World Language
Activity Worksheet
LEVEL:
Intermediate
Strand:
Comparisons
Standard:
Comparing Languages
Level of Proficiency/Domain: Intermediate
Benchmark:
4.1.M.a: Select vocabulary recognizing that meaning is not always
conveyed through direct word for word translation from one’s own language
to the target language.
Assessment (before, during, after):
Before:
Have students translate a variety of words from English to the target language using the
dictionary. (Be sure to use words that have more than one meaning, such as “back” or
“head”).
During:
Have students translate phrases such as “head straight”, “go back”, and “I love you” using
the dictionary correctly.
After:
Have students translate a whole paragraph (with basic language) using the dictionary or an
online dictionary.
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Learning Activities/Facts/Information:
Resources:
1. Teacher creates a short biography of
him/herself, translates it into the target
language, and uses Google translator to
translate it back into English. This shows
students that online translators do not work to
translate word for word.
Google.com translator
2. Discuss the dictionary worksheet used in the
before assessment, go over the correct way to
say words, and show how to use the dictionary
correctly.
3. Dictionary activity: Find in the dictionary the
different translations for the word “back” and
discuss them as a class to show how you have
to even be careful with dictionary translations.
New Vocabulary: back, head, love, other English words that have more than one
meaning
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World Language
Activity Worksheet
LEVEL:
Intermediate
Strand:
Comparisons
Standard:
Comparing Languages
Level of Proficiency/Domain: Intermediate
Benchmark:
4.1.M.b: Select grammatical structures recognizing that meaning is not
always conveyed through direct word for word translation from one’s own
language to the target language.
Assessment (before, during, after):
Before:
Have students translate a variety of phrases that have different structures in English into
the target language using the dictionary. (It is fun, I have it, I like basketball, I love you,
red shirt, give me that, My name is, I’m 16 years old, etc.)
During:
Have students translate additional phrases from the before assessment such as “I have
it”, “My brother is 15 years old”, “I like cars”, etc., using the dictionary correctly.
After:
Have students translate a whole paragraph (with basic language) using the dictionary or
an online dictionary to help them.
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Learning Activities/Facts/Information:
Resources:
1. Teacher creates a short biography of
him/herself, translates it into the target language,
and uses Google translator to translate it back
into English. This shows students that online
translators do not work to translate word for
word.
Google.com translator
2. Discuss the dictionary worksheet used in the
before assessment, go over the correct way to
say words, show how to use the dictionary
correctly, and show the importance of
conjugating words.
3. Discuss different grammatical rules for
grammatical structures in direct instruction (order
of nouns and adjectives, placement of direct
object pronouns, “to be” & “to know” in Spanish
for example, etc.).
New Vocabulary: back, head, love, other English words that have more than one
meaning
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World Language
Activity Worksheet
LEVEL:
Intermediate
Strand:
Comparisons
Standard:
Comparing Languages
Level of Proficiency/Domain: Intermediate
Benchmark:
4.1.M.c: Select register/honorifics recognizing that meaning is not
always conveyed through direct word for word translation from one’s
own language to the target language.
Assessment (before, during, after):
Before:
Show students pictures of different people and ask them which register they would use
when talking to that person (formal or informal).
During:
Have students translate parts of a conversation into the target language to show
understanding of not just being able to translate “you” directly; there are different ways
to say “you” and each way changes the meaning.
After:
Have students write short messages to three different people (friend, teacher & a group
of people), saying the same thing in all three messages but changing the register
appropriately and using appropriate honorifics if necessary.
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Learning Activities/Facts/Information:
Resources:
1. Show pictures again from the before assessment
and discuss why the different registers are used
for each picture.
Pictures from textbook or from
web of different professions,
different ages (The President,
The Pope, the principal, police
officer, teacher, senior citizens,
students, little children, more
than one person)
2. Direct instruction in which the teacher lists the
different honorifics and registers on the board.
Have the students repeat out loud for
pronunciation and copy notes down.
3. Have students write down names of different
people they know and their relation to them and
list what honorific/ register they would use and
discuss answers as a class.
4. Matching game: students match the
register/honorific to different pictures.
New Vocabulary: honorifics (sir, miss, ma’am, your honor, your Excellency, etc.),
registers (you (formal & plural), you all, they, etc.)
