an archive of lesson plans

Category: French (Page 1 of 11)

French Conversation class

FR F22 INT/ADV Les Stéréotypes/clichés sur les Français

Goal of the Class: Students discuss on stereotypes they have on French people; they also learn about the various stereotypes existing in different regions of France and also different kind of expressions used in daily speech and referring to these stereotypes. Students practice their listening and speaking skills by watching videos in French on the topic, and then discuss about it both in groups and then with the whole class

Warm-up : 10/15 minutes

Intermediate and advanced : Par groupes trouvez 5 clichés que vous avez sur les Français (in groups find 5 clichés/stereotypes that you have about French people). I gave students 10 minutes to talk about it in groups and then I asked each group to share what discussed. Then I showed them a picture of different typical stereotypes existing about French people around the world with vocabulary included and further explanation of them if needed.

Input:

As a transition towards the first activity, I gave them three commonly used expressions in French that are related to stereotypical traits generally assigned to French people: Grande gueule (talk too much, is too direct), dragueur (flirty), nul en langues (bad at languages)

Advanced: for advanced I added more specific cultural input on various stereotypes depending on the regions in France:

  • En France, selon les régions il y a aussi des clichés différents: Par exemple, on dit qu’en Bretagne il pleut tout le temps, à Paris les gens sont hautains et arrogants (haughty and snobbish), en Alsace ils mangent que de la choucroute (plat traditionnel avec du chou), la Normandie est principalement peuplée de vaches.
  • Ce ne sont que des stéréotypes et donc pas totalement vrai! par exemple, en Bretagne il ne pleut pas tout le temps (mais souvent) et beaucoup de Parisiens sont très gentils (pas tous)

Activity 1: In groups still I then asked them to discuss the following questions revolving around stereotypes on Americans:

  • Quels sont d’après vous les stéréotypes que les personnes étrangères ont sur les Américains ? (What do you think are the stereotypes that foreign people have about Americans?)
  • Est-ce qu’il y a des stéréotypes spécifiques pour chaque états des Etats Unis? Donnez des exemples (Are there specific stereotypes for each state in the United States? Give examples)
  • Est-ce que vous connaissez des clichés sur d’autres pays Européens comme l’Italie, l’Angleterre, l’Espagne, etc.? (Do you know any clichés about other European countries like Italy, England, Spain, etc.?)

After they discussed for about 10-13 minutes, we exchange as a class and then I gave them some stereotypes we have in France about Americans:

  • Les Américains mangent mal et il y a des fast foods partout
  • Les Américains sont très patriotes
  • Il y a plus d’armes (guns) que d’Américains
  • Les Américains n’ont pas d’assurance santé
  • Les gobelets rouges (red cups) dans les fêtes étudiantes
  • Les ‘Hugs’ pour dire Bonjour

Activity 2: this second activity is centered on a video I showed them. One is on how Europeans living in France and speaking French fluently view French people, and the other one is similar but is an interview of non-European people living in France.

Intermediate:

  • En regardant la vidéo, notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas sur une feuille de papier ou votre téléphone portable (While watching the video, write down the words you don’t know on a piece of paper or your cell phone)
  • Les Français vus par des Européens (how Europeans see French people) :
  • Quels sont les clichés/stéréotypes mentionnés dans la vidéo? (What clichés/stereotypes are mentioned in the video?)

Then I showed them some slides I created with photos on new vocabulary mentioned in the video, here is an example:

Advanced:

Quels sont les clichés que certaines personnes hors d’Europes ont sur les français?

Quelles sont les habitudes / les comportements typiquement français ?

Last activity : Les gestes et expressions typiquement francais – French also speak using gestures. This video is very funny and explains some of these common gestures used in the common speech in France:

1- j’ai les chocotes/ça fait peur/c’est flippant/j’ai peur

2- I’m drunk

3- j’en ai par-dessus la tête/j’en ai marre

4- ça m’énerve!

5- et toc! / dans ta face

6- les doigts dans le nez (it was easy)

laquelle intégreriez-vous dans votre vie de tous les jours ? (Which one-s would you incorporate in your everyday life?)

Est-ce que vous utilisez des gestes quand vous parlez?  (do you use gestures when you speak?

Feedback/end of the class: give one or two words that you learnt today, how many times do you think people do ‘la bise’ in France to introduce themselves?

Ressources used: Powerpoint, Youtube videos, images

Reflection: This class went so well both in the advanced and intermediate classes. The students were participating a lot and we ended up having very interesting points and elements of discussions raised all throughout the class. These classes definitely showed that conversation classes are much more than just practicing the target language, they can also be an opportunity to learn and enlarge point of views, knowledge on various topics/issues, etc. This class led to deep and meaningful exchanges as a whole class.

FR F22 ADV La mode écologique ou pas ? (Eco-friendly fashion)

Goal of the class: learn about a phenomenon/trend in France related to the increase production of eco-friendly clothes and the increase launching of eco-friendly brands. Learn vocabulary on ecology, fashion, and the environment.

Warm-up: Do you like fashion? Do you buy a lot of clothes in a year? Do you like buying specific brands of clothes?

