What it’s all about
Shopping online in a foreign language is such fun that pupils absorb new vocabulary without too much effort. Words in the target language are illustrated with photographs without the need for intervening translation. It is a great way to connect the new words to reality, writes Catherine Paver.
Grocery shopping gives pupils useful vocabulary for everyday life. And by exposing them to a major supermarket, such as the French Monoprix, they will see how different cultures buy and eat different foods.
Prepare them with some basic vocabulary. Set homework in which they have to list 20 items from their family’s grocery shopping, then give them this vocabulary in the target language. Games that get pupils to match words to pictures are another great way to prepare them.
Quantities are worth teaching once pupils have the vocabulary for fruit, vegetables and other everyday groceries. Start with numbers and move on to weights and measurements.
Once pupils are ready to shop online, give them plenty to look for. For instance, ask them to find 20 new words in three categories. Get them to put the items in their baskets and copy out the new vocabulary. Set a time limit and perhaps give a prize to the one who finishes first.
Tell pupils to find internet vocabulary such as “basket”, “search” and “more details” in the target language. You might want to teach the most important one first, though: “cancel”. And don’t let them near a credit card.
What else?
Help pupils to understand food quantities in French using this resource from rosaespanola. bit.lyFoodInFrench
Rhawkes’ lesson teaches pupils to buy food in Spanish. bit.lyComprandoComida.
