The holidays—a perfect time to recharge and punctuate the year with moments of reflection and respite from the hustle and bustle of our scholastic calendar. However, as educators, a certain sense of dread accompanies the prospect of letting our students break away for an extended period, especially when they’re learning a practice-intensive subject like a foreign language.
Yet, there’s a unique energy during holidays that can be channeled creatively, providing your students with an opportunity to express themselves in a distinctive way while also honing their linguistic skills and preparing materials for your next virtual exchange. Consider a range of engaging project ideas to achieve these goals.
The Unboxing Video
Like social media influencers, your students are eager to share aspects of their lives, drawing inspiration from trends on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Embracing these trends is not just acceptable but beneficial since it aligns with your pupils’ familiarity. One particularly popular trend is the unboxing video, a form of product review.
In this context, students can refine their foreign language skills by facing the camera and sharing their reactions to holiday gifts. This approach prompts extemporaneous speech, allowing students to follow a well-established model. They simply need to set up their devices and narrate the experience of unwrapping their presents. This activity offers an authentic space for unscripted target language usage, enabling students to express their family’s values creatively while providing compelling footage to discuss the holiday season.
Playing Teacher
Another holiday aspect, especially for those fortunate enough to reside near relatives, is spending time with young cousins and the newest members of the family tree. Interacting with these kids might feel forced due to age gaps. However, young individuals are enthusiastic about showcasing new knowledge. One exciting holiday project suggestion is for students to conduct brief 5- to 15-minute language classes for beginners.
This activity is suitable even for intermediate learners, as everyone vividly remembers their first language class, often involving mimicking introductions, greetings, and appropriate gestures. Students can record themselves with their young relatives or maintain the camera focus on their own demonstrations. Teaching reinforces knowledge, making this activity doubly beneficial. Additionally, it captures compelling footage for students to share with their international partners, enhancing their language learning experience.
Culinary Language Adventure
Holidays often revolve around delicious meals and treats. I mean, that’s what we love about them, right? Encourage your students to embark on a culinary language adventure by exploring foreign recipes, and just maybe actually take an active role in assisting the festive prep work—for once! If you’ve talked about food in your class, they could pick a dish from the target language culture, research the recipe, and create a cooking video where they explain the steps in the foreign language.
This interactive cooking experience not only enhances their language skills but also provides a hands-on way to immerse themselves in the culture. They can share the final dish with their family and friends, and even their virtual exchange partner, making the learning process enjoyable and rewarding. Plus, it will mean a lot to a kid abroad to see someone interested enough in a dish from their country to try and replicate it.
Holiday Storytelling Podcast
Podcasts have become increasingly popular; yeah, I know, almost every one of your friends has one! They’re so ubiquitous and accessible that your students can harness this medium to enhance their language skills. Task them with creating a holiday-themed storytelling podcast episode in the target language; they can write and narrate short stories, anecdotes, or even traditional folktales related to the holiday season.
This project encourages creativity, language fluency, and public speaking skills. Students can add background music or sound effects to make their podcast engaging, and practice for an upcoming video they’ll do for the next virtual exchange. Sharing these podcasts not only boosts their confidence but also allows them to showcase their language proficiency to a broader audience, fostering a sense of pride in their linguistic abilities. Plus, they might choose to remix the footage for their next video!
In Conclusion
So, think about it—yeah, your students are going to step away from their lessons, but you might actually be able engage them more, and take advantage of opportunities that only come around once a year! They could unbox their presents, host an imaginary class for their little cousins, cook a cultural meal, or tell a holiday story—and still be practicing their language skills and diving into culture for your class!
By incorporating these diverse and interactive project ideas, you empower your students to actively engage with the target language during the holidays, ensuring they continue their language learning journey in a fun and meaningful way. Don’t let them get too comfortable with the time off—there’s always something they could be doing!
