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Students do research on general fitness and nutrition and German
health clubs with a culminating activity of hosting and participating
in an authentic German Fitneß-Studio. Students prepare printed
documents and craft materials to promote and enhance their club,
using learned vocabulary and structures. The research component
of the scenario can be done in English, but the written and oral
activities, including the final product roleplay, are done entirely
in German.
(Below are multiple options for tasks within each activity set.
Teachers may choose those that best suit their situation and teaching
style.)
ACTIVITY SET 1: Body Parts
Show students a short segment of an exercise/morning “wake-up”
video (from a television broadcast or other source) with the sound
turned off. (If you can find one in German, no need to omit the
sound!) Begin introducing body parts vocabulary by using the pause
button on the VCR, pointing to the person, and describing what he
or she is doing (e.g., she’s touching her toes). Students learn
to recognize and reinforce the vocabulary through a variety of activities.
For example, they might draw and label a body; create word art with
vocabulary words (e.g., Write Auge, i.e., “eyes,”
in two half circles, one upside down, to form an eye image.); follow
TPR commands given by teacher; sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
in German with appropriate body movements; sing Ich habe einen
Kopf (see Resources); pin body-part words onto a monster drawn
by the class; play Hand zu Hand (the teacher or a student
calls “hand to hand” and other similar commands using
body parts as the class performs the action); and/or play “Body
Parts Bingo.”
ACTIVITY SET 2: Healthy Habits
Students next consider both German and American perspectives on
healthy living habits through a variety of activities. To begin,
students examine healthy and unhealthy habits they see in their
community and/or in the American media over a one-week period. They
then work in pairs or groups to perform simple skits/pantomimes
that illustrate the habits they observed. Another option is to have
students create a collage representing healthy and unhealthy living,
then use simple sentences to describe it. Next, students consult
other sources such as the Internet or level-appropriate health texts,
to learn more about what constitutes healthy living. They may wish
to revise their “healthy habits” diagrams or collages
after their research. Finally, students conduct similar research
using the German media and German Web sites. They then create collages
or graphic
organizers to compare American and German perspectives on the
above topics.
ACTIVITY SET 3: Food Pyramids
In this activity set, students create a model of healthy nutrition
through a variety of activities. First, students keep a 3-day food
diary, listing foods and amounts consumed in German. Next, they
gain an understanding of food pyramids by familiarizing themselves
with the USDA Food Pyramid (the teacher can provide a handout) and
then researching a food pyramid from a German-speaking country.
They may do this by either searching the Internet (see Resources),
consulting other health text resources, or listening to a guest
speaker such as a health teacher, home economics teacher, or school
nurse who is familiar with the pyramid system. The class briefly
discusses differences and similarities between the USDA and German-language
pyramids. They then demonstrate their understanding of a German-language
pyramid by using information from their food diaries to list foods
in German by category or to draw and label a food pyramid in German.
The proportions for each category can be compared with the official
German-language food pyramid. Another option is to make a simple,
short presentation in the style of a children’s television
show or public service announcement where students name and sort
play foods into boxes arranged by food pyramid categories.
As a final task in the activity set, students indicate what they
have learned about their personal eating habits by compiling a list
on the board of what they should eat more of, what they should eat
less of, what they must eat, and what they cannot eat, based on
their food diaries and pyramids. Each student writes at least one
statement under each of those four headings, and a class profile
is compiled. (Relevant modal verbs are reviewed before beginning
the activity.)
ACTIVITY SET 4: Roleplay Preparation
Students prepare a German Fitneß Studio for visits by fellow
classmates. Pre-roleplay activities are necessary to ensure that
the novice student can participate in the health club using the
target language. Students review body parts vocabulary and verbs
describing health club activities by playing Simon Sagt (Simon
Says) with the teacher’s direction. (After a review of the
commands, students may lead the game.)
Students use the Internet and other provided resources to explore
the characteristics of German health clubs (see Resources). Using
what they discover and what they know of American health clubs,
students brainstorm characteristics of each. Half of the class lists
characteristics of American clubs; half the class lists characteristics
of German clubs. The two lists are compared, and students express
their like and dislikes of the two systems in German: Ich mag
____, Ich mag überhaupt nicht ____, Ich spiele ____ gern/nicht
gern, Ich habe ____ gern/nicht gern, Ich möchte ____, etc.
After having investigated German health clubs, students begin work
on the opening of their own German Fitneß Studio. The class
picks a name and an “image” for the club, determines what
services the club will offer (in line with what a German club would
offer, e.g., squash instead of racquetball), and works in small
groups to prepare signs that indicate hours of operation, club rules,
information desk, and available activities. Drawing on their knowledge
from Activity Set Three, students prepare a large-scale food pyramid
and fitness chart (including information on calorie use, etc.) to
decorate the club. They also create a brochure to advertise the
health club, with each group responsible for a different section:
general club information, health and fitness tips, the club’s
mission, available services, and rules. Students also design the
physical layout of their German-style health club by drawing a map
of it for their customers. They then work with a partner to practice
asking for and giving directions.
