Welcome to the last week of the Spring 2024 Language Partners Program!
The Spring semester is coming to an end and as we prepare for the finals week, everyone here at the Center for English Language Programs would like to wish you all good luck! We know the semester has been long and full of never-ending assignments and tests, but you’re in the home stretch – keep it up!
Make sure you finish the spring semester on a strong note and complete your group’s semester project by Friday, April 26. Ethnographic interviews must be posted to our Community Page (Language Partners Ethnographic Interviews) on the StoryCorps Archive website. If you chose one of the other two options, your final project should be emailed to me (Daniel.greenwood.2@mnsu.edu).
As a reminder, the instructions for each of the three project options (Volunteering, Book Club, and Ethnographic Interview) are under the Semester Projects tab on the upper right corner of the languagepartners.wordpress.com home page.
Week 12 Optional Discussion: Getting Ready for the Finals.
If you have finished the final project, read on for some additional activities to do this week.
You’re almost done! This is the home stretch. The final countdown. You’re counting down the days until vacation. You’re so close you can almost taste your mom’s home-cooked meals. Whenever you feel like giving up at the end of the semester, just think: I’ve made it this far, I might as well go all the way. With the immediacy of due dates approaching, here are a few things to keep in mind that you can discuss with your partner.
Muslims gather to perform Eid al-Fitr prayer near Washington, D.C. ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES
Last Wednesday, Muslims around the world celebrated Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset to empathize with people facing hunger.
This week’s topic is all about holidays, festivals, traditions and celebrations across cultures. Discuss with your language partner some festivals, holidays and celebrations that are popular in your country. Special holidays and the rituals associated with them are not only a chance to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism but are also an expression of our beliefs. Holidays and other celebrations and the events, food and rituals associated with them are passed down by generation, and each country, region, and city has specific celebrations unique to that community’s identity. Schools, places of worship, and even families create their own special days to celebrate certain milestones, achievements and to observe past events.
Theme: Holidays, celebrations, and festivals
Goal of the Week: Discuss and compare some of the holidays that you and your partner observe, talk about cross-cultural holiday experiences and holidays observed around the world
Reading:
Listening and Speaking: Start with the following discussion questions below
1. What holidays do you regularly observe?
2. What childhood memories do you have with those specific holidays you observe?
3. What makes the holidays you celebrate unique? How are they celebrated? Are there specific activities, foods, clothing, and gatherings with that take place? What is the purpose of the holiday and how has that shaped you as a person?
4. What’s your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite holiday?
5. Have you ever been invited to celebrate a holiday, festival, or some other kind of celebration with someone from a different culture? What was that experience like?
6. How do you and your family celebrate birthdays? How do you celebrate certain achievements like graduation, becoming an adult, and other milestones (an action or event marking a stage in human development)?
7. Are there any holidays or celebrations you are unfamiliar with but would like to learn more about? If so, which ones in particular?
8. What games do you play during your holidays?
9. What is your favorite holiday memory? Tell us about it.
10. What traditions does your family have?
11. What kinds of music is common with any holidays you celebrate?
12. What holidays in your country are officially observed? Do people get the day off from school and work to celebrate any specific holidays? If so, which ones?
13. What’s your favorite holiday food?
Above: Participants discuss Mankato’s Annual Pow Wow, celebrated each September at Land of Memories Park.
After viewing the video above, think about any festivals or celebrations that highlight the traditions of a specific ethnic group that you have observed or are familiar with. Indigenous people come from all over the world, and they are particular cultures that are native to a specific place. Native Americans had already inhabited the North American continent for nearly 10,000 years before Europeans arrived around 500 years ago. Minnesota, and Mankato specifically, are the native lands of the Dakota people, who have their own language, traditions and culture.
Religious holidays, like Diwali, the festival of lights, and Eid al Fitr, celebrated by Muslims after a month of fasting during Ramadan, are both examples of religious holidays. After viewing the video consider the following questions.
What religions are common in your country?
Do you observe any religious holidays? If so, what religious holidays do you celebrate?
What is the purpose and history behind those specific holidays?
Reading and Writing
Write a couple paragraphs about your favorite holiday. Why is this your favorite holiday? What events, foods, music, and rituals are associated with this holiday? What particular memories do you have of celebrating this holiday? What makes it unique? What is the meaning and origin of this particular holiday?
