Brief Description

The final product that students create is an interview with a friend about his or her new life in the United States.  The students are learning new vocabulary words alongside with new concepts such as "adapt," "positive attitude," "character," etc.  The students evaluate their new life experience as they compare their thoughts and feelings with those of a friend and a fictitious character from the textbook.  The new words are practiced separately, within a phrase, a sentence, and a text.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

Standard 2:

2T-E3 PO 3. Discuss the social implications of the "digital divide" (e.g., homes and schools   with  much technology and connectivity versus those with less or none.)

Standard 3:

3T-E1. Use formatting capabilities of technology tools for communicating and
illustrating.
PO 1. Use word processing editing tools to revise a document (e.g., insert a table, cut and paste, tabs   and margins, font size, font style, delete and undo, selecting, spell check, click and drag.)
PO 2. Design a word processing document with graphical elements (e.g., digital photographs, using text wrap, cropping, etc.)
3T-E2. Use a variety of technology tools for data collection and analysis.

Reading:

R-E1. Use structural analysis skills such as identifying root words, prefixes, suffixes
and word origins to decode words unfamiliar in print.
R-E2. Use reading strategies such as making inferences and predictions, summarizing,
paraphrasing, differentiating fact from opinion, drawing conclusions, and determining
the author’s purpose and perspective to comprehend written selections.

Writing:

W-E1. Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar and usage.
W-E3. Write a summary that presents information clearly and accurately, contains the
most significant details and preserves the position of the author.
      PO 3. Use personal interpretation, analysis, evaluation or reflection to evidence
                understanding of subject.
W-E8. Demonstrate research skills using reference materials such as a dictionary,
encyclopedia and thesaurus to complete effectively a writing task.

Listening:

LS-E1. Prepare and deliver an organized speech and effectively convey the message
through verbal and nonverbal communications with a specific audience.
 LS-E3. Interpret and respond to questions and evaluate responses both as interviewer and
interviewee.

Academic

The students will develop and conduct an interview.

The students will select and apply a variety of technological devices (a tape-recorder, a computer, a camera or a scanner) that can serve them as tools in solving the academic problems.

Ability to make an audiorecording; use a digital camera, a scanner and a word processor.

Materials

1. Tape-recorder with a blank tape, headphones and a microphone.
2. Alfredo Schifini et al.  High Point.  Success in Language.  Literature. Content.  Level A.  Hampton-Brown.  Carmel, CA, 1997.
3.  Index cards and markers.
4.  Computers with a word processor.
5.  A digital camera or a regular camera and a scanner.

Procedures
1. Bellwork

• Students classify a list of vocabulary words into groups of nouns and adjectives.
• They combine 2 or 3 words in an adjectival phrase and expand it to a sentence.
• They identify the subject and the predicate of the sentence.

• Students take turns recording their reading of the model interview "Could I Ask You a Question?" from the textbook.  Special attention is paid to speech fluency, rhythm, intonation in various sentence types and accurate enunciation of new words.

• Students create 10 vocabulary cards and compose examples that illustrate the vocabulary words.  They are encouraged to use on-line and hard-copy dictionaries and other reference sources.

• The teacher presents evaluation rubrics and criteria for the interview.  Some students revise, some create and some edit their interview questions.

• If a student is ready, and the interviewee is in the same class, he or she can perform the interview recording it on a tape.
• A third student may take a digital picture of the interviewer and interviewee during their conversation.  The photo will then be inserted into the written report.
• The interview may require follow-up questions if the provided answers lack details.
• There will be two products—the tape and a report.
• The report about the interview is to be a classification of gained knowledge—comparing a friend's and one's own new life in the United States.  The recommended format is a table in a word document.

1) Students' recorded interviews will be assessed on the basis of oral communication criteria (20 points maximum):

• Has the communicative goal been reached? (5 points)
• Has the formal register of the interview genre been observed?  (5 points)
• Did the interviewer explain or expand his or her questions to elicit more detailed responses? (5 points)
• Did the interviewer offer personal comments or adequate communicative reactions to keep up the conversation? (5 points)

• preparation (5 points);
• knowledge gained (5 points);
• follow-up questions (5 points);
• report writing (5 points).