Implementation of “You’ve got food on your face!” (SOI-HR-380)

Author: Nusreta Murtič, German teacher

School/Organization: Primary school Ivana Gorana Kovačića Vrbovsko, Croatia

I chose this learning scenario for implementation in my teaching because of the possibility of connecting it with the German language curriculum as a foreign language and connecting with several subjects and areas. The scenario provided the opportunity to discover Europeana’s resources, explore and link lexical content with history and art, and develop digital skills, critical thinking and collaborative learning among students. The scenario and its guidelines, as well as the content on Europeana, could easily be processed by learners who are beginners, while at the same time activities were motivating to adopt the outcome of the curriculum.

Vitamins and minerals trough art Students who are beginners (9-11 years old) in learning German as a foreign language ,learned about the style and work of Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a famous portrait of Vertumnus, sources about it on Europeana as well as about the person actually represented by Vertumnus. Since students had no previous experience with digital heritage, these activities through Europeana were challenging for them. Through the activities we included a theme from the curriculum of German-Everyday life: everyday activities and leisure and outcomes of cross-curricular topic -personal and social development-students actively listen, give and receive information, demonstrate the skills of negotiation and compromise.They develop respect relationships among peers and build friendships. Vertumnus is one of Arcimboldo’s most famous paintings. It is a portrait of the Rudolf II , who represents change and transformation.Implementation lasted two 45-minute lessons. Preparation of activities and materials takes up to 90 minutes.

Digital doesn’t mean complicated

The learning scenario was excellent for processing content related to the food that beginners learn-simple language constructions, concepts related to food and expression of attitude, and enriching the curriculum with digital sources on Europeana which, with the help of visual and content input, helped students learn new words, oral and written communication and understanding and memory of content.

 Motivational smoothie

Students watched a short video in German Gesundes Smoothie  that shows the preparation of a healthy smoothie from fruits and vegetables. Students must watch carefully because they will fill out the worksheet – supplement the recipe of this healthy smoothie.

                  Students watch video and fill out ingredients in a  recipe for healthy smoothie made in Canva

Can you find…

Students on tablets or in the computer classroom go to Europeana resources and observe a portrait of  Rudolf II as Vertumnus and search for fruits and vegetables from the video in the portrait. In the plenum, we comment on the names of fruits and vegetables.

Students get to know Europeana and its digital heritage as well as a portrait of Rudolf II as Vertumnus

There’s more…

The students put picture cards on the board with the help of the teacher in two groups – fruits and vegetables, and repeated the colours. They were supposed to describe fruits and vegetables. For example, Der Apfel ist rot. Die Gurke ist grun…

Students sort   picture cards  into categories-fruit-vegetables  made in Canva

Digital cooperation

The students were divided into two groups. One group looked at the fruits in the portrait and the other at the vegetables. They shared the results on the  Padlet. And they were helped in this activity by  Europeana resources Obst  und Gemuese.

Round two is the time of writing and speaking

During the second lesson  I adjusted the content of the learning scenario so that I enabled students to learn more about the contents of Europeana, and in a portrait of  Vincent Van Gogh  they looked for what Vertumnus had – through colors and shapes. Can you see Vertumnus in Van Gogh portrait?  On Flipgrid students say simple sentences in German – Ich mag/Ich mag nicht (I like/ I don’t like + name of fruit and vegetables and describe them by color. The recording was followed by a peer review.

Looking at Vincent van Gogh’s portrait and discovering chilli in his collar, pear in his nose and recording sentences in Flipgrid app

I know what I know.

 Students achieved several key learning outcomes, including improved language skills, cultural awareness, and creative thinking. These outcomes were supported by the use of targeted language instruction,collaboration, and the incorporation of digital tools.

One evidence for the impact of the scenario is students’ feedback- comments and evaluations. Students have expressed interest in exploring new cultural topics. During all the activities, and especially during the second school lesson, the students had the opportunity to develop their language and digital competences, collaborative learning and critical thinking, because through the observation of two types of art, they were able to release their creativity and show their language skills, even though they were beginners, they managed to say simple sentences about food they like and don’t like.My advice to other educators planning to implement the same learning scenario is to enhance student engagement and learning, consider incorporating digital tools and resources such as videos, online discussion forums, and interactive simulations. After implementing the learning scenario, take time to reflect on its effectiveness and make adjustments as needed. This could include  feedback from students or colleagues, reviewing student performance on assessments, and revising your approach for future implementations.

Europeana resources gave me resources to enhance my teaching and support student learning across a range of subjects and disciplines. Europeana resources can be used to develop students’ digital literacy skills, including their ability to find, evaluate, and use digital materials effectively and ethically. Through the use of Europeana resources, students gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of different cultures and traditions. This helped to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity. Educators should plan ahead and carefully select resources that are relevant and appropriate for their students and learning objectives. Educators and participants should be careful to avoid plagiarism and ensure that any materials used from Europeana are properly cited and attributed. I found other Europeana resources that can be used when implementing this particular scenario and I used that in my second class.

Did you find this story of implementation interesting? Why don’t you read about the related learning scenario? You’ve got food on your face! (EN-CUR-644) created by Maria Papadaki

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Public Domain Mark 1.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Rijksmuseum.

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