Appendix 7.1.19: FRENCH STORY-BASED LESSON

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Appendix 7.1.19:
FRENCH STORY-BASED LESSON
“Max and the Giant Monsters” by Sylvain Rovera
This whole language lesson plan is intended for students of French 1, but could be adapted
for other languages, at the university level or at the high-school level. This lesson is
designed to be done over three days. It is based on the PACE model developed by Richard
Donato and Bonnie Adair-Hauck at the University of Pittsburgh.
The first day is used to tell the story and to introduce the rules of adjective agreement.
The second day is a continuation of the grammar lesson (invariable adjectives) and provides
an opportunity for the students to check their comprehension of the story and to share with
their friends their opinions about it.
The third day is used to talk about the differences between the celebration of Halloween in
France and the United States. About half the class time is used to complete the grammar
lesson (irregular adjectives).
At the end of these three days, students are invited to begin construction of a Halloween
monster of their own. This project should last from three to five days.
I.
1.
OBJECTIVES
Functional Objectives
Students are to hypothesize about the characters present in the fable knowing that
the principal characters of the story are a little child and monsters.
Students demonstrate their comprehension of the story by completing tasks during
and after the story telling.
2.
a.
Performance Objectives
Listening:
Guided by the teacher’s visual and linguistic cues, the students demonstrate their
understanding of “Max et les monstres géants” by putting scrambled pictures related to
the story line in order as the story is being told.
The student then act out the different events which happen in the story while it is being
told by the teacher (montrer les grandes griffes”). They are asked to participate actively
in the story by doing what the characters do.
b. Speaking:
Students complete a discussion a discussion table related to the story (Appendix 2),
working in pairs to complete the questionnaire. Then, students are regrouped in fours and
asked to compare their answers in order to arrive at a group consensus. After five
minutes, a spokesperson from each group shares with other members of the class the
group answer.
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Students are given the opportunity to use the correct form of the adjective while playing
a card game (see Extension Activity Day 2).
Students briefly summarize parts of the story for their classmates using a skeleton of it
and incorporating different adjectives into their description of what happens.
c.
Reading:
Students put in order scrambled sentences on strips of paper cut from the skeleton of the
story. (Appendix 1)
ich include adjectives. Some of these adjectives will be correct, others will be incorrect.
Students will first have to say is the adjective is right or wrong, if wrong they will have
to correct it, using the correct form of the adjective (Appendix 3). This activity should
be done in pairs in order to encourage mutual correction.
d. Writing:
Day 1:
Students are invited to fill in the story map (Appendix 4).
Students fill in the character web (Appendix 5)
As a project, students are asked to build their own monster. They have to describe it to
the rest of the class in 10 to 12 sentences, using adjectives. Students are put in groups
of four and given a large piece of paper on which to draw their monster using color
markers. A couple of new words could be given to the students who really want to be
creative like “cicatrice” or “corne” for example. Before these group projects are
presented to the rest of the class, the teacher should lead a quick review of the body
parts.
3.
Grammatical Objectives
Students are able to extrapolate the rules concerning the agreement of the adjectives
and to use the adjectives in the correct form to describe somebody or something.
Day 1:
Students are introduced to the general plot of the story. Through repetition, the teacher
focuses their attention on the adjectives used in the story.
Students demonstrate their comprehension of the general rules concerning the
agreement of adjectives.
Day 2:
Students are introduced to the notion that some adjectives are invariable in the
masculine and feminine form.
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Day 3:
Students form irregular adjectives depending on the gender of the noun that they
modify.
4.
Vocabulary Objectives
Students demonstrate their comprehension of the vocabulary used in the story,
ultimately using it in their final projects (see Extension Activity).
5.
Cultural Objectives
Students understand and discuss the fact that the traditional American Halloween
observance differs from the French tradition. They also learn where Halloween comes
from.
In groups, students should be able to answer the following questions asked by the
teacher. These questions focus attention on the differences between the celebration of
Halloween in the United States and of La Toussaint (All Saints’ Day) in France. The
teacher should explain what people do for La Toussaint (e.g. they go to a cemetary to
put flowers on the tombs, school children have two weeks of vacation, etc.).
Where does the tradition come from?
Why do Americans have parties for Halloween?
Why is the symbol of Halloween a pumpkin?
Why do Americans use monsters instead of angels or something else to represent
Halloween?
Why do people wear costumes and try to be scary?