Activity 1 : La mode eco-responsable

  • Students are shown 2 short videos, one providing facts and numbers about the textile/clothes industry in France, and how it came to become the second most polluting industry in the world. The second video is about the upsurge of eco-friendly clothes/fashion in France
  • After watching the videos, students are asked to state one or two elements they learnt in the videos and talk about it with the whole class. For instance:
  • Chaque année 100 milliards de vêtements sont produits dans le monde
  • Après l’industrie du pétrole, celle de la mode est la plus polluante au monde
  • 700 000 tonnes de vêtements chaque années en France
  • La mode éco-responsable
  • Les créateurs de marques étiques et écologiques
  • 70% des Français disent ne pas être intéressés par la mode

Some vocabulary was provided on colloquial words/expressions used in the videos

  • Quantité astronomique – quantité énorme
  • La fast fashion – la mode jetable
  • Se zapper – s’habiller

Activity 2: Débat – Quelles solutions pour créer une mode plus écologique ?

Students were asked in groups of 3/4 to draw a mental map with at its center : “la mode eco-responsable”. They have to find solutions to create more eco-friendly approaches to fashion and shopping. Then they make a presentation about it in front of the class, helped by the mental map they filled out with ideas and solutions:

  • dessinez et remplissez une carte mentale. Incluez plusieurs solutions pour créer une mode eco-responsable et durable (sustainable) – vous pouvez vous inspirer de ce site internet: https://www.wedressfair.fr/
  • chaque groupe fait une presentation de leur projet lorsqu’il est terminé

Ressources : Powerpoint, Youtube, handout (mental map)

Reflection : This class went very well, the topic interested the students, the presentations were very resourceful and students came up with deep and smart solutions. We ended up the class prolonging the debate and extrapolating to other areas of societies and consumerism that could be improved in a more eco-friendly way. We also ended up changing topics towards the last 10 minutes of the class and talked about Cartoons, and I showed them the opening themes of one of my childhood French cartoons and we talked about it.

FR F22 ADV l’Histoire de France (French History)

Goal of the class: learning about important figures and periods of French history

Warm-up: in pairs or groups of 3 they start discussing the following questions related to French history and historical figures

  • Est-ce que vous aimez l’histoire?
  • Quelle est la période de l’histoire de votre pays, et/ou d’un autre pays, que vous préférez?
  • Si vous pouviez remonter le temps, dans quelle période de l’histoire iriez-vous et pourquoi?
  • Y a-t-il un/des personnage-s historique-s que vous admirez?
  • Connaissez-vous les noms de personnages historiques connus dans l’histoire de France?
  • Y a-t-il une période de l’histoire de France que vous connaissez mieux que d’autres?

Activity 1: Les personnages clés de l’histoire de France

The main activity was a game I created for the students to learn about important figures of French history. I created 4 groups of students who had to work together and match different pictures/paintings of popular French historical figures with their main role in French history, their profession/main activity (what they are basically well-known for) and the century they lived in. (Associez les images des figures historiques françaises à leur nom, le siècle dans lequel ils ont existé et leur rôle/activité principale pour laquelle ils sont célèbres)

Activity 2: l’histoire coloniale de la France

This second activity was designed to conclude the class talking about a significant aspect/part of French history that is colonialism. I started by giving the students information and dates related to French colonies, etc. Then students watched the first 10 minutes of a documentary in French showing archive videos and images on this period of French history.

  • les Colonies Françaises:
  • La France des colonies (1830-1939): « À partir de 1830, la France se lance à la conquête du monde et au début du siècle suivant (20eme siècle) elle contrôle 1/10ème de la surface de la terre. Son empire, le deuxième après celui de la Grande-Bretagne, comprend le Moyen-Congo, la Côte d’Ivoire, le Dahomey, la Haute-Volta, le Soudan français, la Centrafrique, la Guinée, le Niger, le Tchad, la Mauritanie, Madagascar, l’Indochine, le Maghreb et des terres en Océanie” – (Source:  caminteresse.fr)

Ressources : Powerpoint, Youtube, a game that I created (matching photos of great figures from French history with their role in history/profession/main activity, and the century they lived in)

Reflection: This class was extremely interesting both for me and the students. It was challenging to match all the pictures/figures with who they were and when they existed, but it was fun, interactive, and instructive. This class opened further discussion on French history, history in general, and colonialism

FR F22 INT La ville du futur, quelle sera votre ville du futur idéale ? (The city of the future, what will be your ideal city of the future?)

Goal of the class:

  • learning new vocabulary on sustainability, ecology, urban spaces. Discussing current issues regarding the building of the citites of the future
  • use of the future and conditional tenses in French
  • Warm-up:
  • Quelle est ta ville préférée, pourquoi?
  • À quoi ressemblerait pour toi la ville du futur idéale?
  • En quoi les villes du futur seront-elles différentes de celles d’aujourd’hui ?
  • Si vous étiez maire d’une ville (city mayor), quels changements apporteriez-vous à votre ville pour qu’elle soit une vrai ville du futur ?
  • Quelle ville choisirais-tu comme capitale du monde et pourquoi ?

Activity 1 : À quoi ressemblera la ville du futur ?

  • Selon la vidéo, quel est le pourcentage de personnes qui vivront dans les villes en 2050? (According to the video, what is the percentage of people who will live in cities in 2050?)
  • Quelles actions les villes d’aujourd’hui doivent prendre pour devenir des « villes vertes »? (What are the actions modern cities need to take to become “green cities”?)

