Tell me about your home!

This icebreaker task allows the telecollaborative partners to present their housing situation through the realization of a video or a commented slideshow.

Institution reporting the task:

Language of task instructions:

English

Target Group:

Any

Level:

A2
B1
B2
C1

References and acknowledgements:

None

Type:

Information exchange

Estimated Duration:

1 session

Topic:

Home, way of life

Tags:

Icebreaker
Housing
Home

Acknowledgements:

None

Language Configurations:

Bilingual

Language(s) that the task can be used in:

Any

Dominant language production:

Speaking/listening synchronous

Target Competences:

Language competence
Intercultural skills

Specific pedagogical objectives:

Creation of a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere in the groups

Suggested Communication Tools:

Voice recording tools

Suggested Resources:

Tutorial Voicethread
: http://voicethread.com/support/howto/VoiceThreads/Creating/

Instructions:

Stage 1 (preparation by the instructors):

Create a closed forum (like Moodle for example) in which the students post the link to their slide show or their video.


Stage 2
(
production):

The telecollaborative partners individually create an audiovisual document (they can choose between a commented slide show in Voicethread or a commented video with a video production software) of a couple of minutes which presents the setting of their everyday life.

The document needs to contain the following information:

The location, the surroundings of their place/ the type of accommodation, the cohabitants, a

description of the place with the different rooms and their functions.

– The document needs to be 2 to 4 minutes long.

– It is important to advise the participants to not read out a text they prepared in advance but to speak freely instead.

– During this stage the instructors can intervene language-wise to help the telecollaborative partners.

– Afterwards they post their document
in the forum (or the link to their slide show in Voicethread).


Stage 3
(exchanges):
Activate the telecollaborative partners to react in form of comments to the presentations of their partners (the common aspects, the differences).

As to the commented slide show the telecollaborative partners make comments directly on Voicethread (orally or in written form), while for the published videos in the forum they comment in the forum.


Stage 4
(wrap-up in class):

– Feedback on the accomplishment of the finished products: the content, the construction of the video or the slide show.

– Feedback on the quality and the spontaneity of language use in these products.

Learner Texts:

None

Document related to the task:

None

Criteria for Completion:

The telecollaborative partners could find out something about my living situation through a picture gallery or a 2 to 4 minutes long documentary, which presents various information. They asked questions or made comments.

Comments and suggestions:

None

Author/copyright:

Le français en Première Ligne (2008-2009) Grenoble-Tokyo-Leon. Elsa Clavel, Hye-Sook Park (Tâche « Parle-moi de chez toi ! »)