Mardi Gras is celebrated ahead of the Christian holiday of Easter each year in cities across the world like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and New Orleans in the United States. It’s a festival defined by elaborate costumes, music, and dancing held in countries with large Roman Catholic populations. While the holiday is based on religious traditions, it attracts people from all walks of life who want to experience this large party for themselves. New Orleans held it’s first Mardi Gras celebration this March after being cancelled the past couple years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Check out this article about Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and Guatemala, along with many other Latin American countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador and Peru. Each country celebrates the holiday differently, but the main purpose is to honor and remember family members who have passed away. How do you honor relatives and ancestors? This article highlights the various funeral customs from around the world. Also, check out this article and photo essay from CBS News about wedding traditions around the world.
After reading the previous articles, discuss the following questions with your partner.
Have you been to a wedding? If so, how would you describe it?
What cultural traditions are associated with any weddings you’ve been to?
How are funerals observed around the world? How do the different traditions in the previous articles compare or contrast with your own experiences?
Later this month, students in our Intensive English Program will have the opportunity to take the TOEFL ITP test on Friday, April 19 at 9:00am. Depending on their exam scores, our students will either continue with the Intensive English Program in the fall, or be eligible to register for general classes after this semester ends. As such, over the next couple weeks, it would be a good idea to work with your partner on their test-taking skills.
Activities:
Familiarize yourself with the test – The TOEFL ITP consists of three sections:
Listening Comprehension – 50 questions in 35 minutes
Structure and Written Expression (grammar-focused) – 40 questions in 25 minutes
Reading Comprehension – 50 questions in 55 minutes
Check out the TOEFL ITP Test Taker Handbook for more helpful information on how the TOEFL ITP is structured and some advice on how to get ready for the test.
Do some practice questions – You can also have your students practice a couple of test questions from each of the TOEFL ITP sections by visiting the Sample TOEFL ITP Questions on the ETS website (Be sure to complete Level 1, NOT Level 2).
Focus on multiple choice test-taking strategies – Review strategies with your students that have been helpful for you when you have had to take standardized multiple choice tests. For some helpful ideas to go over with your students, see this list of multiple choice test-taking strategies.
Resources:
English Support – Test Prep – This blog page contains information on the three English proficiency tests that IEP students can take to gain regular admission to the university (TOEFL ITP, TOEFL IBT, and the IELTS)
EnglishTestExercises.com – This website is a great resource for studying to take the TOEFL ITP. It includes some strategies to use for each of the three sections (Listening, Grammar, and Reading), and also includes some sample questions for each section.
Beauty on Test TOEFL ITP YouTube Channel – This is a YouTube channel dedicated to helping international students to study for the TOEFL ITP. It includes videos of specific test-taking strategies to use on the TOEFL ITP and some practice listening tests.
We are living in a time of great technological advancement, and the effects of the accelerating pace of new technologies means the lives we live today are very different from the lives of our parents and grandparents. For Week 12, we’ll be discussing the pros and cons of an ever-changing world, looking at how technology makes our lives easier, as well as some of the possible repercussions of this rapid technological change.
Speaking and Listening
When you think of technology, what comes to mind?
When you think about science, what things come to mind?
How have scientific developments and technology changed our every day lives?
Is there any kind of technology you couldn’t live without? If so, why?
How has technology made your life easier?
How has technology made life more complicated?
What kinds of technology do you use on a daily basis?
What are the pros and cons of technology, like the internet, cloning, genetically modified foods, drones, self-driving cars, nuclear energy etc?
What do you think robots should be used for? Do you think there is a limit to what robots can do?
Is it possible that technology could go too far and harm humans? Or, is it possible that computers could exceed the intelligence of humans? Why or why not?
What do you think are the most important innovations in the last 50 years? 10 years? 5 years?
How was the daily life of your grandparents when they were your age different from your life at this age in terms of technology? How about your parents?
What are the pros and cons of robots replacing humans in terms of jobs and work?
How will science change the world in the next 100 years?
Japan is one of the leading countries in the development of robots, and as their abilities and intelligence grow, they are playing a larger role in the service industry, as innovators create new robots that more closely resemble humans. In the video below, a reporter visits a hotel in Japan staffed entirely by robots.
In additional to robots working in hotels, they are also popping up at cafes and restaurants. Advocates say robots can help to cut labor costs and to respond to worker shortages. Would you like to visit this hotel? Can you think of other examples of where robots have replaced humans? What are some of the benefits of this?