Vocabulary input following the videos on words/expressions used in it:

  • Pionnier – pioneering
  • Climat – climate
  • Vivre en symbiose avec la nature – live in symbioses with nature/the environment
  • Consommation – consumption
  • Urbanisation croissante – growing urbanisation
  • Recycler – to recycle / recyclage (nom) – recycling
  • Cultiver – to grow (food, etc)
  • Citoyens – citizens
  • Protéger/respecter l’environnement – protect/respect the environment
  • Energie renouvelable – renewable energy/power

Activity 2: Construisez la ville de demain (imagine/create the city of tomorrow)

  • Quels sont pour vous les critères de la ville idéale du future? (listez les au tableau/sur un feuille de papier ou votre ordinateur/telephone)
  • 1) Imaginez que vous êtes des architectes célèbres. Vous devez réaliser un croquis et une brochure descriptive d’une ville du futur. Votre objectif est d’attirer des investisseurs pour pouvoir construire cette ville, quels seront les critères important pour rendre votre projet unique et pionnier? (nouvelles technologies? Respect de l’environnement/écologique?, etc). Soyez créatifs!
  • 2) Présentez votre projet devant toute la classe (present your project to the class)

Ressources : Powerpoint, Youtube

FR S22 INT/ADV – Votre Week-End idéal

This class was done online and could also be done in person.

Warm –up (10 minutes) –group discussion = (main zoom chat : send the link of the Google Doc with vocabulary on the routine as well as the following questions students have to discuss in breakout rooms)

•Quel est selon-vous le WE idéal? Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire en général le WE? – What do you think is the ideal WE? What do you usually like to do on weekends?

Activity 1: Video ‘French people describe their WE’ (20 minutes –8 minutes for the video, 10 minutes for the group discussion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unmu4yKfBg0

Instructions: jot down what you understand from the video –écrivez sur une feuille de papier / sur votre ordinateur -ce que vous comprenez dans cette vidéo: Quelles sont les activités que les personnes interviewées aiment faire le week –end ? – What are some activities that the persons interviewed like doing on Weekends? Qu’est-ce qu’ils aiment faire avec leurs amis ? – What do they like doing with their friends?

Then we discuss it as a class and the students share what they understood and think about it –10 to 15 minutes –

Vocabulary input: What do these words mean? (Habituellement, Je bosse, aller en boîte, le confinement, se balader, faire un tour à…, profiter, la province); If there is some time left I propose a game they would play in Breakout rooms– ‘Qui est-ce?’ OR ‘Tu préfères’:

Tu préfères…Voyagez dans le monde entier sans pouvoir revenir à ton pays d’origine ou jamais sortir de ton pays ? Arriver toujours 1 heure avant à tes rendez-vous ou toujours arriver 1 heure en retard ? Passer toute ta vie à manger de la junkfood ou ne plus jamais manger tes plats préférés ? Vivre dans la maison de tes rêves dans un quartier chaud ou vivre dans une maison moche dans le quartier de tes rêves ? Être pauvre aux côtés de l’amour de votre vie ou être multimillionnaire sans jamais connaître l’amour ?

Resources:Vocabulary sheet (google doc provided)with expressions and words to be able to talk about one’s routine, Zoom Screenshare, Youtube, Powerpoint

FR S22 INT/ADV – La routine matinale (the morning routine)

Warm-up (15 minutes): Questions to discuss in group around Morning Routines and habits

The students have to discuss the following questions in groups of 3 to 4 students: Avez-vous une routine le matin? Que faites-vous habituellement après le réveil? (petit-déjeuner? Douche? Sport? Yoga? Lecture? Méditation?) – Do you have a morning routine? What do you usually do after waking up?

Qu’est-ce que tu fais en premier le matin?–What is the first thing you do after you wake up? Quelles sont les bonnes habitudes que vous aimeriez prendre le matin?–What are some good/healthy morning habits you would like to develop?

Qu’est-ce que tu manges au petit-déjeuner?–What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Est-ce que tu es un/une «lève tôt» ou un/une «couche tard» – are you an early bird or a night owl?

Provision of a vocabulary sheet with a lot of words, expressions and idioms pertaining to the morning routine in French (I included more difficult expressions/turn of phrases and idioms for the advanced level class). This sheet is designed to be a support for the following activities as well.

Activity 1: (20/25 minutes)

The first activity is based on creativity (writing) in groups of 2/3 students. First, I ask them to individually write on a small sheet of paper one word in relation to the word ‘Morning’. Then they all give them to me, I shuffle them, I create groups of 2/3 students, and each group randomly picks two papers. Based on the words they picked, they have to come up with a short story of about 100 words. This activity not only calls on to students’ imagination and creativity, but the way it is designed (team work) also makes it a good way for them to practice speaking in French by working on writing their story. They really liked this activity and it took them approximatively 20/25 minutes to write their story, after which each group chose to either tell the story or act it out. The whole class had a lot of fun!

Activity 2:

Another activity that could be done in this class is the following:

Les Français nous racontent leur routine matinale dans les rues de Paris –French people tell us about their morning routine in the streets of Paris : Video screening of Parisians interviewed in the street on their morning routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lMIShoMuIk.

This video is very good not only for the vocabulary and expressions used by the persons interviewed but also because it teaches the most accurate ways of expressing one’s habits in a colloquial manner.

Instructions: Jot down what you understand about the interviewees’ daily routine; what did they understood about the interviewees’ morning routines: Quelles sont les routines matinales des personnes interviewées dans la video?

