The Vintage Hairdryer

1960s Universal Hair Dryer

One of my favorite thrift store finds is this vintage hairdryer from the '60s that, amazingly, still works perfectly despite its age.  A cool looking vintage hair dryer such as this one (or hot curlers, rollers, etc.) brought into the classroom as realia would be a great tool to get students to talk about hairstyling/grooming habits in the United States.  The teacher could introduce students to past hairstyles for men and women through still images or video, then compare the past hairstyles to current hairstyle trends in the US.  Students could learn adjectives and terms used to describe hairstyles (such as "a bad hair day," "frizzy," "shaggy," "close-cropped," etc.), then use the terms to describe the images of current and past hairstyles.  The teacher could also ask the students to describe current and past hairstlyles from their homelands/cultures as a way to value the students' cultural backgrounds.  By doing this, the teacher also conveys the idea that US culture is not better or worse than other cultures; it is just different.

Another possibility would be to use the hairdryer to introduce the topic of daily routines.  The teacher could begin the discussion by asking volunteers to share what they generally do in the morning to style their hair.  From there, the teacher could ask the volunteers what other things they generally do before leaving for school.  Next, the teacher could introduce the sequencing terms used to describe routines (First, I ... Then, I ..., etc.) and the verb tense used when talking about routines (the present tense).  Finally, the teacher could check that the students have comprehended these concepts by having them write about their daily routines (or a fictional character's routine if they do not wish to share personal information) and having them share this information with the class.  By showing the students that they can be valuable sources of knowledge in the classroom, the teacher can, hopefully, increase the students' self-esteem and lower their affective filters.