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Advice for teachers -
Korean Second Language

Teaching and learning activities

Unit 4

Unit 4 – Area of Study 1: Interpersonal communication

Theme: The world around us
Topic: Technology and science
Sub topic: Scientific and technological issues – manufacturing

Outcome 1

Share information, ideas and opinions in a spoken exchange in Korean.

Examples of learning activities

  • Watch a documentary about manufacturing in Korea. List all major centres of manufacturing, what is produced and any other significant characteristics mentioned. Note whether they are predominantly artisan or large-scale.
  • Research statistics about a Korean manufacturing industry and its economic contribution to Korea or to a particular town or region. Identify any negative aspects or downside to this industry.
  • Listen to a discussion about a manufacturing company in Korea. Note key information about it in terms of size of operation, number of employees and how the manufacturing is carried out. Prepare a poster about the company to highlight its major features.
  • Research the state of manufacturing in Australia in comparison to the state of manufacturing in Korea. Discuss findings as a class.
  • Debate, in small groups, the topic ‘Is manufacturing vital to a country’s wellbeing?’ Use information gleaned about manufacturing in general and examples from the individual company studied.
  • Write a 350-cha evaluative report on the debate topic for an economics magazine.
  • Present the report as a PowerPoint and a three-minute speech.
  • Read an article on manufacturing in Korea and answer comprehension questions on it.
  • Listen to a news item about a manufacturing company and answer comprehension questions on it. Synthesise answers to produce a 300-cha summary of the article and news item.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Write a formal letter to the director of a science museum to persuade them to mount an exhibition on a Korean manufacturer and their product. State how this might inspire others to value the positive impact of new technology in the manufacturing industry.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A formal letter to the director of a science museum

  1. Conduct research into Korean products that are available in Australia, or that you would like to see available in Australia. List them on a class poster with reasons why.
  2. Individually or in pairs, choose a product made in Korea and read and listen to at least three different pieces of information about it.
  3. Write notes about the product. This might include: the company that manufactures the product, where they are situated in Korea, how many of the products are sold or used here, plus any other significant information.
  4. Look at formal letters written in Korean. Annotate an example to highlight salient features.
  5. Look at the website of a science museum to ascertain its current interests, structure and style of exhibits. Note points that could be used in your letter.
  6. Read two examples of persuasive writing in Korean. Analyse the writing for specific vocabulary and/or grammar features used.
  7. Write a formal letter to the director of a science museum to persuade them to mount an exhibition on a Korean manufacturer and their product.

Unit 4 – Area of Study 2: Interpretative communication

Theme: The world around us
Topic: Communication and media
Sub topic: Social media and its influence

Outcome 2

Analyse information from written, spoken and viewed texts for use in a written response in Korean.

Examples of learning activities

  • Read an article on the topic ‘Social media addiction’ and extract vocabulary for a class glossary. Answer questions about the article.
  • Discuss the themes mentioned in the article on Social media addiction.
  • Prepare a two- to three-minute presentation to the class about your personal social media usage.
  • Listen to an interview and read an article about social media usage in Korea. Answer questions about each one. Write a 450-cha summary of all the views expressed in both texts.
  • Search the internet for articles in Korean on the topic of ‘When being on social media is harmful’.
  • View a series of captioned illustrations that depict young people using social media and analyse them.
  • View a video/vlog/YouTube clip where young people discuss how and when they are ‘on social media’.
  • View a documentary about the usefulness of social media in modern life.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Create a poster that evaluates the positives and negatives of social media usage. Incorporate subheadings and images to make the poster engaging.
  • Compare the salient points from the documentary with the class posters. Discuss any differences in small groups. Using the lists and summaries, debate the issue ‘Social media is ruling our world today’.
  • List the types of social media that could be part of the topic ‘Social media are ruling our world today’. Write a 650-cha letter to a friend in which you express your concerns about being ‘on social media’ so much.
  • Create a list of positives and negatives about social media use.
  • Research statistics relating to social media use in Australia and Korea. Tabulate the results.
  • Write an imaginative short story in which you project current social media usage into an innovative future.
  • Write a 650-cha article based on two texts you have studied for publication in a school magazine on the topic of social media use by young people.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A poster evaluating the positives and negatives of social media use

  1. Read an article about how people are using social media in Korea today.
  2. Identify the key points made in the article and create a matrix to find any overlap in positive and negative points.
  3. Conduct further research to discover any material that can be added to the matrix.
  4. Listen to a debate about this topic. Identify key vocabulary and expressions associated with the major concepts.
  5. Read samples of evaluative texts in order to highlight useful expressions and elements that fulfil the requirements of the task.
  6. Plan a draft of the poster under the following headings:
    • topic for each section
    • subordinate ideas to be used in each section
    • vocabulary and phrases needed
    • grammar elements to be used to maximise effect of ideas and vocabulary
    • visual elements such as pictures or graphs to support the ideas.

Unit 4 – Area of Study 3: Presentational communication

Theme: The world around us
Topic: Communication and media
Sub topic:New media and its influence

Outcome 3

Present information, concepts and ideas in evaluative or persuasive writing on an issue in Korean.

Examples of learning activities

  • Conduct research into newspapers and magazines from Korea using school or language department libraries. List all the titles and types of publication you find.
  • Research online to discover the biggest selling newspapers and magazines in Korea to learn more about them.
  • Read an article about print and digital media in Korea. Answer questions about the article.
  • Listen to Korean speakers discussing their reading habits. Write a list of their opinions and note their preferences for reading hard copy or digital forms of print media.
  • Conduct a class survey about what kinds of media students use, how often students read books or magazines, and how many students read the newspaper or new media.
  • Read a newspaper or magazine with a classmate. Consider: How much of it can be understood without using a dictionary? What is of interest to people in Korea? How does it compare to similar newspapers or magazines in Australia?
  • In class, discuss Australian newspapers and magazines and write a 450-cha informative summary. Finish it with a statement of why you read newspapers and magazines, or why you do not.
  • Read two blogs by different people, one of whom loves newspapers and magazines and the other who dislikes them or is indifferent to them. Write a list of reasons for and against the reading of newspapers and magazines.
  • Discuss as a class whether or not newspapers and magazines play a role in today’s society.
  • Give a three-minute speech persuading the class to read more newspapers and magazines.
  • Debate in groups the topic ‘Newspapers and magazines are obsolete’. Write a 450-cha summary of the debate stating whether or not you agree with the winner’s stance.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Complete an activity based on listening and reading texts in order to answer a series of questions about newspapers and magazines in Korea.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

Responses to a series of questions based on texts about newspapers and magazines in Korea

  1. Visit the website of a Korean newspaper or magazine and read the comments left by its users on an issue. Create a matrix of pros and cons offered, as well as vocabulary, expressions and grammar used by the commentators.
  2. Discuss in class how each class member tackles reading an article. For example: Do you read it through once to get the gist? Do you read it and highlight unknown words? Do you look up every word in a dictionary? Do you translate the whole text? When do you read the questions? Do you read them first and then only look for clues to them in the text? Which of these would work best when there is a time limit?
  3. Do the same with a listening text. Discuss how different class members take notes while listening. For example: Do you try to write every word? Do you write how some words sound so you can look for them in a dictionary later? Do you just listen and take no notes the first time you hear the text and then write some notes the second time?
  4. Each student finds a 600-cha article, three-minute talk/conversation or three-minute video on the topic and prepares questions to share with classmates for study and/or practice.
  5. Prepare answers to a set of questions individually and in the following lesson discuss the answers as a group. Correct your own work and note areas that need attention.