The last part of the activity can be a little quiz on words and expressions mentioned in the interviews that are either colloquial or idiomatic. Activity 2: Another activitythat could be done in this class is the following:•Les Français nous racontent leur routine matinale dans les rues de Paris –French people tell us about their morning routine in the streets of Paris -: Video screening of Parisians interviewed in the street on their morning routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lMIShoMuIk. This video is very good not only for the vocabulary and expressions used by the persons interviewedbut also because it teaches the most accurate ways of expressing your habits in a colloquial manner. •Jot down what you understand about the interviewees’ daily routine;•After watching the video, I ask them to tell me what they understood about the interviewees’ morning routines: Quelles sont les routines matinales des personnes interviewées dans la video?•The last part of the activity can bea little quiz on words and expressions mentioned in the interviewees that are either colloquial or idiomatic.Resources: PowerPoint, Vocabulary sheet, Youtube

FR S22 ADV- La Francophonie

This class is designed to introduced students to the French speaking world. After this class, students will know about the French speaking countries, the distribution of the french language in the world, some linguistic specificities/differences between the various French-speaking countries

Activity 1:

  • 1) Par groupes de 3, au tableau, notez tout ce que la Francophonie représente pour vous​ (In groups of 3, on the board, write down everything that ‘La Francophonie’ means to you)
  • 2) discutez et choisissez dans votre liste l’élément qui représente le plus la France pour vous. Justifiez votre choix​ (Discuss and choose from your list the item that most represents France to you. Justify your choice)

Activity 2:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wIwTn61huA – Que nous apprend cette vidéo sur la présence et l’importance de la langue Française dans le monde?​ (What does this video tell us about the presence and importance of the French language in the world?​)
  • Combien de personnes parlent le Français dans le monde? ​(How many people speak French in the world today?)
  • Quel est le top 5 des langues les plus parlées dans le monde? (what are the top 5 languages most spoken in the world today?)

Cultural Input:

Liste des pays ou régions où on parle français (list of the countries/places where French is spoken): ​

La France et:

• La Belgique, le Luxembourg, la Suisse, Monaco. ​

• En Afrique: l’Algérie, le Burkina Faso, le Bénin, le Cameroun, le Congo, la Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, le Gabon, la Guinée, Madagascar, le Mali, le Maroc, la Mauritanie, la République centrafricaine, la République démocratique du Congo (ex-Zaïre), le Sénégal, le Tchad, le Togo. ​

• Certaines îles: les Comores et les Seychelles, Vanuatu, Haïti. ​

• Le Québec,  Louisiane aux États-Unis, Nouvelle-Écosse et Nouveau-Brunswick

• En Inde (Pondichéry), au Moyen-Orient (Égypte, Israël et Liban), au Cambodge, au Vietnam, au Laos, à l’île Maurice et en Afrique du Sud. ​

Activity 3 + cultural input:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf9WATdZK7E​ (8 Colloquial French Expressions You Should Know)
  • Parmi les expressions qui sont mentionnées dans cette vidéo, quelle est votre expression favorite? (What is your favorite expression amongst those presented in this video?)

mots et expressions de la Francophonie (words and expressions from the Francophone world)​:

  • chafouin rusé, sournois. Il viendrait de l’ouest de la France (je l’utilise pour dire que je suis de mauvaise humeur = ‘Grumpy’)​
  • « il est fada! » (Il est fou!) ou « fada! » comme ponctuation de phrase (Dingue! / fou!)​
  • vigousse, en Suisse, signifie « vif »​
  • tap-tap: un mot haïtien pour désigner une camionnette servant de transports en commun​
  • poudrerie: un mot québécois pour désigner la neige poussée par le vent…​
  • lumerotte: mot belge pour parler d’une source de lumière de faible intensité​
  • dracher: s’emploie lorsque la pluie tombe à verse (pouring rain), en Belgique​
  • champagné: un mot d’Afrique centrale pour désigner quelqu’un qui a de l’influence, ou de multiples relations

To wrap up this class, the last activity can be the following:

Activity 4:

Par groupes de 3, trouvez et partagez avec les autres des situations/anecdotes personnelles durant lesquelles vous vous êtes sentis (In groups of 3, find and share with others personal situations/anecdotes in which you felt):​

  • chafouins (de mauvaise humeur)​
  • Vigousses (Energiques)​
  • BG (beaux)​
  • En PLS (mal/malade)​
  • Frais (se sentir bien)​
  • Enjaillé (motivé)​​

Ça peut être des situations de tout les jours, des souvenirs spécifiques, des moments embarrassants ou drôles 

FR S22 ADV – Cartoons (Toy Story)

Warm-up (10 minutes): Students share in groups of 3/4 what are/were their favorite cartoons and animated movies growing up and nowadays.

Activity 1: Screening of a video extract from Toy Story 1 (animated movie)–10 minutes-,

the French version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb-EW5gwkrk (l’arrivée de Buzz).

Students have to think about these two questions while watching the extract: Que se passe-t-il dans cette scène? Décrivez les personnages et ce qu’ils font? (What happens in this scene / describe the characters and what they are doing)

Vocabulary/cultural Input: (5/7 minutes) in this scene, as it is the French version, characters speak in a colloquial way and use a lot of idioms/expressions that French people use in their daily speech/conversations. Students are asked whether or not they know or understand the meaning of the following words and expressions mentioned in the extract:

Je l’ai pas fait exprès (faire exprès), Voilà qui tombe vraiment à pic (Tomber à pic), On arrête pas le progrès, causer (//parler), ultra moderne (at the cutting-edge)

Activity 2: Students are asked in groups of 3/4 to imagine they are film producers from Hollywood who wants to create a movie adaptation of Toy Story with real actors. They are casting directors and have to find actors and actresses who would according to them impersonate the best the animated versions. When they found the actors, they do a small presentation to convince me that their casting is the best one.

