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English as a Second Language - Wedding Customs

by: Michelle Hoult

Content: 5 hour lesson on wedding customs

Students: Low intermediate (language level) adults.

Class Situation: The students this plan was written for are adult women living in Canada.

Lesson Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

-discuss wedding customs from Canada and other countries;

-introduce themselves to strangers and feel comfortable meeting people;

-interview people about wedding customs in order to answer questions about these customs;

-make notes, briefly recording key points;

-make an oral presentation to the class about wedding customs based upon notes;

-express their own ideas about wedding customs in writing;

-use their skills to create a magazine about wedding customs in different countries.

Warm Up:

The teacher plays a videotape of a Canadian wedding. The video shows the bride and groom exchanging vows and being pronounced husband and wife. When the teacher plays the video for the first time, it is without sound. After the video presentation, the students brainstorm what they think is happening during the wedding. The teacher writes the comments on the board. Then the students watch the video again, with sound. Afterwards, they compare their ideas with what really happened. The similarities and differences are discussed. Students discuss the reasons why their list was different from the actual wedding. Length of time: 30 minutes.

Main Activities:

1) The teacher shows another part of the wedding video, this time featuring the reception. Teacher and students discuss the skill of introducing oneself. Students practice a ritual of introduction. The teacher pauses the tape at a picture of two people talking. Pointing to one person and then the other, she demonstrates an introduction.

[Person 1: Hello, I am ________________. I work with the bride.

Person 2: Nice to meet you. I'm ____________. The groom is my cousin.

1: It was a lovely ceremony wasn't it?

2: Yes, they make a terrific couple.

1: Well, I better go and give them my congratulations. Nice to meet you, _______.

2: Nice to meet you too. Have a good evening.]

The students listen to the teacher read the introduction. They practice the ritual until it is memorized. Then the teacher takes the part of one guest and the class takes the part of the other. After saying the introduction, the teacher and students switch parts. Once the students are comfortable with the introduction, they repeat the procedure in pairs. The teacher circulates around the classroom, listening to each pair and noting any difficulties. Length of time: 40 minutes.

2) Students work in pairs to interview each other about wedding customs in their home countries. The teacher passes out a set of interview questions to get students started. They may add their own questions, if something arises from the interview, but they should be sure to get answers to all of the questions on the interview sheet. The person doing the interview writes her partner's answers on the paper as a reference for a later presentation. Both students in each pair take on the roles of interviewer and interviewee. Length of time: 30 minutes.

[Inteview Questions:

1) What country are you from?

2) Do you have weddings in your country?

3) Do you have big celebrations?

4) How do you celebrate weddings?

5) Are marriages arranged by your families or are they "love" marriages?

6) How long does a wedding last?

7) Do you have a reception or some other event after the marriage ceremony?

8) Who is invited to a wedding?

9) Other questions?]

3) Still working in pairs, students introduce each other and tell the rest of the class about wedding customs in their partners' countries. One pair of students goes up to the front of the classroom. One student introduces her partner to the group and explains about wedding customs in that country. The students can read from their notes in order to help themselves remember all the information obtained during the interview. The person who is giving the presentation should go into greater detail than there is in the notes, however. After the first presentation, the teacher asks the class questions about the information presented and writes their answers on a chart on the board. The other student in the pair then introduces her partner and the process is repeated. The interviews continue in similar fashion until all students have been introduced. During this time, the teacher is also observing students' listening skills and gaining information about these skills based on the way the students provide information for the class chart. Length of time: 30 minutes.

4) The teacher hands out sample advice columns from a bridal magazine. The students read the questions and choose one to answer, based on their customs. The teacher briefly discusses the questions with the students to be sure that everyone understands them. Each student chooses one question from the list and writes a response to the person seeking advice. They give their replies to the teacher who checks them for spelling and grammar. The teacher notes any areas of concern which should be addressed in future classes. Length of time: 30 minutes.

5) The class works together to create a bridal magazine. First the students look at a variety of bridal magazines and jot down notes about how they are arranged, topics covered, etc. The entire class discusses which topics to include in the magazine. Some ideas include: clothing, food, gifts, ceremony, reception plans, family, jewelry, honeymoon, etc. The students narrow down the list to three or four topics. Then the teacher divides them into groups, with each group working on one particular section of the magazine. The students can choose which group they would like to join, keeping in mind that each group should have 3 or 4 members. The small groups then organize their sections. Working together, they create a list of topics to be covered in their section. For example, the group doing food could decide to find out about a main course and a dessert from each country. Once each group has a list of questions or topics, the members will gather information by talking to other students, reading library books, and using their own knowledge. When the group has gathered its information, the members will write an article about their topic, draw pictures to illustrate it, and put the page together. Each person in the group has a role - illustrator, writer, or proofreader. Length of time: 2 1/2 hours (includes organization time, interview time, and writing time.)

Follow Up:

Students take their question sheets from the magazine activity home with them. During the week, they find two people from outside class to interview. These people may be Canadian or any other nationality. The students will gather the same information from these peope that they did from the other students. The following week, this information will be added to the magazine articles. A further follow-up activity the next week will be to proofread and edit the magazine. In a future class, the students will publish the magazine.

Materials:

-videotape of Canadian wedding

-VCR

-introduction paper

-interview questions worksheet

-advice columns

-bridal magazines

-paper and markers for creating magazine



Evaluation:

Evaluation is ongoing throughout the lesson. The teacher observes how the students interact in groups, taking note of their strengths and weaknesses. She checks to see if the students are using all four skills - reading, writing, speaking, and listening. If any skill is presenting difficulty, the lesson should be adjusted to focus on that particular skill. The lesson plan is a flexible outline that can be changed depending on the students' needs and interests.

Each activity can also be evaluated. During the ritual introduction, the teacher notes if the students are able to learn the introduction completely and use it with peers. During the interview activity, the teacher circulates throughout the classroom, observing students and listening to the way they ask and answer questions. Evaluation of the oral presentation is based on the way the presentation sounds. Also, the teacher can evaluate the other students' listening skills by interpreting how they fill in the whole group chart. The teacher reads the advice column answer and the multicultural bridal magazine to evaluate the students on these activities. However, she must also observe the students as they work on these activities to note and address any problems that arise.

Bibliography: Course Guide, TESL 31 course. Ruth Epstein, University of Saskatchewan

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