Worksheet 2: My French Speaking Country

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“Languages” by Fabrice Fresse
Hopewell High School
Charlotte Mecklenberg Schools, North Carolina
Languages as Reflection of Cultures and Civilizations The Example of French Speaking Countries.
Description
Global Competence: Gather relevant information from multiple primary and secondary sources. Students will critically select sources that enable comprehensive investigations on the geo-linguistic ensemble that represent French speaking countries. Students will demonstrate understanding of global physical and human geography through investigations of the locations and characteristics of French speaking countries. Students will demonstrate the ability to synthesize information from multiples sources and produce multimedia products and presentations about French speaking countries. Level indicators extracted from Teacher Guide: Global Competence.
LanguageEnglish
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
Subject Social Studies, World Languages, Technology
Region Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Oceania
Length
180 minutes
Materials Worksheet 1: French Speaking Countries, Worksheet 2: My French Speaking Country, Reflection: My efforts throughout the project and my technological growth plan, Rubric used to assess the final product of the student on her/
his francophone country, Pens or pencils
Resources: Computer lab, media center, iPads or tablets, iPhones or Androids (be sure that your school has a wifi connection)
Activate Prior Knowledge
Start from what students know about their language. Ask students if English is spoken in other
countries. What about other continents? Involve Spanish-speaking students to share information
about their language. Ask if Spanish is spoken in other countries and on other continents. Transfer
what comes out these two prior questions onto another language and give students opportunities to
share about their experiences. Ask if French is spoken in other countries or on other continents. Ask
if students know people who speak French but who were not born in France. Show students a map
of French-speaking countries.
These questions aim at helping students draw information from their individual repertoires to share
with other students. The classroom becomes a place where students negotiate meaning through
social interaction and where they perceive social interactions as a means to stimulate their minds
and make them feel confident because they realize that they all contribute in creating meaning, both
individually and as a group.
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Ask Compelling Questions
Where and why is French spoken in the world ?
Investigate/Analyze
Activity I: Students will do online searches to learn more about French-speaking countries and to
gain critical outlooks on online information (Worksheet I: French Speaking Countries).
Activity II: Students will each chose a French-speaking country and create a digital presentation
in the target language. To help them structure their presentations, students will collect information
and organize it in ways they consider logical and/or convincing (Worksheet 2: My French Speaking
Country). This activity could be a means for teachers to monitor students while they are engaged in
online research. This is a good way to see if students check more than one site before deciding that
the quickest way to get information is not always the most reliable.
Synthesize/Create
Students will create digital presentations in the target language. To help structure their
presentations, students will collect information and organize it in ways they will consider logical
and/or convincing (Worksheet 2: My French Speaking Country). Students may use different digital
tools and will have the freedom to find online programs that are interactive and engaging for
communicative purposes.
Share
Students’ presentations are displayed in class. The best posters are on display in the classroom.
The best online presentations are shared on the teacher’s wiki. There is a hyperlink from my wiki to
the school wiki, so presentations can be seen by other students, parents from my students and also
from school administrators. It is a good way to share what students are capable of accomplishing
when they are engaged.
It is important to give students the opportunity to express themselves and recognize their efforts.
You may be surprised by great artistic and reflexive skills that some usually highly challenged
students have.
During presentations, students will locate countries on a globe and the concept of ‘francophone
countries’ will be introduced. students will define what francophone means and will also write
paragraphs using the words “empire,” “languages” and “colonization.” Paragraphs do not have to
be in the target language.
Reflect/Revise
To give students a concrete materialization of their reflections, I designed two reflection worksheets:
• Reflection: My efforts throughout the project & Technological growth plan.
◦ Students assess themselves throughout the project.
◦ Students learn from other students how to use different online software or programs. By choosing the presentations that they liked, they also have a better vision of what is expected and of students who can actually be mentors - and that will enable you to create interesting dynamics between students.
Peer observations could also be incorporated, where students would give feedback on other
students’ work.
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Assessment
Formative assessments: Worksheet I: French Speaking Countries; Worksheet 2: My French
Speaking Country.
Summative assessments: Reflection - My efforts throughout the project and my technological
growth plan; Rubric used to assess the final products of students on their francophone countries.
Assessment for teachers:
I will remember that students were happy to have the opportunity to use their technology in the
classroom to do some research and that they were probably more engaged and less passive. I
will also remember that a Spanish-speaking student decided to do her presentation in English,
French and Spanish. This could be a way to approach multiliteracy and plurilingual approaches
if this is shared with other students. This lesson strengthened my belief that students and future
world citizens should learn to distinguish primary and secondary sources of information in order
to construct their own representations and be free individuals. This lesson made me wonder how
I could help students go beyond stereotypes attached to France by furthering the investigation on
the French-speaking world. How can I help students understand that there are multiple variations
in a language? How can they explain these variations? How can I help students understand that a
language is a complex reflection of multiple cultures? After having some feedback from students,
I feel that they were able to answer the essential question and that they have been mostly very
engaged in the activities suggested, even though sometimes demotivated by the fact that they did
not have quick access to information. I think I would probably introduce a debate on how truth is
an important component of freedom so that they also understand geopolitical ideas and strategies,
political systems and ideologies. I would advise future students to think about the importance of
comparing information to construct their own representations as free and educated individuals,
ready to be challenged by others and by other representations than the ones they have. I would
advise teachers to be patient and to help students that seem to be challenged right from the start.
