Comparer le Mississippi aux fleuves dans des pays francophones
Lesson 2: Rechercher des fleuves et rivières aux pays francophones
Submitted by Carrie Grabowski
Objectives:
Content:
Students will...
- situate all the rivers studied on a map and the surrounding countries;
- identify basic characteristics of the rivers studied: its length, source, where it empties, its navigability;
- demonstrate understanding of French rivers and the Mississippi by comparing and contrasting
Cultural:
Students will...
Language: Content Obligatory
Students will...
- use the present tense (3rd person singular & plural) to answer questions about the text with verbs like (nettoyer, traverser, transformer, trasnporter, distribuer, épurer, etc).
- use the present tense (1st person plural, 3rd person singular and plural) to summarize article in oral presentation for classmates using some of the above-mentioned verbs.
- make adjectives agree with the nouns modified according to number and gender. Adjectives include: salé, doux, souterrain, buvable, sec, naturel, polluant, etc.
Language: Content Compatible
Students will...
- use the present tense (3rd person singular and plural) of pronominal verbs such as se laisser, se nettoyer, se laver, se précipiter
- recognize the passé simple (3rd person singular and plural ) of some "er" verbs (couler, transformer, couler, transporter, etc), être, faire, avoir
- be exposed to "ne" as a negative expression without "pas."
- use comparative expressions such as plus que..., moins que, autant que..., plus de..., moins de..., autant de...
Learning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will...
- learn to work cooperatively in group how to manage computer time
- write notes in incomplete sentences and in own words
Time Frame:
Two 50-minute periods
Materials Needed:
- Appropriate worksheet according to reading level for pairs of students
- access to the web
- an atlas so that the students can draw freehand France in order to have a map for labeling
Description of Assessment (Performance Project):
Review
- first what the students know about the Mississippi River and related vocabulary (embouchure, affluent, etc.) by doing a brainstorming and noting their comments on butcher paper which should be saved and posted in class so that students may refer to it when planning their presentations;
- second how to go to a specific web address. Most students already know how to do this;
- third reading strategies with students. Ask them to name good reading strategies. They should name: pictures, surrounding context, cognates (the word resembles an Englsih word) and the dictionary.
Pre:
Next students use a reference book to draw a simple map of France on a sheet of paper or workbook that they will need when doing the research.The students work with their partners to answer questions and fill out a worksheet which the teacher will assign according to ability. These worksheets are listed in the handout section below and include the Loire, the Seine, the Garonne, le Rhin, the Rhône, the Saône, the St. Laurent, and a few rivers in Belgium. When necessary, they will look up words to ensure comprehension. The teacher circulates and verifies that students are finding the right information.
During-task:
something with the comparison/contrastPost-task
Assessment:
There is no formal assessment other than the teacher verifying that the notes taken are correct, complete, and written in student language (no plagiarizing).
References and Resources:
Please, see the web sites associated with each work sheet, which are at different levels of difficulty. Teachers should visit the websites to become familiar with the content in order to evaluate the students' reading and note-taking skills.
Listed below are the websites used for the research. Please note that spaces in the web addresses are actually an underscore (_). It is advised that teachers visit them before asking students to do so as addresses change from time to time:
- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/philippe.arnoux/eveil/fleuves_france.htm
- http://fr.encyclopedia.yahoo.com/articles/s/s0002548_p0.html
- http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/aix/albanais/eau/fleuves_fr_eau.htm
- http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/dossiers/doseau/decouv/rubrique.html
- http://www.ec.gc.ca/water.f_main.html
- http://www.geocities.com/bonjour08816/fleuves
- http://www.formatage.org/branches/decouvertes/fleuves0.html
Attachments:
NOTE: some attachments are in PDF form (get Acrobat Reader)The following worksheets are used for the research and are at different levels of difficulty:
Challenging website on water issues in France (1 diff.doc)
Average difficulty on the Rhin and Saône (6 moy Rhin Saone.doc)
Easy website on rivers in France and Belgium (7 facile fleuves.doc)
Challenging website on the St. Laurent and water (8 dif canada.doc)
Average difficulty on the Rhône (worksheet 2 moyen Rhone.doc)
Average difficulty on the Loire (worksheet 3 moyen Loire.doc)
Average difficulty on the Seine (worksheet 4 moyen Seine.doc)
Average difficulty on the Garonne (worksheet 5 moyen Garonne.doc)