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World Language
Activity Worksheet
LEVEL:
Intermediate
Strand:
Comparisons
Standard:
Comparing Languages
Level of Proficiency/Domain: Intermediate
Benchmark:
4.1.M.d: Select phonological features recognizing that meaning is not
always conveyed through equivalent application of the same features from one’s
own language to the target language.
Assessment (before, during, after):
Before:
Give each student five different words in the target language. Choose words that are
commonly mispronounced due to the way the letters sound in English (examples in
Spanish: the –ge, lla, -gi, vowels, examples in French: vowels, “ll”).
During:
Students are given a short script and have to read/act out the script with a partner in
front of the class, focusing on pronunciation.
After:
Students individually give a brief presentation on a news article where they read the
article aloud to the class, focusing on pronunciation, and explain what it is about in
English after reading the article.
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Learning Activities/Facts/Information:
Resources:
1. Go over the five words as a class and discuss
the pronunciation of the word letter by letter.
Have students repeat after teacher.
News articles in the target
language
2. Review the alphabet in the target language and
point out its major differences with English.
Alphabet printout/poster for
students to look at
3. With each new vocabulary word that is taught
throughout the year, have the students repeat
the teacher to get the pronunciation down.
4. Listen to a news broadcast in target language
and pay attention to pronunciation.
News broadcast from BBC
Mundo
New Vocabulary: pronunciation, letters of the alphabet
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World Language
Activity Worksheet
LEVEL:
Intermediate
Strand:
Comparisons
Standard:
Comparing Cultures
Level of Proficiency/Domain: Intermediate
Benchmark:
4.2.M.a: Identify the significance of the cultural practices within the
target culture(s) and compare them to one’s own.
Assessment (before, during, after):
Before:
KWL chart: What do you know about ____________________ practice from the target
culture? (Could be a religious practice such as Easter or Christmas or Ramadan, or a
coming of age custom, wedding practices, schooling, food, etc.)
During:
Students create a Venn diagram comparing their culture to the culture seen in a movie
shown (can be a documentary or a regular movie and can be a specific custom or can
be more general comparing the culture overall).
After:
Make a tri-fold poster board project: on the left side include the tradition/custom from
your culture, on the right side include the tradition/custom from the target culture, and in
the middle include what they have in common (for example: comparing sweet sixteen &
Quinceañera ). Each student is assigned a different tradition/custom.
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Learning Activities/Facts/Information:
Resources:
1. Direct instruction on specific customs/traditions.
PowerPoint presentation and/or
Documentary on a specific
custom (such as Mardi Gras,
Day of the Dead, Independence
day celebrations, Christmas,
Easter, etc.)
2. Readings or websites that deal with the different
customs from the target culture.
3. Have students do a web quest on a specific
cultural practice in the target culture.
4. Watch a movie that shows some sort of cultural
practice in the target culture.
Sample movies: Quinceañera,
The Rocket (for French)
New Vocabulary: religion, coming of age, wedding, marriage, culture
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World Language
Activity Worksheet
LEVEL:
Intermediate
Strand:
Comparisons
Standard:
Comparing Cultures
Level of Proficiency/Domain: Intermediate
Benchmark:
4.2.M.b: Identify the significance of the cultural products within the target
culture(s) and compare them to one’s own.
Assessment (before, during, after):
Before:
Students are given brief descriptions of products and pictures of the products. Students
will match the corresponding descriptions and pictures.
During:
Students are given different advertisements for products in the target language and
have to answer a variety of questions about them.
After:
In pairs, students give an oral presentation on a product from the target culture. Each
pair is assigned a different cultural product (a clothing item, a food, a car, etc.).
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Learning Activities/Facts/Information:
Resources:
1. Go over the answers to the before assessment.
2. Play charades with the different products being
discussed.
Pictures of various products
(foods, brands, body wash,
perfume/cosmetics, etc.) along
with the advertisements that go
with them
3. Readings on the different products and pictures to
aid with understanding.
Advertisements for products
from magazines in the target
language
4. Show a commercial in the target language for a
A commercial in the target
language
cultural product and discuss as a class afterwards.
New Vocabulary: clothing, cars, music genres, names of specific foods/meals
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