Unit PlanFrench I & II

9th & 10th Grade

Sarah Labins EDSC 425 Fall 2012

Unit Level Questions

To what extent does the formality of our language give it meaning?

To what extent do power relationships in society affect the world?

To what extent can the “art” or products we create and our contributions to the world benefit or change society?

To what extent does the way we describe something give it meaning?

Unit Level Objectives

Students will relate to the French films and art pieces by creating their own form of nature-based art through visual aids, skits, poems, or songs in the target language.

Students will compare and contrast their different forms of nature-based art using the target language.

Students will discuss and critically analyze works of art that portray power relationships, demonstrating their understanding of societal issues involving power and class struggles.

Students will apply their knowledge of the target language and reflect on context and culture to understand how these power tensions exist in other walks of life.

Unit Level Assessment

Students will be informally assessed throughout the unit through task-based activities where different forms of assessment will be collected, including written dialogues, drawings, oral presentations, skits, plays, songs, and short essays.

Students will have a Unit Level Formative Assessment through their participation and reflection of the class mural project.

National or State Standards

ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Teaching

The Five C’s of Foreign Language Education

Communication Cultures Connections Comparisons Communities

Day 1: Introduction to Adjectives Pedagogical Approaches: Traditional & Liberal/Progressive Teaching Methods

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can we change the meaning of a word by adding adjectives?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will be able to apply their newly acquired vocabulary through a communicative task by identifying adjectives.

Lesson Activities: Direct Instruction with PowerPoint, TPR movements and body language / facial expressions to introduce vocabulary. Fly Swatter game with “Simon Says” game for review.

Lesson Level Assessments: Accuracy during Fly Swatter game to reinforce learning of new adjectives.

Connections to Community: N/A

Relationships/Tensions: Showing opposites (Tall, small, nice, mean, etc.)

Day 2: Séraphine Ecojustice Lesson

Pedagogical Approaches: Ecojustice

Lesson Level Questions: How can we embellish words and the things we see and interact with through the use of adjectives? How does the impact of making the world a more ascetically appealing place affect the community, our society, and us as students? What kind of role do adjectives play in the framework of language?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will relate to the French film “Séraphine” by creating their own form of nature-based art through visual aids, skits, poems, or songs in the target language. Students will compare and contrast their different forms of nature-based art using newly acquired adjectives in the target language.

Lesson Activities: Viewing of the French film “Séraphine”, creating a piece of art and describing it using the target language.

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed on how they can share how they relate to the film by creating their own visual aids like a painting or drawing, or a skit, poem, or song in the target language. The formal assessment of this lesson will be depending on how the students can describe theirs and other students’ pieces of art using adjectives and parts of speech in the target language.

Connections to Community: This lesson is aimed at creating, strengthening, and exploring community connections, as “Séraphine” will most likely be a new lens for them to see French culture.

Relationships/Tensions: The main relationships that students will be discovering during this lesson are the ones between nature and us. Having an Ecojustice themed lesson is a great way for students to have a chance to think about the world as a place, not just pavement, buildings, and structures built by man. Séraphine paints what she sees in nature, and this reflects her relationship with the world. I am hoping students see that they can too have this kind of relationship with nature if they wanted to.

Séraphine

Clip

Day 3: Séraphine Ecojustice Presentations

Pedagogical Approaches: Ecojustice

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does our connection with nature shine through our artwork or creative response?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of adjectives in the target language through presentations of Séraphine inspired artwork.

Lesson Activities: Class Presentations

Lesson Level Assessments: Presentational Assessment

Connections to Community: Set up for Class Mural, inspiration is flowing and more ideas are being brainstormed

Relationships/Tensions: Students & Nature, Society & Nature

Day 4: Introduction to Family Vocabulary

Pedagogical Approaches: Traditional & Liberal/Progressive Teaching Methods, Transformative Methods through the Critical Pedagogy.

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent do people around the world value family? To what extent does language and names affect how we communicate?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will be able to identify French words for family members and show relationships through a family tree diagram.

Lesson Activities: Direct instruction to introduce vocabulary through use of visuals and PowerPoint.

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will arrange a dialogue and skit where they portray different ages and types of people, and the class will guess what member of the family they are acting as.

Connections to Community: Enlightenment for students about respect and societal standards.

Relationships/Tensions: Critical Pedagogy, struggles between classes and formalities of relations between age and status.

Day 5: Show & Tell of Student Families

Pedagogical Approaches: Traditional & Liberal/Progressive Teaching Methods.