Why do children take such an important part in the event?
Why do they ask for candy? Who started the tradition?
Do you know if another country celebrates Halloween?
II. MATERIALS
•
•
•
•
•
•
Drawings representing the different events of the story.
Claws
Monster mask
King’s crown
A wolf mask (ears, tail)
Index cards with adjectives on them
III. ANTICIPATORY SET
Pre-listening:
The teacher might explain a few words such as bêtise, naviguer, croc, griffe, cri, cil,
odeur with the use of props or gestures.
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Ex: bêtise = c’es quand une personne fait quelque chose de mauvais, de stupide, comme
jouer avec des allumettes ou manger des médicaments si cétait des bonbons. (It is when
somebody does something bad or stupid such as playing with matched or eating
medicine as if it were candy).
Ex: un cri = c’est le contraire de parler doucement. C’est parler très fort. Quand vous
avez peur, vous criez. Quand les enfents font de bétises, la maman crie, hurle. (It is the
opposite of speaking softly. It is when you speak very, very loud. When children do
something stupid, their mother yells at them.).
The teacher then tells the students that they are going to hear a story that children are
told in France for La Toussaint. After they are given a semantic map (Appendix 6), they
should be invited to guess what the subject of the story will be. Since they do not know
the vocabulary yet, this activity can be done in English, while the other teacher writes
the words in French on the blackboard.
1.
Presentation
The teacher presents the story in the target language using props, gestures, and mimicry
to facilitate the understanding of the story. Students participate by acting out the events
of the story wearing the different masks and materials representing the monsters and the
wolf. Depending on the level of the classes, (e.g. if they have already learned the past
tense or not), the story may be told in the present tense, which will make it more
accessible to first-year students.
Students, after hearing the story, complete a story map. They should write the title, the
characters, the setting, the problem in the story, different events which happen, and the
resolution of the problem or moral of the story.
2.
Attention
With the help of an overhead transparency (Appendix 7), the teacher directs the
students’ attention to the form of the certain adjectives used in the story. The teacher
then asks students if they can see a reguaar pattern in the agreement of adjectives,
considering only the masculine and feminine forms.
General rule (day 1):
Ex: Nous allons faire une grande fête; D’abord un grand arbre.
Il y avait un petit bateau qui attendait Max.
Il est arrivé à s a petite maison.
Then, the teacher will take two adjectives (one masculine and one feminine) in the
plural form and make students understand that the adjectives agree with the noun they
modify in both gender and number.
Ex: Il a navigué pendant de longs jours.
Il a navigué pendant de longues semaines.
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Invariable adjectives (day 2):
The students are given a copy of the story and are asked to underline all the adjectives
in the story. They should be invited to synthesize an explanation for the reason why
some adjectives and with an “e” even when the noun they modify is masculine. The
teacher then explains that some adjectives are invariable in the masculine or feminine
form, and that they take only the mark of the plural.
Ex: Les monstres géantes regardaient Max avec de terribles yeaux jaunes et ils
poussaient de t e r r i b l e s cris.
Irregular adjectives (day 3):
Using a transparency, the teacher points out the irregular forms of certain adjectives
(Appendix 9). One such special adjective should be presented. Within the context of
the story, the adjective “beau” is a good choice (Appendix 9). The teacher might also
tell the students that the adjective “nouveau” follows the same rule.
Ex: Max e enfilé son beau costume. Une belle forêt avait poussé dans sa chambre.
D’abord, un grand et bel arbre…
Masc + consonant: beau(x)
Masc + vowel: bel(s)
Feminine: belle(s)
7.
Extension Activity
Students are invited to complete tasks both cooperatively and individually within the
context of the functions related to the lesson’s themes. These activities should be
initiated following the Attention phase of the lesson.
Day 1:
Students complete the character web (group activity). Students describe Max (both how
he looks and his personality, and his good and bad actions). This activity will combine
writing and speaking skills.
In regard to the form the adjectives in the statements, students answer the “True-False”
(“Vrai-Faux”) questions in Appendix 3 and make corrections where necessary. This is a
paired activity.
Day 2:
Students arrange scrambled pictures in order while the teacher repeats the story (groups
of four students). Students are asked to put scrambled sentences in the correct order.
These sentences should be taken from the story skeleton (groups of four students).
Students complete the discussion table (group activity). Here again, writing and
listening will be involved in the activity.
