To finish the descriptive text unit the students in Class X at SMAN 2 Demak wrote about their “Dream City” or “Kota Impian”. In the three weeks before the classes had discussed descriptive texts about objects, people, and places so this was an opportunity to combine this knowledge and previous lessons!

Students discussed in groups of four their dream cities and what would happen in their dream cities. The lesson was structured in a jigsaw pattern so each student in the group had a unique responsibility in the design of the city. One student wrote about the popular tourist destination in their dream city. Another student wrote about the oleh-oleh that someone would buy in their dream city. Another student wrote about the leader of the city and their background and personality. The last student wrote about a popular restaurant in the city.

The lesson was a great opportunity for students to be creative, recognize their learning and progress, and think about their ideal places and leaders. The cities students created were thoughtful, whimsical, and unique including Cloud City, Pockini City, and Magic City.

Tessa Sontheimer is currently teaching at SMAN 2 Demak, Central Java.