Below are pedagogical resources for the K-12 classroom. If you have materials you would like us to feature in our galleries, feel free to email us at ctgl-connect@uiowa.edu. 

Course Design - Secondary

Chunjen Hou (2024). Interpretive Listening: TV Commercial

Abstract: This lesson plan from Chunjen Hou of Central Academy (Des Moines Public Schools) incorporates visual media as an avenue for translation in an 11th-grade Chinese classroom. Students will view a television commercial in the original Chinese and then in groups reenact the commercial in their English translation. The activity will prompt students to consider cultural, contextual, and linguistic differences in the process of intersemiotic translation.
Keywords: Translation as pedagogical tool, Translation and interpretation, Secondary Chinese, Intersemiotic translation, Rhetorical strategies

Corbett, Bénédicte and Esther Mwelwa (2024). Idiomatic Expressions as a View into French Culture

Abstract: This lesson plan from two secondary educators of Jefferson High School (Cedar Rapids, IA) comes from a French II classroom in which students use learned vocabulary to unpack idiomatic expressions of the French language. The essential question will lead students to trace what idioms reveal about a source culture, and the activity is based on the practice of Colina and Albrecht.
Keywords: Translation as pedagogical tool, Idiomatic expressions, Secondary French, Language and culture

Harlow, Brent (2024). Song Translation Activity

Abstract: This lesson plan from Brent Harlow of Des Moines Public School incorporates visual media as an avenue for translation in the Spanish classroom. The activity involves small groups of students selecting a popular Spanish music video, understanding its original contexts (biographical, cultural, linguistic), and translating it into English, retaining the spirit of the original. The essential exploration is rooted in the myriad approaches to and considerations of translation, especially intersemiotic translation.
Keywords: Translation as pedagogical tool, Translation and interpretation, Secondary Spanish, Intersemiotic translation, Multimedia lessons

Poetry Inside Out (2025). Poetry Inside Out Program Guide

Abstract: This educators' guide created by Poetry Inside Out (PIO), housed in the Center for the Art of Translation, walks secondary educators through the PIO method of translating poetry in the classroom. It includes PIO's curriculum fundamentals, highlighting translation as the closest form of reading a text; key practices of reading aloud and defending one's translation; sample activities, poem breakdowns, core values, and more. 
Keywords: Translation as pedagogical tool, Poetry, Multilingual translation workshop, Cross-cultural literacy, World literature

White, Amy (2024). What Does This Meme?

Abstract: This lesson plan from Amy White of Dike-New Hartford Community School District (Dike, IA) incorporates visual and social media as a space for translation in the Spanish II classroom. Students will view and analyze photos, assessing facial expressions, nonverbal cues and social dynamics, and then create a meme that represents their interpretation of the photo's emotional landscape. The essential exploration will invite students to expand their concepts of communication and translation, and to consider more deeply the differences between emotional and relational expression in distinct cultures.
Keywords: Translation as pedagogical tool, Nonverbal translation and interpretation, Secondary Spanish, Intersemiotic translation, Multimedia lessons, Presentation

Classroom Tools Highlight: Poetry Inside Out

Small groups of individuals around tables in a workshop setting

CTGL Short-Term Residency: Recent Visit from Mark Hauber

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Get Started with Poetry Inside Out

Four Introductory Lesson Plans

Access these two lesson materials that serve as the foundation for the Poetry Inside Out (PO) method, which engages translation as a mode of poetry analysis. First, the student-facing Poem Page provides contextual informational on the poet, their historical period, geographical context, and language. It also consists of a translator's glossary to help students access a language they may or may have familiarity with, as well as the poem in its original language. Next, students will work on translating the poem one phrase at a time before working collaboratively to "make it flow." Finally, there is a reflective component in which students can consider the activity, how it made them feel, and what the process reveals about the craft of both poetry and translation. 

Additionally, the detailed lesson plan for this introduction is available, providing helpful ideas and structures for implementing this activity in the classroom. It includes in-depth support for four lessons, from guiding questions and discussion points to lesson breakdown suggestions and culture-building activities.