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Vive le Français!
Title: Vive le Français!
Topic: Relationship between language and culture
Level: Intermediate
Focus Age Group: 16 to 18 years
National Standards:
Communication Cultures Connections Comparisons Communities
Communicative Modes:
Interpersonal Interpretive Presentational
NJ Cumulative Progress Indicators:
- 7.2.12 Analyze interrelationships between the language and the culture of a given group of people, as evidenced in their literary works and communications, as well as in their political, economic, and religious structures.
Timeframe: One class period of 45 minutes for writing activity
Description of Task:
The people of Quebec will soon be voting once again on the role of the French language in their province. There is growing sentiment that English and French should be viewed equally and be equally accepted in all aspects of life. Those of French heritage, however, being a minority in Canada, fear that this will lead to the eventual demise of their language and culture. Those whose first language is English respond that they are currently viewed as second-class citizens. You are a second year student at Magill University in Montreal. Using what you know about the issues and about the relationship between language and culture, write a persuasive position paper advocating your point of view.
Materials Needed: Paper.
Teacher Notes:
This activity asks students to integrate multiple units of study focusing both on French-speaking Canada and on the relationship between language and culture. "La Dernière Classe" by Daudet serves as an excellent introduction to the language/culture theme while articles taken from the Web or from newspapers can provide both background and current information on Quebec.
Scoring Criteria:
Students will be evaluated according to the following rubric:
| 4 |
Excellent:
- Two well-developed supports for point of view
- Superior organization and coherence
- Wide range of structures with minor errors that do not impede comprehension
- Extensive range of vocabulary
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| 3 |
Good:
- Two supports but only one is well-developed
- Adequate organization and coherence
- Some structural errors but they do not impede comprehension
- Limited range of vocabulary
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| 2 |
Acceptable:
- One fairly well-developed support for point of view
- Some problems with organization and coherence
- Very limited range of structures with many minor errors and some major errors that occasionally impede comprehension
- Basic vocabulary used
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| 1 |
Poor:
- Multiple supports but none well-developed
- Little organization and coherence
- Many structural errors which often impede comprehension
- Limited, repetitive vocabulary
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Adaptations:
- You could convert this to an oral activity, possibly in a debate format.
Deborah Feinberg
New Providence High School
35 Pioneer Drive
New Providence, NJ 07974
908.464.4700
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Lesson plans and assessments contributed by Central Jersey World Languages Professional Development Institute 2000.
