 2. year, 3. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Text Title: Schluss machen: 12 Dinge, die du beachten solltest / How to Break Up With Someone in the Kindest Possible Way
Text Language: German
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play

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Text

Text Title: Schluss machen: 12 Dinge, die du beachten solltest / How to Break Up With Someone in the Kindest Possible Way
Text Language: German
Text Author: Simone Sauter / Candice Jalili
Genre: Personal Blogs and Journals / Social Media
Topic: Family, Friendships, and Relationships

Lesson

Lesson Title: Ich hätte gerne Ihre Hilfe! – wie man Ratschläge benutzt, um Probleme zu lösen [ I would like your help! – how to use advice to solve problems ]
Instructional Language: German/English
Lesson Author: Emily Claire Krauter
Level of Activities: High school, College / 2. year, 3. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Cultural Understanding
Grammar Focus: Imperative, subjunctive, modal verbs
Main Objectives:

The goal of this lesson is for students to connect important grammar concepts, e.g., modal verbs, the imperative, and the subjunctive to their everyday usage in advice giving as represented through online sites. The incorporation of advice giving also aims to build connections and draw contrasts between English and other languages of the learners and German, with regards to how advice is given.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • This lesson includes a blog post from a German “self-help” guru and an article from a US-American newspaper website. Students engage with the articles and form meaning, both linguistic, pragmatic and cultural. The students will have to think critically and compare the C1 to the C2 as well as the L1 and the L2 to form new reflections about language use and its cultural implications for everyday life.
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • The text conveys the importance of self-help gurus in societies today and how they give advice. The text also works to build connections between the L1/C1 and L2/C2 by showing that relationships are an important part of each environment. Culturally, the article breaks stereotypes by showing that Germans are as versatile as US-Americans and do not always fit into the “direct” and/or “cold” mold, as they are often portrayed in the media.
Language Use & Language Play
  • Modal verbs, subjunctive and imperative are central to this lesson. Additionally, forms of address, e.g., advice giving, informal writing, formal vs. informal register, and imperatives are parts of the image and central to its comprehension and to the assignment following the lesson. Visually, the students will be working with a blogpost from an American and German author, which should not be novel to them.
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play

Se mettre en colère

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Lesson Title: Se mettre en colère [ Getting Angry ]
Lesson Author: Tracey Adams (The University of Texas at Austin)
Instructional Language: English / French
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate
Text Title: La langue française
Text Language: French
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Narrative Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play

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Text

Text Title: La langue française
Text Language: French
Text Author: Sebastian Marx
Genre: Narratives / TV and Film
Topic: Personalities and Physical Attributes / Family, Friendships, and Relationships

Lesson

Lesson Title: Se mettre en colère [ Getting Angry ]
Instructional Language: English / French
Lesson Author: Tracey Adams (The University of Texas at Austin)
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate
Pedagogical Practices: Speaking / Listening / Viewing / Cultural Understanding
Grammar Focus: Argumentation, Vocabulary, Cultural Competence, Grammatical Gender
Main Objectives:

Students watch a stand-up routine given by second-language user of French on learning French insults.  They will be able to analyze the (in)appropriateness of these terms in various contexts.  They will also discuss the cultural relevance of these terms in comparison with similar terms in their native language (English).  Students will then be able to construct narratives expressing anger in ways that are less formal and allow for an expanding of their L2 identity and multilingual self.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Viewing personal narrative of an L2 French user
  • Reflecting on how personal narratives are constructed and how other characters factor into our stories
  • Developing a narrative and how to respond to a frustrating person in this narrative
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • Comparing layers of meaning between insults in French and English
  • Assessing the appropriateness of insults in various contexts
  • Reflecting on usage of insults in students’ L1 vs. L2
Language Use & Language Play
  • Identifying insults used by the author
  • Analyze why the topic and insults used are funny to the audience
  • Explore uses of insults in different contexts
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Narrative Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play

Un court séjour

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Lesson Title: Un court séjour [ A brief stay ]
Lesson Author: Keith Wagner
Instructional Language: French (with some English for the opening activity)
Level of Activities: College / 2. year, 3. year / Intermediate
Text Title: Austin, Texas – Un week-end à la cool
Text Language: French
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play

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Text

Text Title: Austin, Texas – Un week-end à la cool
Text Language: French
Text Author: Mathilde Piton
Genre: Personal Blogs and Journals
Topic: Travel and Vacation

Lesson

Lesson Title: Un court séjour [ A brief stay ]
Instructional Language: French (with some English for the opening activity)
Lesson Author: Keith Wagner
Level of Activities: College / 2. year, 3. year / Intermediate
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Cultural Understanding
Grammar Focus: Verb tenses for constructing narratives – passé composé, imparfait, and présent historique
Main Objectives:

In this lesson, students will read and analyze the meaning construction techniques of a travel blog entry. This will give them a chance to consider the different way a US city is approached by an international visitor and how they describe that experience to other individuals in their linguistic community. Students who are advancing in their French studies will gain some insight into how the French language is used by today’s twenty-somethings, which will allow them to make comparisons between textbook French and the French that native speakers produce.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Reading a travel blog (comprised of both written words and images).
  • Writing a travel blog entry in the target language.
  • Using a variety of online lexical resources.
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • Understanding how the author’s native French languaculture influences her experience of place and how she relates to ways of life in the United States.
Language Use & Language Play
  • Recognizing the different ways that Anglicisms can be used (some contribute to the textual aesthetic; others are common French expressions).

 

 

 

 

FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play

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  • Project
    ▼
    • Team
    • Editorial Board
    • Collaborators program
    • About the FLLITE Approach
    • Further Reading
  • Lessons
    ▼
    • Lessons by Language
    • Lessons by Language Play
  • Example Texts
  • How to Participate
  • Connect
  • Provide feedback

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