School World Song Contest (Task 37)
This activity is about incorporating learners’ home languages and an (inter-/pluri) cultural component. The learners watch a video news item about the Eurovision Song Contest and/or read an accompanying online text - both in Language A (the language of schooling). They then condense and summarise three key points in Language B (French) about Eurovision from the two source texts for the school newspaper or the school whiteboard and collaborate to produce a poster in Language B based on the information in the texts - the aim of the poster is to advertise a multilingual school song contest. They then prepare for an oral presentation about music in their home countries in Language B (with help from their families). They also use their mediation skills to record a voice message in their home language (Language C) to explain the information in the poster to their families.
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Themes: After school plans
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writingProcessing text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: All languagesEnglishFrench
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: English
Italian menu (Task 43)
Learners perform a number of mediation activities as they go through the process of reading the menu, choosing, and ordering food and drinks for each member of their family while on holiday in a foreign country. The activities aim at developing learners’ skills in selecting information from a source text and relaying it into a target text in another language.
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Themes: Food
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Processing text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: A2B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishItalianlanguage of schoolinghome language
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishItalian
Proper use of face masks (Task 6)
Learners are expected to relay information and explain data about the correct use of face masks with the help of poster diagrams, and also to produce an approximate translation.
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Themes: COVID-19
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writingExplaining data (e.g. in graphs, diagrams, charts, etc.) in speech / in writingTranslating a written text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: A2B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishMaltesehome language
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishMaltese
Filmmaking competition (Task 7)
Learners perform a number of mediation activities as they go through the process of getting to know about a language film design competition and of actually writing the script for the competition. The task aims at developing learners’ skills in selecting information from source texts and relaying it into a target text in another language.
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Themes: After school plans
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Processing text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1B2
Languages involved in the task: EnglishItalian
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishItalian
Airport instructions (Task 9)
This is a project activity that focuses on cross-cultural communication and the way we communicate parts of this information to different people. First, the learners read a text regarding airport transportation and write informal short messages as part of written text communication with an exchange student. Then, the learners use the same information to write a formal email to the student’s parents.
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Themes: Travelling/ countries
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Linking to previous knowledgeBreaking down complicated informationAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishFinnishFrenchGreek
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishFinnishFrenchGreek
Maths family connect sessions (Task 11)
Learners are asked to relay information and explain data from a poster about Maths evening classes for learners accompanied by their parents.
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CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: A2B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishItalian
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishItalian
T-shirt design competition (Task 12)
Learners perform a number of mediation activities as they go through the process of getting to know about a language t-shirt design competition and prepare a final presentation of their work. The task aims at developing learners’ skills in selecting information from source texts and relaying it into a target text in another language.
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Themes: Teen lifeAfter school plans
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Processing text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: A2B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishItalian
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishItalian
Tower of Babel – WhatsApp group (Task 13)
The aim of this task is to develop learner’s reception and production skills in an authentic situation. Firstly, the learners discuss the features of a typical social media (e.g. WhatsApp) message. Then, working in small groups, they read five different WhatsApp messages (Language B/C), and provide an answer either in Language A and/or B(/C), depending on the instructions given in the message. Finally, they share their answers with the rest of the groups. As a follow-up activity, learners have to write their own message in Language A as part of their homework, and next time, in pairs, they answer their own messages in Language B (/C).
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Themes: Communication/social media
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Processing text in speech / in writingTranslating a written text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Linking to previous knowledgeBreaking down complicated informationAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: All languagesEnglish
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: English
Celebrating Mother’s Day in Portugal (Task 29)
Learners are put in a role play situation: Celebrating Mother’s Day in Portugal. They go through some “adventures” to get to buy a present together with their dad, who doesn’t speak a word of Portuguese. The aim of the lesson is to activate learners’ previous knowledge and develop their mediation strategies and the skills needed to deal with informal situations encountered in daily life.
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Themes: Costumes/ cultureEurope
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writingNote taking (lectures, seminars, meetings, etc.)
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Linking to previous knowledgeAdapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishPortuguese
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishPortuguese
A Mexican in your town (Task 30)
This task aims at familiarizing learners with different text types and practising their skills in comprehending texts in Language A and producing in Language B and vice versa. In the first part, learners mediate a German text about tourism information in Spanish. Then a Spanish text is mediated into German or a heritage language, involving intercultural aspects and using a text format that learners are accustomed to: a WhatsApp message. In the third stage, learners reflect on their own experiences with mediation.
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Themes: Travelling/ countries
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writingProcessing text in speech / in writing
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 1 (Primary education)ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: GermanSpanishhome language
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: GermanSpanish
Eat and throw away - Lessons learnt from the pandemic (Task 36)
During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to statistics, most people had to change their lives drastically. Many gained weight. At the same time, the use of plastic increased, with an environmental impact. This task provides the same source text on which learners will work in different languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and German), and leaves room for the teacher to decide what language(s) will be used as Language A (language of source texts) or Language B (or the learners' end product, which is a leaflet). An additional aim is to raise learners' awareness of health and environmental issues during the pandemic, and to find some solutions to the problems.
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Themes: COVID-19Eating habits
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Processing text in speech / in writingNote taking (lectures, seminars, meetings, etc.)
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Amplifying a dense textStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: All languagesEnglishFrenchGermanItalianSpanish
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishFrenchGermanItalianSpanish
Social media and teenage life (Task 42)
This task focuses on written mediation. The main activities aim at: a) developing learners’ skills in selecting information from a source text (a blog entry), b) summarising messages in a target language, and c) developing the mediation strategies of paraphrasing, providing synonyms, distinguishing major from minor information.
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Themes: Communication/social media
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writingNote taking (lectures, seminars, meetings, etc.)
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediation strategies:
Adapting languageAmplifying a dense textStreamlining a text
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)
CEFR language proficiency level: B1B2
Languages involved in the task: EnglishGreek
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishGreek
Transition Year work experience (Task 46)
The aim of the task is to compile a class Padlet (in Irish) comprising a series of video and text summaries of information learners gather online about work experience placements. They firstly watch a video in which other learners share ideas in English on work experience placements, then they use a specific web resource in English to learn about various work experience possibilities for their Transition Year placements. They choose an experience which interests them, and they learn relevant vocabulary in Irish related to careers to help them complete a task in Irish which involves contributing a video recording and short text to a class Padlet.
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Themes: Teen life
CEFR-CV Common European Framework of Reference - Companion Volume
scales for mediating text:Relaying specific information in speech / in writingProcessing text in speech / in writing
Educational levels: ISCED 2 (Lower secondary education)ISCED 3 (Upper secondary education (including general and vocational education))
CEFR language proficiency level: B1
Languages involved in the task: EnglishIrish
Language of the teacher's material: English
Languages of the student's materials: EnglishIrish