French Connections
Introduction
The Internet can add an immediacy and
contemporary flavor to French classes, introducing students
not only to the vibrant culture of France but to an international
realm of discourse where multi-linguistic skills are taken for
granted.
Learning Objectives
To strengthen student perceptions of
the real-world importance of mastering a foreign language;
to give students at all levels practice in reading and writing
French; to engage lower level students in using their knowledge
of French to plan a tour of Paris; to engage upper level students
in using their knowledge of French to compare French and American
journalism.
All Levels
Have students work in pairs to produce an
English-language guide to the resources linked with the American
Association of Teachers of French (AATF) website. This will
involve browsing the site itself and following the links it
offers through several levels in order to assess and fully
describe what is available. The exercise offers significant
practice in reading French and opportunities to encounter
the language in a wide range of applications, from the world
of finance to that of popular music. Student guides can take
the form of a "top ten" catalog, with full translations
from the sites they find most fascinating, an indication of
the level of French language proficiency needed to enjoy each
site, and some suggestions for how students might use each
one. To produce a more comprehensive student guide to French-related
resources on the Internet, assign each pair of students a
specific subject area -- literature, politics, cuisine, film,
etc. -- so that their reports can become chapters in a collaborative
project.
Introductory Levels
1
Have students work in small groups to plan a three-day tour
of Paris, using the Pariscope, Paris Metro, Louvre, Musee
des Arts et Metiers, Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie,
and Galeries Lafayette websites listed under "Discovering
French Culture on the World Wide Web" in the "Les Bonnes Adresses de l'AATF " section of the AATF website. Students will find
information at these websites on accommodations, transportation,
attractions, entertainment, special events -- even the weather.
Have each group prepare a detailed itinerary for its tour,
including maps showing the route they propose to follow each
day, descriptions of the sights they plan to see, and menus
for their meals.
2
Use these itineraries to have students
role play in French some typical encounters and experiences
on their imaginary tour: asking for the location of a particular
work of art in a museum; buying and mailing a postcard home
to friends; attending a sports event; etc. Students can also
use their knowledge of Paris to play a quiz game: assign each
group a category (e.g., metro stops, famous French artists,
monuments, getting from here to there, great restaurants,
etc.) and have them make up five challenging questions (in
French), then mix-up all the questions and go from group to
group, with the group able to answer the most questions declared
winner. Conclude the lesson by having students write a journal
page about one day of their imaginary Paris tour.
Advanced Levels
1
To give students firsthand experience with French culture
and society, have them compare French and American journalism.
Begin with a discussion of American newspapers: What kinds
of stories appear on the front page? What kinds of issues
are addressed on the editorial page? What topics often have
their own section in a newspaper (business, sports, etc.)?
What are some regular features in the paper (comics, horoscope,
obituaries, etc.)? You might have students bring newspapers
to class as part of this discussion, and follow up by having
them outline the characteristics of American newspapers identified
in your discussion, so they will have a checklist to use in
their research on French journalism.
2
Students can find two French newspapers
-- Le Monde and Liberation -- online
at the AATF website. Have students work in pairs to compare one of the
French newspapers point-for-point against their checklist
for American newspapers. Do the same kinds of events "make
news" in France as in the United States? Are daily events
divided into the same kinds of categories? Do French newspaper
readers look for the same kinds of regular features? Have
students read their French newspaper in some depth, taking
note, for example, of the different sports covered, the different
countries from which stories appear, and the kinds of issues
addressed by editorials. Students might also note whether
stories about the United States appear in the French news
as often as stories about France appear in the news here.
3
In
a class discussion, have students report on the differences
and similarities they noticed between the two countries'
newspapers. Lay the groundwork for this discussion by observing
that, to some extent, a nation's newspapers reflect its
view of itself and of its place in the world. The kinds of
stories covered, the priority given to certain stories by
placing them on the front page, the special coverage given
to topics like sports and business, all reflect some usually
unspoken consensus about what matters in everyday life --
what makes news. Encourage students to draw on their research
for some insight into the distinctively French and American
ways of looking at the world. Where do their world views intersect?
Where do they seem most "foreign" to one another?
What other sorts of evidence might students search out to
confirm their deductions?
4
As a follow-up to this lesson, have
students compare French and American coverage of the same
story (e.g., a gathering of international leaders, a United
Nations report, the Olympics, etc.). Do reporters in both
cultures follow the familiar journalistic formula for a news
story, the "Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why"
of an event? Do they answer these questions in the same way?
Do they observe similar standards of objectivity? How are
the perspectives of their separate cultures reflected in their
writing? Conclude by having students write a commentary on
American journalism from the French point of view, or rewrite
an American news story as it might be reported in France.
Extending the Lesson
Your students can use the Internet to experience a personal
involvement in French culture and society by establishing a pen-pal relationship
with students in France. The AATF website
provides access to Intercultural E-Mail Classroom
Connections (IECC) mailing lists, provided by St. Olaf College as a free
service to help teachers link their students with partners in other countries
and cultures.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
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