Self-driving cars are well on their way to becoming a reality. Proponents say that self-driving cars are more convenient and safer, but there are concerns about the potential for driverless cars being hacked, and opponents say that driverless cars can’t replace humans’ abilities to react to unforeseen interactions on the road. What do you think? Would you feel comfortable in a driverless car? Or are you more comfortable having complete control over a vehicle?
Reading
From space travel and agriculture, to medicine and entertainment, the role of technology is increasingly affecting how we see and interact with the world around us. The use of drones to deliver pizzas and packages and microscopic robots used in medicine are just a few examples of how recent innovations are being used to increase convenience and cure diseases.
The New Horizons spacecraft, about the size of a piano, was launched in 2006 from Earth and travelled 3 billion miles to Pluto, a dwarf planet located in the far reaches of our solar system. The craft came within 8,000 miles of Pluto as it flew by at a speed 52,000 miles per hour, taking detailed pictures of the dwarf planet’s surface before continuing on to explore objects even further away from our sun.
Last December, the James Webb telescope was launched into orbit around the sun in a position about a million miles from Earth. The most powerful space telescope yet, astronomers hope to gather evidence of the potential for life beyond our planet on the 5,000 exoplanets discovered orbiting other stars. Do you think space exploration is important? How much should we invest in space travel and space exploration?
Writing
Write a paragraph explaining how technology can best be used for the benefit of humanity. Then discuss what you wrote with your language partner.
A National Park Service photo of tourists visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona in 2021.
Sometimes, we all feel that we might need a break from our everyday activities and end up taking a vacation. Don’t you all agree? Go ahead and discuss more about vacations, travel and leisure with your partner, and find out each other’s ideas about vacation this week.
Speaking and Listening
What are the places you have travelled during vacation?
Do you usually travel within the country or even to other countries?
During your previous vacations, who has accompanied with you?
What are the common things that you pack while going for a trip?
How do you plan for your vacation? Do you prefer package tours or making your own trip?
Which mode of transportation do you prefer to travel? Why?
While on vacation, what do usually like to do? Do you like to visit historic places, museums, or spend time in the great outdoors? Do you prefer to be active on a vacation? Or do you prefer to relax in a hotel room or on the beach? What is your idea of a good vacation and why?
What is your best memory while on a trip?
How often do you go on a vacation? Where?
Have you ever experienced a bad situation while on a trip? If so, explain.
Do you have any souvenirs (fridge magnets, stickers, keychains, etc.) at home from travelling? What are they?
Do you prefer hot or cold destinations for vacation?
Have you lost something during your travel? What was it? What happened?
If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go and why?
Do you prefer visiting cities or the countryside when you travel?
When you think of national parks, what comes to mind? Have you been to a national park before either in the United States or another country? What made that place unique? While there are 63 national parks spread out across the United States, including Minnesota’s Voyageurs National Park on the Canadian border, there are other similar options within an hour’s drive of Mankato in the form of Minnesota State Parks. Minneopa State Park is just outside the city of Mankato, where visitors can view bison, a waterfall and hiking trails among the bluffs by the Minnesota River, and there are an additional 64 state parks across the state. Check out this interactive map by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and choose a few state parks that look interesting. Share with your partner which parks you would like to visit and why. For Language Partners volunteers, what state parks have you visited? What sites and attractions do you recommend our IEP students visit in Minnesota?
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Minnesota is Lake Superior’s North Shore, which begins at the city of Duluth, and continues for 164 miles to the Canadian border and beyond. Watch the video above and discuss what you see and hear. Is this a place you would like to visit? Why or why not?
For some, visiting a national park is the ideal vacation for relaxation; while others prefer a bustling city like New York, Paris, or Tokyo instead. What are the advantages of each?
When you think of the words “responsible tourism,” what comes to mind? Recent news articles have documented cases of tourists being reprimanded, or even arrested, for disrespecting the local culture.
In 2023, a tourist was caught carving their initials into the Roman Colosseum, a 2,000 year old amphitheater in Rome, a city-state in Italy. That same year, another tourist was accused of carving their name on a pillar of the 1,200-year-old Toshodaiji Kondo temple in Japan. In Indonesia, a French tourist was given a 6-month prison term for slapping an Indonesian immigration official. Beaches in Thailand have been littered with trash from the growth in visitors, and Mount Everest, a popular climbing destination in Nepal, has been littered with discarded camping gear and oxygen tanks.
