Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Student Teaching!
Since I started this blog last summer, I've been quite busy. I've spent the past school year in a French classroom at Southern Guilford High School. It's a great group of kids and I am learning so much from my lead teacher. I think she may even be learning a little from me, too, so it's great! Just these past few weeks, I taught my first lesson plan that I wrote and designed entirely by myself, and I think it went pretty well. I say that in the sense that, I was able to distinguish what is working and what is not, and was able to adjust accordingly. The Go Fish game I created for them was a real hit, and the oral exams went much smoother than I had expected, too. I created the plan using backward design, and it was based on Chapter 3 of Allez-Viens, which is a chapter based on food and holidays. It worked out well, because it also overlapped with both Mardi Gras and Dr. Seuss's birthday. I even read them Green Eggs and Ham - Les Oeufs Verts au Jambon and did a little activity with it! It was fun! It was amazing how a group of high school kids can hang on to every word of a Dr. Seuss book!
One other thing I've done is help establish a blog for my lead teacher. We are trying to incorporate more technology in the classroom, so we've been assigning the kids a weekly task of commenting on our posts at the blog, which is at . They've also created Voki's, like mine, and have assignments making their Voki's talk. They really seemed to like it at first, though the interest is slowly waning. I think the kids are so used to technology, it is not as novel to them as it is for us!
One other thing I've done is help establish a blog for my lead teacher. We are trying to incorporate more technology in the classroom, so we've been assigning the kids a weekly task of commenting on our posts at the blog, which is at . They've also created Voki's, like mine, and have assignments making their Voki's talk. They really seemed to like it at first, though the interest is slowly waning. I think the kids are so used to technology, it is not as novel to them as it is for us!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Letter to my Students
Dear Students,
Kids always think that adults don’t understand them. Why don’t adults understand? Because they don’t speak the same language. What you say is important, it explains who and what you are, and uses your very own words.
In my French class, I want you to learn about French speaking people. I want you to hear what people from other cultures have to say. I want you to learn about their lives and their thoughts, and what better way to learn this is to speak their own language. Since I can’t take you to all the places where French is spoken regularly, I need to do it in your imaginations. I can’t bring a bunch of French speakers here every day, so we have to read what they have to say. Sure, we could read English translations, but that wouldn’t be the same. It would be third hand information.
I want to teach you to speak French so that you can communicate with each other in a new language. I want you to understand it so that you can hear the beauty of the language. And I want you to read it so that you can take a glimpse into other people’s lives. Reading in French is more than just translating the words, it’s understanding what those words are saying to you.
I promise to teach you. I promise to give you strategies to help you along the way. I promise to show you beyond just this classroom to see the world around you. I want you to connect with others that are not like you, like the earthquake victims of Haiti, or the Muslims of Morocco, the Cajuns in New Orleans, or even the Vietnamese. French is much more global than just Paris, France. There’s more than just fashion, food and wine, the Eiffel Tower and Mardi Gras.
I will guide you on this journey. You just need to learn to read the travel brochure!
Sincerely,
Mme. Carlson
Kids always think that adults don’t understand them. Why don’t adults understand? Because they don’t speak the same language. What you say is important, it explains who and what you are, and uses your very own words.
In my French class, I want you to learn about French speaking people. I want you to hear what people from other cultures have to say. I want you to learn about their lives and their thoughts, and what better way to learn this is to speak their own language. Since I can’t take you to all the places where French is spoken regularly, I need to do it in your imaginations. I can’t bring a bunch of French speakers here every day, so we have to read what they have to say. Sure, we could read English translations, but that wouldn’t be the same. It would be third hand information.
I want to teach you to speak French so that you can communicate with each other in a new language. I want you to understand it so that you can hear the beauty of the language. And I want you to read it so that you can take a glimpse into other people’s lives. Reading in French is more than just translating the words, it’s understanding what those words are saying to you.