Finally, in order to “run” the Fitneß Studio, students
determine what roles are needed and who will fill them. Possible
employee roles include front desk worker, nutritionist, aerobics
instructor, personal trainer, etc. Customer roles may include the
“jock,” the novice patron, the weekend athlete, etc. Students
make necessary preparations based on the role chosen. Those who
run the front desk will design an application form and payment plan
schedule, aerobics instructors select German music and come up with
routines; nutritionists devise a healthy meal plan and practice
explaining it; trainers prepare posters illustrating weight-lifting
techniques and practice giving instructions in German, etc. Each
student has an opportunity to roleplay a customer and an employee,
therefore everyone participates in these preparatory activities.
ACTIVITY SET 5: Grand Opening
Students open and operate the Fitneß Studio using only German.
To join the club, customers fill out an application form using factual
information or an assumed identity as mentioned above. As part of
the application form, they convert their height and weight (actual
or desired!) to the metric system. To pay for their membership,
they use a currency converter to figure costs and use play “Marks”
or “Euros“ to complete the transaction.
To make the roleplay as authentic as possible, students bring in
sports equipment such as balls, jump ropes, or small hand-weights
from home, or they may borrow from the school’s Physical Education
Department. Students who are customers visit the club and participate
in at least one selected activity after “signing up”:
fitness training, nutrition counseling, aerobics, etc. (This is
an excellent opportunity to recycle command forms.) The roleplay
is repeated and the “customers” become the employees so
that every student has a chance to play each role.
ACTIVITY SET 6: Rating the Experience
Students reflect on what they learned about health and fitness,
both linguistically and culturally. In a whole class discussion,
students state what they learned and also indicate what they enjoyed
and did not enjoy about the different activities. Another option
is to use a target language evaluation form (using a Likert scale),
developed either as a class or by the teacher. The form is used
to summarize the experience in German with students rating each
activity as gut—schlecht (good—bad) on a scale
of 1 to 5.
- Communication:
Interpersonal, Interpretative, & Presentational Modes
- Cultures:
Practices & Perspectives, Products & Perspectives
- Connections:
Access to Information, Other Subject Areas
- Comparisons:
Nature of Language, Concept of Culture
- Communities:
Within & Beyond the School Setting, Personal Enrichment &
Career Development
- Exercise video
- Art supplies for posters, collages, etc.
- Computers with Internet access, software
for brochure design (optional)
- Sports equipment (borrowed from PE, brought
in by students)
- Body parts bingo game
- Level-appropriate health textbooks (both
German and English if possible)
- German health magazines, health-related
texts
Communication: The interpersonal and
presentational modes are used as students do the health club roleplay.
The interpretive mode is used as they conduct research in the target
language on nutrition and German health clubs.
Cultures: Students research differences between German and
American health club practices. They then apply this knowledge in
hosting their club. Students also gain insight into the German culture
as they learn about their perspectives on nutrition and healthy living.
Connections: The students use German to gather information
about health clubs in German speaking cultures. They also connect
to the subject areas of health sciences and physical education as
they learn about and create food pyramids and do research on health
club activities.
Comparisons: Students use German to compare the two health
club cultures and are called upon to reflect on the benefits of each
system. They may also discover vocabulary similarities that show the
influence of the German and English languages on one another.
Communities: Students bond with their classroom community and
discover the benefits and difficulties of working together to meet
a goal. They also work with the larger school community by inviting
a health sciences, home economics, etc. educator to share information.
- Invite other German classes to participate
in the Fitneß Studio.
- Invite a native speaker of German to speak
to the class about German perspectives on healthy living, nutrition,
exercise, etc.
Books
Atongi, N. et al. (1999). Handreichungen
für den Unterricht an Deutschen Sprach/Samstagsschulen.
Cherry Hill, NJ: American Association of Teachers of German.
This book contains the song “Spiellied,” that teaches
body parts and corresponding senses.
Krenzer, R. (1997). Spannenlanger Hansel.
Lippstadt, Germany: Kontakte Musikverlag.
NTC Publishing Group. (2000). Weit
und Breit. Lincolnwood, IL: Author.
Sherman, L. et al. (1994). Kinder lernen
Deutsch, Loseblattsammlung. Cherry Hill, NJ: American Association
of Teachers of German.
The song Hand zu Hand can be found in this book’s
appendix.
Webliography
NOTE: These Internet
resources may have changed since publication or no longer be
available. Active links should be
carefully
screened
before
recommending to students. (Tip: Search under “Fitneß-Studio”
for more sites.)
- http://www.aatg.org
The American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) Web site
contains a multitude of resources for German teachers. Of particular
interest with regard to this scenario are the headings “Gesundheit”
and “Sport” and the Loseblattsammlung, which are collections
of activities, songs, games, resources, methods, etc. developed
by elementary classroom teachers of German involved in the Kinder
Lernen Deutsch program. You can find the game Hände zu Hände
in this collection. Also available through the AATG site is Handreichungen
für den Unterricht an Deutschen Sprach/Samtagsschulen, which
contains the song “Spiellied,” sung to the tune of “Mary
had a little Lamb”.
- http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html
This site has information on the USDA food pyramid.
- http://www.dr-walser.ch/images/pyramide.pdf
This site has information on the Swiss Union for Nourishment’s
food pyramid.
- http://www.kinder-jugendgesundheit.de
- http://www.menshealth.de/home/
- http://www.w-h-c.de/
This is the German Women’s Health Consul site, which provides
many useful links within on nutrition, calories, and general fitness.
- http://www.german-way.com/health.html
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