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Card game: Each student is given a list of adjectives taken from the story or which are
easily understood cognates (Appendix 3 bis). A card (see Materials) marked with a
different adjective is given to each student. The teacher starts by asking the first
question, for example: “Qui est petit(e)?”
The student with the index card with “petit(e)” written on it must answer “Je suis
petit(e)” and then she/he must ask the next question. Students continue the game by
asking and responding to each other until only one student whose adjective was not
called is left in the classroom. Each student checks the adjectives which have been
called. The student who is not called is the winner of the game and gets a prize (e.g.
candy, extra points).
Day 3:
Students are invited to tell the story to their friends, first in a group, then to the entire
class. While working in groups, they should prepare notes to help the spokesperson.
Students are asked questions about Halloween. The class also talks about the
differences in the celebration of Halloween in the United States and France (see
questions in Culture).
Finally, students working in groups draw their own monsters, and then describe them by
writing a short essay. They must describe his/her physical aspects and also give
information about his/her personality. Since this activity could take an entire week,
students can work on it 10 to 15 minutes each day. Once the drawings have been
completed, the students should be invited to display their work on the classroom wall,
and one member of each group should be given the opportunity to describe it to the rest
of the class.
8.
Closure
Each day, volunteers should paraphrase part of the story and be asked to summarize the
grammar rules explained in class.
9.
Homework Assignment
Students must write and essay about themselves, describing their strong and weak
personality traits as well as their physical appearance.
MAX ET LES MONSTRES GEANTS
Un soir, Max a enfilé son beau costume de loup et il a fait un grosse bêtise, puis une
autre, et puis une autre. “Monstre,” lui dit sa mère. “Je vais te manger,” a répondu Max, et
il s’est retrouvé au lit san avoir mangé.
Mais ce soir-lá, quelque chose d’étrange s’est passé dan la chambre de Max. Une
gigantesque et belle forêt a poussé dans sa chambre. D’abord un grand et bel arbre, puis
deux, puis trois. De longues lianes pendaient du plafond, et au lieu de murs blancs, il y
avait de grands et hauts abres verts et rouges. Au loin, Max voyait la mer. Sure le rivage, il
y avait un petit bateau qui attendait Max. Max a alors décidé de s’embarquer. Il a navigué
nuit et jour, il a navigué pendant de longues semaines, il a navigué pendant plus d’un an
pour finalment arriver au pays des monstres géantes.
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Les monstres géants regardaient Max avec de terribles yeaux jaunes, et ils
poussaient de terribles cris. Ils faisaient grincer leurs terribles et longs crocs et ils
dressaient vers Max de terribles et longues griffes. Max dit “Silence”. Il les regardait droit
dans leurs jaunes, fixement, pas un seul de ses cils ne bougeait.
“Vous êtes terrible, vous êtes notre roi, nous allons faire une grande et épouvantable
féte ont dit les monstres géants. Et ils ont dansé toute la nuit, et ils ont joué toute la journée.
Les monstres géants portaient Max sur leur dos. Mais Max s’ennuyait et il dit finalment: “ça
suffit, vous allez aller au lit sans manger”. Et Max, roi de monstres géants est resté seul. Il
voulait être aimé terriblement. De loin, des très loin, du bout du monde lui venaient de
bonnes odeurs de choses à manger. Max a alors décidé de renoncer à être roi des monstres
géants.
“Ne partez pas, ne nous abandonnez pas, nous vous aimons. Si vous partez, nous
allons vous manger”. “Non”, dit Max d’une voix sèche et il est parti avec son petit bateau.
Le monstres géants regardaient Max avec de terribles yeaux, ils poussaient de terribles cris,
ils faisaient grincer leurs longs et terribles crocs et dressaient vers Max leurs longues et
terribles griffes. Du bateau, Max leur dit au revoir.
Max a navigué le matin, il a navigué le soir, il a navigué de longs jours, il a navigué
de long semaines, il a navigué de longs mois. Mais au bout d’un an, il est arrivé à sa belle
et petite maison. Il est monté dans sa chambre et il a trouvé un bone dîner qui l’attendait,
tout chaud.
Adapted from “Max et les maximonstres”. Editions Delpire. Paris, 1967.