FR F21 ADV – La Musique et vous

Warm up/ice breaker (15minutes):

  • Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait ce Week-end? est-ce que vous êtes allé quelque part, vous avez regardé la casa del papel sur netflix, vous avez dormi?
  • Small Game : ‘Tu préfères…’ – Tu préfères vivre sans café ou sans chocolat ? Tu préfères pouvoir voler partout où être invisible ? Tu préfères voyager dans le passé et rencontrer tes ancêtres ou aller dans l’avenir et rencontrer tes arrière-arrière-petits-enfants ?
  • Create groups: Depending on the number of students one has in their class, they can make 2 to 3 groups of 3/4 people.
  • Give the students a vocabulary sheet with words, expressions, idioms about music, musical instruments, types of musics, celebrations, verbs, etc.
  • Vocabulary sheet I designed and provided to the class:
  • Activity 1: ‘La musique et vous’ (15/20 minutes) in groups.
  • Start by asking them to discuss the following questions: Quel-s genre-s de musique préféré vous / vous écoutez? pourquoi? (What type of music do you prefer listening to and why?) – I personally first gave my example using elements I included in the Vocabulary sheet and we discussed with the class my musical tastes. I asked them to also share with their group why do they like listening to a specific type music: Does it relax them? help them to focusing on a specific activity? help them sleep, etc.
  • Cultural input: Les expressions/ proverbes qui s’inspirent du vocabulaire de la musique (French expressions and famous saying that include music-related words/phrases): La musique adoucit les mœurs = la musique est un bon moyen d’éduquer les gens / mettre un bémol = lorsque deux personnes discutent ou débattent de quelque chose, l’une d’elle peut interrompre l’autre pour expliquer qu’elle n’es pas d’accord avec cette personne, elle pourrait dire «je mets un bémol sur ce que tu dis», ce qui veut dire, «I disagree» d’une manière plus subtile et moins directe / ça me chante = ça me dis, «I feel like-doing it», «if I want to»
  • Activity 2: La fête de la musique
  • Start by asking them if they have ever heard of or have ever been to a ‘fête de la musique’ in France which occur every summer (generally around the end ofJune) in almost every French cities and villages.
  • Video screening of Paris’ 2017 ‘Fête de la musique’: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpWKBc8eCdg) – after watching the video, discuss with the whole class the following questions: Avez-vous déjà participé à une fête de la musique en France ou dans votre pays d’origine? si oui décrivez votre expérience, si non pensez-vous qu’il existe une fête similaire dans votre pays / région? (Did you ever participated in one before? if yes describe your experience/opinion of it; if no, is there any similar celebration-s/annual event-s where you’re from?)
  • I used a powerpoint to structure and guide the unfolding of the class. This class was very interesting because I noticed how curious and interested students were when I talk about French cultural aspects, traditions and linguistic peculiarities of the French language. From there a lot of them started asking questions and compare/associate with how it is back home for them, or in California.They really liked the fact that I showed a video on «la fête de la musique” in France, which is a well-known musical celebration taking place all around France in Juneevery year in June all around France. I had prepared a comprehensive and detailed vocabulary sheet on vocabulary and expressions in relation to music but they seem to have not needed it that much which showed me that the advanced class needed more to learn idioms, specific expressions and even colloquialism.

FR F21 INT – La Fête (celebrations)

Theme/topic: La fête –Parties/celebrations in France –This class is designed to last for two sessions

Warm-up: What are some celebrations/French holidays you know or have heard of before?

  • Quick cultural overview of the most important French Holidays
  • Video screening of a typical French holiday – le 1er Avril – On this day it is customary for a lot of French people to prank others and/or stick a paper fish on their back
  • Provide a few expressions in French for specific holidays – New Year, Christmas, etc. –
  • project pictures of objects and actions related to either one important holiday – Christmas, etc.- or Birthdays. Ask the class if they can associate what they see on the pictures with any words they know. Then provide them the vocabulary
  • Example – Birthdays:
  • Activity 1:
  • Create groups: Put the students in pairs or groups of 3/4
  • The students will have first to individually brainstorm for 5 minutes on the best birthday they had had so far and their best birthday memories. They can jot down some notes and then share them with the rest of their group
  • The instructor can also add more questions to ask them in order to make them practice expressing themselves on the topic in relation to their own experience using the past tense and the vocabulary provided beforehand: Quel est l’anniversaire dont vous vous souvenez le plus? (What is your best birthday experience?), Quels sont vos meilleurs souvenirs d’anniversaire ? (What are your best birthday memories?)
  • Activity 2: keeping the same groups, ask them to discuss their favorite celebration in their home country/region/where they’re from and tell their group about it and why they like it specifically. They can list various elements -activities, actions, foods, costumes, traditions, music, etc.- they associate with that particular celebration/holiday -.
  • Before starting the activity, give an example to guide them: je préfère mon anniversaire parce que ma famille et mes amis m’offrent des cadeaux / parce que il y a un gâteau d’anniversaire OR: ma fête préférée est mon anniversaire parce que…
  • I Personally loved how responsive and engaged into the conversation the students were. They put a lot of work in writing about their best birthday’s memories and then when I put them into groups to share what they had written with their classmates, they couldn’t stop talking, and I realized how good their French speaking skills were when they were really into something/interesting into a certain topic, especially when it concerns sharing a personal, intimate story.09/22-Warm-up:For the second session of this class on Celebrations/Holidays, I started by making them brainstorm on French words they associated with celebrations, celebrating and partying. I wrote on the board the words they gave me and tried to help them find out new ones by mimicking,for instance,‘blowing candles’, ‘opening a present’, ‘baking a cake’, etc. I didthat to introduce some input-mainly vocabulary and expressions-related to birthdays and other parties/celebratory events, such as graduation for instance, at the beginning of the class -I gave them ahandout with vocabulary including the vocabulary we had mentioned during the brainstorming. I gavethem 5 minutes to read it through and ask me questions if they neededto.It helped them a lot to complete serenely the main activity (organize your own party in groups)-I showed them pictures and asked them what the persons on the pictures were doing –blowing candles, baking a cake, opening a present, etc.-and what was on the pictures -some food/drinks you know of?–Main Activity:I dedicated the second part of the class (30 minutes) to the main activity. In groups of 3-4 they had to organize theirown party/celebrationand then present them to the class -They presented/describedtheir party to the rest of the class. I really liked that all members of the groups participated both in giving ideas for the party, and at the end, they all described an aspect/element of the party they’d organized together-To conclude the class,I asked them to give me 3 words they learnt today in relation to parties/celebrations

