Submitted by Marilyn Proulx, Mary Cisar
Objectives:
Content:
Students will:
· apply knowledge of vocabulary and grammar of the rest of the unit to an authentic reading
· describe the notion of house and home from an anthropological perspective
· compare French and American products, behaviors, and perspectives in the area of housingCultural:
Students will:
· compare common exterior and interior features of French and American homes, particularly in relation to the following questions:How do the physical characteristics of houses differ in the France and the United States?
How do these physical differences reflect culturally specific behaviors and perspectives?Language: Content Obligatory
Students will:
· understand and use with confidence vocabulary denoting floors of a building, rooms of a house, and furniture
· use correctly the following:Nouns (gender, number)
Articles (gender, number, indefinite vs. partitive vs. definite)
Descriptive adjectives (form, placement, meaning, linking)
Comparative forms (adjectives, quantities)
Present indicative verbs
Prepositions of place (à + floor of building)
Presentational expressions: c'est / il est / Il y aLanguage: Content Compatible
Students will:
· respond appropriately to questions that contain interrogative structures and pronouns
· use relative pronouns qui and que in their writingLearning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will:
· use knowledge of cognates to identify new vocabulary (reading)
· use knowledge of context to guess meaning (reading)
· incorporate new vocabulary and structures in a written comparative analysis of French and American houses
· work individually and in small groups to discuss their ideas and reach conclusions, as well as to create an artistic expression
Time Frame:
Two 55 minute class periods
Materials Needed:
Worksheets (see "Attachments") which include the preliminary reading, a group activity, and the main reading of the lesson with pre- and post-reading exercises.
Description of Assessment (Performance Project):
Context:
Students have already learned the floors, rooms, and furniture of a house or apartment.
Students understand oral statements and can produce present tense forms of verbs.
Students have a basic understanding of the way a French house looks.Pre-task:
Students read a short diary entry that delineates some important cultural differences between French and American houses. (This step can be done outside of class as homework.)Individually, they decide where certain objects are kept or functions are performed in their own house. (This step can be done outside of class as homework.)
In small groups, they compare the data they have just created about their own house with those of other students and try to generalize the typical"American" way of using a house.
Based on the reading, they indicate how the French use their houses in relation to the same categories.
They compare the French and American experience of "house" and "home."
During task:
In a combination of full-class and small group formats, students complete a reading of an excerpt of Raymonde Carroll's Evidences invisibles. This includes pre-reading activities designed to engage students and help them to focus on the issues that they will encounger and post-reading comprehension activities. (See specific directions on the worksheet, Lesson4.doc) Post-task: In small groups or pairs, students use a Venn diagram (see Attachments) for comparison of French and American houses, incorporating the vocabulary and grammar they have learned/used in this unit and showing comprehension of the different cultural realities of France and the United States.
Assessment:
Use the Venn diagram for an informal assessment.
References and Resources:
Carroll, R. (1987). La maison. Evidences invisibles. Paris: Seuil.
Attachments:
NOTE: some attachments are in PDF form (get Acrobat Reader)LessonPlan4.doc This is the file copy of this lesson plan.
Lesson4.doc This is the file that contains the worksheets to be distributed to students and used in class.
need to create a Venn diagram for this one...