French Teaching Portfolio

Gena Chattin

Contents

I. Syllabi
a. Syllabus – French 103, Summer 2008
II. Activities
a. Communicative Activities
i. Bingo: Sports and Hobbies
ii. Chemistry Lab Explosion (Journalist / Interviewee)
iii. Find Someone Who…
iv. Gossiping About Last Weekend
v. Hometown Tourism Office
vi. Sharing Thanksgiving Traditions
b. Listening Activities
i. A Little History
ii. Athlete Portraits
iii. Invitations
c. Reading Activities
i. Classified Ads
ii. Les Misérables excerpt
iii. When I Was Little
d. Vocabulary Activities
i. Bathroom and Morning Routine
ii. Classroom Vocabulary
iii. Family Tree
III. Assignments
a. Conversation
i. French 103 Causeries (Conversations)
b. Composition
i. French 103 Composition sur table 01 (In-class Composition), “Un
portrait”
ii. French 103 Composition sur table 02 (In-class Composition), My Best
Friend and Me
iii. French 203 Composition sur table 01 (In-class Composition), A Good
Memory
iv. French 203 Composition sur table 02 (In-class Composition), Dream
Vacations
c. Presentations
i. French 103 Présentations culturelles (Cultural Presentations)
IV. Graded Work
a. Grading Rubrics
i. French 103 Composition Evaluation Rubric, University of Maryland,
ii. French 103 Final Exam Grading Rubric, University of Maryland
b. Composition
 i. French 103 Composition sur table 01 (In-class Composition) Samples
ii. French 103 Composition sur table 02 (In-class Composition) Samples
iii. French 203 Composition sur table (In-class Composition) Samples
iv. French 203 Quia At-home Composition, “Mon enfance (My childhood)”
Samples
 I. Syllabi

a. Syllabus – French 103, Summer 2008

 II. Activities

a. Communicative Activities
• Bingo: Sports and Hobbies
• Chemistry Lab Explosion (Journalist / Interviewee)
• Find Someone Who…
• Gossiping About Last Weekend
• Hometown Tourism Office
• Sharing Thanksgiving Traditions
Speaking Activity: Bingo (Sports and Hobbies)

Further acquaint students with each other practice sport and hobby vocabulary.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed early in the course after
students have learned sport and hobby vocabulary, have been exposed to the verbs avoir and
être, and have been exposed to verbs ending in -er.

Goals: Students should be able to quickly ask questions of their classmates about hobbies and
sports as well as respond to the same affirmatively or negatively in complete sentences.

Materials needed: Small prizes for bingo winners.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce the exercise as indicated in the "Avant de parler" section of Chez Nous
Exercise 1-28. Since the exercise is a sort of bingo, it's best to either make photocopies of
the book page or make copies of an identical, homemade bingo card.
• Have two students model the sample dialogue presented in the exercise.
• Give students time to look over the bingo table in the "Parlons" section and address any
questions.

Activity:
• Turn students loose to question their classmates until someone completes a bingo line on
their card.
• Do provide an upper time limit in case no one can do it.

Follow-up:
• When bingo is called, ask that person to check his or her responses by telling the class
which classmates he or she found. If the winner is correct, give him or her a small prize.
• If time permits, repeat the exercise.

Time estimated: 15 minutes.

Communicative Activity: Journalists on Campus

A role-playing activity for practicing university campus vocabulary, prepositions of place

and interrogative adverbs and for reviewing verbs être and aller.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed after students have studied
prepositions of place and the verbs aller and être. It is a complex exercise that combines several
new skills at a fairly early learning stage, so instructors should take this into account and be sure
to allot enough time.

Goals: The activity should help students to master prepositions of place, interrogative adverbs,
and campus vocabulary. They should also use previously studied skills in this early production
exercise (potentially including numbers).

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Split the classroom into two groups. Since the students should recently have learned
numbers, this can be done by asking them to count out loud to a number equaling half the
total class count; starting again from the number one halfway through the class; and then
asking students to find their matching number in the other half of the class.
• Explain that they are journalists sent to write a story about a large explosion in a campus
chemistry lab. One half of the class will be journalists. The other half will play secretaries
in the campus information center. It's up to the journalist to find out as much about the
building and where to find it from the receptionists as they can.
• Present the vocabulary in the "Materials Needed" section below.
• Have two students model the roles below to the class before beginning.
• Give campus maps to the students playing receptionists.