FR F21 ADV/INT Harry Potter – create your Hogwarts’ House

Goal of the class: Create a conversation around the books and movies, learn new vocabulary (adjectives, qualities and personal attributes such as bravery/honesty/wisdom, etc.; clothing (colors, various clothes, accessories), furniture and the vocabulary belonging to the magical universe of Harry Potter).

Reviewing some grammar/syntactic points such as the phrases to explain/describe people’s personality and personal attributes, their outfit, detailing the layout of the furniture in a room.

In addition to that, the main activity is designed as well to make students review and practice how to express wishes in French and structure their presentation of their houses.

Creating groups: Depending on the number of students one has in their class, the groups can count 2 to 4/5 students. Putting them in group is a good idea as it incites them to do teamwork, share ideas and vocabulary to complete the main task. I personally made this class more challenging for the students as they are advanced ones and therefore are more proficient/comfortable in the language.

Structure of the class

1- Warm-up :(10 minutes)

•What did you do this Weekend?

Presenting today’s topic: Harry potter. Who is a fan? Which books did you read/movies did you watch? What are your favorite-s one-s and why?

2- Input:(10 minutes) Which words come to your mind when you think about Harry Potter? (in order to introduce new vocabulary, I personally wrote the words they gave me on the board and provided new ones). Since my students were advanced and naturally wanted to know more complex vocabulary and expressions, I showed them two extracts of the first HP movie in French, with French subtitles. I then wrote on the board some words and expressions used in the extracts and which I thought could be very useful for the task and for their personal use (adverbs, common exclamatory expressions in French, idioms, words such as feather, candles, magic wands, snake, etc.)

3-Then I showed them the names of the Hogwarts’ houses in French, we also discussed who had done the internet quiz to know the house they belonged to. Then I had made a detailed PowerPoint slide explaining the main activity for the day: “créer votre maison à Poudlard!” (create your Hogwarts’ house!).

The steps they could follow to create their house were the following:

1) Find a name

2) What are the values qualities specific to your house and required to be a part of it?

3) Which animal represents your house?

4) what sort of uniform/clothing? (Colors, motifs, design, accessories)

5) How does your common room looks like?

This lesson plan can also be used with Intermediate students. I would recommend however providing more input before starting the main activity such as vocabulary lists with expressions and phrases to guide the students in expressing themselves and structuring their argument/presentation.

Below is the PowerPoint I made and used to teach this class to both Advanced and Intermediate students:

4-Main activity:(20-25 minutes)Idivided them in 2groups of 4-5and after explaining to them what the activity was about and thesteps to follow, I handed a vocabulary sheet to them with words, expressions and phrases to help them complete the activity. The handout was designed in accordance withthe guidance/steps I had provided beforehand for completingthe activity.While they were exchanging in groups, I went back and forth between thegroups and projected images with ideas of items they could include in their common room (this way they could also learn more words). Bothgroups made amazing drawings of their House’s uniform, animal, and common room! One group designed a common room with a pool and an aquarium in it. The other one decided the animal that would represent their house would be a mix between a bear and a bird.5-After each group had completed the task, I asked them to come forward and present their house to the rest of the class6-To conclude this class on Harry Potter, I asked them to give me one or two words they had learnt todayWhat technology, media or propsdid you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)I used internet, a vocabulary sheet, and aPowerPoint I had designed myself for this classWhat worked well in this class? What did not work?This class went very well.Like with my intermediate students,even those who were not Harry Potter fans were interested in the class and very engaged into the activity. They all participated and really tried to design a detailed presentation of their house and its specificities.

FR SP21 INT/ADV Advertising & Slogans

Language Resident: Marie Segura

Class theme/topic discussed: Advertising

Goal of the class: learning vocabulary about advertisement, learning more about French culture and especially the advertisement culture. 