I promise to teach you. I promise to give you strategies to help you along the way. I promise to show you beyond just this classroom to see the world around you. I want you to connect with others that are not like you, like the earthquake victims of Haiti, or the Muslims of Morocco, the Cajuns in New Orleans, or even the Vietnamese. French is much more global than just Paris, France. There’s more than just fashion, food and wine, the Eiffel Tower and Mardi Gras.
I will guide you on this journey. You just need to learn to read the travel brochure!
Sincerely,
Mme. Carlson
Final Strategies
Strategies
R A F T
Raft stands for Role – Audience – Format – Topic. With this strategy, students get several choices on how to direct their writing. First, they have to look for their Role – who are they, what is their perspective. In this way, they can take the point of view of someone different from themselves. Next they choose their Audience. They determine who they are trying to reach or persuade. Then they choose their Format, from letter to brochure, to journal entry or speech. The have several possibilities to choose from so that they can make their paper the most effective. Finally they have a Topic and determine what they know and what they want to share.
I think that this can work effectively in a French class. Students can use it to explore French culture, or it would work with literature or other texts that we read. We could even write from the perspective of a verb, or a subject convincing the verb why it should be in the plusque parfait instead of parfait, or something of that sort.
Vocabulary Trees
Students draw a tree and down by the roots, put a root word with its definition. On the trunk, write a key word with its definition. Then on the branches, students put as many words they can find that use the same root. Students define those words also, and use it in a sentence. Then on twigs on the branches, they put where they heard the word.
This is a great way to help students organize their vocabulary. Just like in English, French has many words that share a root. A vocabulary tree will help the students remember the words and hopefully keep them from getting confused by them.
R A F T
Raft stands for Role – Audience – Format – Topic. With this strategy, students get several choices on how to direct their writing. First, they have to look for their Role – who are they, what is their perspective. In this way, they can take the point of view of someone different from themselves. Next they choose their Audience. They determine who they are trying to reach or persuade. Then they choose their Format, from letter to brochure, to journal entry or speech. The have several possibilities to choose from so that they can make their paper the most effective. Finally they have a Topic and determine what they know and what they want to share.
I think that this can work effectively in a French class. Students can use it to explore French culture, or it would work with literature or other texts that we read. We could even write from the perspective of a verb, or a subject convincing the verb why it should be in the plusque parfait instead of parfait, or something of that sort.
Vocabulary Trees
Students draw a tree and down by the roots, put a root word with its definition. On the trunk, write a key word with its definition. Then on the branches, students put as many words they can find that use the same root. Students define those words also, and use it in a sentence. Then on twigs on the branches, they put where they heard the word.
This is a great way to help students organize their vocabulary. Just like in English, French has many words that share a root. A vocabulary tree will help the students remember the words and hopefully keep them from getting confused by them.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Texts
Hanning, Robert. Ferrante, Joan. The Lais of Marie de France. [Grand Rapids, MI]: Baker Books, 1978.
This is an English translation of a book of poetry written by a young French girl named Marie de France. Written in the early 12th century, this was some of the earliest French literature of the Renaissance. While there is not very much known about Marie, it is deduced from her writing that she was living in the English courts. After the Norman invasion, English royalty spoke French for a period. We can also tell that she was educated by her use of classical Latin and French material. Her poetry is characterized by her use of a central object, such as a nightingale, or a hazel tree, and she writes much about love and courtly love. Her poems, or Lais, are short stories that have a very fairy tale like quality to them, and even though they are close to 1000 years old, are a fairly easy read.
This is one of my most favorite books. Even though I first read it in college, I think that high school students would certainly be able to read and understand the stories being told. I would use the stories in English, because the original French would be very difficult. These would be great for critical reading, though. We could discuss courtly love, which is very different from our views of love today. I love to talk about historical women, especially because kids – and even adults - tend to think that women in history couldn’t read or write. I also like to show kids how much literature there was hundreds of years ago. We can talk about French history, French life. There’s a lot of different things we could do with this book.
Meredith, Susan. French for Beginner’s Flashcards. Usborne Books. 2010.