Activity:
• Give students five minutes or so to come up with ways to ask or answer potential
questions. Journalists may work with journalists and receptionists with receptionists, but
journalists may not work with receptionists before the activity begins.
• Tum journalists loose to approach information center receptionists with their questions.

Follow-up: Regroup students. Ask how many journalists were able to understand the directions
and thought they could find the chemistry lab. Then ask how many receptionists were able to
answer the journalists' questions. Take a pair who feel confident and ask them to repeat a few
questions and answers for the class.
Communicative Activity: Journalists on Campus (continued)

Time estimated: 30 minutes (5 minutes group separation, 5 minutes explanation and

vocabulary presentation, 5 minutes prep, 10 minutes activity, 5 minutes follow-up).

Materials needed:

Supplies:

• Enough campus maps for at least half the class.

Vocabulaire:
un/une secrétaire - a secretary
l' accueil - a welcome/information desk or office
un joumaliste -journalist
un article - an article
écrire (J'écris ... ) - to write (I'm writing ... )
chercher (Je cherche ... )- to search, look for
Ou se trouve ... - Where is ... I Where do I find .. .
laboratoire / labo de chimie - chemistry lab
exploser (avoir explosé)- to explode (have exploded)

Modèle
É1, Joumaliste Bonjour. Je suis joumaliste pour La Gazette et je cherche le labo de
chimie.
É2, Secretaire Bonjour. Ici sur le campus il y a plusieurs laboratoires. Quel laboratoire
est-ce que vous cherchez ?
É1 Je cherche le laboratoire qui a explose hier soir. C'est ou exactement ?
É2 C’est dans le bâtiment Martin, juste à côté de la bibliothèque.
É1 Merci bien!
É2 Je vous en prie.

Speaking Activity: "Trouvez quelqu'un qui... " (Find someone who...)

Acquaint new students and practice new vocabulary in this early course mixer.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed early in the course after
students have learned some very basic vocabulary (classroom vocabulary, date elements, age,
etc.) and have been exposed to the verbs avoir and être.

Goals: Students should be able to ask questions of their classmates and find an affirmative
response using the vocabulary and grammar they've learned up to this point.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce the exercise as indicated in the "Avant de parler" section of Chez Nous
Exercise 1-28. Give students time to brainstorm either with a partner or as a class on
questions they could ask to find the information listed in the "En parlant” section. Also
answer any questions the students have on vocabulary here.

Activity:
• Model the procedure using the “En parlant” section model.
• Give students a limited amount of time announced in advance (i.e. 5 minutes) to stand
and circulate around the classroom asking questions of everyone they pass, looking for
students who meet the criteria in the “En parlant” section questions. They must write
down that person's name (thus getting to know their classmates better as well as answer
the questions).
• Since this is a limited-time activity, make sure the students know how much time is left.
This should also encourage students to keep moving instead of wasting time talking in
English or not asking questions.

Follow-up:
• When time is called, find out who was successful as described in the "Après avoir parlé"
section. If questions remain unanswered, ask them of the class as a whole and address
any remaining vocabulary questions.

Time estimated: 15 minutes.

Speaking Activity: "Les distractions du week-end dernier." (Gossiping About Last Weekend)

Students can gossip about their weekend while applying the passé compose.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed late in the course after
students have learned a variety of verbs and activity vocabulary and have studied the passé
compose.

Goals: Students should be able to quickly ask questions of their classmates about a
variety of activities done in the recent past. They should also be able to respond at length
in short narratives about their own activities.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce the exercise as indicated in the instruction section of Chez Nous Exercise 5-32.
Students will circulate in the classroom, asking questions to find classmates who may
have done one of the activities listed during the previous weekend. They will then ask
questions to find out more details.
• Have two students model the sample dialogue presented in the exercise.
• Give students time to look over the questions listed and address any pre-activity
questions that arise.

Activity:
• Turn students loose to circulate and question their classmates for a predetermined
amount of time (i.e. 5 minutes).
• Once students have found someone, ask them to find out as much information as they
can about the event before time runs out.

Follow-up:
Ask several students to tell the class what they discovered. Encourage them to use the passé
compose where appropriate. Discuss.

Time estimated: 20 minutes.

