Familien

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Franziska Borders

Franziska Borders-German Adjunct at BSU

Please Note: The activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact amberhoye@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner.  — The Pathways Project

About the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) Language Activity Repository

The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. In other words, the activities are “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country the platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! This activity was created by upper-division language students working in the World Languages Resource Center at Boise State University. Our activities seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive listening skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. We recommend using these activities to help reinforce the content students are learning, allowing the students time to feel comfortable using the unit’s vocabulary and grammar structures through application. Further, these activities should be facilitated in approximately 90% (or more) in the target language, per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Using the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for your target language and audience, simply click the “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students and should be changed to the target language. Most activities contain a connected chapter, two to three “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, main activity, and a wrap-up. In addition to the instructions, some activities may include a “cheat sheet” containing the target vocabulary and grammar structures emphasized in the activity. Though most of the lab materials are provided, a computer, projector, printer, and laminator may also be needed to fully utilize materials. Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials. If you would like to adapt these materials for your language, please email WLRCLAR@gmail.com and we will provide you with an editable copy. For YouTube videos and other websites, hyperlinks are provided. 

Enjoy!

- Boise State World Languages Resource Center

"Ein Familienstammbaum"

Proficiency Level: Novice Mid

Students will be able to recognize family member classifications (i.e. Großmutter=grandma), describe family members, and accurately use vocabulary related to families. They will need to acquire information about another individual’s family and will practice describing their own family members. They will need to acquire information about a classmate’s family and they will practice describing that classmate’s family members.

This activity was created to be a 30 minute interpersonal speaking activity and the time frame within the activity reflects this. Feel free to modify it for the needs of your classroom.

Keywords:

Family, family tree, famous, famous families, family members, description, vocabulary 

Relevant National (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards:

  • Standard 1.1 - Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
  • Standard 1.2 - Students understand and interpret spoken and written Spanish on a variety of topics.
  • Standard 1.3 - Students present information, concepts, and ideas in Spanish to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
  • Standard 4.2 - Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons between Hispanic cultures and their own.

Relevant Idaho State Standards:

  • COMM 1.1 - Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.
  • COMM 1.2 - Explain the relationship between cultural practices/behaviors and the perspectives that represent the target culture’s view of the world.

Relevant NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can ask and answer questions about the members of my family and ask about someone else's family
  • I can describe the characteristics of someone
  • In my own and other cultures, I can identify whom people consider to be part of their family 

Materials Needed:

Whiteboards & Markers

Famous Family Trees (Linked) (Find a few that you like off of the link provided and print them off for your class)

Google Slideshow (Linked, File -> Make a Copy if you'd like to make changes)

Warm-up

  1. Begin by opening the Google Slideshow and introducing the Can-Do Statements

  2. Split your students into groups of 2-3 and give each group a famous family tree.
    “Teilt euch in Gruppen von 2 bis 3 und gebe jeder Gruppe einen berühmten Stammbaum.” 

  3. Have the students in their groups/partners discuss the relationships of the family tree in German. 
    “Bitte in Deutsch sprechen. Eine Gruppe spricht über die Beziehung im Familienstammbaum.”
  • Beispiel: “_______ ist die Mutter von ______.
  • Example: "_______ is the mother of _____. 

  • Have each group present the family tree to the entire lab. When presenting to the entire lab, have students choose three characters and describe them. 
    Jede Gruppe soll einen Familienbaum dem gesamten Sprachtisch vorstellen. Dabei sollen sie das Familienmitglied vorstellen und beschreiben.
    • Beispiel: “Marge ist die Mutter von Maggie, Bart, und Lisa. Sie ist intelligent." (Die Simpson Familie)\
    • Example: "Marge is the mother of Maggie, Bart, and Lisa. She is intelligent." (The Simpsons Family)

    Main Activity

    1. Give each student a whiteboard and a marker. 
    (Optional modification: This website has a user friendly family tree generator that would be a great option for use with laptops and doesn’t limit the space like a whiteboard would.)

    2. Have the students work in partners. Make sure students interview each other and not just write out their own family tree.
    "Die StudentInnen sollen mit Partner arbeiten. Die StudentInnen sollen einander Fragen stellen und nicht nur ihren eigenen Stammbaum aufschreiben."

    3. Take time to model what you want the students to do with a student. 
    Wenn ich zum Beispiel mit dieser Person zusammen bin (Geste an einen Studenten), kann ich ihn fragen: "Wie viele Brüder oder Schwestern hast du? "Hast du Onkel?" Und ich werde den Baum meines Partners zeichnen.

    4. After 5-10 minutes (depending on the length of the activity), students will switch roles and create the family tree of the other partner.

    Nach 5 bis 10 Minuten (abhängig von der Länge der Aktivität), StudentInnen sollen ihre Rollen wechseln und einen Familienstammbaum für den Partner machen. 

    5. After making the family tree of their partner, each person has to tell the group one thing about their partner's family. 
    "Sie müssen etwas von der Familie ihres Partners teilen. Zum Beispiel: "Mein Partner hat 10 Geschwister und keine Cousins."

    6. Now, the students will turn to their partners again and ask about characteristics of their family members. For example, students can ask "What is your mom like?" 
    "Jetzt musst du mit deinem Partner über die Familienmerkmale sprechen. Frag zum Beispiel: "Wie ist deine Mutter?" Und man kann antworten: "Meine Mutter ist sehr groß und dunkel. Sie ist auch sehr nett und liebt es zu laufen.'

    7. After taking turns describing different family members, the instructor can go around with each student and have them share one Jetzt werde ich jeden von euch nach einem eurer Familienmitglieder fragen und ihr müsst sie beschreiben. of the family members and their description.
    Jetzt werde ich jeden von euch nach einem eurer Familienmitglieder fragen und ihr müsst sie beschreiben.

    8. If time permits, the instructor can have the students ask them about their family and draw out their family tree as the students ask them questions. The instructor can also have students ask them to describe a family member. 
    Jetzt kannst du mich nach meiner Familie fragen und ich werde meinen Stammbaum mit deinen Fragen zeichnen. Dann kannst du mir Fragen über meine Familie stellen und ich werde sie beschreiben.

    Wrap-up

    Wrap-up questions:

    Give the students the following discussion questions to talk about in their groups:
    • Wen betrachten Sie in Ihrer Kultur als Teil Ihrer Familie?
    • Wer gilt in anderen Kulturen als Teil der Familie?

    Guide the students in this conversation and provide feedback and information about family members in Spanish-speaking countries.

    End of lab:

    • Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence with a comprehension check
    Examples of comprehension checks: 
         • Thumbs up/sideways/down
         • Emojis to represent how students feel about their Can-Do statements


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