Implementation of “Objects That Tell a Story” (Sol-HR-442)
In today’s fast-paced world, young people often overlook the small, everyday things that are equally important, as they are constantly bombarded with social media and trends that dominate their attention. My decision to implement this scenario and activities was to raise awareness about the significance of these daily details that often go unnoticed. Social media and trends tend to steer the attention of students toward big, loud events, neglecting the richness and beauty found in simple, personal experiences.
Through activities like describing items with personal significance or exploring cultural heritage, my aim was to encourage students to rediscover the beauty and depth in the small things that often form the foundation of our lives. By using creative tools and interactive approaches, the goal was to foster their awareness of the value and importance of these small elements and to promote understanding and empathy towards cultural heritage and the personal narratives of others.
Stories from the closet in German
In the activities, students aged 13 to 14 participated through implementation in two schools where I work. I wanted to observe how the students would perceive the topics and content we discuss. The implementation activities were closely linked to the content and themes of the national curriculum for German language, interdisciplinary themes such as social and personal development, civic education, and in collaboration with the students’ headroom teacher, we discussed the question: ‘Am I humble?-the connection between social participation and solidarity. Young people today often post stories on social media creating an unrealistic image, ideal situations, and things. Through the implementation of this scenario, I aimed to encourage the sharing of stories about items around them, almost unnoticed, yet holding a much more beautiful tale to tell. Without filters and effects, just memories and emotions, coupled with descriptions and the acquired declension of adjectives in the German language, which is usually a challenge for students. Students communicated and collaborated in a digital environment, exploring the digital heritage of Europeana. Implementation lasted two school hours. Preparation of activities and materials takes up to 45 minutes. Two classes of up to 8 students who study German as a second foreign language participated in the activities.
Treasures Around Us
I used the selected learning scenario due to its innovation and creativity in utilizing the Europeana image collection and the stories behind the selected items. It’s like history squared, I dare say. The items themselves, as I’ve seen, provide my students with an opportunity to creatively and differently grasp the declension of adjectives, a part of the German language curriculum, moving away from everyday teaching materials. I retained a section of the scenario as it seems great for fostering communication and peer evaluation, which involves writing their own stories about meaningful items to them. I made an effort to enhance this implementation by adding additional resources from Europeana that are freely available and linked to the outcomes of the activities I conducted. Creating a natural language environment in the classroom can sometimes be a challenge, and it was this scenario and the resources from Europeana that allowed me to connect the students with their everyday life, which they will talk about.
Breaking news
I brought a chest/box to class and pulled out items to describe—a coffee pot my mother had given me, a ballpoint pen reminiscent of my roommate during my studies, and these woolen socks knitted by my grandmother. I asked the students if they had similar items dear to them, reminding them of people and moments in their lives. I encouraged communication in German by simply listing items. As the students spoke, we were interrupted by the sound of breaking news. The students watched a brief announcement about the next activity, an introduction to Europeana . For that activity, I suggested a 5-minute duration.
Journey into Europeana: Exploring Gallerys and Stories
The students were exploring Europeana’s art gallery, , which they had adapted and explored using the German language. It was a fantastic opportunity offered by Europeana. In pairs, the students chose one object and explored the story found in its description. Subsequently, they created an ID card for that object in Canva, without directly listing it. The task was for the other students to guess which object it represented. Each card had to contain three verbs, two nouns, and one preposition that described the object without explicitly naming it. This activity was allocated a duration of 15 minutes.
Very famous Europeana shampoo
Considering that some people are attached to colors and smells, I presented to the students a picture and a story about shampoo from Europeana. The goal of this activity was to introduce students to the language story about the declension of adjectives in the German language with an indefinite article. After the presentation of the table with the rules of declension of adjectives, students described other subjects from Europeana1. Europeana 2 Europeana 3 Europeana 4. As in the scenario, the students commented and asked questions after the presentation of the object description. . For this activity, I suggest a 25 minute duration.
Let’s make a calendar in December
The second part and an additional 45-minute block were dedicated to practicing the language structures we acquired in the first segment. Students were asked to bring items to class that hold a story and carry specific emotions and memories for them. They selected one item that was most special to them, formed groups, and each student presented their chosen item within the group. Other students evaluated the presentations. Towards the end, as it was December, we decided to create our own calendars, adding items and a memorys from Europeana that tells a story for each month. During this activity, students had the opportunity to discuss with their headroom teacher, who helped define the concept of modesty. The students created their calendars using the Canva tool, which offers many free templates. German Christmas music played in the background. All students presented their calendars on the interactive monitor, and we decided to print them as gifts for the students’ families.
Outcomes for students
The implementation of scenario, encouraging empathy among students through sharing stories about personal items of significance, contributes to the development of their emotional intelligence. Through this approach, students are encouraged to explore their own emotions and feelings, as well as to be open to the stories and experiences of their peers. By listening to and evaluating others’ stories, students encounter a diversity of feelings and experiences, fostering understanding and compassion for others.This approach also helps create a more open learning environment. Students become aware of the diversity of experiences and perspectives, cultivating respect for others’ stories. This not only builds empathy but also promotes respect for diversity, which is crucial for establishing a positive and inclusive learning environment. Creating calendars with personal stories prompts students to reflect on their own values and the stories that shape their lives. This process encourages introspection and awareness of the importance of everyday moments and people who influence their lives, further strengthening their emotional connection with the language and subject they are studying, in this case, the German language. The activities were an excellent opportunity for the students to understand that memories should not and cannot be erased and that everything around us has its own story and that they should put theirs in their box of memories.
Outcomes for teachers
Working on the implementation of the learning scenario and adapting resources from Europeana has provided solutions for conducting activities in the German language curriculum content that students find challenging. It aimed to capture their attention and ignite motivation for learning, while making the lessons more interactive and dynamic. Given students’ affinity for computers, the digital realm of images, video materials, and their attachment to social media, I faced the challenge of tailoring activities to their needs. Simultaneously, I aimed to return to the fundamental and most important aspect – ourselves and what truly makes us happy. I’m delighted because I found a vast array of materials on Europeana that are freely available for use, allowing students to incorporate them into their presentations. Not everything old from the past is dull and uninteresting; this implementation showed exactly that, along with, of course, the pink hair shampoo.
Link to the learning scenario implemented: https://teachwitheuropeana.eun.org/learning-scenarios/objects-that-tell-a-story-en-cur-480
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CC BY 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Lusto – The Finnish Forest Museum.