 II. Activities

b. Listening Activities
• A Little History
• Athlete Portraits
• Invitations
Listening Activity: "Un peu d’histoire" (A Little History)

Allows students to hear numeric and date vocabulary in a historic context while they learn about
the history of Francophone Canada.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed after students have learned
numeric, date, and calendar vocabulary. Students should also be familiar with être and avoir.

Goals: While watching a video, students should be able to identify dates when spoken as well as
recognize discussion of historic events based on vocabulary discussed before the viewing.

Materials needed: Videocassette accompanying the textbook Chez Nous.

The Activity
Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce the video's setting as explained in the “Avant de regarder” section of Chez
Nous Exercise 3-38.
• Discuss the historic milestones also presented in this section and inductively encourage
students to figure out the new and strange words.

Activity:
• Ask students to read the “En regardant” section while the video is prepared and cued.
Discuss vocabulary used in the events for which the students will listen.
• Practice reading the dates orally. Ideally, at this point students should be encouraged to
speak each year in French without their being modeled.
• Play the video, give the students a moment to note the sequence of events, and play it
again.
• Discuss correct responses and reasons for them. If beneficial, the video can be played a
third time and the teacher can indicate each event when it's mentioned.

Follow-up:
Prompt students to discuss the questions listed in the "Apres avoir regarde" section.

Time estimated: 25 minutes.

Listening Activity: "Des portraits d'athlètes"

Allows students to hear descriptive vocabulary in action while they learn about compelling
Francophone sports personalities.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed after students have learned
the verb être and studied variable and invariable adjectives (as applied to people).

Goals: Students should be challenged to reach just beyond the skills they've developed to
understand a text with a few unfamiliar words.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce each of the three athletes by their photo and the questions asked in the "Avant
d'écouter'' section of Chez Nous Exercise 2-25.

Activity:
• Ask students to read the "En écoutant" section before beginning. Address any questions
and give students a moment or two to draw a table on a sheet of paper if photocopies
have not been provided.
• Play the first recording once. Allow students to take notes for a few moments and then
play it again.
• Repeat with recordings two and three.
• Give students a moment to think about potential responses to the "Après avoir écouté"
section. Students can also be asked to write a short narrative styled after the model.

Follow-up:
• Ask several students to present their narrative to the class. Discuss.

Time estimated: 25 minutes.

Listening Activity: "Des invitations"

Students get a peek into a French woman 's life by listening to her answering machine messages
where they can practice listening for activity and invitation vocabulary as well as the passe
compose.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed later in the course after
students are familiar with several types of verbs as well as activity and travel vocabulary and
after students have been exposed to the passé compose.

Goals: While listening to sample answering machine messages, students should be able to pick
out important details of the event discussed such as when, where, and why.

Materials needed: CD accompanying the textbook Chez Nous.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce the exercise as indicated in the "Avant d'écouter" section of Chez Nous
Exercise 5-39 by asking students to describe in French the phone messages they typically
receive.

Activity:
• Discuss the "En écoutant" section with students before beginning. Go over the process
outlined here as well as the table and make sure they understand what they're listening
for. Address any questions and give them a moment or two to draw a table on a sheet of
paper if photocopies have not been provided.
• Play the first recording once. Allow students to take notes for a few moments and then
play it again.
• Repeat with recordings two, three, and four.
• Give students a moment to think about potential responses to the "Après avoir écouté"
section. Students can also be asked to write them down.

Follow-up:
• Ask several students to tell the class how they responded to questions in "Après avoir
écouté." Discuss.

Time estimated: 25 minutes.

 II. Activities

c. Reading Activities
• Classified Ads
• Les Misérables excerpt
• When I Was Little
Reading Activity: Petites annonces (Classified Ads)

Students apply job-related vocabulary in a real-world context by browsing French classified ads
from a Quebecois newspaper.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed after students have learned job-
related vocabulary and the verbs être and avoir. Students should also understand the concept of cognates.

Goals: Students should be challenged to pull what they know out of a French text and understand the
overall meaning despite unfamiliar vocabulary. Students should also learn about the culture of work (and
of advertising, somewhat) in Francophone Canada.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Explain the meaning of “un journal” and “petites announces” before introducing the activity.
• As outlined in the “Avant de lire” section, cue students on what they should pick out of the ads in
order to understand them. Emphasize that students will not understand all the words in each ad
but that they should be able to guess the overall idea of each.
Activity:
• Ask students to read the questions in the “En lisant” sections before reading the text and then ask
them to answer the questions after having read it. Students can discuss the questions and answers
with a partner after both have read the passage.
• Ask students to go a step further than their current reading level by searching out the answers to
questions in the “En regardant plus près” section.
Follow-up:
• Apply the reading to the students’ own lives by asking (1) whether or not the students would
qualify for each job, and (2) how the ads are different from those in the United States as indicated
in the “Après avoir lu” section.

