Additional Info

• Name: My Name

• OVERVIEW

• Linguistic dimension

• CEFR Level: A2, B1, B2
• Linguistic dimension - Skill(s): Speaking/Reading/Writing
• Duration: about 225 minutes
• Target language: Any modern language

• ICT dimension

• ICT resources:
  • Internet connection; Internet access, PCs with Internet access for all participants or smartphones with Internet access, projector,
  • Microphones to record spoken output on PCs
  • Blog or YouTube for publishing animation
• ICT competences: Use IT-tools, smartphones

• Detailed description of the task

• Situation / theme(s): Finding out essentials of one’s names, and reporting on them in class, sharing findings with other people with the same name or the like
• Product requirements or prerequisites: students should be able to • do research on the Internet either with a PC or a smartphone • present their findings in an adequate form (e.g. PowerPoint) • use online dictionaries • apply their findings correctly on a downloaded map which can be found under a website address which the teacher has prepared for them • pronounce the words correctly by checking the pronunciation online
• I can...:

  I can

  • surf the Internet and look for relevant information on my first name (30 minutes)
  • surf the Internet and look for relevant information on my surname (30 minutes)
  • read very short, simple texts.
  • find specific, information in simple everyday material (A2)
  • understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday-related language (B1)
  • understand extended speech and follow even complex texts provided the topic is reasonably familiar.
  • tell my classmates about my name (40 minutes)
  • use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms th origin of my names (A2)
  • connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe information on my names
  • briefly give reasons and explanations
  • narrate the story of my names and describe my attitudes.
  • interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction quite possible.
  • take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views (B2)
  • Insert names on a downloaded map and present it to my classmates using a projector (110 minutes)
  • publish my story inYouTube or in a blog (25 minutes)
  • pronounce correctly
  • apply correct grammatical form for giving instructions (B2)
• Product: presentation of the story of my name and my name in other countries/languages
• Product requirements or prerequisites:

  students should be able to

  • do research on the Internet either with a PC or a smartphone
  • present their findings in an adequate form (e.g. PowerPoint)
  • use online dictionaries
  • apply their findings correctly on a downloaded map which can be found under a website address which the teacher has prepared for them
  • pronounce the words correctly by checking the pronunciation online
• Process:

  Teacher

  • introduces the aim of the task
  • has prepared the website for the map that ist o be downloaded

  Students

  • surf the Internet to find out the origin of your first and/or  your family name
    • Where do names come from?
    • What do they mean?
  • ask your parents why and how they chose your first name for you.
  • search for celebrities who bear the same name/names.
    • what do they do?
  • tell your classmates about your findings
  • answer questions from your classmates
  • give feedback or make a comment or ask questions about your colleagues‘ reports
  • write down the story of your first and/or last name.
  • surf the Internet to discover your first name in a different language.
  • Download the map from the website the teacher has chosen for you  from the Internet and paste the different forms of your name into the country in which this form of your name appears (e.g. Wilhelm (Germany), Wilm (The Netherlands), William (UK and USA), Bill (a nickname in the USA),Guillaume (France and ), etc.)
  • mark where your name is o  the downloaded map.
  • upload your story in a blog or YouTube and/or add your story to existing blogs.

  Students

  On oral presentation

  • listen to the stories of their colleagues
  • if convenient: take notes or tick the criteria on the list of success factors
  • comment on the products in a round robin and /or
  • get together in groups to produce a common comment on as many products as there are group members and present this in class (the comment is based on the list of success factors)
  • present their comments in class, each student focussing on another product

  Teacher and class members

  • take notes on content and mistakes of presentations and comments
  • finally talks about common mistakes and gives feedback to students

  On uploaded product

  Teacher

  • decides what student ist o focus on which of the products, so that all products are equally distributed among the class members
  • gives them the task
    •  to read the story
    • study the map
    • write a comment
    • upload it on the given platform, YouTube  or
    • add it to the blog
  • corrects the written comments and uploads them give students a printed handout of their correctd comments

  Students

  • read the stories and study the maps
  • have to write a critical review on one product of a colleague
  • upload this either onto a given platform, YouTube or add it to the blog
  • read the version corrected by the teacher 
• Consolidating activities suggested or follow up plan:

  Students have to

  write a comment on whether they like or dislike their name and, if they dislike it, a comment on what name they would prefer/like or if they would prefer their first name in a different language

• Success factors or evaluation criteria:

  Students have done well if they

  • created a story of their name/names
  • presented their story to their classmates
  • filled in the location of the names on a downloaded map
  • made themselves understood to those who listened to their story
  • gave some helpful feedback, ask a question or make a comment to their classmates
  • uploaded their story either in a blog or on YouTube
  • added their story to other stories
• Authors: Christa Doil-Hartmann, Timo Marksfeld This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Didactic added value of the task and other information

• Practical hints for teachers:
  • Prepare PCs and Internet so as not to lose time with booting.
  • If necessary, help them to download a map or have one downloaded
• Additional methodological or didactic comments:

  Make sure that all stories are told and sufficient feedback is given to all students.

  A final discussion on the findings should take place in class and be attended by every student.

• Reasons why this task is a model of best practices:
  • Students are to use the target language.
    • Students might enjoy finding out about their name and the story behind it.
    • It is interesting to find out what one might be called in a different country and how the name is pronounced there.
    • Every name has its story which can be told
• Impact that it is expected to have on the teaching practices and attitudes:

  Teachers might

  • like to find out about their own name(s)
  • want to use the Internet or smartphone activities for further teaching and for different subjects
• Reasons why this task travels well:

   The task travels well as it is easy to understand and accomplish. It furthers student creativity and demands the application of the foreign language in ICT on the basis on CEFR.

  Depending on the skills and the language level the task can be either shortened to the first part where students try to find information about their first name on the Internet.

  A second step could be to find out about the surnames.

  The third step could be about downloading a map from the Internet and filling in the variations of the names.

  Last but not least students could then upload their products on YouTube or another platform which can also be restricted to the members of the class. 

• Rationale and/or theoretical underpinnings of the task: The task can be used for various topics dealt with in the different national curricula