The 2010 World cup in South Africa is a fantastic opportunity to either complement the text book, or to get away from it altogether, by making links with other subjects in the curriculum. This can be done either through the whole curriculum dimensions or by borrowing content from other subjects and looking at those key concepts.
The whole curriculum dimensions are:
- Identity and cultural diversity
- Healthy lifestyles
- Enterprise
- Community participation
- The Global dimension and sustainability
- Technology and the media
- Creativity and critical thinking
Two of the most obvious areas to link with are Citizenship and Geography. Here are some ideas:
- Countries participating in the world cup, where they are located, the languages spoken there, their flags (and what these signify), cultural similarities and differences between these countries. (Geography/citizenship/Identity and cultural diversity/Global dimension)
- A focus on one of these countries eg. francophone Africa, South America or the German speaking world. There is information about South Africa and the host cities (including images) on the FIFA website in French, German and Spanish.
- Exploring the climate of the host country or that of countries participating. The website Monjtquotidien has recently added a video about the French national team training at altitude. A few days previously there was a video about who had been selected for the French national squad and there has already been a video about the sale of tickets and the ball to be used in the competition.
- Using the texts of songs and football chants to develop listening and reading skills – some examples can be found in German and French on the songs page.
- Issues to do with Fair trade and the fight against racism (Citizenship)
- Sponsorship and the role of multinational corporations (Business and enterprise/Global issues). You can see the list of official sponsors here.
This is just for starters……….
Learning and Teaching Languages 