Usborne is a British publisher of mostly children’s books, and they do a great job with educational material. Besides flashcards, they also have several other French dictionaries and other books that can be ordered in French This set of flashcards has 200 words, with pictures. They put it for ages 3 and up, but they would be useful for any beginner. They also have a matching computer program where you can go online and listen to the correct pronunciations.
As I said, these can be used in any beginner class, to work on automaticity and vocabulary recognition. We can play games with them as a class, students can work with them silently on their own, or they can use them in small groups or with partners.
Paris, Je T’Aime. Dirs. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Wes Craven, Gerard Depardieu, Gus Van Sant, et al. Perf. Steve Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, et al. Victoires International, 2006.
In this charming movie set in Paris, 20 filmmakers each filmed 5 minutes to create a movie pieced together from experiences happening across the city. Each segment is filmed in a different arrondissement, which are the neighborhoods, or sectors of Paris. The movie is mostly in French, some with subtitles some without, and some English also. It visits areas in Paris beyond the normal tourist areas, and gives the viewer a look into modern French culture.
I have to admit, I’ve only seen clips from this movie, so I would definitely have to watch it all before showing it to students. The parent guide says there is some strong language, so I would need to check on that first. However, from what I have seen, and from what I’ve heard from others, it is fantastic. It’s very touching and poignant. I chose it because A. The French language is good to hear, and students can hear some slang and get more comfortable with it. B. Students will see modern French culture, and see what life in Paris is like. C. There are lots of interesting things that happen, so it gives opportunities for students to think critically and evaluate their opinions on many different topics.
Hanning, Robert. Ferrante, Joan. The Lais of Marie de France. [Grand Rapids, MI]: Baker Books, 1978.
This is an English translation of a book of poetry written by a young French girl named Marie de France. Written in the early 12th century, this was some of the earliest French literature of the Renaissance. While there is not very much known about Marie, it is deduced from her writing that she was living in the English courts. After the Norman invasion, English royalty spoke French for a period. We can also tell that she was educated by her use of classical Latin and French material. Her poetry is characterized by her use of a central object, such as a nightingale, or a hazel tree, and she writes much about love and courtly love. Her poems, or Lais, are short stories that have a very fairy tale like quality to them, and even though they are close to 1000 years old, are a fairly easy read.
This is one of my most favorite books. Even though I first read it in college, I think that high school students would certainly be able to read and understand the stories being told. I would use the stories in English, because the original French would be very difficult. These would be great for critical reading, though. We could discuss courtly love, which is very different from our views of love today. I love to talk about historical women, especially because kids – and even adults - tend to think that women in history couldn’t read or write. I also like to show kids how much literature there was hundreds of years ago. We can talk about French history, French life. There’s a lot of different things we could do with this book.
Meredith, Susan. French for Beginner’s Flashcards. Usborne Books. 2010.
Usborne is a British publisher of mostly children’s books, and they do a great job with educational material. Besides flashcards, they also have several other French dictionaries and other books that can be ordered in French This set of flashcards has 200 words, with pictures. They put it for ages 3 and up, but they would be useful for any beginner. They also have a matching computer program where you can go online and listen to the correct pronunciations.
As I said, these can be used in any beginner class, to work on automaticity and vocabulary recognition. We can play games with them as a class, students can work with them silently on their own, or they can use them in small groups or with partners.
Paris, Je T’Aime. Dirs. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Wes Craven, Gerard Depardieu, Gus Van Sant, et al. Perf. Steve Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, et al. Victoires International, 2006.
In this charming movie set in Paris, 20 filmmakers each filmed 5 minutes to create a movie pieced together from experiences happening across the city. Each segment is filmed in a different arrondissement, which are the neighborhoods, or sectors of Paris. The movie is mostly in French, some with subtitles some without, and some English also. It visits areas in Paris beyond the normal tourist areas, and gives the viewer a look into modern French culture.