APPENDIX 1
SQUELETTE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
MAX FAIT DE BETISES
MAX EST PUNI ET VA DANS SA CHAMBRE SAN MANGER
UN FORET POUSSE DANS LA CHAMBRE DE MAX
MAX TROUVE UN BATEAU ET NAVIGUE PLUS UN AN
MAX ARRIVE DAN L’ILE DE MONSTRES GEANTS
LES MONSTRES MONTRENT A MAX LEURS LONGS ET TERRIBLES CROCS
MAX DEVIENT LE ROI DE MONSTRES GEANTS
MAX ET LES MONSTRES DANSENT TOUTE LA NUIT
MAX ET LES MONSTRES GEANTS S’AMUSANT TOUTE LA JOURNEE
MAX ET TRISTE ET IL VEUT RENTERER A LA MAISON
MAX PART DE L’ILE DE MONSTRES GEANTS
LES MONSTRES GEANTS MONTRENT LEURS LONGES ET TERRIBLES GRIFFES
MAX ARRIVE A LA MAISON APRES UN AN
IL TROUVE A LA MAISON UN DINER TOUT CHAUD
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APPENDIX 2
SONDAGE D’OPINIONS
Oui? Non? Max doit-il obéir à sa maman? Pourquoi?
OUI
1._________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
CONSENSUS: expliquez votre raison
NON
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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APPENDIX 3
VRAIS-FAUX
Corrigez les fautes si nécessaire (juste les adjectifs). Dites si la phrase est vrai ou fausse.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
Les monstres sont roses et grosses.
VRAI
FAUX
Max mange de bananes qui sont jaunes et longues.
VRAI
FAUX
Le mostres sont calmes.
VRAI
FAUX
Le chien de Max et méchantes.
VRAI
FAUX
Max est très gentils.
VRAI
FAUX
La maman de Max est en colére.
VRAI
FAUX
Max est heureuse-contente avec les monstres.
VRAI
FAUX
Max est intelligent.
VRAI
FAUX
Max est triste et veut rentre á la maison.
VRAI
FAUX
Les arbres sont petites et hautes.
VRAI
FAUX
APPENDIX 3 BIS
Intelligent(e)
Triste
Raisonnable
Calme
Gentil
Pessimiste
Timide
Energétique
Content(e)-Heureux(se)
En colére
Sociable
Honnête
Généreux(se)
Nerveux(se)
Optimiste
Sérieux(se)
Sympathique
Méchant(e)
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APPENDIX 4
STORY MAP
TITRE
LIEU
PERSONNAGES
PROBLEME
EVENEMENT 1
EVENEMENT 2
EVENEMENT 3
EVENEMENT 4
EVENEMENT 5
EVENEMENT 6
EVENEMENT 7
EVENEMENT 8
EVENEMENT 9
SOLUTION OU MORALE
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APPENDIX 5 LA FICHE D’IDENTITÉ
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APPENDIX 6
LA FETE D’HALLOWEEN
PAYS
PERSONNAGES
ACTIVITES
HALLOWEEN
OBJETS
NOURRITURE
AMBIENCE
APPENDIX 7
Singulier
Pluriel
REGLE GENERALE SUR L’ACCORD DES ADJECTIFS
Masculine
un grande arbre
de longs jours
Féminin
Singulier
Pluriel
Il
Il
Il
Il
un grande fête
de longues semaines
y avait un petit bateau qui attendait Max.
est arrivé à sa petite maison.
a navigué pendant de longs jours.
a navigué pendant de longues semaines.
APPENDIX 8
Forme
Masculin
Féminin
-eux
-euse
-eur
-er
-ère
-al
-ale
-if
-ive
-il
-ille
-el
-elle
-ien
-ienne
Singulier
Masculin
Féminin
courageux
courageuse
Pluriel
Masculin
Féminin
courageux
courageuses
travailleur
cher
normal
sportif
gentile
intellectuel
parisien
travailleurs
chers
normaux
sportifs
gentils
intellectuels
parisiens
travailleuse
chère
normale
sportive
gentille
intellectuelle
parisienne
travailleuses
chères
normales
sportives
gentilles
intellectuelles
parisiennes
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APPENDIX 9
BEAUX
1.
2.
3.
4.
BEL
BELLES
Max a enfilé son beau costume.
Une belle forêt a poussé dans sa chambre.
Un bel arbre a poussé dans le chambre.
De beaux arbres ont poussé.
Masculine + consonant: BEAU(X)
Feminine:
BELLE(S)
Masculine + vowel:
BEL
Source: Rovera, S. (1998). Max and the Giant Monsters. Pennsylvania Language Forum. 70, 1: 54–60.