Alignment Template: Asking Questions in French

Carol McKay
Mckayc4039@my.uwstout.edu

Terminal Objective: Recognize the intonation of closed (yes/no) questions in French

Enabling
Assessment Idea
Absorb Activity
Do Activity
Objectives
Demonstrate
Informal formative
Students watch
Drill and practice:
auditory
assessment:
and listen (to
Learners will
recognition of
Thumbs up
instructor, to
respond with a
closed questions
gesture,
video) modeling
thumbs up/down
using gestures or (alternative =
declarative and
gesture to indicate
simple response
index card with
interrogative
if phrases heard
(Oui/Non)
Oui/Non on each
sentences. They
are statements
side) or oral
will see an upward (thumbs down) or
response to
arrow for rising
questions (thumbs
auditory prompt
intonation of
up) Alternatives:
from instructor,
questions.
use of index cards
indicating if what
Equation
showing Oui and
they hear is a
= une
Non or having
question.
question oui/non is students respond
written on
orally.
SmartBoard.

Connect Activity
Ponder activity:
Students answer in
their own words,
Why would it be
important to be
able to distinguish
between
statements and
questions in
another language?
Can you think of
an example from
everyday life?

(DAccord! P.48)

Demonstrate
auditory
recognition of
closed questions

Listening
Checklist:
Students check
box to indicate if

Presentation:
Instructor-led or
slideshow of closed
questions and

Students practice
identifying
questions by
drawing an upward

Listening
Checklist:
Ponder/Citeexample activity:

by completing a
checklist

what they hear is a

question or
statement.
[Ponder/citeexample activity]

declarative
statements in the
target language.

arrow over the

words they hear
with rising
intonation.
Jean est en cours ?

Explain how to
recognize closed
questions in
French.

Exit Slip: Explain

how to
distinguish
between a heard
statement and a
question in
learners own
words.

Presentation:
Instructor-led or
slideshow (PWPT)
or video

Practice identifying
closed questions
from statements in
French. If a
question is
identified, learner
explains why /
how it is identified
as such.

Students must
identify the
questions from all
of the statements
that they hear
(pronounced by
instructor or
recorded) by
checking a box
next to the
phrase.
Exit Slip: Students
will clearly explain
how to
distinguish
statements from
questions in
French. They will
rate the
importance of this
knowledge from
their own, personal
perspective.

Terminal Objective: Remember the four methods used to pose a closed question in French
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea
Absorb Activity
Do Activity
Connect Activity

Identify the
different
methods used to
ask a closed
(yes/no) question
in French.

Given a list of
strategies,
students select
the four methods
used to pose a
closed question.

Students watch and

listen to instructor,
to slideshow
modeling
interrogative
sentences using the
four methods:
1.intonation (see
Terminal objective
above), 2.Tag
questions, 3. Est-ce
que, 4. Inversion
Meanings of tag
questions:
-nest-ce pas? =
right?
-daccord? =
okay?
and of the
interrogative
phrase:
Est-ce que = a
phrase used to
introduce a yes/no
question
are posted on Smart
Board for
clarification
(DAccord! P.48)

Practice activity:
Students practice
changing a simple
declarative
statement into a
question using the
four methods.
e.g. Tu es au caf.
1. Tu es au caf ?
2. Tu es au caf,
nest-ce pas?
3. Est-ce que tu
es au caf ?
4. Es-tu au caf ?
The practice
activity will be
done face-to-face
in pairs or small
groups. Instructor
will be able to offer
assistance or
formative feedback
during activity.
Practice: From a
list, order the
methods to pose a
closed question in
French in degree of
difficulty, from

Cite-example
activity:
Given a checklist of
7+ language
strategies,
learners will
identify the Four
Methods for
asking a yes/no
question in French.
Alternative: Given a
list of 7+ phrases
in French (either
orally or in writing),
students will
identify the
method used to
ask a closed
question.
[I=inversion,
V=voice intonation,
E=est-ce que,
T=tag question)
Ponder activity:
From the methods
in the above
activity, explain
which method is
the simplest to

simple to complex.

Explain the four

methods to pose a
closed question (or
provide an
example of each.)

Exit Slip/Quiz:
Students select
from a list the four
methods, OR
Students provide
an explanation
and an example
of each of the four
methods using
sentence elements
provided.

Presentation:
instructor-led
presentation
(SMARTboard) or
PWPT slideshow.

Formative or
Summative

assessment.

Ask closed
questions in
French using 3 of
the 4 methods

Summative
Assessment:
Prepare a cultural
skit/ Conversation

View/listen to
modeled examples
provided.

use? Which one is

the most difficult?
Explain your
rationale. Which
one(s) do you feel
most comfortable
using?
YOU are the
teacher: Prepare
a simple
explanation of the
four methods used
in French to ask
yes/no questions.
Pretend the
students are your
age or younger. If
you can, give an
example question
for the four
methods. Variation:
Prepare your
explanation as
either a slideshow
or a poster/job aid
for class.
Practice what youve learned. With a
partner, plan and write a skit in French.
The context is lcole. Ask each
other many yes/no questions on

presented, with
proper intonation.

in target language
in which many
closed questions
are asked.

(DAccord! Pp48-49;
+ online, self-paced
Supersite
activities for
listening and
speaking practice.)
Supersite url:
daccord1.vhlcentral.
com

Terminal Objective:
Enabling Objectives
Respond in writing
to closed questions
posed by instructor
or heard on audio
file (ancillary
material of
textbook)

Answer closed questions

Assessment Idea
Absorb Activity
Quiz: Multiple
View/listen to
choice answers to modeled examples
auditory question
provided.
prompts read by
instructor or from
(DAccord! Pp48-49;
an audio file of
+ online, self-paced
native speaker.
Supersite
(ancillary audio file activities for
w/ textbook)
listening and
speaking practice.)
Supersite url:
daccord1.vhlcentral.

topics related to the scenario: (e.g. Do

you like your classes? You study
calculus, right?) Use each of the four
methods of asking questions at least
once. May present this as a phone
conversation.
Will be assessed using our rubric,
valuation du sketch culturel.

Do Activity
Quiz: Multiple
choice answers to
auditory question
prompts read by
instructor or from
an audio file of
native speaker.
(ancillary audio file
w/ textbook)

Connect Activity

Respond orally to
closed questions
posed by instructor
(or partner) in the
target language.

Instructorlearner interview
of 5 closed
questions in target
language.

com
Listen to examples
provided as a
resource or in an
online library form:
(DAccord! Pp 48-49)
+ the Supersite
(Unit 2, Leon 2A
Forming
Questions)

Practice asking
closed questions in
target language in
structured infogap
activity. Then,
Instructorlearner interview
of 5 closed
questions in target
language.

To continue: Create
a 5-question
interview to
conduct with a
partner in the
target language.
Then, present (or
videotape or
record) the
interview for others
to view/hear.