The video above documents the increasing amounts of trash being left behind in Nepal’s Sagramatha National Park as locals work to clean up the area. What thoughts did you have while watching this video?
While the majority of tourists are respectful, many sites, like Mount Everest, drew record numbers of visitors in 2023. The increasing popularity of visitors to certain sites is creating the dilemma of balancing the importance of tourism on boosting the local economy, with preserving the natural character of places that attract visitors in the first place. The video below highlights responsible tourism.
Tourism can have both positive and negative impacts. In the video above, the speaker talks about the importance on focusing on how to create benefits for the people who live in these tourist destinations. What are some other examples of responsible tourism?
Reading
Travelling is always an exciting and fun filled experience. There are a number of different things to do and a lot of places to visit in the world, let alone Minnesota. Checkout this article with photos depicting some of Minnesota’s most beautiful places to visit for a day trip or weekend getaway. There is something which some of you might enjoy, while others don’t. But do you know that people travel to different places for different experiences.
After reading this article, discuss these questions with your partner.
Are you interested in any of these types of vacations? Why?
Have you experienced any adventurous trip like the one mentioned in the article? If yes, explain. If no, would you like to plan anytime soon?
If you are sponsored to go on a vacation just to taste the cuisine of the place you visit, which place would that be? Why do you want to taste that cuisine? What is so special about it?
You are on an educational trip to the US, and it does necessarily be just for studies. Did you find time to visit any place, attend any cultural event or any other interesting things in this past one or two months? Explain
When it comes to travelling, we all have our own reasons and preferences. Whatever might be the reason though, the experience is the most important as it helps us to replenish our minds and energy. Do you know that vacations help you rejuvenate and other health benefits too?
I believe after reading this article you would want to take a trip soon somewhere!
Writing
Though there are many wonderful places to visit in the world, we all have an ideal place to explore at least once in our lifetime. Write about a dream vacation spot that you would like to visit anytime in the future. Mention how long is the trip, with whom you would like to visit, what are your plans after going there and other details.
Workers install solar panels in the western United States. Source – U.S. Department of Energy.
Energy is everywhere. Without energy, we probably won’t be able to complete a single task in our daily lives like logging into your email or Instagram, cooking meals, heating and cooling your dorm or apartment, or turning the light on at night to study for the exam, etc. Which types of energy are you familiar with: fossil fuels, solar energy, wind energy, or nuclear energy? For our future generations, which types of energy should we use? This week, we will focus on energy, possible solutions to our current energy crisis, and more.
Theme: Energy
Goal for the Week: Talk about energy, and any current issues regarding energy
Listening& Speaking
Start with asking questions below:
Does your country need a lot of energy?
How much energy do you think you use everyday? If you use a lot, how can you save the amount of energy?
Do you think scientists will solve the world’s energy problems?
What happens if we run out of energy?
What do you think of a future in which we totally rely on nuclear energy? Or would there be different types of energy?
Do you think solar cells, wind farms, tidal power, hydropower, and thermal energy will solve our future energy needs?
What are biofuels and what effects do they cause the environment?
Do you think it is possible to get our future energy from some source we do not know of yet?
Where do we get our energy from?
What do you know about wind power, solar power, nuclear power, coal, and hydroelectric power?
What do you think the best source of energy is? Why?
Do you think renewable energy will become our main source of power in the future? Why or why not?
What kinds of energy is common in Minnesota? What about in your home country?
Oil and natural gas dominate the energy industry today, and these two forms of energy will likely continue for some time to come, as oil drilling is the driving force behind the economies of countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Venezuela. But these forms of energy have their risks. In 2010, an oil drilling rig called Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, releasing roughly 134,00 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for three months before the company was able to stop the flow. The video below documents the effect this oil spill had on the fishing industry in Louisiana.
That oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest in the history of marine drilling operations. As the word population grows, the pressure to provide energy increases. Oil prices have been increasing, and this has led to a renewed interest in using the sun to power our electric grids. One recent development is creating solar farms in the ocean, as is explained in the BBC video below.
What are the potential benefits of solar energy? Do you think we can create enough solar panels to supply the world’s energy one day?
While solar energy may be a viable alternative to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil, some critics argue that solar energy isn’t as environmentally friendly as it may appear. While solar energy is limitless and renewable, the video below documents some of the environmental problems associated with the technology of solar energy.