I would advise them to help start the activities just to make sure that they understood what is
expected from them.
Extension Activity
Prompts for extending students’ knowledge:
• Give the names of five countries and their capitals where Spanish is spoken.
• Give the names of five countries and their capitals where German is spoken.
• Give the names of five countries and their capitals where Portuguese is spoken.
• Give the names of five countries and their capitals where English is spoken
• Which empire settled in South Africa?
• When did South Africa gain independence?
• Give the names of five African or Asian countries that became independent and ceased to be
colonies.
• Why do you think France intervened in Mali?
Prompts for expanding students’ skills:
• Give students the opportunity to read francophone literature so that they understand that French
as a language is multifaceted.
• Give students the opportunity to understand that a language, even if shared, is a reflection of
cultural identities through movies, songs or YouTube videos. For instance, there exists a wide
range of French accents in the world or French words that could not be understood by French
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speakers from Paris if they were not contextualized.
Prompts for expanding students’ attitudes:
• Give students the opportunity to talk about the concepts that have been introduced in other
school subjects, such as world studies, language arts, visual arts, maths, etc.
• Interdisciplinary lessons - Work with social studies teachers or world history teachers when
they approach Europe, either through co-teaching or by asking students questions on which
they have worked. It is a good way for students to understand that they have built a specific
repertoire that can be used in other subjects and areas. It is a great way to make them
understand that school subjects are interconnected and correlated to help them define the
place they want to have in the world, as students, as citizens and as human beings.
Further investigation: In order to help students investigate more about the French-speaking world,
I asked students to create posters and online videos about French-speaking black authors, writers,
musicians, and politicians during Black History Month. My students will surely participate in some
activities during the Francophone Month for extra-credit.
After school activities: My students joined the French Club and it has become a way for them to
move from France as a stereotype or a reduction to one or two buildings and cultural habits to
French as a language spoken by many people. And now, our exchanges are more about cultural
and linguistic diversity and my students are about to work with other clubs in the high school on the
creation of the First International Festival in the school where local businesses and restaurants,
study abroad programs from local universities, parents and students will be united to celebrate
universal ideals and the wonders of diversity.
Resources - video
Le Togo, using Smilebox:
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/
openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a67304d7a633245446384f4455344f44d6a593d0d0a&sb=1&campaig
n=SboxAnncmnt&utm_source=SbozAnncmnt
Madagascar, using Prezi:
http://prezi.com/p3fao8zlcukr/republique-de-madagascar/
Le Benin, using MovieMaker and uploaded on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FkD3-vCGBA
The French-speaking world:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVqZ-3ki3Jo
The Dutch settlement (good way to introduce South Africa and the notion of empire):
http://www.sahistory.org.za/cape-town/dutch-settlement
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Standards Alignment
Common Core State Standards
English Language Arts SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneon-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics, texts, and issues, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
English Language Arts SL.6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic
and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or
phrase important to comprehension or expressions.
P21 Standards - 21st Century Skills
Think Creatively
•
Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming).
Work Creatively with Others
•
Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively.
•
Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex
systems.
Make Judgments and Decisions
•
Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments.
•
Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis.
Solve Problems
•
Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better
solutions.
Communicate Clearly
•
Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills
in a variety of forms and contexts.
•
Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade).
Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as
well as assess their impact.
Collaborate with Others
•
Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.
•
Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to
accomplish a common goal.
•
Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions
made by each team member.
Access and Evaluate
•
Information Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources).
•
Evaluate information critically and competently.
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Use and Manage Information
•
Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand.
•
Manage the flow of information from a wide variety of sources.
National Educational Technology Standards
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and
processes using technology.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at
a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems,
and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Career Technical Education Standards
2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills.
4. Communicate clearly, effectively and with reason.
6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation.
7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies.
North Carolina Essential Standards
NM. CLL. 2. Understand words and concepts presented in the language.
NM.CLL.2.1. Understanding the meaning of memorized phrases and questions about familiar topics
and surroundings.
NM. CLL. 2.2. Understand the meaning of different words and phrases in sentences.
NM. CLL. 3. Use the language to present an information to an audience.
NM. CLL. 3.3. Use appropriate pronunciation and voice inflection in spoken presentations.
NM. CLL. 4. Compare the students’ culture and the target culture.
NM. CLL. 4.2. Compare basic cultural practices of people in the target culture and the students’
culture.
