Hello all, Chris here. Today I would like to share an exciting set of activities which can be used in any language classroom. As the textbook we use in our fourth semester German courses is centered around each chapter being a stop in a different German city, I felt it would be a good idea to familiarize students with an actual city map, how to find the information and to practice following directions as well as providing directions for others.
As one of the chapters we cover is Hamburg, I decided that this would be the best opportunity for me to use this activity. While in Hamburg, I picked up several copies of Hamburg City Maps from the university there. Those who do not have immediate access to city maps could try using
Google Earth instead.
After some discussion on Hamburg's history and various important locations in the city, I proceeded with the first part of the activity. It helps to have a large picture file on hand for give students a feel for a given city. Textbooks are limited by the number of pictures they can include, and even accompanying materials such as videos can only offer a limited glimpse. While in Hamburg I managed to visit most parts of the city and took several photos all over the city.
For the first part of the activity I created a series of places in the city that the students would have to visit. I divided the class into several small groups of approx. 4-6 students and each group also received a map of Hamburg. Then I gave them all the same starting point and then provided them with step by step directions to visit the various places as if they were traveling on foot.
Zu FuĆ durch Hamburg (Teil 1)
Sie sind bei der Ubahnhaltestelle Klosterstern (Finden Sie Kosterstern auf dem Stadtplan)
Finden Sie die folgenden 6 PlƤtze in Hamburg und beschreiben sie wie man zu FuĆ von Platz zu Platz kommt.
1 Von Klosterstern, geht zu der UniversitƤt Hamburg. Ihr findet die Uni bei Von-Melle Park.
2 Nach der Uni, geht zu den groĆen Park Planten und Blomen
3 Nach Planten und Blomen findet das Heiligengeistfeld wo der Hamburger Dom ist.
4 Danach geht zur Reeperbahn und sieht euch die Nachtklubs an.
5 Von der Reeperbahn geht zu den LandungsbrĆ¼cken am Hafen.
6 Vom Hafen findet zuletzt die MƶnckebergstraĆe. Geht zu der Europa Passage und geht einkaufen.
There are of course many different places one could choose for this activity, and you could even provide each group with a different set of directions and locations to visit.
Zu FuĆ durch Hamburg (Teil 2)
For the second part of the activity students were required to ask a partner for directions from one location in the city to another. As the students would not be too familiar with all the locations in Hamburg, I urged them to focus on those locations discussed in the textbook as well as those we discussed while I was showing them pictures of the city.
An example could be something like:
Wie komme ich von der MƶnckebergstraĆe zum Hafen?
or if you wanted to be more precise, you could ask for the shortest route:
Wie komme ich am besten/am schnellsten von St. Pauli zum Jungfernstieg?
Using the map, students would then provide step by step directions for their partner. It is also a good idea to review some of the associated vocabulary one would use with directions. I will be adding a little vocabulary review sheet to this post so stay tuned.
As mentioned above, this activity could easily be used by any language. You essentially just need to pick a relevant city for whichever language you are teaching and actually have some maps available. As an alternative you could try using Google Earth although you would likely have to do this activity in a computer lab. Another alternative way to do this activity would be to use local city maps or even campus maps if you're teaching at a university. Hopefully the above activity has been helpful to you. Comments welcome!
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