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La grammaire créative
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by Geneviève Delfosse
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Fairfax, Virginia
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| | Activities for Lower-Level French
It is a fact that French teachers seldom teach only AP-level courses. Sometimes, there is only one French teacher in charge of the whole French program; that teacher is responsible for all levels, from level 1 to the AP French Language and/or Literature courses. Pre-AP strategies applicable to beginning and intermediate instruction are therefore just as important as those geared specifically to AP courses. Success at the AP level is prepared for in French 1 and 2.
One crucial strategy in the lower-level French courses is to enable students to "create" language and produce original expression while respecting the basic structures of the language. Obviously, this is the end process in a specific learning unit. Modeling and demonstration by the teacher and practice, both oral and written, by the students must come first. The feuille de travail, manipulation of a specific structure of the language, is a necessary step in the language classroom. However, it should not be the last étape in the learning process. For most grammatical structures and/or semantic fields, there are teacher- or student-devised creative activities (both oral and written) that many students will find more rewarding than the fill-in-the-blanks of grammar workbooks.
Poèmes simples
As soon as students have learned adjectives and the concept of agreement along with the basic conjugation of er verbs, they can create a variety of simple poems that they can decorate and display in the classroom. Students will be less anxious if a precise template is given. For instance, a template for a "diamond poem" will instruct them to write five lines: one French noun, two adjectives, two verbs, two adjectives, and a noun, with no repetitions. Students can work in teams and check each other's work. They can then decorate their poems at home or in the classroom and post them on the class bulletin board. As early as November, the French 1 class can create a short poem on autumn. See one student's sample below:
L'automne
Triste et solitaire
J'aime regarder les feuilles
rouges et jaunes
Novembre
The teacher can modify the specifications according to the class level.
Acrostiches
Another simple poem that is an excellent activity at the beginning of the year in a level 1 course is the prénom-acrostiche poem. Students receive a list of adjectives. Most of them are cognates and easily understood by beginners. From these words, they create an acrostiche of their first name. A sure winner for the "parents' night" that takes place early in the year is to have beginner students use the overhead to create a silhouette of their face on an oversize piece of newsprint and decorate it with their acrostiche. This is quite easy:
- The large sheet of newsprint is taped on the blackboard.
- A student stands between the lit overhead machine and the taped paper.
- Another student draws the profile.
- All students take turns and get their face profile done in this way.
Here is a sample for "Catherine" (without the student's profile):
Chaleureuse
Amicale
Travailleuse
Hypercool
Émancipée
Rigolote
Intelligente
Nomade
Électrique
This kinetic activity is very popular, and beginners might want to do a variation using the name of an object or animal of their choice.
Livres pour enfants
All the basic structures of the language taught in the beginning and intermediate levels can be tied to a specific project in the French classroom.
French 2 students struggle to master comparatives and superlatives. A culminating project -- such as writing children's stories that use all the structures (aussi... que, plus... que) -- can be an alternative to a final exam on the unit. Specific directives must be given to the students on any requirements: number of comparative and superlative forms, use of irregular forms, number of visuals or pages, and so on. The grading system should also be clearly explained. Editing the rough draft is necessary; however, the students can share their drafts and correct errors before turning the drafts in to the teacher. The finished products can be displayed or shared with other classes.
Bandes dessinées
Students love to work alone or in groups on bandes dessinées (BDs). They can fill the bulles of an existing BD with their own text, or create on their own a whole sequence of images with text in BD style. A great source of BD pages, some of them without any words in the bulles, is the Fnac Web site (www.fnac.com) in the "BD & humour" section under "Livres." Before buying a BD, one can view some of the pages.
The requirements for all these creative assignments must be very clear. Are stick figures allowed? How many words are required? What tenses are to be used? Some of our students are so technologically proficient that they can create computer animations and give PowerPoint® presentations of their bandes dessinées.
Découpage et autres utilisations des magazines
While technology stimulates creativity, simple resources such as paper, scissors, glue, and magazines are also very conducive to creative manipulation of the language to demonstrate mastery of a specific structure. In my level 3 class, students create a short dialogue between two cutout figures, bande dessinée style, in which they must use at least one subjunctive structure. They find the visual material in the old French magazines stored in the classroom, or if they are good artists, they can draw the figures. Some of the results are highly comical, and students enjoy seeing their witty exchanges posted on the class bulletin board. Adolescents need to be reminded about the rules of good taste for this activity.
Le journal de la classe
The whole class can participate in the creation of a French newspaper modeled on a school newspaper. This is a more ambitious endeavor, and good planning is necessary to make it happen. The teacher should set the sections and make them appropriate to the class level. French 2 students cannot discuss politics with ease, but they can do a film review. In the more advanced levels, this project can replace a final exam and serve as a culminating activity for AP French Language students, for instance. Students will find infinite resources on the Web and can work in teams to create an informative and often artistic newspaper. Their production can be shared with other classes in hard copy or digitally.
L'écriture creative
Intermediate and advanced French students should be encouraged to write poems, songs, short stories, scientific articles, or other pieces, according to their interests. Most schools have a literary magazine that will publish polished student work. This type of writing is often done outside the classroom by individual students, rather than by the whole class. However, if students create a portfolio during their four years of high school, the teacher should insist that they pick one or two of their "best" foreign language creations to post in their portfolios.
Geneviève Delfosse has been teaching all levels of French classes, including a sizable AP French Literature course, for the last 20 years, and is the chair of the development committee for Le Grand Concours, the national French contest. She received her National Board Certification in 2002. A member of the French Development Committee for five years, she is the current French content adviser for AP Central. She does frequent presentations at national and regional language conferences and also leads AP French workshops during the summer.
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