Structure:

ACTIVITY 1 – Slogans

  • Show the students a list of French slogans and a list of brands and ask the students to pair them up.
  • What are the characteristics of a good slogan? (repetitions, rhymes…)
  • In pairs, ask the students to come up with the best slogan to sell a simple object (something they use everyday).

ACTIVITY 2 – Discussing (French) commercials

  • Brainstorming: what aspects do publicists rely on to sell specific types of products? (eg for coffee: seduction, luxury…)
  • Show the students a French ad and ask them to guess what it is trying to sell + what aspects  are emphasized 
  • Reflection: show them an infamous car ad that was taken down and ask them what they understand + what they think about it. What is it trying to sell? Who is the target audience? Is it efficient?

ACTIVITY 3 – Create your own commercial

  • In pairs: give each group a picture of an impossible object. Ask the students to write the scenario of an ad promoting it: what is the target audience of the ad? where does it take place? Who are the characters? Is there music? What happens?
  • Present your ad to the rest of the class. 

Resources used:

Bouygues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSAuAd9mcc4

Kinder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zSl7xldK8U

Powerpoint, pictures of impossible objects

FR SP21 INT/ADV (Fake) News

Language Resident: Marie Segura

Class theme/topic discussed : News and fake news

Goal of the class: Discuss pieces of news, improvise

Structure of the class:

  1. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  • How do you like to stay informed? Do you use newspapers, online newspapers, social media… ?
  • What was the most memorable piece of news you ever watched?
  • If you are someone who usually follows the news, has there been a time when you decided to stop? Why and for how long?
  • Do you read newspapers in other languages?
  • If the news reported your week, what would the headline be?
  1. FIND THE TITLE
  • Each student is sent a short article, without the title, and is given a few minutes to read it. Then, they are sent in breakout rooms in pairs/groups of 3 with students who don’t have the same article.
  • Each student has to explain the content of their article (without showing the text) and together they have to find the most original title
    • For the advanced class: find a second version for the internet, like a clickbait
  1. KAHOOT: FAKE NEWS?

Students have to guess whether the piece of news is real or fake.

  1. ROLE PLAY: WHAT HAPPENED?

Each group is assigned one of the “real” titles from the previous activity. Together, they must come up with a story to go with the title. They have to prepare a presentation in a news-report format: they have to be either a journalist or the protagonist of the story. Each group then acts in front of the rest of the class.

Resources used:

Kahoot

Newspapers articles (without titles):

Reflection: What worked/did not work? How can it be improved?

FR SP21 INT/ADV Tinder

Language Resident: Marie Segura

Class theme/topic discussed : Personality & speed Dating

Class structure:

WARM UP

Create a word cloud and ask students to enter as many adjectives as possible

ACTIVITY – SPEED DATING

  • Give students 10mn to fill in a Tinder profile: they have to imagine a character, to choose their name, where they live, what they like doing etc, using adjectives seen before.
  • Organize a speed-dating: each student will be given 5mn in a breakout room to get to know each of the other students’ fictive character to find their perfect match.

FOLLOW UP

  • Ask students if they found their perfect match and to explain what they have in common.
  • What would their first date be? Where would they go? If there’s still time, students can look for a restaurant online.

> If there is an odd number of students, one stays in the main room with you and you can ask them to introduce their character, and if they invented them, or were inspired by someone etc.

Resources used:

Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OS0E68vWAwjAdsT63rn_V_ESCR9adZX55qbOtfln6Jo/edit

Wordcloud on Menti

Reflection:

Sending students into breakout rooms takes time, make sure to start early enough so that you can give them at least (!) 5mn to talk with the other person in the breakout room (especially for intermediate students, they probably need more).

F2020 Online: Ice-breakers #2

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

Marie Segura

Day and Date:

Week 1, second class, Fall 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

All

Class theme/topics discussed:

Getting to know each other #2

How did you structure the class?

Warm-up

Use a very short poll to start your class, eg:

  • What’s the strangest thing you did while attending an online meeting? (Multiple choice)
    1. Ate breakfast
    2. Wore pajamas
    3. Brushed my teeth
    4. Cooked lunch/dinner
    5. Watched Netflix
    6. Other but my lips are sealed
  • What’s your best personal remote work hack? (Open text)
  • In one word, how are you feeling right now?

Activity 1 – Interviewing each other

  • Pair up participants in twos.
  • Give them a list of questions to ask each other.
  • Ask each pair to interview each other, either via email or in breakout rooms.
  • When all the participants convene together in the same virtual room, each participant will introduce the participant they interviewed.

Activity 2 – Thumbs-Up or Thumbs-Down?

  • Students should choose a view that allows the entire class to be seen at once. They can also use a voting function if one is available in the virtual tool. Students take turns stating something they like/dislike or something they’ve done. For example, “I like shrimp.” or “I’ve visited Washington, DC.” Classmates indicate their similarity or difference with the person by showing a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down (or by using the voting function).
  • To personalize the activity even more, challenge students to offer an activity or accomplishment that they think is rare or unique about themselves, and see if anyone shares it. For example, “I cleaned out my refrigerator last night.” or “I was born on February 29.”

Activity 3 – ‘One Random Object’ Virtual Training Activity

  • Ask a student to pick one random object that is in their room and not tell anyone what it is.
  • Explain that the other participants will have to guess what it is, by asking questions that require a yes or no answer.

Online tools you can use:

You could use a chat board for this, but it is not necessary. You could just run the activity by speaking and maybe use a virtual board to record the scores.

