Contextualization

Communication processes transcend country borders, and English has become a global language, enabling interaction and understanding between people from different cultures. In this perspective, it is essential that our students are familiarized with basic English vocabulary, which is required to develop basic linguistic skills. In this project, we will focus on vocabulary related to family and places.

Family is one of the most essential social institutions in any society and is one of the first things that we learn to talk about when beginning to speak a language. Getting familiar with words and expressions that describe family members and relationships is an important step towards becoming fluent.

Moreover, places are essential to how we navigate and understand the world around us. By learning to describe and talk about different locations, be they countries, cities, buildings or even personal spaces, you are widening your horizons and expanding the capacity to communicate effectively.

Importance

In today's world, linguistic competences are valuable tools for global interaction and integration. Learning the basic English vocabulary for family and places is not merely a question of memorization, but a way to better understand the environment in which we live and to communicate more efficiently.

Besides facilitating communication, learning this vocabulary can also be a gateway to understanding different cultures. Each language has its own peculiarities and nuances which reflect the culture from which it emerged. By learning about family and places, you start to understand a little bit more about how different cultures perceive these concepts.

Hands-on Activity - Scavenger Hunt: Family & Places Edition

Project Goal

This project aims to stimulate students to apply English vocabulary related to family and places in a playful and engaging format. Students will develop teamwork, communication skills, time management, problem-solving, decision-making, and deepen their understanding of the project topic.

Project Description

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5. Each group will be responsible for developing a scavenger hunt, where they will have to find items, answer questions or perform tasks related to family and places, all in English.

Required Resources

1. Students' cell phones with camera and recording apps
2. Realia: physical objects related to the topic (family pictures, household objects, etc)
3. Access to the Internet

Step by Step

1. Review: Review English vocabulary for family and places using the suggested resources in the introduction.
2. Planning: Plan your scavenger hunt. Each group should come up with a list of 10 to 15 items, questions, or tasks that other groups must find, answer, or perform. Each item in the list should be related to family or places vocabulary. Be creative! (For example: "Take a picture of a historical landmark in the city", "Translate: 'My grandfather lives in a blue house'", "Describe your bedroom in English in one paragraph", etc.).
3. Group swap: Swap your group's list with another group.
4. Execution: Conduct the scavenger hunt based on the list you were given. Recommended time for the hunt is 2-4 hours.
5. Documentation: Document your findings, answers, and tasks in English. This can be in the form of pictures, audio recordings, videos, or written notes.
6. Presentation and discussion: Debrief on your scavenger hunts, explaining your findings to the class.

Project Deliverables

Each group should produce a written report that includes the following sections: Introduction, Development, Conclusion and Bibliography.

• Introduction: contextualize your scavenger hunt. Explain what a scavenger hunt is, why this type of activity is relevant to the learning of English and the specific goal of this scavenger hunt.

• Development: detail your scavenger hunt game: planning and execution. Explain how the scavenger hunt relates to the theory about family and places vocabulary. Present and discuss your findings.

• Conclusion: summarize your experience with the scavenger hunt. Mention what you learned in terms of vocabulary, as well as the socio-emotional skills you developed.

• Bibliography: include all the sources you used to plan your scavenger hunt and to write the report.

The report should be developed throughout the duration of the project and the final version should be delivered one week after the beginning of the project.