Unit Rationale

French as a Second Language : Grade 6

Melissa Kujundzic Section C






























Abstract:
This unit is the experience theme is Sports. It is a unit that will review basic French skills, then
teach students about expressions of personal preference, expressions related to physical activities
and seasonal sports, the names of common physical activities, how to use simple sentences in
order to ask questions and get a message across, to recognize elements of Francophone cultures
in the community, to state in French, that Canada has two official languagesFrench and English,
to use the internet to search for sport and physical activity preferences for young Francophone
children, and a listening, speaking, or reading comprehension strategy. Students will talk to a
native French speaker. They will create their own sports facility. They will interview a classmate
and mimic a real sports interview.


Digital Connectivity culture
Using new and old technology in the classroom is crucial because of the
generation of students we will be teaching. We need to in cooperate technologies
that enhances student learning and thinking. There should be a careful process
when deciding which technologies are employed. The teacher needs to remember
not to use technology just to have it. The teacher needs to use technology that will
directly enhance the learning of the lesson. My unit employs many different
technologies that are designed to engage students interests. For example, we are
going to have a videoconference Skype in the classroom from friends in Lyon,
France. I have also put an ad out on Skype Classroom to hopefully get Internet pen
pals for my class. I use the smart board in almost every class as well as you tube
vocabulary videos. I like using the smart board because it allows me to stay at the
board instead of behind my computer, it can also be interactive for the students and
it is also a great visual tool. There will still be print and handouts but both
traditional and new media will be incorporated appropriately throughout the unit.
Not all students will have equal access out side of the classroom so I will provide all
needed technology in the classroom. I will sign out the laptops when applicable and
make sure that everyone is included with equal opportunity. I have policy about
phones that they do not need them unless I ask them to bring them out. So, I will not
be using phones very much maybe for a sponge activity once and a while. The
problem with phones is that in grade 6 French not all students in my class will have
a phone and not all students that have a phone will be using it correctly. So for me in
this instance it is better if they do not have them out all of the time.
Gender
My unit employs curriculum materials where both males and females are equal
included. It can be harder because French has terms that are distinguished by
masculinity and femininity. The unit theme is about sports and emotions. I will
choose sports activities that include both sexes equal. I will try to use neutral gender
terms as best I can. I will not teaching any stereotypical view of gender in my unit.
We will discuss the effects of stereotyping because I think it is an important issue for
discussion in sports and school in general.
Ethnicity
My unit includes Aboriginal curriculum as well. We will explore as a class the
origins of lacrosse as Canadas national sport. I also like to bring in Aboriginal values
in to our classroom atmosphere. I have a large Aboriginal student body at my school
and I want to make sure that they can identify aspects of their culture in our
classroom. Cultural Identity is a large part of who we are and by integrating it into
the unit we can make sure that students can identify themselves in the curriculum. I
do not believe that any of my material in class presents a stereotypical view of
Aboriginal culture. Since it is a French class we will discuss cultural diversity when
we talk about French culture verses Canadian culture. We will discuss how language
can be a commonality between cultures but each culture is diverse and distinct.
Depending on my student body I will bring aspect of their culture into the classroom
to the best of my abilities.


Social Class
I am extremely happy that I am in a school that provides lots of support for
students that come from low socio-economic backgrounds. They provide equipment
and funding for sports such as hockey or any extracurricular activity that the
students might want to participate in. This means that students have more
opportunities that they may never be able to have otherwise. I will make sure that
students fully understand the material. The main objectives of my unit are to
improve oral, written, and listening comprehension and production in French. The
aspect of the unit that has the theme emotions creates a facet where students can
express emotions in the French language. Which means we can talk about feelings,
problems the students are having, and the can relate French into their emotional
vocabulary. If they are having problems finishing homework or projects I will be
available each noon hour or after school for extra help or to finish work.
21
st
century competencies
My unit addresses 21
st
century competencies through out. My unit contains
activities explicitly designed to promote acquisition of 21
st
century competencies.
These activities are:
Learning about digital etiquette
Develop questions in French to ask a Native French speaker (Skype)
Pre-assessment (I can statements)
French number review
French number spacing
Looking at sports statistics
Creating sports facility
Jeu de sports (charades, Pictionary, and jenga)
Survey
In a language class we are constantly addressing literacy. Students are educated in
understanding the world around them in a foreign language. They will be exposed to
many different literacies from digital literacy to understanding a written book. They
will learn about digital etiquette. In learning digital literacy and etiquette the
students are becoming more ethical citizen. On Jeu de sports day we will explore
visual literacy when we play charades and Pictionary in French. They will connect
prior knowledge and experiences through pre-assessments to create new
understandings when they apply their knowledge to French class. Numeracy is
incorporated in learning to understand numbers in French. We will also look at
sports statistics and gain and understanding of how to write large numbers in
French. They will explore entrepreneurial thinking as they create their own sports
facility. When they create and complete the survey they are thinking about empathy
and relating to others through commonalities.
As 21
st
learners competencies are being implemented we need to become
21
st
century teachers. We need to adapt our assessments and activitys to suit the
needs of this new type of learner. We need to inspire create thinking and install
values of ethical citizenship. In doing so we will hopefully produce students that are
ready to adapt to the every changing workforce of todays culture. They will become
innovators and creators. They will be able to use their French to expand their ideas
and become students who are prepared to understand the world around them.