I have to admit, I’ve only seen clips from this movie, so I would definitely have to watch it all before showing it to students. The parent guide says there is some strong language, so I would need to check on that first. However, from what I have seen, and from what I’ve heard from others, it is fantastic. It’s very touching and poignant. I chose it because A. The French language is good to hear, and students can hear some slang and get more comfortable with it. B. Students will see modern French culture, and see what life in Paris is like. C. There are lots of interesting things that happen, so it gives opportunities for students to think critically and evaluate their opinions on many different topics.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Top Ten, Part III
Texts
"Le Journal des Enfants". Alsapresse. 20 July 2010
This website is an online newspaper designed for students ages 8-14. I was actually hoping that it would be a print newspaper, and I think it may originally have been since it’s been around since 1984, but it seems to be all online now. The newspaper is written in a booklet that can be accessed through the computer and a new edition is put out every Thursday.
This is a great resource for students to practice reading comprehension. Since it is geared for children, the news will be understandable and not too complex for kids. One exercise we could do in the classroom would be to simply read an article and then write a summary of it in English or French, and then discuss it.
"Echange Classe à classe FRANCE / USA". FranceWorld. 20 July 2010
.
This is another website; however, it is a place to go to meet teachers from other classes who are interested in doing a student exchange between French and English speakers. This particular page has the structure of classified ads, and the site verifies the ads before placing them online to make sure that they are legitimate.
While students themselves would not use this particular site, I would like my students to be able to exchange letters, whether through the mail or through email, or even instant messaging or Skype if they are so inclined, with French speaking students in another part of the world. The students will not just practice the language skills, but also learn more about the culture of these other kids, and what their lives are like.
Strategies
Readers Theater – Students read an assigned text, then, in groups, use their own words to make a script which summarizes the text. Then, they act out the script for the class, or even larger audiences.
This activity is a great way to evaluate students understanding of the texts that they read. I know that it can seem boring and tedious to always be translating things word for word, when in some cases, understanding the meaning of the section is enough. By summarizing what they read, either in French or English, they are showing that they can comprehend and look for meaning in passages.
Publishing – Students present their work to other students in their own class or elsewhere, adults, special interest groups, etc. Students will take more care in their work when they know that what they are working on will be seen by more than just the teacher.
The students can create a monthly newsletter, a blog, or any kind of work written in French. They can share it with their classmates, or it would be great to have more advanced classes write newsletters to the more beginner classes. They could also put together a newsletter for the classroom that is our penpal class, and let them know what is going on.
K-W-L (Know – Want – Learn)
The teacher first presents to the students a term or topic and asks the students to jot down things they know about this, whether just words or phrases or more. Then the teacher will make a list of everyone’s thoughts. After that, the students will work in groups to questions about what they want to know about this topic. Then, they reconvene again and make another master list of questions on what they want to know. The teacher can then make sure that the lessons will answer those questions.
This strategy would be very useful when working with students and presenting new topics. It may be as simple a topic as food – what French foods do you know? They could be French words, they could be food that you know French people eat, they could be Canadian or another culture’s food. Or it could be more complex – “what do you know about Napoleon? Les Miserables? I think I could use this effectively in many ways. If the students start thinking about the vocabulary that I’m trying to teach them in more ways than just lists, it will be really helpful.
"Le Journal des Enfants". Alsapresse. 20 July 2010
This website is an online newspaper designed for students ages 8-14. I was actually hoping that it would be a print newspaper, and I think it may originally have been since it’s been around since 1984, but it seems to be all online now. The newspaper is written in a booklet that can be accessed through the computer and a new edition is put out every Thursday.
This is a great resource for students to practice reading comprehension. Since it is geared for children, the news will be understandable and not too complex for kids. One exercise we could do in the classroom would be to simply read an article and then write a summary of it in English or French, and then discuss it.
"Echange Classe à classe FRANCE / USA". FranceWorld. 20 July 2010
This is another website; however, it is a place to go to meet teachers from other classes who are interested in doing a student exchange between French and English speakers. This particular page has the structure of classified ads, and the site verifies the ads before placing them online to make sure that they are legitimate.
