Backward Design Lesson Plan Template

Name: Lyndsey Boggs

Subject: German 3 Grade level: 11th Grade

Lesson title: Reaching Global Communities with Communication in the German Language
Step 1Desired Results
Standards, benchmarks, other objectives as needed (e.g., IEP)What should students know, understand, and be able
to do as a result of the lesson?

Standard: School + Global Communities: Learners use the language both within and beyond the classroom
to interact and collaborate in their community and the globalized world.
ISTE Focus: Communication
Objective 1: After attending a field trip to the Festival of Nations in St. Paul and taking notes on a Germanspeaking nation of their choice, 11th grade students will write an essay of a minimum of two paragraphs
which introduces facts about the nation's language(s) and possible dialects, traditions, history and/or culture.
Objective 2: Paired with a German-speaking penpal given by the teacher, the high school student will
exchange at least three emails, at least two paragraphs long each, which will each include at least four pieces
of information they wish to share about themselves and their culture, and four questions about their penpals'
culture and about the penpals themselves.
Objective 3: Granted 35 minutes at the computer lab and a children's German news website, 11th grade
students will find and print a German news article of their choice and verbally summarize the article in one
to two minutes the next day in class with a 90% accuracy to the article, and may also include their opinion
about the article at the end.
Step 2Assessment Evidence
Performance taskWhat will students do to show what they have learned?
Performance criteriaHow good is good enough to meet standards?
1. The student will write a minimum of two paragraphs in German in an essay format, which must
include facts about the nations 1. language(s) and possible dialects, 2. traditions, and 3. history
and/or culture.
2. The student will write at least three emails in German to his or her penpal. Each email will be a
minimum of two paragraphs, and will include four pieces of information they may wish to share
about themselves and their culture, and four questions about his or her penpals culture and about
the penpal themself.
3. The student will verbally summarize in German his or her German news article in 1 to 2 minutes
with 90% factual accuracy to the class. The student may also include their opinion about the article.

Step 3Learning Plan

Learning activities (step by step from start to finish, detailed enough for another teacher to follow)
Materials
-Computers/Internet Device
-Printer
-Projector
-Notebooks
-Pencils
-Highlighters
Time Span: 4 days
Resources
German news site - http://www.kiraka.de/
Festival of Nations, St. Paul (field trip)
Day 1
Students will take a field trip to the Festival of Nations in St. Paul, Minnesota. The bus leaves at 8 a.m.
Students already know they must take notes on a German-speaking nation of their choice while at the
festival, and will use the notes later to write their two-paragraph essays. Remind students before leaving
the classroom to bring all required materials, including notebooks and pencils and cellphones. Also remind
them of their assignment again, that while at the festival they are to take notes on a German-speaking
nation of their choice, and will then use those notes to write a two paragraph essay in German about what
they have learned. The essay should include facts about the nation's language(s) and possible dialects,

traditions, history and/or culture, as well as anything else the student has found interesting or exciting
Modifications: 1) If a students permission slip was not signed, he or she will continue with his or her
usual classes for the day. During the class period he or she would have had German, he or she will go to the
study hall room for that class period. 2) If a students permission slip is not signed, or if he or she is absent
the day of the field trip, the student will still choose a German-speaking nation and access the school library
databases in order to take notes to complete the assignment.
Assessment (end of class/homework): The student will write a minimum of two paragraphs in German
in an essay format, which must include facts about the nations 1. language(s) and possible dialects, 2.
traditions, and 3. history and/or culture. Students may also opt to include anything that they found
exciting or interesting at the field trip. This assignment is due the next day at the beginning of the class
period.
Day 2
1. Greet and welcome students as they walk in the door and find their seats
2. Collect all essays from Day 1; ask for students to pass their papers forward, teacher will collect them at
the start of each row of desks.
3. Today we will finally begin our pen pal project. (Students have already heard this project mentioned
and have submitted their applications for pen pals).
4. Call each student forward by name to receive the information of the pen pal with whom they have
individually been paired. (For a substitute teacher: The stack of pen pal info sheets is in the top basket on
the left side of the desk, with a sticky note that says Pen Pal info sheets German 3)
5. Once all students have received the information of their pen pals, reintroduce the project. These are
our pen pals for the project. Were going to write three emails to them in German, and you will receive at
least three emails back from your pen pals. Each email should be at least two paragraphs, and you
should include four things about yourself, and four things you want to know about your pen pal and
their culture. So thats eight pieces total per email, which Im sure youll have no trouble reaching. If you
want, you could organize it so that the first paragraph is about you, and the second paragraph is your
questions for them, or vice versa. Its up to you.

