Submitted by Jill Pearson

Language: French Unit Cultural Theme or Academic Content Area: environment Target Audience: Traditional High School Year of Instruction: 3 Proficiency Level: Intermediate Low

Standards: Communication:    1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Cultures:    2.1, 2.2 Connections:    3.1, 3.2 Comparisons:    4.2 Communities:    5.1

Unit Timeframe:

Eight 55-minute periods ( 4 lessons + 4 culminating activity/summative assessment periods)

Unit Overview:

This unit explores the relationship between people (individuals and populations) and water across the world. The lessons begin at a personal level, inviting students to think about how much water they use and how they could conserve water. The unit broadens to national and international/multicultural issues and perspectives as students compare how much water people use in different parts of the world and contemplate why there is such a wide gap.

Context:

In terms of the broader curricular context for the students, this unit will have links with their biology class, which they would have likely taken the previous year. This year’s group of French 3 students has strong backgrounds and interests in science so I think they will be motivated to pursue a topic rooted in life science. I also see this unit fitting into our school’s mission of teaching character development—specifically, teaching responsibility.

Rationale
I have been wanting to develop curriculum around environmental themes for some time. Appreciating our Earth’s natural resources and thinking about how my actions can affect the environment play an integral role in who I am and how I live my life. When you care about a cause like this, I think it’s natural to want to encourage others to care, too. High school students are still at a formative time in life when they are impressionable and they are struggling to identify what their values are. While all ages would be appropriate for environmentally based curriculum, I think the developmental stage of 16-17 year olds is a perfect time to look at one’s actions and beliefs critically and comparatively. In addition, in line with our school’s mission, I think it is important to incorporate the teaching of values, albeit relatively non-controversial ones, into our curriculum. Young people need adults to help guide them in their character development.
I also wanted to create a unit that would incorporate cultural perspectives and practices from multiple sources. For instance, rather than doing a unit on West Africa, or a unit on Canada, I wanted to pursue a topic that provides an opportunity for considering multiple cultural perspectives.

General Unit References and Resources:

Goals for the Unit:

Content/culture goals:
The learners will:
• Increase their understanding of their own water usage
• Gain insight into how and why different cultures use water similarly and differently
• Understand the problems associated with excessive water usage and pollution
• Demonstrate their awareness of ways they can conserve water
Language goals:
Students will:
• Practice engaging in conversations, exchanging predictions, opinions, commentaries, information, etc.
• Demonstrate the ability to interpret authentic texts related to water use
• Gain confidence presenting information and ideas to an audience
Essential Understandings: (Kucer et al. 1995)
• We depend on water (natural resources) for our every day life and this is something that links us with other peoples across the globe.
• Many of us waste/ use excessively water in comparison to others in the world.
• People may take natural (and/or non-renewable) resources for granted.
• What’s here today may not be tomorrow.
• There are steps we can take to aid in conservation.
Related Concepts:
• Environmentalism
• Personal habits
• Waste
• Responsibility
• Availability of resources

Resources

• American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1983). ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Revised 2001. Hastings-on-Hudson, NY: ACTFL Materials Center.
• Chamot, A.  (2002).  Learning Strategies.  Retrieved
  May 2, 2004, from NCLRC,
  http://www.nclrc.org/exploring.html
• Le Cycle de l’eau.  Retrieved April 27, 2004, from http://www.cycledeleau.org/
• Environnement Canada.(2003). L’eau: pas de temps a perdre -- La conservation de l'eau: guide de consommateur.
  http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=Fr&n=344B115B-1
• Graves, K. (2000).  Designing language courses:  A guide for teachers.  Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
• Kucer, S.B, Silva, C & Delgado-Larocco, E.L. (1995).  Curricular Conversation:  Themes in Multiligual & Monolingual Classrooms.  York, ME:  Stenhouse Publishers.
• Le Ministère de l’environnement en Belgique.  (2003).http://www.ecoconso.be/spip.php?article315
• National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project.  (1999).  Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century.  Lawrence, KS:  Allen Press, Inc. 
• Peace Corps World Wise Schools.  (n.d.).  Water in Africa. http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/enrichment/africa/index.html.
• Sandrock, P.  (2002).  Planning curriculum for learning world languages.  Madison, WI:  Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
• Rubistar, retrieved May 6, 2004, from
  http://rubistar.4teachers.org/.
• Utilisation de l’eau à la maison.  Retrieved April 13,
  2004, from http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/images/manage/effic/a6f7f.htm

Links or files for unit content:     A new window will open for each lesson.

Lesson 01: Utilisation de l'eau à la maison
Lesson 02: Comment préserver l'eau à la maison? 
Lesson 03: Pourquoi s'en faire? 
Lesson 04: La consommation d'eau ici et ailleur--perspectives sur l'eau
Summative Assessment