Lesson: New Year's Eve Traditions and Vocab

Sometimes students understand that the meaning of a phrase is different than the literal meaning of the words.

For example, turn over a new leaf.

Sometimes they don't.

For example, make a toast. "...to take the bread and slice it..."

Learning from the Young

"One day playing with a 4-year-old and my German has improved exponentially. Glitzer.(Glitter.) Flechten. (to braid.) En diene hose pissen. (Pee in your pants.) etc."

Inquisitive Minds.

Everyday, I get questions and more questions. Some about grammar. Others about structure. Some about meaning. Etc.

Asked in full seriousness and with complete sincerity, I often find myself considering corners of the English language that I have never thought about before. For example:

Student: "What is the English word for a person who makes dentures?" (Hint: Not a dentist.)

Junk Food

Me: "So what is a traditional German dish?"
Eager Student: "Roasted duck with gravy, dumplings, and red garbage."
Me: "Excuse me? I don't think I heard you..."
Eager Student/ again and annoyed: "Roasted duck with gravy, dumplings, and red garbage."

The Lesson: have + someone + do something

This lesson is hard to grasp for new students who generally regard the meaning of "to have" as equal to "to own." However, with a little practice, the students can talk about things that they don't do themselves.

One at a time, around the room, each student was asked to make a sentence using this structure:
Student 1: "I have my hairdresser cut my hair."
Student 2: "I have my mechanic change the oil in my car."
...
Student 6: "I have my wife clean my rear."

I Hate to Lose

I don't like speaking grammar with my students. As soon as you say the words "present perfect," everyone in the class immediately gets confused, curious, defensive, angry, etc.

In a moment of genius, I decided to play the classic drinking game "Never Have I Ever" with my level 3 German students instead of talking about grammar. (Unfortunately, no drinks were involved.) In this game, you use the present perfect to say something that you have never done in your whole life.

For example: "Never have I ever eaten worms."

Then, everyone who has eaten worms has to raise their hand. They get a point. Points are bad.

Around the room, the students took turns saying what they had never ever done.

Student 1: "Never have I ever done this." 1 point here
Student 2: "Never have I ever done that." 2 points there
...
Me: "Never have I ever worn lederhosen." Points all around.

Misty Waters

What I wrote on the board: 'Does the apartment have a poo?
Serious Student: 'What is poo?'