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does family have importance in peoples’ lives? How do each of our family differences shape who we are as individuals?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will share their family trees and introduce family members to the class using the target language.

Lesson Activities: Show & Tell of Family Trees

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will share one statement about three family members of their choice, using vocabulary in the target language.

Connections to Community: Students having meaningful learning that brings their outside interests into the classroom will be more memorable and engaging.

Relationships/Tensions: N/A

Day 6: Critical Aesthetic Seurat Lesson Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does the use of “vous” or “tu” change context

when speaking in the target language To what extent do tensions exist because of formal and informal personal pronouns?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will discuss and critically analyze works of art that portray power relationships, demonstrating their understanding of societal issues involving power and class struggles. Students will apply their knowledge of personal pronouns and reflect on context and culture to understand how these power tensions exist in other walks of life.

Lesson Activities: Students will share their first impressions of art piece “La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. I will then show them a few other more recognizable versions of the piece and see if the students can distinguish who would be addressed in the formal and who would be addressed in the informal.

Lesson Level Assessments: The students will be creating a dialogue about “La Grande Jatte” in the target language. They have the opportunity to act out through drama or write a descriptive version, all while incorporating a certain amount of dialogue between characters. This will show their understanding of Vous/Tu.

Connections to Community: Students’ acquired knowledge of the target language is an attribution to society, just by their cultural and linguistic awareness and growth as a learner.

Relationships/Tensions: The main relationships that students will be discovering during this lesson are the ones between people of different levels of class in society. They will be using divergent thinking when creating their own dialogues and realizing patterns in who uses Vous/Tu.

“La Grande Jatte” de Georges Seurat

Day 7: Georges Seurat Dialogues/Art Presentations

Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic & Critical Pedagogy

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does your Seurat-inspired image show the relationships and tensions between characters and their statuses in society? To what extent can giving dialogue to an image make it come to life?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will demonstrate their understanding of Vous/Tu through their Seurat-inspired image and dialogue, presented in the class.

Lesson Activities: The students will be presenting their own image, along with providing a presentational type of overview of the features in the target language, or they can act out through drama or write a descriptive version, all while incorporating a certain amount of dialogue between characters. This will show their understanding of Vous/Tu.

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed on their use of Vous/Tu through their dialogues presented and their understanding through characters.

Connections to Community: Students will gain an awareness and understanding of societal power struggles.

Relationships/Tensions: The main relationships that students will be discovering during this lesson are the ones between people of different levels of class in society.

Day 8: Class Mural Project Introduction

Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy, Critical Pedagogy, Ecojustice Pedagogy

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can your public art send a message to your school community? To what extent can art be a tool for people to tell a story?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will illustrate their understanding of relationships in society within nature and between different societal statuses through a Mural on school walls.

Lesson Activities: Students will collaborate and brainstorm ideas for mural images for the staircase walls in the school.

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will work in small groups and submit one outline of ideas for their wall space, including an explanation in the target language.

Connections to Community: This mural will be student-organized and student-made, in their school. It will be spreading students’ messages about the themes brought up in class, including nature and societal ranking.

Relationships/Tensions: Students will begin to apply their understanding of using art to demonstrate their beliefs and opinions on society and nature.

Day 9: Class Mural Day

Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy, Critical Pedagogy, Ecojustice Pedagogy

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can your public art send a message to your school community? To what extent can art be a tool for people to tell a story?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will illustrate their understanding of relationships in society within nature and between different societal statuses through a Mural on school walls.

Lesson Activities: Students will partake in a class mural where they will paint their images depicting messages about the themes brought up in class, including nature and societal ranking.

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed through a reflection and questionnaire filled out at the end of the class, asking what their contribution was, and what message they wanted to share.

Connections to Community: Students will be directly contributing self-made public art to the school.

Relationships/Tensions: Students will apply their understanding of using art to demonstrate their beliefs and opinions on society and nature.

Day 10: Class Soirée

Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy, Critical Pedagogy, Ecojustice Pedagogy

Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can your public art send a message to your school community? To what extent can art be a tool for people to tell a story?

Lesson Level Objectives: Students will reflect on their art and share their mural piece with the class and other guests, students, and faculty.

Lesson Activities: Students will give a tour of the mural, each sharing their part and speaking in the target language. Light refreshments will be provided by the Teacher.

Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed on their participation, presentation, and use of the target language when speaking and sharing about their mural piece.

Connections to Community: Students will be explaining their art to the school community in the target language, therefore leaving some guests to use their imagination, and being advocates of their French studies.

Relationships/Tensions: Students will share their understanding of using art to demonstrate their beliefs and opinions on society and nature.