Original Activity Using Authentic Materials                                          

Activity Name: Learning Question Words by navigating (or merely planning) a trip to a local Food Pantry, registering, and taking home free food.

Class Description: This activity is designed for a Level 2 (CASAS) high-beginner class to learn the specifics utility of seven question words as well as help the ELLs take advantage of a local resource, increase digital resiliency, grow in practical English based activity.

Objectives: By the end of the activity, students will be able to:

·       Know and use the seven basic question words with relative ease. Both to ask and to answer.

·       Go online and research Loaves and Fishes food pantry and fill out questionaire

·       Fill out the intake form in English to register

·       Go if you desire, get a sizable amount of food and ferry them home (car/bus), 

·       Reflect on the journey with class (photo, ten items, three questions)

Review the basic question words proving examples of each. Then use scramble words (words written out on small cut-up notecards for instance "How" "may" "I" "help" "you?" or "I" "would" "like" "three" "tomatoes.") provided to form sentences that could be questions or answers they may experience in the pantry or a grocery setting. Practice creating correct word order and speaking the sentences out loud. Teacher walks from table to table monitoring and moves sentences from one table to the next as they complete task.

Put up Question Words on whiteboard.

Who (for people)
What/Which (for things)
When (for time)
Where (for places)
Why (for reasons)
How (for more details)

Do the following exercises for these words:

Pair off and answer the following questions.

Who are you?

What country are you from?

Which way did you come to school?

When is your ESL class?

Where do you live?

Why did you come to America?

How did you get here

With partner, make a question out of these sentences.

Jane is my friend. (who)

I drive a car. (what)

I wear a baseball cap. (which)

I wake up early in the morning. (when)

I go to school at PVCC. (where)

I fell asleep early because I worked a long day. (why)

I start my car by putting key in ignition and turning. (how)

Open laptops, find search engine of choice (likely google), 

Authentic materials employed:

Their cell phones, google seach and maps, a vehicle, a real application, receive actual food, account for when the pantry is open, how they got there and back, some of what they got. Scramble words cards (premade). Loaves and Fishes English Intake Form (Appendix A as downloaded from L&F website) and Student worksheet re Pantry (Appendix B).

How does this activity replicate language students will use outside the ESL classroom?

Finding community resources and taking advantage of them is a universal good. If they can set up a regular means of transport, be it their own vehicle, the buses, carpooling, then they can get a large amount of food twice a month which saves money for other pressing issues.

Describe the activity

1. Teacher presents the seven question words (both to ask and answer) and provides scramble words for small groups at table and exercises for pairs activity.

2. Students go online via school laptops and answer student questionnaire re Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.

3. Teacher then provides time in class to find the location, get to intake form webpage, download and print the form in both English and native country language (if it one of the 13 provided).

4. Students write down the times the pantry is open. They find the address and plot a means of getting there. They work in pairs to fill out form in English including household members. Teacher offers assistance in planning travel and getting information.

5. Students can go to food pantry, get food, go home. They take photo of themselves at pantry and food as it gets transported or in their kitchen. They write down ten items and find the English names. They answer questions at end about which foods, how many cans, how much rice.

6. The teacher takes time whenever students get this done to do short report on the trip, showing the pictures, the list of foods, and discuss how they feel about it through three questions.  

Appendix B: Student Worksheet

1. What is a food pantry?

2. Which foods do they provide?

3. Where is the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry located?

4. How do you plan to get there? Do you need help?

5. When is the pantry open for clients?

6. Who can help you when you are there?

7. Why will it help people get food?

8. Print English intake form from website and whatever other language from may help.

9. Work in pairs to fill out the form

10. Take trip, register with form, get food. Take picture in front of L&F logo & grocery bags.

11. Make list of ten food items you obtained (in English). Count your cans. And your rice.

12. Be prepared to answer three questions when we talk in class.

What did you learn?

Was it worth the effort?

Will you go again? Or will you go in the future (if you weren’t able to go)?

Appendix A: L & F Intake Form in English (comes in 13 other languages)