Sniffing, then squinting
and holding up a Kiwi fruit
a Chinese student muttered
something I wasn’t sure
I wanted to have translated.
A classmate from Brazil leaned
over, pointing to a photo
in a picture dictionary. Two
Korean ladies giggled, their
hands covering their mouths.
The lesson on food was bombing
big time. When the ESL class
ended, none of us were satisfied,
but at least the topic had
been broached. “Review
your vocabulary materials
before next class”,
I encouraged. They were all
new to the USA. Some had only
been in their new country
a few days, others a few weeks.
A few for a couple of months
or so, but none had yet crossed
over into the realm of communicating
on a daily basis in English.
I had to do something to help
my multi-cultural class of
ESL students start to internalize
the language. Thinking back
on my own French language
struggles in Paris and French
Canada, the answer struck
me. The next class I was ready.
“Okay, everybody, let’s
go” I requested. They
all gave me quizzical looks.
“Where are we going?”
“Just wait. You’ll
see.”
Earlier, I’d arranged
with the manager of a local
supermarket located three
blocks from where we had our
English classes, to bring
the 15 adult learners for
a field trip. Representing
Colombia, Brazil, Poland,
China, Korea, Puerto Rico
and Vietnam, the group made
a curious sight as we stumbled
through the remnants of a
week-old snowstorm. Many of
them had experienced snow
for the first time only a
matter of days ago. Two of
the newly immigrated Chinese
men wore sandals. I kept my
comments on this to myself,
confident that they’d
learn soon enough. I just
hoped they didn’t get
Pneumonia.
“Okay, where are we?”,
I asked.
“La tienda”
“El supermercado”
“store for food”
“big market”
It didn’t take long
to realize that none of them
had been in a large supermarket.
Mostly they food shopped at
small, local grocery stores
that catered to the tastes
of their immigrant neighborhoods.
Their reactions ranged from
shock and disbelief to awe
and wonder. There was more
than a little curiosity present
as well.
For the next forty minutes
or so with notebooks and writing
pads open, we methodically
wandered up one isle and down
the other exploring the vocabulary
of food and containers presented
in previous lessons. Stories
we swapped in broken English.
Anecdotes emerged. One student
offered to push the shopping
cart along to collect the
items I’d have to pay
for later.
“No, you can’t
buy just one egg”, I
explained.
“Back home you can
buy just what you need”,
several students responded.
“Two eggs or a cigarette,
even a half loaf of bread
or a cup of rice” they
explained as best they could.
They fondled grapes, sniffed,
licked and nibbled new fruits,
and strange vegetables like
brussel sprouts, pumpkin and
acorn squash. I bought watermelon,
varieties of apples, canned
goods, jars of sauces, pretzels
and pickled goods to take
back to the class for sampling.
That class outing used “realia”
or actual physical objects,
to make the lesson “real”
for the learners. It generated
discussions, jokes and humorous
stories until the following
spring and beyond.
Use actual objects and items
instead of just pictures to
make your language learning
real and more natural. Think
of the difference it makes
to have a can or jar of something
in your hands versus a picture
of a can or jar in a book.
Other containers, box, bottle,
bag, package, roll, and tube,
came alive and were instantly
assimilated by learners who
brought in full (or empty)
containers of products from
their respective countries.
Try a nearby Zoo for animals,
a museum, a pizza shop, the
cinema, even a local park
to breathe life and reality
into your foreign language
classes like we did. Problems?
Yes, a few, but you and your
students will be astounded
at the difference it makes
in internalizing the language.
Whether you’re an EFL
or foreign language teacher
or a language learner, using
realia will go a long ways
in making your new language
“real” for you.
It’ll be lots of fun
too. I promise.
