French and American stereotypes
How did you pick this theme or topic?
Stereotypes are interesting because they make you think about the way nations see one another, and it’s rather easy to find activities around it and to make the students talk because they find it interesting.
How did you present the material? (Handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
General discussion
Work in pairs
Handouts
How did students react?
They reacted well, they all had something to say and were very interested in the way French saw Americans. We talked about the positive and negative stereotypes, and they had a lot to say so it was easy to keep the discussion going.
Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes. They had to ask questions to each other, and then to talk about the video. And they also had to perform a short skit in groups of two or three so they had to engage with each other.
What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
Handouts
youtube
Please attach a copy.
Below is the plan I had with me in class
Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes, definitely.
Why or why not?
It was a very good way of making them speak.
Advanced 09/17
French and American stereotypes
1. Warm-up 5 min
2. Interviews in pairs
– What are the French stereotypes for them?
– What are the American stereotypes for them?
– Do you know other country stereotypes?
→ group discussion
3. Youtube video
→ French stereotypes in movies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4A8C5nRWTg
→ they need to write down all the stereotypes mentioned in the video
4. Brainstorming
– What do they think?
– Writing them all (video + brainstorming) on the white board in the right column: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
For Advanced:
5. Skit: French stereotypes – 10 min
Divisez la classe en paires et dites aux élèves que le défi est maintenant de préparer un sketch mettant en scène les stéréotypes Français courants, ils doivent choisir un des stéréotypes déjà discutés.