Now that you’ve watched the video, what do you think? What kinds of energy are the most efficient? What forms of energy are the most environmentally friendly? Do you think solar energy is a phase or something we will come to increasingly rely on in the future?
Reading
Humans have relied on external energy sources dating back 200,000 years ago, with the discovery of fire. Historians have found evidence that people in ancient Greece were using solar energy and glass to create heat and fire 2500 years ago. Coal mining began 300 years later in China. From the discovery of fire to the first nuclear power plant, we’ve come a long way in diversifying our energy sources. Check out this website to see a historic timeline of energy use from ancient history to the present.
Wind power came into the picture about 1,000 years ago. The Netherlands is well-known for their famous windmills, which dot the countryside and were first used to pump water. The technology around windmills has seen drastic changes in recent decades, from powering a farm to powering entire communities. In southwest Minnesota, giant windmills rising hundreds of feet tall over the surrounding prairie landscape have become increasingly common. The Minnesota-based utility company Xcel Energy unveiled a plan last year to increase wind power in this region of the state to eventually power 450,000 homes every year.
This report by the United Nations provides a detailed overview of the different forms of renewable energy. Which do you think are the best options for our future and why?
Read the following article by World Economic Forum: Renewable energy could power the world by 2050. What issues do we have in terms of using energy? Why do need to find sustainable and renewable energy? Discuss pros and cons of each type of energy and discuss which option(s) would be the best for the future generation. Why?
After reviewing this pie chart, discuss with your partner on surprising facts you learned from the chart. Is it different from what you have expected or somewhat similar?
Pegeen Rozeske, of New Ulm, works on the leather sole of a mule — a shoe similar to a clog — at the Mankato Makerspace in 2021. Rozeske offers classes to area residents interested in making their own shoes using traditional methods.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any special talents or abilities? What kinds of games do you play for fun? This weekly topic is all about what we do when we’re not at school or work, and the different ways we pass the time. A hobby is an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure. It can range from collecting things, building and making things, playing games, creative activities like music, drawing, or dance, sports, or even collecting wild foods.
Listening/Speaking
Consider the following questions to ask your partner.
What kinds of games did you play when you were a child?
What was your favorite game as a child?
What kinds of games and/or sports are popular in your country?
How do you spend your free time?
What kinds of hobbies do you participate in?
Do you have any special talents? If so, what are they?
What kinds of board games do you know how to play?
What are some of the most popular hobbies where you live?
Did you have hobbies when you were a child? If so, what were they?
Do you collect anything for a hobby?
What kinds of hobbies do your friends or family enjoy?
What kinds of hobbies might be dangerous or risky?
Do you go to concerts? If so, who have you seen perform?
Do you like sports? If so, what kinds of sports? Do you like to play them or watch them? Explain.
Do you like to watch movies? If so, what kinds of movies do you like to watch?
Do you have a favorite movie, book or type of music you like to listen to?
Do you like to spend time in nature? If so, do you have a favorite place outdoors that you like to visit?
Do you like to take pictures?
What kinds of hobbies are expensive, and what kinds of hobbies are inexpensive?
It’s March in Minnesota and that means tapping maple trees to collect sap, which can then be heated to create a sweet, sticky syrup. While there are several regional maple syrup producers, the collection of sap to create syrup has become a popular hobby for both individuals and families in this region. Maple trees are native to Minnesota and can be found all over our MNSU campus, around Mankato, and throughout southern Minnesota. The video below shows how sap is collected from Maple trees to make syrup.
In late April and early May, several other wild edible foods can be found in Minnesota’s natural landscapes. Especially in the Mankato area, many people can be seen wandering the forests in search for the elusive morel mushroom during the spring months. The fact that they are difficult to find unless you know what your looking for makes the hobby all the more competitive. In the video below, follow a Minnesota woman as she takes you through the Minnesota River Valley hunting for rare mushrooms and plants during early spring.
Nicole Zempel of Granite Falls caught the mushroom foraging bug 10 years ago when she was identifying prairie and woodland plants near her home and spotted a wild mushroom. “I was captivated and intrigued,” Nicole said. “And then I just went crazy full bore down that rabbit hole of learning about mushrooms.” Nicole forages for a wide variety of fungi – from morels and chanterelles to chicken of the woods and enoki. She also seeks plants like ramps, fiddleheads and wild prairie onions. In this segment, Nicole shares her passion for foraging, cooking with her wild bounty and connecting children with nature.
