Classroom Resource

French Interviews: Education

Subject Area

World Languages

Grade(s)

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

This novice high to intermediate low French activity allows students to gather information from four different heritage French speakers: Franck, J-C, Stephanie, and Virginie. Students are asked to gather information as the speakers describe life in high school and college and discuss what they studied. This activity is split into four different audio sections that can be used as a group or separately.  There is also a list of French questions to aid in interpersonal conversations as students discuss the cultural information they learned. This lesson also asks students to compare differences between life on university campuses in the US to life on campuses in France. The links to the interviews used in this activity are posted in the comment section below. Each video provides optional French and English transcripts.

Key grammar points in these audio clips include past tense.

World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.1

Communicate and share on familiar topics with a variety of words, phrases, and simple sentences in the past time frame.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.1

Knowledge

Students know:
  • question words and how to recognize and use them in conversation.
  • how to describe themselves in first person.
  • how to describe others in third person.
  • interpret information from texts, graphs, and pictures.
  • utilize the language to express needs.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • use basic greetings.
  • introduce themselves.
  • respond to yes/no questions.
  • respond to either or questions.
  • answer who, what, when where.
  • say age.
  • say what one likes/dislikes.
  • talk about places.
  • interpret meaning of question words when used in conversation and respond appropriately.
  • collect information using basic question words.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • ask and answer questions related to school subjects.
  • have a simple conversation on a variety of concrete topics.
  • relate information using basic informal commands.
  • construct verbs using formations that indicate past actions.
  • interpret meaning of question words when used in conversation and respond appropriately.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • other understandings will depend on the theme being taught.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.2

Interpret what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar topics using the past tense.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.2

Knowledge

Students know: how to:
  • interpret audio and visual documents in the target language
  • identify key information and details from the target language materials
  • explain how the target language is connected to other content areas through geography, history, etc.
  • recognize basic products of the target language culture.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • identify the key idea presented by a speaker or published work on a familiar topic.
  • differentiate between questions and statements.
  • gather basic information from graphs, charts and pictures.
  • rely on background knowledge to aid in comprehension of difficult or new words.
  • recognize characters and punctuation marks that are unique to the target language.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • identify patterns in the contruction of past tense verbs and how this impacts meaning of texts.
  • how to recognize and use descriptors in basic conversations
  • restate key information.
  • use cognates to assist in comprehension of target language materials.

Understanding

Students understand that:
Novice High Level
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • other understandings will depend on the theme being taught.
Students understand that:
Intermediate Low Level
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • other understandings will depend on the theme being taught.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.8

Compare characteristics of the target language and the native language.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.8

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to recognize similarities among root words in order to aid comprehension in the target language.
  • which pronouns and verb forms to use in formal and informal situations.
  • how to politely ask for assistance or information.
  • how to greet and thank someone formally and informally.
  • that word order varies across langauges and may differ from their native language.
  • that some expressions (ex.
    • idomatic expressions) may not translate literally from language to language.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • use the alphabet or writing system to express ideas.
  • use diacritical markings to clarify meaning when writing.
  • identify appropriate situations in which to use formal and informal structures.
  • memorize common idomatic expressions.
  • match words from the target language to similarly structured words in the native language.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • identify which situations would require formal or informal forms of language.
  • use correct word order when writing and speaking about dates and descriptions.
  • recognize and use very common idomatic expressions.
  • match words from the target language to similarly structured words in the native language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • languages can show formality and informality in ways different from their native language.
  • cognates and false cognates exist between languages.
  • not every word or phrase has an equivalent translation in another language.
  • word order often differs between languages.
  • by learning another language one can better understand how the native language works.
  • other understandings will depend on theme taught.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.9

Compare products, practices, and perspectives of the target culture and the native culture.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.9

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how people in the target culture tend to spend their days.
  • what holidays are celebrated in the target culture and how they are celebrated.
  • a few games, fairy tales, songs, and rhymes in the target culture.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • identify the products, practices, and perspectives that are unique to native culture.
  • identify the products, practices, and perspectives that are unique to the target language culture including celebrations, music, games, and rhymes.
  • compare and contrast native and target culture products, practices and perspectives.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • compare and contrast daily life activities in the target and native cultures, such as schooling, working, freetime activities, and daily routines.
  • compare and contrast holiday celebrations and traditions in the target and native cultures.
  • identify games, fairy tales, songs, and rhymes from the target culture and compare them with those of the native culture.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • daily routines may differ between cultures as a result of several contributing factors.
  • different cultures may celebrate holidays in diverse ways.
  • different cultures may celebrate different holidays.
  • different cultures have original games, stories, songs, and rhymes.
  • custom and tradition vary within a culture, as well as between cultures.
  • by studying another culture, one can better understand and appreciate their own.
  • other understanding will depend on theme being taught.
Link to Resource
https://www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/sites/laits.utexas.edu.fi/files/vid_int_fr_11_0…

CR Resource Type

Learning Activity

Resource Provider

Other

Resource Provider other

University of Texas at Austin
Accessibility

Accessibility

Video resources: includes closed captioning or subtitles
License

License Type

Attribution

Comments or Notes

Audio links for the activities are posted here: 

Activity #1: High School Franck JC Stephanie Virginie  
Activity #2: Cities and Languages Franck JC Stephanie Virginie  
Activity #3: University Franck JC Stephanie Virginie  
Activity #4: University Comparison NA NA Stephanie NA

 

Approved Date

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