Learn Slovak

21st April, 2021

Lecturers
Students

Teacher Education

Autonomous learning
Classroom Context

Slovakian

English

A1
A2

Activity/task

Vocabulary

Listening
Speaking
Reading

The language instructional activity is suitable for both beginners and more advanced learners of the Slovakian language, as it introduces basic communicational terms. Since the language of instruction is English, a basic knowledge of English is required in order to fully master the material. The video is great for individual language learning, but can also be used for classroom teaching, where the teacher can make learners practice the terms the video offers with additional tasks. Although the emphasis is on vocabulary development, the terms also add some grammatical knowledge. The curriculum improves the reading, the listening comprehension and speaking skills of language learners, but as an additional task, literacy can also be developed.

The material would either be tested in classroom context or as a take-home project. Students would be instructed to choose some of the activities, do the exercises and repeat the expressions of basic Slovenian. Pronouncing words and expressions out can help acquiring the language easily.
Learners would start by memorizing words, phrases and practical expressions that can be used in everyday life. The prosody of the language could be studied at the first time, and learners can not only listen and repeat the expressions, but can write them out in their vocabulary with the meaning in their own mother tongue.
With the help of a dictionary or the class teacher they can also write out the key words of the expressions or discuss how the Slovakian language works, i.e. how the learnt phrases are constructed. Doing this not only their vocabulary can improve but they can acquire some basic grammar as well. Learning basic expressions is the key to quick success because leaners can easily start communicating with each other and can be motivated to further improve their vocabulary in order to be able to communicate in a more subtle way. As a follow-up exercise they could speak with each other and share their knowledge, and also add some more vocabulary.

Lead-in activity/warmer: Eliciting information on learners’ knowledge of Slovakian vocabulary. They may come up with some words or expressions, or some international vocabulary that would motivate the group members to use Slovakian.
Step 1: Pre-watching activity. Tell the students that they are going to do some activities that teach Slovakian language. The activities allow students to recognise and practise basic conversational terms. Students do the preparation task first and are instructed to do some of the activities.
Step 2: Doing the activities: reading, listening and repeating some basic words and expressions. Students get knowledge about the most useful phrases of elementary communication.
Step 3: Students give feedback on their success. They are instructed to repeat the terms loudly, then they can write them in their vocabulary, and by analysing the terms they may learn some new words and basic grammar.
Step 4: Learners can work in pairs. They can ask and answer the questions they have learnt and can react to the phrases. After collecting some more vocabulary they would be able to communicate meaningfully.