After viewing the videos above, think about other examples of identifying and collecting wild foods What other wild edibles can you find out in nature? How about in your hometown, city, or country?
Reading/Writing
The Mankato Makerspace opened its doors to the public in 2018 to provide workspaces for area residents interested in exploring a large variety of creative hobbies, from glass blowing and pottery to shoemaking, there is a little something for everyone. Check out their website here and browse the different types of artmaking activities available. Which of the options looks interesting to you and why? The following article published in 2020 provides a good summary of Mankato Makerspace, as well as details about the different artists who spend time there.
Writing Task: What kinds of games and sports do you enjoy? Write a paragraph about a game you know how to play, or a sport or other activity that you enjoy, and explain why and how this particular game or sport became important to you.
Curling is a winter sport from Scotland that has had an organized presence in Mankato since 1903. Most communities in Minnesota have a curling club, which requires a flat surface of ice similar to hockey. Players use brooms to control the speed and direction of a large, smooth rock to score points. This article by the Mankato Free Press describes the sport at an open house, where newcomers learn how to play the game.
Musicians with the eastern-European band Orkestar Bez Ime perform at the Rockbend Folk Festival in St. Peter, Minnesota.
Hello Language Partners!
This week’s topic is about music and creativity, and I’ve compiled a collection of videos, audio, and articles for you to choose from.
Theme: Music and Creativity
Speaking: Below are some discussion questions for you and your partner to ask each other and answer.
What kinds of music do you like? Why do you like this specific type of music?
What is one of your favorite songs? Why do you like it? When did you hear it? Who sings or performs it?
What kinds of music did you grow up with? Do you remember some of the first songs you learned or heard?
How has your interest in musical styles changed since you were a child?
Are you a good singer?
Do you have any family members who are musical?
Can you concentrate on other things when you are listening to music? For example, can you listen to music while doing homework? Or do you need it to be silent while you’re studying?
Can you play a musical instrument?
If so, what do you play?
How long have you been playing?
Are you good at it?
When you listen to a song, do you pay more attention to the lyrics or the music itself?
How much time do you spend listening to music?
How does music make you feel?
Have you been to any concerts? If so, who did you see and what was that experience like?
What are some special or traditional musical instruments in your country?
What do you think the world would be like without music?
What musicians/performers and styles of music are popular in your country?
Do you think music to cheer you up? What kinds of music cheers you up the most?
Reading: Some research has shown that music can be therapeutic not just for humans, but there is evidence to support that even some animals can enjoy music,although they listen differently than humans. Check out this additional article about how animals sing to each other and communicate. Some refer to music as a language that’s universal in that everyone can appreciate music on a human level that spans cultures and history.
Listening: How has technology changed music? Try to think of some examples about how technology has influenced, or even changed how we understand music. In the video below, Duluth, Minnesota-based composer/musician Troy Rogers is known for programming robots to play musical instruments.
What role do you think technology will play in the future when it comes to creating, recording and performing music?
Ethnomusicology is the study of music and culture. How are the different types of music found around the world similar and/or different from each other? What are some traditional musical instruments in your home country?
The following website by Twin Cities Public Television provides an overview of ethnomusicology and includes dozens of videos of different kinds of music from all over the word.
Ethnomusicology is the study of music and culture. The following link contains numerous videos of different types of music found across cultures all over the world. How are the different types of music similar and/or different from each other?
Some ethnomusicologists point to how different cultures influence each other through music. For example, American Blues music is widely seen as having been derived from West African music; specifically from the country of Mali. Check out the following video from Mali.
The next video is an example of Muddy Waters, a musician well known for American Blues Music.
Do you recognize any similarities between the two videos? What are some of the differences?
Korean pop music, affectionately known as K-pop has had a global influence in places ranging from Turkey to Mexico. Check out the video below for short story about the rise in popularity of K-pop.
K-Pop’s popularity has spread to fans around the world. In Mexico, the music is so popular that South Korea launched a K-Pop institute in Mexico City, for fans of the music to learn how to sing in Korean and to learn dance moves and choreography, as reported by the BBC.
Can you think of other examples of how music from a specific part of the world has had a global influence?
Find some examples of music from your home country on the internet and share those examples with your Language Partner. You could find a song or video online from your home country and translate the lyrics, so your partner understands the meaning of the song. What kinds of instruments are used? What makes this style of music unique?