Activity 4 – ‘Take a Picture of Something’ Class Activity

  • Ask participants to take a picture of something.
  • Typically, you choose a specific theme. For example, ask participants to take a picture of their shoes, or a picture of something that is on their workstation or the view outside their window.
  • Remember to ask participants to take the picture and upload it before the training session starts, as otherwise it might take too much time out of the training session if they were to do it in real time.
  • Ask participants to share the picture on a virtual board.
  • Start a discussion. For example, you could ask why they chose that particular item on their desk, or what they like the most about the view they can see from the window etc.

Online tools you can use

Online whiteboard, chat board, or a shared google doc.

Activity 5 – Find someone who

  • To run the activity online, create a 5 by 5 table with interesting facts, one for each box of the table. For example, you could write things such as: speaks more than two languages, has been to Argentina etc. Or, it would be a good idea to tie the facts with the topic of the class.
  • Share the file with the table with your participants, either in advance or during the session. You can share by email, through the file-sharing feature of the web conferencing system or with an online sharing tool such as a Google doc. Alternatively, you could do the activity in real-time using a tool such as Padlet.
  • Depending on the size of your class, send students into breakout rooms or do it as a whole class. Ask participants to write their name under each of the statements that apply to them.
  • Ask them to share the answers and discuss.

Activity 6 – Would you rather

  • Send students into breakout rooms in groups of 3/4.
  • Send to every room a series of “would you rather question” and ask students to discuss and defend their opinion.

Resources used:

  • Shared google doc
  • Zoom chat
  • Breakout rooms

Some comments:

There are too many activities in the class, but depending on the group, some may work better than others, I think it’s always better to have a variety of activities at hand, and some can also be used to start any other class.

Potential technical difficulties: students may not be able to take a picture, so activity 4 may have to be skipped. Having too many breakout room changes can take a lot of your class time, maximum twice in one lesson should work.

F2020 Online: Ice-breakers #1

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

Marie Segura

Day and Date:

Week 1, Fall 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

All

Class theme/topics discussed:

Getting to know each other

Goal of the class:

  • Dealing with the administrative aspects of the class
  • Assessing the students’ technical capacities
  • Introducing myself
  • Getting to know the students and their needs/interests/feelings about the class

How did you structure the class?

Setting up Zoom

  • Ask students to make sure they put the name they want to use as their username or to change it accordingly (maybe add their pronouns)
  • Brief explanation that the videos should be turned on as often as possible (except if discussed before or if impossible) because it makes conversations more natural. The mic will be off to start with/during instructions but students should feel free to interact before the class starts/after instructions/in breakout rooms. If a you have a big group, maybe ask them to raise hand or signal themselves before speaking (but it truly depends on the size of the group, it may be easier to just jump in).

Activity 1 – Where are you joining us from?

  • Depending on the size of the group, it may be useful to use a word cloud
  • Ask students where they are (city, country…)
  • Start introducing yourself by explaining where you are + where you are from, then ask students to introduce themselves: name, where they join from, where they are exactly, what their workspace looks like (if they have the video on) or what their virtual background represents for them, why they chose it etc.

Activity 2 – Introducing myself, Jeopardy Style

  • In pairs, students are asked to think of two questions they would like to ask to get to know me. Pair them up orally and ask them to come up with two questions in a private chat or use the breakout rooms.
  • Then, they are shown information about the LR on a powerpoint presentation (for instance dates, colors… that are answers to questions you may ask to get to know someone). To be allowed to ask the questions they have just prepared, students must, in pairs, try to find the question that might match the answer. 
  • Eg: on the screen, write you birth date. Students should ask you “When were you born? “, “When is your birthday?” etc. If they find the right question, they can ask you an extra one that they had prepared.

Activity 3 – Speed dating

  • Split your students into groups of 3 or more and allocate them to breakout rooms.
  • Ask each group to write down as a list on an online whiteboard or virtual sticky note all the interesting things that they all have in common (ask them to avoid obvious things, such as all being students or taking a conversation class) and something unique to each participant. They will have 5-10 minutes for this task. (online tip: set a timer for your breakout rooms + send a message 2mn before the end to warn the students that their time is almost over).
  • At the end of the 5-10 minutes, ask each group to share their list to the rest of the class via an online whiteboard.

Extra-activity 1 – New Academic Year’s Resolutions

  • Share with your students a google doc with a table showing different resolutions. 
  • (If the class is big) Students are separated into groups of 3/4 and sent in breakout rooms. In turn, they randomly pick a number (can use an online tool/Siri for that or just choose randomly) and discover their new year’s resolution. Then, they have to convince their skeptical friends that they are actually going to keep their resolution this year and to explain why it is so important to them.

Advanced: Besides explaining why it’s an important resolution, students have to explained how they plan on doing it. The others, the skeptical friends or relatives, can ask questions about the resolution.

Extra-activity 2 – 2 truths 1 lie

  • Ask one participant to write three statements about themselves: 2 true and 1 false.
  • Ask the other participants to vote on which statement is true and which is false.
  • After the first person has shared their statement and the group has decided which statement is false, the first person will reveal the truth.
  • Move on until each person in the group has shared their statements.
  • The participant with the most incorrect votes wins.

Online tools you can use:

Resources used:

  • Breakout rooms
  • Online whiteboard, chat board, other collaboration tools such as Padlet or Lino.
  • Google doc to share with the class in the chat
  • Ppt presentation

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