Criteria for Choosing Audio or Video Documents for Classroom

Criteria for Choosing Audio or Video Documents for Classroom Practice
(for the Concours oratoire, classroom activity or task)
Video or audio content should reflect the context of the students who will be using them (age, culture,
physical environment, etc., particularly at levels A1 to B1. At the B2 level, students can be more
challenged with audio documents which include familiar and foreign topics.
A1 Videos:
At this level, students will be describing and relating a global understanding of this document.
Therefore, the video must provide lots of detail for them on which to comment.
● If possible content or context should relate to proximity in relation to family, friends, hobbies.
● As many of the following details should be somewhat evident, as they will form the basis for
both the description and the comparison to themselves:
o age
o physical characteristics (should be visible – hair colour, height, etc.)
o professions/hobbies (a uniform, soccer ball, etc.)
o indicators of physical environment (kitchen, gym, etc.)
o an indicator of time
o an indicator of season and/or weather
o flags or other indications as to nationality (landmarks, monuments, etc.)
o any other details to help the student form a description (pets, food, etc.)
o an aspect of the person’s identity that can be compared to the student themselves (so
context is important here!)
A2 Videos:
At this level, students will continue to describe and relate a global understanding of the document.
However, it is expected that the speaker will go further and identify relationships, feelings and
situations, imagine what might have happened before this moment and also predict what might follow
the events in the video. They will also identify what they like or don’t like about the situation presented
in the video.
● Ideally the video will illustrate people interacting in a familiar situation (in a restaurant, at
school, at home, etc.)
● As many of the following details should be evident:
LE CONCOURS ET FESTIVAL D’ART ORATOIRE – IMPROMPTU | Canadian Parents for French ( Ontario)
o
o
o
o
o
descriptors as included in A1 videos
indicators of emotions and feelings observed in the document (facial expressions, tone,
etc.)
indicators of relationships between the people in the video (family roles, workers,
owners)
details to provide student with ideas for what might have happened before the events
illustrated in the video (context is important here, as students will be drawing from
personal experience)
similar to A1, details where the student can express an opinion aspects in the video
(clothing worn, music, school subjects, food, etc.)
B1 Videos or Audio Documents:
At this level, students are justifying a point of view related to the video. They will describe and analyze
the situation depicted in the document but will also express an opinion and justify this point of view.
● The video or audio content can vary greatly. If topic is familiar to the student’s situation,
expectations will increase in terms of accuracy in vocabulary range and control.
● As many of the following details should be evident:
o a clear situation from the student’s context (culture, age, etc.)
o descriptors and indicators as in A1 and A2 videos
o indicators of what could happen next (a lot of this is drawn on student’s personal
experience, so it must be a situation they have likely encountered or have knowledge of
o a situation open enough that at least two possible outcomes or next steps exist (the
parent and child arguing – child could get punished; child could apologize and parent
accepts; child or parent could walk away without resolving the argument; the other
parent could arrive and resolve the argument, etc.)
B2 Videos or Audio:
At this level, students can be challenged with videos or audio documents which include aspects where
the content is unfamiliar to them. Ideally the content leads to a controversy. Students will be defending
and arguing a point of view linked to a larger question or a social issue. At this level, videos or audio
documents the listener will be presented with an opportunity to use their critical thinking skills. This
aspect must guide the point of view.
LE CONCOURS ET FESTIVAL D’ART ORATOIRE – IMPROMPTU | Canadian Parents for French ( Ontario)
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Ideally the video/audio document should be linked to a broad or global issue.(rights, freedoms,
attitudes, ethics, behaviours)
Discussion at this level requires some background knowledge on social issues. Practice videos or
audios should be chosen to reflect a variety of topics, to aid students in generating vocabulary
and ideas. At the competition level of the Concours, the following themes are suggested : la vie
sociale, la technologie et les médias, les questions mondiales et le domaine de la santé.
Choosing appropriate videos or audio documents at this level can be challenging. More
examples of content related sources are included below as a guide.
o Theme: pollution/recycling/environment. Big question to guide the opinion of our B2
speakers: “L’homme – l’animal le plus dangereux?” (questions mondiales)
o Theme: conformity/social pressure. Big question to guide the opinion of our B2
speakers: “Les média sociaux créent un faux sens de pouvoir. En réalité les gens perdent
leur capacité à penser par eux-même”
o Theme: Dress codes/Fashion/Trends. A group of students in school uniforms, caption
« La mode comme l’expression de l’identité personnelle ou encore comme manipulation
des multi-nationales » (topic – identity; peer pressure; fashion) (relations sociales or
medias)
o Theme: Global Equity/Violence/War. Life in refugee camps showing children « Existe-til vraiment un concept de « guerre juste »? (questions mondiales)
La vie sociale : could include peer pressure, bullying, social media, families, social hierarchies,
friends, inter-cultural relations, schools and teachers, communication, racism, sexism,
homophobia
Les questions mondiales: could include the environment, government, science and technology,
war and conflict, racism, sexism, homophobia, natural disasters, poverty, famine
Les médias: could include body image, peer pressure, celebrity, right to privacy, censorship,
social media, bias, trust/honesty in reporting, role models, television, film
La santé: could include diet, mental health, body image, stress, healthy eating, medical
problems, medication, medical research, medical technology
LE CONCOURS ET FESTIVAL D’ART ORATOIRE – IMPROMPTU | Canadian Parents for French ( Ontario)