January | 2019 | passion4theprofession

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Memes are funny, have limited text, and often involve cats or dogs. First, it must be pointed out that there is virtually no way to prove that a meme is an authentic text. Anyone can take a picture and overlay words. With that said, students find memes humorous and attention-grabbing.

In the language classroom, memes can be used as lesson hooks or serve as the basis for an interpersonal exchange or a free write. They can also be great examples of grammar in context.

For the example at the top of this blog post, several memes were collected that demonstrate adjectives in French. They could be presented in a Powerpoint format or as a collage like above.

Below, is a grouping of memes all showing the present progressive tense in Spanish:

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And here’s a collection of memes that all have definite articles in German:

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In my blog post on April 13, 2018, “Teaching Grammar in Context Using Authentic Resources,” multiple routines or protocols were discussed that can be used to have students discover language structure and grammar rules from context, which includes the PACE model.

And in a more recent post, “Teaching Grammar in Context Using Authentic Resources: Part 3,” I shared a protocol I recently developed to assist students in unlocking language patterns. Here’s the link to the poster (click on the image below):

And the link to the student worksheet.

To find the memes in the examples in this post and many more, click on the icons below for the appropriate language:

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To find more memes in the target language, you may want to follow a pinner on Pinterest who has created boards organized by grammar themes. Here is an example from one of my teachers for Spanish:

What is Daily 5?

*Daily 5 is a framework developed by Gail Bushy and Joan Moser for structuring literacy time so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently.

*Daily 5 allows for differentiation of instruction and engages students in learning.

*Daily 5 is a literacy instruction and classroom management system.

*The structure teaches students five independent literacy tasks.

Why use Daily 5 in the world language classroom?

The reading, writing, speaking and listening skills practiced through Daily 5 provide comprehensible input and practice to students and increases language proficiency.
Students interact with authentic text on topics of interest to them and at the appropriate level of challenge to add to their vocabulary banks and to increase their reading and speaking fluency in the target language.

What are the 5 strategies?

Read to Self
- Students develop reading skills in the target language by using strategies such as looking for cognates, using illustrations, and through context.
- Reading to self adds to students’ vocabulary base and deepens understanding of syntax and sentence structure.
Work on Writing
- Through tiered assignments, students of all skill levels develop writing proficiency. Students practice writing skills in the target language progressing from words to phrases and then to sentences and paragraphs.
Read to Someone
- Students practice speaking and listening skills by reading to classmates in the target language. They practice pronunciation and work together to understand the text while increasing their fluency and literacy.
Listen to Reading
- Students practice listening comprehension skills in the target language and hear examples of a variety of speakers in the language.
- Students follow along to increase vocabulary recognition, pronunciation and work together to understand the text while increasing their fluency and literacy.
Word work
- Students practice writing target language vocabulary words using a variety of instructional tools such as magnetic letters, Bananagrams, stamps, and dry erase boards.