While students themselves would not use this particular site, I would like my students to be able to exchange letters, whether through the mail or through email, or even instant messaging or Skype if they are so inclined, with French speaking students in another part of the world. The students will not just practice the language skills, but also learn more about the culture of these other kids, and what their lives are like.
Strategies
Readers Theater – Students read an assigned text, then, in groups, use their own words to make a script which summarizes the text. Then, they act out the script for the class, or even larger audiences.
This activity is a great way to evaluate students understanding of the texts that they read. I know that it can seem boring and tedious to always be translating things word for word, when in some cases, understanding the meaning of the section is enough. By summarizing what they read, either in French or English, they are showing that they can comprehend and look for meaning in passages.
Publishing – Students present their work to other students in their own class or elsewhere, adults, special interest groups, etc. Students will take more care in their work when they know that what they are working on will be seen by more than just the teacher.
The students can create a monthly newsletter, a blog, or any kind of work written in French. They can share it with their classmates, or it would be great to have more advanced classes write newsletters to the more beginner classes. They could also put together a newsletter for the classroom that is our penpal class, and let them know what is going on.
K-W-L (Know – Want – Learn)
The teacher first presents to the students a term or topic and asks the students to jot down things they know about this, whether just words or phrases or more. Then the teacher will make a list of everyone’s thoughts. After that, the students will work in groups to questions about what they want to know about this topic. Then, they reconvene again and make another master list of questions on what they want to know. The teacher can then make sure that the lessons will answer those questions.
This strategy would be very useful when working with students and presenting new topics. It may be as simple a topic as food – what French foods do you know? They could be French words, they could be food that you know French people eat, they could be Canadian or another culture’s food. Or it could be more complex – “what do you know about Napoleon? Les Miserables? I think I could use this effectively in many ways. If the students start thinking about the vocabulary that I’m trying to teach them in more ways than just lists, it will be really helpful.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Top 10 List, Part 2
Texts
Putumayo. French Playground. Putumayo World Music, 2005.
This CD is a great collection of French music to get kids connected to the language. It’s influences include not just France, but also French Creole, Caribbean, and African sounds. The lyrics tell stories of what life is like in French speaking countries and the beats can appeal to all types of people.
Students can learn about other cultures and connect to children all over the world when listening to this music. Lyrics are included, so copies can be made and distributed among the class to sing along and also to discuss the content. It helps students to hear the language spoken aloud by more than just the teacher, and lets them know how fun it can be.
Sempé , Jean-Jacques. Goscinny, Rene. Le Petit Nicolas. Gallimard, 1999.
Originally published in 1959 in France, but revised in 1999, this is a great collection of short stories following a young boy named Nicolas and his friends. The stories are told from the point of view of Nicolas himself, and are written from a child’s perspective. The vocabulary is simple enough for young learners to understand and engaging enough to keep the interest of kids. Since I first read it in the early 90’s, an entire series has sprung from the original and even a movie!
Students can read these short stories in class and not feel overwhelmed with an entire full length novel. They can relate to the adventures and get great practice with the language. We can watch the movie in class as well, after reading and practicing translating the books.
Beauty and the Beast (1991). Dir. Gary Trousdale. Perf. Paige O'Hara and Robby
Benson. Walt Disney Video, 2002. DVD.
This is a classic French fairy tale with a Disney twist. It is the story of a prince who is cursed by a witch to live as a beast. A young woman is forced to live with him and discovers the beauty of him inside. It is a charming story set to music.
I think it would be fantastic to make a project with this story and let the kids perform their own play in French. It may be somewhat abridged, but it is fairly well known and would be an enjoyable project for a more advanced class. The advanced class can put on a production for the lower levels and then all will benefit from it.
Strategies
Think Aloud a Passage – I’m not exactly sure if this counts as a strategy, but this is a great tool from the Beers book to help students understand how to read, and what to think about when reading. The teacher reads aloud a passage, and as he/she reads, uses strategies for understanding the text and shares them with the students. The teacher provides a model by thinking aloud the strategies, so students know what they should be doing as they read.
