Assessing Students Writing through Cambodian language pop music.

Often I find myself faced with a room full of students and the need to assess their ability to write. 

When that happens I have found this video a useful tool. I merely cue it up, ask the students to tell me, through writing, what they think the song and the video are about.

For those who are interested, the band is called Dengue Fever, and while heavily influenced by Cambodia pop music, a surprisingly interesting subject, they are, in fact, from southern California. The language of the song is Cambodian (Khmer) so unless you have someone fluent in Cambodian in your classroom, they will be forced to use their imagination. 

I have found this useful with both native and non-native English speaking students.

For more on the band Dengue Fever visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCel2BCLHg16GACc9IUWEA or http://denguefevermusic.com/