6. Students will brainstorm ideas together about how to write their first email and what to include. The
teacher will write the greeting line on the board as a start. Write Liebe/Lieber _(penpals name)_ Then
ask the students what they might include in their first emails, and write their suggestions on the board. If
students run out of suggestions, the teacher will be sure the following are on the board:
Hallo! , Gr dich! (two ways to say hello)
Ich heie/ My name is
Wie heit du? / What is your name?
Ich komme aus / I come from
Woher kommst du? / Where do you come from?
Meine Hobbys sind / My hobbies are
Was sind deine Hobbys? / What are your Hobbys?
Mein Lieblingsessen ist / My favorite food
Was ist dein Lieblingsessen / What is your favorite
is
food/meal?
Meine Haustiere sind / My pets are
Was hast du fr Haustiere? / What kind of pets do
you have?
Mein Lieblingstradition(en) ist/sind.... / My
Was ist deine Lieblingstradition? / What is your
favorite tradition(s) is/are...
favorite tradition?
Mein Lieblingsmuskik ist... / My favorite music Was hrst du gern? / What do you like to listen to?
is
7. Students will have the remaining time to work on writing their first email in their notebooks. They
may break off into their groups (groups of four, they already know their groups) to collaborate with each
other and review each others work. Though they may work together, each student needs his or her own
email to his or her own penpal. They may ask questions to other students and to the teacher about the
project and for language help and advice, but their group members should be their first resource.
Assessment (end of class/homework): The student will write at least three emails in German to his or her
penpal. Each email will be a minimum of two paragraphs, and will include four pieces of information they
may wish to share about themselves and their culture, and four questions about his or her penpals culture
and about the penpal themself. The first email is due the next day at the beginning of the class period.
Day 3
1. Greet and welcome students as they walk in the door and find their seats
2. Collect all emails from Day 2; ask for students to pass their papers forward, teacher will collect them
at the start of each row of desks.
3. Pass back the corrected and graded papers from the Festival of Nations field trip.
4. Introduce the German News Article assignment. Using the computer and projector, introduce the
website http://www.kiraka.de/. Click on Nachrichten and then click on an article as an example.
Find an article here that you like, and when youve selected it, print it off. Then you can read it, high
light if you want, make notes on it, and ask questions of me and your classmates to help you
understand it. Tomorrow, all you will need to do is briefly summarize in German what youve read and
what your opinion is of the article. Your summary should last about a minute or two.
5. Allow students to gather their belongings, and then lead them to the computer lab.
6. Students will receive 35 minutes to explore the news site, find an article, and print it off.
7. With their printed articles, lead the students back to the classroom. Students will form into their
groups to discuss their articles with their group members. Allow them the rest of the time to read
through their articles, ask questions and make their notes.
Assessment (end of class/homework)- Students will take their articles home to analyze them and create
their verbal summaries and opinion. Short presentations will be given in class the next day.
Day 4
1. Greet and welcome students as they walk in the door and find their seats
2. Ask who would like to volunteer to present their article summary first, or else the student in the
front row, in the seat closest to the door will begin. Following students may either volunteer, or be
selected based on who is sitting next in that row. Each student should give a 1-2 minute summary,
which should take nearly the entire class period. If not all students have had the chance to present,
presentations will continue at the beginning of the following class day.
3. Collect annotated articles from students who presented.
4. Remind students before they leave to check their emails for responses from their pen pals. Those
who have received responses should continue writing their emails, which they can bring in to be
checked if they wish, but are not due yet. If a student has not received a reply by now, they should
notify the teacher during the next class period.