Though the strategy seemed to be for students learning to read in their first language, it is also an excellent tool for students to learn a second language. This would be great to use when students first start learning to read longer passages and books. The early stages of the language are learning just vocabulary words and then short sentences, so this is very helpful for students to start recognizing passages as a whole. Even students that can do this well in English may not remember to do so in French, or any other second language.
Nonstop Write – In this strategy, students write in response to a prompt for three to five minutes. Students use sentences and paragraphs, but emphasis is not placed on spelling or punctuation, but on content. The idea is to get a lot of thoughts down, like a brainstorm, while writing continuously for a specified amount of time. After time is up, students can then get in groups or pairs and discuss what they wrote.
In a language class, this would be a great way to clarify understanding of longer passages of text. After reading a passage in a book, students can perform a nonstop write prompted by what they read. When meeting up in groups, they can compare and contrast their thoughts and make sure that they are following what we are reading.
Putumayo. French Playground. Putumayo World Music, 2005.
This CD is a great collection of French music to get kids connected to the language. It’s influences include not just France, but also French Creole, Caribbean, and African sounds. The lyrics tell stories of what life is like in French speaking countries and the beats can appeal to all types of people.
Students can learn about other cultures and connect to children all over the world when listening to this music. Lyrics are included, so copies can be made and distributed among the class to sing along and also to discuss the content. It helps students to hear the language spoken aloud by more than just the teacher, and lets them know how fun it can be.
Sempé , Jean-Jacques. Goscinny, Rene. Le Petit Nicolas. Gallimard, 1999.
Originally published in 1959 in France, but revised in 1999, this is a great collection of short stories following a young boy named Nicolas and his friends. The stories are told from the point of view of Nicolas himself, and are written from a child’s perspective. The vocabulary is simple enough for young learners to understand and engaging enough to keep the interest of kids. Since I first read it in the early 90’s, an entire series has sprung from the original and even a movie!
Students can read these short stories in class and not feel overwhelmed with an entire full length novel. They can relate to the adventures and get great practice with the language. We can watch the movie in class as well, after reading and practicing translating the books.
Beauty and the Beast (1991). Dir. Gary Trousdale. Perf. Paige O'Hara and Robby
Benson. Walt Disney Video, 2002. DVD.
This is a classic French fairy tale with a Disney twist. It is the story of a prince who is cursed by a witch to live as a beast. A young woman is forced to live with him and discovers the beauty of him inside. It is a charming story set to music.
I think it would be fantastic to make a project with this story and let the kids perform their own play in French. It may be somewhat abridged, but it is fairly well known and would be an enjoyable project for a more advanced class. The advanced class can put on a production for the lower levels and then all will benefit from it.
Strategies
Think Aloud a Passage – I’m not exactly sure if this counts as a strategy, but this is a great tool from the Beers book to help students understand how to read, and what to think about when reading. The teacher reads aloud a passage, and as he/she reads, uses strategies for understanding the text and shares them with the students. The teacher provides a model by thinking aloud the strategies, so students know what they should be doing as they read.
Though the strategy seemed to be for students learning to read in their first language, it is also an excellent tool for students to learn a second language. This would be great to use when students first start learning to read longer passages and books. The early stages of the language are learning just vocabulary words and then short sentences, so this is very helpful for students to start recognizing passages as a whole. Even students that can do this well in English may not remember to do so in French, or any other second language.
Nonstop Write – In this strategy, students write in response to a prompt for three to five minutes. Students use sentences and paragraphs, but emphasis is not placed on spelling or punctuation, but on content. The idea is to get a lot of thoughts down, like a brainstorm, while writing continuously for a specified amount of time. After time is up, students can then get in groups or pairs and discuss what they wrote.
In a language class, this would be a great way to clarify understanding of longer passages of text. After reading a passage in a book, students can perform a nonstop write prompted by what they read. When meeting up in groups, they can compare and contrast their thoughts and make sure that they are following what we are reading.
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