Instructional Activity: Gestures

Title: Common French Gestures

Target Language: French

Grade Level: Exploratory French/French I

Proficiency: Novice Low - Mid

ACTFL Standards:

Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed, or written conversations to

share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.

Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the nature of language

through comparisons of the language studied to their own.

Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the concept of culture

through comparisons of the cultures studied to their own.

Student Goals:

I can compare gestures commonly used by French people with the gestures I commonly

use in the United States.

I can incorporate French gestures into a scripted conversation.

Materials/Technology: Chromebooks (Student Computers), ear buds/headphones, Google

Classroom, Google Docs (upload to Google Classroom and “make a copy” for each student),

YouTube (link included in attached document), Teacher Computer, Projector, Smart Doc

Lesson Placement: This is a lesson that should be incorporated as early on as possible so that

students have the opportunity to incorporate gestures into their conversations throughout the

course. I think I would use this on a day I’m assessing as it is something that students can do
while I listen to other students present. I am imagining that it would be done on the day of a

speaking assessment.

Pre-Activity (Bell Ringer - 5 minutes): When students enter, project the following as a bell

ringer, “Discuss the following with your quad (group/partner): 1. What is a gesture? 2. What are

some (school appropriate) gestures that you use in your daily life?”

Rationale: This allows for students who don’t really know what gestures are to become more

familiar with them and gives students the opportunity to come up with some examples that they

could later include when they are making connections to their daily lives.

Transition (5 min): Ask class to answer the first question. Call on a few different students to get

a complete definition. Ask things like, “Why do we use gestures? How are gestures important to

us? Do you think you could tell a story to your friends without using gestures?” Call on students

to share gestures they use. Depending on your students, you may want to play it safe and ask

them for a gesture they would give to mean something you say. For example: “Show me what

gesture you would use if you want someone to be quiet.”

Give an example how gestures can change meaning. Say something like, “I love French

class” and then ask the students how it changes the meaning when you do roll your eyes and say

it. Ultimately, you want the students to realize that gestures are important and to start thinking

about them more when they use them so that they can relate them to gestures that French people

use later on.

Ask students if they think a French person would know that this (make gesture) means to

be quiet? Show a French “V for victory” gesture and ask students what they think it means. Most

will respond that it’s a peace sign. Explain to students that just like gestures are important in our

conversations that they are important to people around the world. This is a good time to make the
connection to the I can statements/student goals. Explain that today we are going to explore

common French gestures and compare them to the gestures that we use in our daily lives; and,

that ultimately, we are going to work to incorporate gestures into our skits so that they become

more meaningful and authentic.

Rationale: This sets up the activity. It gets the students thinking about gestures, why they are

important, and the idea that we may not all share the same gestures.

Activity (20 - 25 min): Project Google Classroom on the screen. Show students the document

that has been shared to them as their own copy. Click on the YouTube link and tell students that

they need to watch the video and view the different kinds of gestures that French people use.

(This isn’t the best or most authentic video in my opinion, but it was the most age-appropriate

one that I could find.)

As student watch the video, they need to complete the first column of the graphic organizer and

describe the gesture that is used. You may want to watch the first one with the students and

complete the first box. Explain to students when they have completed all of the answers in the

first column, they will go to the second column and come up with a gesture that we use to

express the same thing. They will then decide if it’s the same or different from the gesture we

use that means the same thing. Remind students they will need to use their headphones/ear buds

and that they may need to pause and/or re-watch parts of the video to complete the chart.

Rational: This exposes students to common French gestures and has them make comparisons to

the gestures that they use in a simple format that they will be able to reference later both when

they write their comparison and when they are incorporating French gestures into their skits.

Assessment (10-15 minutes): When students are finished with the chart, they will need to write

a paragraph comparing the gestures they saw with gestures that they use. This is their
assessment. The question is found after the graphic organizer with some guiding questions to

help them come up with a well thought out response. Since this is a novice level class and this

lesson would likely be done near the beginning (first semester), their writing would be in

English.

I recommend stopping students when they have about 15 minutes left in class to briefly

explain the assessment activity. All students should have the first column completed at this point

and many should be done and already working on the assessment. So long as students have the

first column and part of the second complete, they should be able to complete the writing

activity/assessment. Have them use what they have completed so far to complete the assessment

if you would like it to be complete before they leave class. Otherwise, you may assign what they

were not able to complete in class as homework.

Rationale: Students will demonstrate that they can complete our course standard (Students are

able to compare cultural products and practices of target language speakers to their personal

lives.) which is connected to the ACTFL Culture Standard listed above. Both Jackson (2014) and

Chaika (2008) believe that non-verbal communication plays an important role in how

information is interpreted by the receiver. Chaika refers to kinesics (body language) as the

“silent language” (2008, pg. 107). She also points out that there are “culture-specific

gestures” (pg. 117) and gives examples about how gestures can be interpreted differently based

on the culture (pg. 118). While students are doing this activity, they realize right away the

mistake that could come from interpreting a gesture of victory as a gesture of peace. Jackson

(2014) defines kinesics as “nonverbal actions” (pg. 110) and gestures as hand or facial

movements (pg. 112). She believes that gestures enhance communication by serving as

illustrators, emblems, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors (pg. 112). Most of the gestures
we will look at in this activity are illustrators, emblems, and affect displays which are the most

appropriate at the novice level.

Follow Up: The next class period, the bell ringer would have students discuss a gesture that they

would have been able to include in their previous skit and another one that they think would be

fun to include in the future. (My students create short skits that they present with a partner as a

speaking assessment several times a quarter. From this point forward, students would be required

to incorporate at least one gesture into their skits. Since the document has been shared via

Google Classroom. Students will still have it to reference in the future.)

Rationale: Gestures are an important part of being able to communicate with others. My goal

from this activity is that incorporating it into my curriculum in this manner will get my students

to be thinking about gestures throughout the course instead of just the one day we talk about

gestures like has been the case in the past.

Name _________________________________________ Class_____________

In every culture, gestures play an important role in communicating ideas and feelings. Gestures
may be accompanied by a word or phrase. In most situations, however, the meaning of a
gesture is clear to a native speaker or listener. Gestures, like pictures, are often more
expressive than words and contribute to a more lively conversation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi2WNEuF5EA Gestures Video (2:49)

Watch these students explain some common French gestures. Fill in the column for French
gestures as you watch the video and the other columns after the video.

Meaning French Gesture American Gesture Same or Different?

1. Victory

2. Call me/I will call

you.

3. Silence

4. Boring

5. It’s bad.

6. Delicious food

7. It’s nothing or
worthless
8. Time Estimation

9. A sophisticated
way for a man to
greet a woman
 Meaning French gesture American gesture Same or Different
10. I don’t believe
you.
11. Expensive

12. I’m smart/clever

13. Let’s go/Leave

14. I’m disgusted

15. Counting

16. A way for people

to greet each
other
17. It’s not my fault/I
don’t know
18. Greeting/leaving

When you are finished, write a paragraph comparing French gestures with the gestures that
you use in your daily life. Please make at least five comparisons (similarities and differences).

Think about the following questions as you are writing: Why are gestures are used? Are
gestures important to both cultures? What are some gestures that we have in common? What
are some gestures that are different? What surprised or confused you?
 References

Chaika, E. (2008). Language: The social mirror. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.

Jackson, J. (2014). Introducing language and intercultural communication. New York:

Routledge.