Welcome to Week 4 of the Spring semester LPP! By now you should have gotten to know your partner a little bit, and decided on the best way to stay connected with one another. If possible, I encourage all of you to choose a consistent day and time to meet for two hours each week, or twice a week for one hour.
This week, I will ask you to explore an additional requirement of the LPP this semester. Each of you will be choosing and completing a semester project as language partners (see “Semester Projects” in the menu at the top of the LPP blog home page). These projects are intended to help you use your session time effectively, affording you the opportunity to get to know one another better and helping your IEP students improve their English language proficiency. This week you will explore the project choices with your partner(s) and select one to complete byFriday, April 26, 2024. Keep on reading below and have a great weekend everyone!
Theme: Semester Projects
Goal: Explore the 3 semester project options (ethnographic interview, book club or volunteer experience) and choose one to do this semester with your partner.
Activities:
Choose a semester project – One of the requirements of being a member of the Language Partners Program is to complete a semester project with your language partner. To clarify, the semester project can be done during your weekly meetings. Explore the following choices with your partner this week and discuss which option will be best for you. The Ethnographic Interview has a speaking and listening focus. The Book Club has a reading and writing focus. The Volunteer Experience will focus primarily on listening and speaking. This week, you will choose an option together and begin to plan how you will carry out your project. The volunteer experience involves finding a non-profit or other organization to volunteer at two hours a week with your language partner. If the volunteer experience interests you, please let me know and I can offer some suggestions for where to volunteer.
To learn more about each of the three semester project options, read the project descriptions below and check out the links for additional information.
ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
One of the requirements of being a member of the Language Partners Program is to complete a semester project together with your language partners. Conducting an ethnographic interview with your partner throughout the semester is one option. This option is intended to target speaking and listening skills. Watch the Ted Talk, Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear – by Dave Isay. Then look at the overview and steps for completing this project below.
OVERVIEW
If you choose to do an ethnographic interview, you will ask your partner a series of interview questions throughout the semester. Below is a suggested timeline for your interview (from the Ethnographic Interview Handout).
Week 1 – Warm-Up/Getting to Know You Week 2 – Human Relationships Week 3 – Friendships Week 4 – Authority Week 5 – Female/Male Relationships Week 6 – Family Week 7 – Social Values Week 8 – Social Etiquette Week 9 – Time
By the end of the semester, you should have a deeper understanding of one another, along with some interesting stories to share about your partners. Each partner will identify one story that they learned about from their partner, and record that story using the StoryCorps App. Finally, each group member will post their recorded story to our Community Page (Language Partners Ethnographic Interviews) on the StoryCorps Archive website by Friday, April 26, 2024.
2. Create a timeline for having small group discussions in which you and your group members will ask each other these questions, focusing on only one thematic area each week (see the Overview section above for an example timeline).
3. As the end of the semester approaches, think about the interview questions that generated some of the most interesting and enlightening discussion. Circle those questions and make a note of the group member who you want to answer this question.
4. Record an interview discussion as a small group using the StoryCorps App. See these tips to help you use the app and record an effective interview discussion.
Every member of your group should ask at least 2-3 questions, taking turns round-robin style and making sure each individual asks everyone in the group at least one question. You only need to record one audio file as a group.
5. Submit your recorded interview discussion by posting it to our Community Page (Language Partners Ethnographic Interviews) on the StoryCorps Archive by Friday, April 26, 2024. You will only need to submit one audio file as a group to our Community Page.
One of the requirements of being a member of the Language Partners Program is to complete a semester project with your language partner. Having a book club with your partner throughout the semester is one option. If you choose to do a book club, you will select a book to read with your partner and submit a final project. You and your language partner must complete this project by Friday, April 26. Read below for some more information and ideas.
BOOK CLUB (READING/WRITING-FOCUSED)
Watch the Ted Talk, My year reading a book from every country in the world – by Ann Morgan. Then look at the steps for completing this project below.
Choose a book that you can either purchase or check out from the library and plan out a reading schedule for the semester. You can select a book from Ann’s list above or choose your own. Another option is to download a free eBook from Open Culture. There are many titles available. The Memorial Library at MSU also has a number of books from the Oxford Bookworms Collection, which features unabridged books that are geared towards English language learners. For a list of these books, see Resources for IEP Students, from the IEP Student Handbook. I recommend choosing something between 100 and 200 pages that deals with a topic or story that is interesting to you.
