Contextualization

The house is a familiar environment to everyone, but have you ever stopped to think about how universal this experience is? All around the world, people live in houses of various shapes and sizes, but there are many similarities between them. Living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms - each of these areas serves a purpose and we all use specific objects in these spaces. In this project, we will explore these spaces and common objects in a house, but with a twist: we will learn about them in English.

Learning a new language involves much more than just learning isolated words. We learn a new language better when we use it in real and meaningful contexts for us. So, how about using a context familiar to all of us - our houses - to improve our English learning?

Introduction

This project aims at acquiring and improving vocabulary in English, specifically objects and parts of the house, and is targeted at 8th-grade students. During the project, students will work in groups, which will favor the development of socio-emotional skills such as time management, communication, problem-solving, creative thinking, and proactivity.

The activity is not only a way to assess the knowledge of English words that students have acquired, but also a means to develop research and collaboration skills. After all, to complete the project, students will need to work together, research, plan, and make decisions as a team. This is a great opportunity to learn the language in a practical and collaborative environment.

Furthermore, this project also involves a multidisciplinary aspect, as it is not limited to learning English only, but also involves disciplines such as arts (in building house models) and mathematics (in drawing floor plans of the house).

Practical Activity

Title: Building Our English House

Project Objective

This project aims at developing vocabulary in English related to objects and parts of a house. Through research, planning, building a model, and preparing a report, students will immerse themselves in English learning in a playful and applied way.

Project Description

The student groups, composed of 3 to 5 members, will build a model representing a house, in which each part and object will be identified in English. Additionally, they will draw a floor plan of this house, explaining and discussing the functions of the rooms and objects in it. To conclude, the groups must prepare a detailed project report, which will include sections such as Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography.

Required Materials

1. Stationery materials (cardboard, colored paper, pens, markers, scissors, glue, etc.)
2. Ruler, compass, and other drawing instruments for the floor plan
3. English dictionaries

Step by Step

Part 1: Research and Planning

1. Students will research the different rooms of a house and the objects usually found in them. They should research the names of these objects and rooms in English, using the recommended resources.
2. Based on the research, students should plan the house they will build, deciding which rooms it will have and which objects will be in it. They should make a list of these rooms and objects in English.

Part 2: Building the Model

3. Using stationery materials, students will build a model of the planned house. Each room and object must be clearly identified in English.

Part 3: Drawing the Floor Plan

4. Using drawing instruments, students will draw a floor plan of the house, identifying each room and object in English.

Part 4: Writing the Report

5. The groups must write a report presenting the house they built and explaining the functions of the rooms and objects. The report should be structured as follows:

• Introduction: Here students present the context of the work and its objective.
• Development: Students should present the house they built, explaining which rooms and objects it has and what their functions are. They should also explain how the process of building the model and drawing the floor plan was.
• Conclusions: Students should discuss what they learned from doing the work, both in terms of English vocabulary and regarding teamwork.
• Bibliography: Here, students should list the resources they used to do the work, whether for vocabulary research or for building the model and drawing the floor plan.

It is expected that this whole process will require more than twelve hours of work per student, considering both face-to-face work in the classroom and work that will be done at home.

Project Deliverables

At the end of the project, each group of students must deliver the house model, the floor plan, and the written report. These elements are all fundamental pieces in the learning and evaluation process, as they represent the practical application of the theoretical concepts addressed during the work, as well as demonstrate the collaborative efforts and teamwork performed by the students.