Time estimated: 20 minutes.

Reading Activity: “Les Misérables”

Allows student to describe people and introduces students to one of the most important works in
Francophone literature.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed after students have learned
the verb être and studied variable and invariable adjectives (as applied to people).

Goals: Students should be challenged to reach just beyond the skills they've developed to
understand a text with a few unfamiliar words.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Explain the piece’s setting and history to the students and introduce some of the major
characters using the “Avant de lire” section of Exercise 2-13 in the Chez Nous textbook.
• Then ask students to list adjectives describing the characters in the images at the bottom
of that section.
Activity:
• Ask students to read the questions in the “En lisant” sections before reading the text.
Then ask them to answer the questions after having read it. Students can discuss the
questions and answers with a partner after both have read the passage.
• Discuss the responses and how students came to them by discussing the questions in the
“En regardant plus près” section.
Follow-up:
• Discuss with students the accuracy (or lack thereof) of the portraits they described earlier
as indicated in the “Après avoir lu” section.

Time estimated: 20 minutes.

Reading Activity: "Quand j’étais toute petite" (When I was little)

Allows students to see the imparfait verb tense used in a storytelling setting and introduces them
to a prolific Francophone author.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed late in the course after
students have been exposed to the imparfait as a past tense and a storytelling device.

Goals: Students should be able to answer questions about the content and details of a longer
passage using many instances of the imparfait verb tense even if they do not understand every
word of the vocabulary.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Introduce the text's author and explain its setting and characters to the students using the
“Avant de lire” section of Exercise 6-40 in the Chez Nous textbook.
Activity:
• Ask students to read the questions in the “En lisant” section before reading the text. Then
ask them to answer the questions after having read it. Students can discuss the questions
and answers with a partner after both have read the passage.
• Discuss the responses to “En lisant,” and delve into the larger meaning of the text by
discussing the questions in the “En regardant plus près” section.
Follow-up:
• Discuss with students the significance of symbolism in the text and ask about the
students’ similar childhood memories as indicated in the “Après avoir lu” section.

Time estimated: 20 minutes.

 II. Activities

d. Vocabulary Activities
• Bathroom and Morning Routine
• Classroom Vocabulary
• Family Tree
Vocabulary Activity: Classroom Vocabulary

Introduces students to their classroom environment and some phrases they'll hear
throughout the class.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed very early in the course to
acquaint students with French words for items they'll see and use every day.

Goals: Students should understand French references to different parts of their classroom
environment.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Using the Chez Nous transparency TP-2, go over vocabulary as it's presented in the
image, asking students to repeat vocabulary to master pronunciation.

Activity:
• Ask students to close their books.
• Drill them on individual items in the unlabeled transparency image. Emphasize the
importance of noun genders (un vs. une vs. des and le vs. la vs. les).
• Turn off the overhead projector and drill the students on the vocabulary using the realia
around you (i.e. the chalkboard, tables, desks, and notebooks).

Follow-up: Ask a few students to get up and find a few of the items discussed in the classroom.

Time estimated: 20 minutes.

Vocabulary Activity: Family Tree Vocabulary

Enable students to talk about their families.

Lesson Placement: This beginning-level French lesson is best placed early in the course but
after students have learned basic vocabulary such as classroom questions and responses.

Goals: Students should understand how to refer to different members of their family in French.

The Activity

Pre-activity Warm-up:
• Using the Chez Nous transparency T1-1, introduce students to Eric Brunet and his family
using the text at the beginning of Chapitre 1 Leçon 1. Indicate each person on the
overhead when his or her name and relation is mentioned.
• Go over vocabulary as it's presented in the table on page 32, indicating someone who
matches the description on the overhead and asking students to repeat vocabulary to
master pronunciation.

Activity:
• Ask students to close their books.
• Drill them on individual family members.
• Turn off the overhead projector and ask students the names of various family members.
(Ask them to answer in complete sentences.)

Follow-up: Ask students to draw out a small family tree (immediate family, possibly
grandparents, aunts, and uncles) identifying each name with the correct French reference.

