| Body | Renée Marshall is the International Programs Specialist at CASLS. Special thanks to Yamada Center director Jeff Magoto, Self Study director Harinder Khalsa and Hindi/Urdu Self-Study tutor Kainat Shaikh.
This activity was inspired from a self-study, adult, 1-credit, 2-hour a week beginning course in Hindi/Urdu at the University of Oregon Yamada Language Center. Using the vocabulary learned throughout the quarter, students were to present to their classmates on a topic they found interesting. This activity specifies the assignment further into students must present on three or four interesting points they find in a Bollywood song of their choice. The example song is "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" from the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, with the focus on religious symbols and beliefs shown in the video. The example student PowerPoint is from a presentation by a novice-low student (read: there are errors and they do not use Hindi/Urdu script yet). In the 10-week beginning course, they learned how to introduce themselves, discuss their hobbies, count, talk about food and also briefly discussed and learned some limited vocabulary about a few important religions practiced in Pakistan and India.
Learning objectives: Students will be able to identify key aspects of a video that they find interesting or important using the vocabulary from class as well as from outside of class. Students will be able to present the key aspects they chose to their classmates in a way that they can understand.
Modes: Presentational Writing and Presentational Speaking
Materials needed: Video the teacher wishes to present, Rubric created by teacher and/or teacher and students, Possible list of songs in case some students need some ideas
Procedure:
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Pick a Bollywood song that you enjoy and play it for the students. Play it first without subtitles and have students write down things they see that stand out.
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In groups or pairs have students discuss what they think the video may be about. Did they pick out any words? How much did they understand? What did they see or what stood out? Then come together and share as a class. Maybe write some of the things they say on the board (especially if it’s something you plan to bring up later)
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Watch the video again this time with subtitles. Ask students to see if this now changes their first impressions of the video. Discuss and share afterwards. (These conversations can be in L1 or L2 depending on the level)
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Go through three to four points in the video that you want to point out to students, that you found stood out or have some special meaning. Perhaps it would be points of cultural reference that students may not understand without the background information. For example, in the song "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" from the movie Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, the main characters visit three different religious sites, a Hindu temple, a Catholic church, and a Muslim mosque. You could stop the video at each one and provide the vocabulary and background information for the different religious symbols and customs present in the video.
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After presenting and discussing the points in your video, ask students what they would present on if they had to present this video. What would they focus on? If they were going to choose their own song, which song would they like to share with the class, and why?
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Now tell students they will do just that-- they will pick a song in Hindu/Urdu that means something to them and present on about three or four points found in the song. They should use vocabulary learned in class and also found outside class. However, they must make sure that the presentation is understandable to their classmates -- if they are using new words they should plan to teach the class those words or use pictures to make sure their classmates understand. You can choose to grade this or not - it could just be a sharing activity in class that is not attached to a grade. Either way, you can either provide a rubric of expectations or as a class you can create one together. It can be as informal or formal as you wish to make it.
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Once students have prepared their presentations, have them practice with a partner, either in class or you could have them post videos of themselves. If it’s in class, walk around and check students scripts and watch them, providing help/guidance if needed. If it’s videos, watch the videos and provide any help/guidance needed.
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Presentations! Alternatively to presenting in class, they could also create videos or voice-over powerpoints and you could play those in class. The idea is not just that they are presenting a song; they are teaching their fellow students about 3-4 points from the song that they wish to share, as well as some new vocabulary.
Notes (adaptations, etc.):
This activity is for the middle-to-end of a unit or course. Students should have been exposed to and been using key vocabulary that they may be using their presentations. This example is given in Hindi/Urdu using songs from Bollywood movies, but it can be adapted to any language. This activity can be used at all levels, beginning through advanced, depending on how rigorous you make the requirements of the presentation and how much language they use. If you have a large class, you may want to students to pair up or group up to present.
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