NM. COD. 1. Use the language to engage in interpersonal communication.
NM.COD. 1.1. Use memorized responses to simple academic questions, statements, commands, or
other stimuli.
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NM. COD. 2. Understand words and concepts presented in the language.
NM. COD. 2. 1. Classify memorized words and phrases in the target language by key academic
concepts.
NM. COD. 2.2. Understand how the basic terms from another content areas may be different from
the students’ language.
NM. COD. 3. Use the language to present information to an audience.
NM. COD. 3.1. Use memorized words and phrases about the weather, date, seasons, numbers, and
daily classroom activities to give a spoken or written presentation.
NM. COD. 3.2. Use memorized words and phrases to describe common objects and actions related
to other disciplines.
NM. COD. 3.3. Use readily available technology tools and digital literacy skills to present academic
information in the target language.
NM. COD. 4. Compare the students’ culture and the target culture.
NM. COD. 4.2. Identify information about target culture perspectives and practices.
NM. CMT. 4. Compare the students’ culture and the target culture.
NM. CMT. 4.1. Recognize aspects of the target culture and language in the students’ culture and
language.
NM. CMT. 4.2. Identity how knowledge of the target language is useful in global economy.
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Worksheet 1: French Speaking Countries
Name: __________________________________________________ Date: _____________
1. On which continents is French spoken?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the difference between countries in purple and countries in green?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Looking for information in my immediate surrounding.
1. Why is French spoken in Louisiana? (You could ask your World Studies teacher)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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Looking for information in the library, on my phone or at home on French speaking
countries.
Name of the country in
English and French
Colors in the flag in French
Capital in English and
French
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Worksheet 2: My French Speaking Country
Name: __________________________________________ Date: ____________________
Look for information on your country.
1. Comment s’appelle ton pays? What is the name of your country?
__________________________________________________________________________
2. Je sais comment l’épeler. I know how to spell it.
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Quelles sont les couleurs du drapeau de ton pays? What are the colors in your flag?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. Quelle est la capitale de ton pays? What is the capital of your country?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Combien d’habitants vivent dans ton pays? / How many inhabitants live in your country?
Copy the name of the website where
you find the information
Write down the number of inhabitants
you found on this website
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Vocabulary Toolkit
Name: _____________________________________________ Date: ___________
Note to Teacher - Give this toolkit after students have worked together to understand the
meaning of the questions.
Look for information on your country.
1. What is the name of your country?
_________________________________________________________________________
2. I know how to spell it.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What are the colors in your flag?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the capital of your country?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. How many inhabitants live in your country?
Copy the name of the website
where you find the information
Write down the number of inhabitants you found on this website
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Reflection - My efforts throughout this project
Name: _______________________________________________ Date: ________________
Answer the following questions in English about your skills.
1. Skill I : Being able to work and communicate efficiently with others :
• ­ I do not interrupt them
• ­ I listen to them
• ­ I bring information
• ­ I make effort to take part in the activities
• ­ I respect people : I do not get angry or frustrated when I do not agree
• ­ I am a group leader and my leadership is recognized and appreciated
• I go beyond my shyness to express ideas
­ hat’s your strength ? Illustrate with an example in your group.
W
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
What’s your area of growth? How do you think you can improve yourself and by when?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. Skill II : Being able to use 21st century skills in my learning:
• ­ I am able to find information online
• ­ I am able to compare sources to define which ones are reliable
• ­ I click no more than one link when I look for an information online
• ­ I am able to understand that some images are copyrighted
• ­ I sometimes cut and paste online texts even though I know the consequences of plagiarism
• ­ I know how to use online softwares to communicate information to other people
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What’s your strength? Illustrate with an example in your group.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
What’s your area of growth? How do you think you can improve yourself and by when?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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Rubric
Name: _______________________________________________________ Date: _____________
Cultural content
Superior completion
of the task - I have
included more
informtion that what
was asked in my
presentation
Linguistic content Superior completion
of the task - I have
created sentences
that were not given to me in the
instructions, I worked hard on my
pronunciation and I
am clearly
understandable
Completion of the
task - All the
elements are
included in my
presentation
I have a hard time
using technology. I
did my work but
created a poster.
Completion of the task
- My sentences are
correctly built, I made a
lot of
efforts to pronounce
the words so that I
could be
understood by a native
speaker
Partial completion ofthe task - I tried my best. Somtimes
I was able to articulate sentences and at other times,
I just used fragments. I have a very thick
pronunciation and I
don’t think that I am
understandable
Creative content
I used classical tools to present a
document:
Powerpoint, Word, etc.
I have a hard time
using technology. I
did my work but
created a poster.
I used technological
device that include
different types of
media: videos,
audios, pictures.
I was not able to complete this work. Explain the challenges you faced. How can you solve
them?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Do you need feedback or help from your teacher or any other student? If yes, what kind of
help?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Date when you will be able to submit the assignment: _______________________________
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