Time estimated: 15 minutes.

 III. Assignments

a. Conversation
• French 103 Causeries (Conversations)
 III. Assignments

b. Composition
• French 103 Composition sur table 01 (In-class Composition), “Un portrait”
• French 103 Composition sur table 02 (In-class Composition), My Best Friend and Me
• French 203 Composition sur table 01 (In-class Composition), A Good Memory
• French 203 Composition sur table 02 (In-class Composition), Dream Vacations
Français 103 Nom : __________________
Été 2008 Composition sur table nº 1 Chez nous : Chapitre 2

Code d’honneur :

Un portrait. Think about a close friend, a classmate, or a family member, and write a description
of this person. Include information about the person’s family, personality (both positive and
negative traits), physical appearance, and favorite activities. (25 pts: 20 + 5 for the re-write)

Préparation. To begin, complete the following chart to help organize your thoughts. (5 pts)

C’est qui?

La famille

Traits de caractère

Traits d’apparance physique

Activités préférées

Rédaction. Now write a well-composed paragraph with the information you provided. (15 pts)
Français 103 Nom : __________________
Été 2008 Composition sur table nº 2 Chez nous : Chapitre 4

Code d’honneur :

Mon/Ma meilleur/e ami/e et moi. Compare yourself to your best friend. Do you have
personalities, habits, and tastes that are alike or different? (20 pts.)

Préparation (5 pts): To help organize your thoughts, complete the chart below, in FRENCH, with
information about your friend and yourself.

vous votre ami/e

personnalité :

habitudes / routines :

activités préférées :

Rédaction (15 pts) : Now introduce your friend and write a well-organized comparison.
Français 203 Nom : __________________
Composition sur table n° 1 Chez nous : Chapitre 7

Code d’honneur :

Un bon souvenir. Racontez un événement mémorable (peut-être une fête passée en famille ou
avec des amis). Dans votre récit, employez le passé composé et l’imparfait. (25 pts : 20 + 5
pour la réécriture)

Préparation (5 pts) :
Avec qui est-ce que vous avez partagé cette expérience ?
Quels étaient l’occasion/la saison/le temps ?
Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait ?
Quelles étaient vos émotions ?

Rédaction (15 pts) : Organisez vos idées, et écrivez un paragraphe bien composé.
 Français 203 Nom :
Composition sur table n° 2 Chez nous : Chapitre 9

Code d’honneur :

Des voyages de rêve. Imaginez un voyage mémorable et décrivez-le. Dans votre récit,
employez le futur. (25 pts total : 20 pts pour la composition + 5 pts pour la réécriture)

Préparation (5 pts) :
1. Où est-ce que vous irez ? Avec qui ?

2. Qu’est-ce que vous ferez ?

3. Quel temps fera-t-il ?

4. Pourquoi est-ce que ce voyage sera un voyage de rêve ?

Rédaction (15 pts) : Organisez vos idées, et écrivez un ou deux paragraphes de huit à dix
phrases bien composés.
 III. Assignments

c. Presentations
• French 103 Présentations culturelles (Cultural Presentations)
 IV. Graded Work

a. Grading Rubrics
• French 103 Composition Evaluation Rubric, University of Maryland,
• French 103 Final Exam Grading Rubric, University of Maryland
Grading Criteria for Entretien Final (Final Exam)

Nom: A+ A B C D F
Accuracy in use of basic structures (Subject-verb agreement, 20 19 17 15 13 10
noun adjective-agreement, word order, negation,... For A and B
grades, errors should not impede comprehension)

Vocabulary (Accurate, varied, broad enough for the task) 20 19 17 15 13 10

Comprehensibility (Student understands you, and you 20 19 17 15 13 10

understand the student)

Fluency (Student is confident and not groping for individual 20 19 17 15 13 10

words)

Pronunciation (Errors do not interfere with communication) 10 9 8 7 6 5

Dialogue/Interaction (There is a true interaction; the student 10 9 8 7 6 5

asks you questions and does not simply respond to questions)

TOTAL POINTS: _________

 IV. Graded Work

b. Composition
• French 103 Composition sur table 01 (In-class Composition) Samples
• French 103 Composition sur table 02 (In-class Composition) Samples
• French 203 Composition sur table (In-class Composition) Samples
• French 203 Quia At-home Composition, “Mon enfance (My childhood)” Samples