Check out the Reading Club’s tips to help you discuss the book and improve reading skills.
Choose a final project (you can also create your own) to complete together and submit it to Dan by Friday, April 26.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
One of the requirements of being a member of the Language Partners Program is to complete a semester project with your language partner(s). Volunteering with your partner(s) this semester is one option. If you choose to volunteer, you will use the resources below to find an opportunity that interests you. Next, you will organize a time to volunteer with your language partner(s) either once, or more if you choose. Your final project will be to complete a reflection on the experience. You and your language partner must complete this project by Friday, April 26. Read below for some more information and ideas.
Identify a passion that you and your partner(s) share and/or a need that exists in the Mankato community. Check out some non-profit organizations in the Mankato area to help you get started.
Contact one of the non-profit organizations to see if they have volunteer opportunities. Or choose a volunteer opportunity on Mankato’s VolunteerMatch. You may also find an opportunity through MSU-Mankato’s Office of Community Engagement.
Schedule a time (once or ongoing) to volunteer with your language partner(s).
Buddhist Man Meditating in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India (Photo by Jakub Michankow – Wikimedia Commons)
College is a demanding time. You’re facing the challenges of school, work, family obligations, and a social life. If you don’t have them already, now is the time to establish good health and wellness practices. Proper nutrition, physical fitness, stress relief, and quality sleep are essential to thrive. See below for some relevant activity ideas you can do for your sessions this week.
Speaking
Discuss the following questions:
What are some signs of being healthy?
What do you do to stay healthy?
Have your health habits changed in the last few years? How?
Do you restrict your diet for health reasons?
What is something that many people should do, but don’t do to stay healthy?
Do you eat healthy food? Do you have any unhealthy eating habits?
How much sleep do you usually get? Is your sleep restful, or do you toss and turn? Why?
How often do you feel tired and exhausted?
Do you find yourself worrying a lot?
How do our emotions and thoughts affect our health?
What can you do to feel more energetic?
What are some health and unhealthy ways to cope with stress?
What is your comfort food?
Do you exercise regularly? What are your favorite exercises?
Do you take regular walks? Ride a bike? Go to the gym?
Do you follow any regiment like meditation, yoga, or prayer to calm your mind and body?
Can stress help? Can it challenge you?
Do you think we are more stressed or less stressed compared to the previous generation?
Do you know people who are always stressed and complain about it?
How do you balance your life (work/school/ family/ private life)?
What stress-busting tips would you suggest?
Please compare health care in the United States and in your home country.
Are there diseases that are common in your native country, but are rare in the US? Which ones?
Are there common diseases in the US which are rare in your homeland?
Reading
Freedom comes in many forms to the new college freshman, and continues to reign throughout college. Students are faced daily with new decisions, new problems, and new difficulties. From budgeting to learning to cook, students have a lot on their minds. Your parents are no longer breathing down your throat and the cafeteria is full of delicious, buttery carbs. Where could you go wrong? No matter what you think about being out on your own, you should still follow the doctor’s orders. For the most beneficial health and wellness tips all college students need to hear, read and discuss 8 Health and Wellness Tips for College Students from Florida National University or Student Health and Wellness Guide.
Listening
Review the TED Talk Questions worksheet with your group. Then, view Health, Fitness and Happiness & Rules to give you all 3: Tony Horton at TEDxYouth@SantaMonica
Tony Horton is the creator of one the best selling fitness program in America. Over the past 25 years, Tony has inspired and motivated people all over the world by sharing his fitness expertise with professional athletes, sports teams, television and film stars, recording artists and 4 million plus people. Tony changes lives with the perfect mix of physical fitness routines, encouragement, humor, discipline and fun. As you watch the video, take notes on the worksheet. After you have finished, discuss you responses with your group.
Meditation is a practice of focused breathing exercises that help to clear the mind of stress. Believed to have originated in India thousands of years ago, scientific research has found many more benefits, from promoting emotional health and concentration, to better sleep patterns and greater self awareness.
Check out the short, 5-minute meditation video below. Get into a comfortable position, turn off the lights and listen to the narrator’s voice guide you as you focus on your breathing. Then discuss that experience with your partner.
Writing
Write a paragraph about three things that you could do to improve your general health.
Language Partners Program 