Tangram
Purpose
Vocabulary acquisition
Learning outcome
Students will recognise German cognates.
Skills
- Reading
- Listening
- Speaking
Type
Pair activity
Related units in Ja! kit
- Unit 1 Hallo!
Instructions
The 'tangram' is a type of jigsaw puzzle with triangular pieces, in which words along the edges of the pieces are matched to form the overall shape. The matching words are German and English equivalents.
Materials
To download the tangram template, select from the following Word or PDF formats:
- Tangram template for 'Tangram' activity (Word, 43KB)
- Tangram template for 'Tangram' activity (PDF, 86KB).
The puzzle is done by pairs of students, so you will need half as many tangrams as the number of students in your class.
Game steps
- Each pair of students spreads out the tangram pieces on the floor/desk in front of them.
- One student chooses a piece and reads a word aloud so that their partner can search for the English cognate (equivalent) from the remaining pieces.
- The reading aloud and searching is taken in turns.
- The activity continues until all of the tangram pieces are matched up.
Tips
- To extend the life of this resource, laminate the tangrams.
- Provide an A3-sized completed tangram for students to self-check for accuracy after the game.
Variations
- The tangram can be adapted to be used in any language learning activity where German words or phrases can be linked with their English equivalents.
- Add an element of competition where pairs race each other to complete the tangram.
Further learning
- Challenge students to find other cognates that we have adopted from German, such as kindergarten.
Language to use
- Achtung! Fertig! Los!
Are you ready? - Noch einmal!
Please repeat! - Gut gemacht!
Well done!