Category: history

FR INT/ADV SP23 Political Systems in French-speaking Countries

May 5, 2023 / Theresa Elhage

Level: Intermediate and advanced

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and describe the main characteristics of the different political systems in French-speaking countries and their main differences.

Materials:

– PowerPoint presentation on political systems in French-speaking countries

– Handouts with vocabulary related to politics and government

– Audio recordings with native speakers discussing political systems in different countries

– Internet access for research

Warm-up activity:

Begin the class by asking students to brainstorm words related to politics and government in French. Write their responses on the board and review the vocabulary as a class. Then, divide the students into pairs or small groups of 3 and give them a list of French-speaking countries. Have them research the type of government each country has and write a brief description.

Activity 1:

Present a PowerPoint on the different political systems in French-speaking countries. Include examples of countries that use each system and the main characteristics of each system. After the presentation, divide the class into small groups of 2 or 3 and assign each group a different political system. Have each group research a French-speaking country that uses their assigned political system and prepare a short presentation describing the system and how it functions in that country.

Activity 2:

Play audio recordings of native speakers discussing political systems in different countries. Have students listen and take notes on the characteristics of each system. Then, ask them to work in pairs to compare and contrast the different systems and discuss which one they believe is the most effective.

To extend the lesson, you could ask students to research current political events in a French-speaking country and write a news report discussing how the political system is affecting the situation. You could also ask them to research political parties in a French-speaking country and create a presentation discussing their platforms and how they relate to the political system in that country.

FR INT/ADV S23 French Museums and Arts

May 5, 2023 / Theresa Elhage

Level: Intermediate and Advanced

This lesson can take between one to two hours depending on the activities you choose to do. It is better to take more time doing each activity and thus to dedicate 2 classes to this lesson

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe different French museums and their collections while learning French vocabulary related to art.

Materials:

– Computers or tablets with internet access

– Pen and paper

Warm-up

– The teacher introduces the topic of the lesson by showing pictures of famous French artworks or landmarks such as the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, or the Palace of Versailles. The teacher asks the students if they recognize any of them and what they know about them.

Presentation / activity 1:

– introduce various French museums such as the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musée Picasso, and explains their collections and history. Show pictures of the museums and explain where they are located in France.

– introduce vocabulary related to art such as peinture (painting), sculpture (sculpture), exposition (exhibition), artiste (artist), and œuvre d’art (artwork), etc.

Activity 2:

– divide the class into pairs or small groups of 3 and assign each group a French virtual museum to explore. The museums can be found on websites such as Google Arts & Culture or the museums’ official websites.

– provide a worksheet with questions for the students to answer while exploring the museum. The questions should include specific artworks or collections to look for and descriptions to write.

– encourage the students to use the vocabulary they learnt in class to describe the artworks and to write short paragraphs in French.

Wrap-up

– ask each group to present their findings and to show pictures of the artworks they have explored.

– lead a discussion on the different museums and their collections, and ask students to share their favorite artwork or museum.

– review the vocabulary and encourage the students to continue practicing by exploring more French museums or by watching French documentaries or films about art.

DE 23 Study Break Event – Eastern Brunch

May 5, 2023 / Marco Sievers

What worked well in this Event? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?

Very many students and professors came to this event, which made me very happy. Since I held this event on a weekend, accordingly many people had time to come, which I can also recommend. The only problem was that the purchased food and snacks were eaten relatively quickly. Some students unfortunately could not try German food, which is a pity. For the next event, which is held on a weekend, I would definitely buy enough food. In general, the interest in a brunch event was very high and especially the white sausages were very popular and therefore eaten very quickly. What I should have next time also on the screen that you need a lot of chairs and seating. Which one should organize in advance. In general, however, it was a very sound event, which was received with a lot of joy. Especially the fact that professors came to this event made me very happy.

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

December 9, 2022 / Theresa Elhage

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 l’Histoire de France (French History)

December 9, 2022 / Theresa Elhage

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

JP F22 INT/ADV 政治や外交・歴史や人権、人種差別の問題について話そう！Let’s talk about complex subjects such as Politics, Intl relations, History, racism and Human rights!

December 9, 2022 / Cozy Enrique NKD

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Cozy Enrique NAKADA (Koji NAKADA)

Day and Date: 14^t^h week (29^th Nov and 1^st Dec 2022)

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: Conversation project

Goal of the class: To be able to express on the academic interest they have

How did you structure the class?

29^th November 2022

16:15

Talking about bilingualism and economical success in California

Talking about a documentary film about heritage language

and social exclusion in Korea

17:15

1^st December 2022

16:15

Talking about microaggression and racial justice

Talking about minority / majority issues in Japan

17:15

What technology, media or props did you use?

Handout, YouTube video

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

It was great two consecutive session to talk about their themes that they’re passionate about. They learned many higher / abstract words.

マイクロアグレッションの問題を説明する動画。

人種差別の無知を笑いで切り返す、爽快な動画。考えるきっかけとして最適

日本における「外人」差別をデフォルメして描いた動画。もちろん実際ここまでの人はいないにしても、多かれ少なかれ差別はあるよね。

学生の一人が制作に携わった、韓国のドキュメンタリー。いわゆる「ハーフ」の子達が、自らのルーツと向き合うためベトナムに旅行する、そのインタビューも載っているとのこと。非常に参考になる。（全て韓国語、たまに日本語も）

ハーフ達

日本における「ハーフ」のリアルを描いたドキュメンタリー映画。本当に力強く、マジョリティの「純ジャパ」と自称する人たちこそ見て考えを改めるべきで、その参考になる作品。

DE 22 F22 Castles in Germany – Middle age

December 9, 2022 / Marco Sievers

Topic	Middle age + describe and argue in relation to castles and palaces
Goals of the Class	Describing buildings and arguing on the basis of personal feelings
Warm Up	How did you spend the weekend? How was your first week of the semester?
Activity 1	Input about Germany in the Middle Ages Presentation and description of Neuschwanstein Castle
Activity 2	Castles and palaces visit in Oldenborg Describe your castle or palace My castle has many towers ……Is surrounded by forest……..Is built on a mountainIs situated on a lake Is very big/small Has many windows/no windows Search 4 facts about the castle or palace on the internet Present us your castle
Activity 3	Why is your castle the most beautiful? My castle is most beautiful because…….What is unique about my castle is……..What I especially like about my castle……..Vocabulary: Architecture, towers, forest, fully preserved, large, walls, color, shelter, view, rocks, mountains, size….
What worked well in this class? What did not work (and how could it be improved)?	The presentation of the castles was a lot of fun for the students and the information about the castles was informative. The students showed great interest in the subject. The inclusion of my own examples was a good help for the students. You could have given a beginner course the infos about the castles – no research needed.

Bilder-schlösser Download

burgen Download

FR F21 Study Break – Virtual tour of France and Game Night!

December 10, 2021 / Theresa Elhage

JP F21 ADV: 継承語について　Heritage languages

December 10, 2021 / Cozy Enrique NKD

Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name: Cozy Enrique NAKADA (Koji NAKADA)

Day and Date: 3^rd week (12^th Sept to 17^th Sept 2021)

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:

Goal of the class:

Lesson 5.1 (On 14^th)

Students learned the concept of 継承語（Heritage Language by listening to lecturer’s family history and feelings to his languages. Also they gained new vocabularies by the handouts.

Students talked with partner about what they feel about their heritage languages. If they do not have one, they can talk about family history and differences of parents’ languages. (Including regional differences within US)

Lesson 5.2 (On 16^th)

Students gave presentations on their heritage language, family history, current feelings to their heritage languages.

How did you structure the class?

14^th Sept 2021