Submitted by Holly York
Objectives:
Content:
Students will
- identify threats to their natural environment
- identify possible solutions to combat these threats
Cultural:
Students will .identify expressions that reflect a cultural viewpoint. Examples: "d√©fendre le droit", "tous les enfants du monde," in the introduction. . express how this viewpoint compares with their own experience of attitudes toward the environment. [examine this document produced by the French Ministry on the Environment to find¬†evidence of¬†a cultural additude.¬†For example, in the introductory letter we see Serge Lepeltier, a cabinet-level official addressing schoolchildren, "Respecter la Terre, c'est défendre le droit de tous les enfants du monde à grandir et à vivre dans un environnement préservé." This focuses on a child's duty to act responsibly for the good not just of those around him/her but for that of the larger human community.
In addition, this booklet prescribes self-disciplined behaviors to be practiced during vacation, thus there is a view into what vacations look like and the perceived importance of spending the time meaningfully.
These two points open the door to a discussion of the students' views of their own culture and what attitudes drive their own government's environmental policies.
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Language: Content Obligatory
Students will use the affirmative and negative forms, present tense of the verb devoir to express behaviors friendly to the environment using expressions such as recycler, déchets, polluant, effet de serre (see attached vocabulary list.)
Language: Content Compatible
Students will use the present tense to make observations and formulate concerns regarding the environment. Students will use the interrogative adjectives quel / quelle / quels / quelles to pose questions about the resources, problems and practices proposed in the reading.
Learning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will use context, cognates and word families such as "pollution - polluer - polluant" to derive the meanings of environmental vocabulary encountered in the reading.
Time Frame:
One fifty-minute session
Materials Needed:
Leaflet, "Le p'tit écolo" available for download at http://www1.environnement.gouv.fr/article.php3?id_article=2528
Also attached as a PDF file (if permission is obtained) Graphic organizer table "Les gestes du p'tit écolo"
Description of Assessment (Performance Project):
Pre-reading: Brainstorm with students about vocabulary related to the environment and about their knowledge of environmentally sound and unsound practices they encounter in their daily lives. What resources are affected? What constitutes responsible use? What would be the eventual effect on specific aspects of our daily lives if everyone used resources irresponsibly? What if everyone used them responsibly?
During reading: Divide the class into three "expert groups" in order to participate in a jigsaw activitiy (Kagan, 1989, cited in Shrum & Glisan, 1994). The material has been divided into four sections (Group A, B and C), each charged with First, each group of students is asked to read their section looking for keywords. While reading, students are to focus on the following questions, filling in the table with their answers. They should also make an educated guess to answer the two or three environmental questions located under the image of the p'tit écolo. Quelles ressources sont mentionnées dans votre section? Quel problème est suggéré relatif à cette ressource? Quel geste de conservation devrait-on faire, selon le p'tit écolo? Quelle ressource / quel problème / quel geste a le plus de signification, selon votre groupe?
Post-reading: Students from each "expert group" will form a new "home group" with one person representing each of the original "expert groups." Each student representing the "expert group" will share information from their assigned section (the diagram; answers to the questions) with the newly formed "home group." The other students comprising the "home group" will be encouraged to comment or ask questions to the home group members.
Follow-up: A discussion with the whole class should take place. The teacher should ask students to speculate as to what body published the pamphlet and who is the target readership. They may be surprised to learn that the French government Ministry on the Environment produced it for distribution to school children. Discuss the visibility of environmental concerns in the present U.S. government and the likelihood of that body producing a similar document.
Assessment:
The teacher can use the diagrams, answers to questions, and participation during the whole class discussion to assess students' comprehension of the text.
References and Resources:
Shrum, J.L. & Glisan, E.W. (1994). Teacher's handbook: Contextualized language instruction. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle. 149-151. Le P'tit Ecolo
Attachments:
NOTE: some attachments are in PDF form (get Acrobat Reader)Le P'tit Ecolo (ptit_ecolo.pdf)
La durabilité de nos ressources: menaces et défenses