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.