A FUN AND “NOVEL” WAY TO TEACH L2 NOVEL UNITS Terri Wright

A FUN AND “NOVEL”
WAY TO TEACH L2
NOVEL UNITS
Terri Wright
[email protected]
Research
Why do we want them to read?
To increase reading proficiency as a life skill & to enhance standardized testing both in L1 & L2
Vocabulary Acquisition—Pellicar-Sanchez & Schmitt (2010) Incidental vs. explicit
Authors concluded that a blend is best. The results of the study “support the recommendation of reading novels
as a useful way of improving learners’ vocabulary knowledge.”
How can we help them?
Positive attitudes—Yamashita (2004) “the positive feeling towards reading, both in L1 and in L2, facilitates
learner’s performance in extensive reading.” “…attitudes… influence their performance or engagement in
extensive reading.”
Innovative approaches—Bell (2013). Bell also emphasizes that learner attitudes influence the outcome.
She cites a 2010 study by Shrum & Glisan, highlighting “five important variables that facilitate reading comprehension
and interpretation of a text in the TL.”
Five Important Learner Variables:
1. Topic Familiarity/Background Knowledge
2. Use of Short-term/Working memory
3.  Strategies in comprehending and interpreting a text
4. The purpose for reading—pleasure or to find information
5. Reader anxiety level
First encounter with the text
A chance to motivate, affect attitudes from the outset:
Set the text, activating/enhancing background knowledge—Use title, book covers, suspense
Set the mood, activating imagination & creativity—Use description of set & music
Set expectations—Use visual prompts like photos to bring the location and theme to life
Talk about the author—when & why this topic? What inspired him/her?
Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Écrit par Gaston Leroux
1909
After you’ve got them excited and motivated, how do you keep students
engaged & encouraged during the long time period it takes to cover a novel?
How do you quickly (formatively) gauge how much they are comprehending
along the way?
Expert du chapitre—Knows their chapter inside and out
Interacts with the other students to teach important recurring
vocabulary words and asks them about the content.
Book Number Chapter Assignments Breakdown with
23 students—Fantôme de l’Opéra
I read the first chapter to demonstrate the process
then break up the other 18.
I assigned chapters randomly but you could be
more deliberate.
Name Expert du chapitre…. 1 2nd half Chapter 16 2 2nd half Chapter 18 3 Chapter 3 4 Chapter 4 5 Chapter 5 6 1st half Chapter 6 7 8 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 9 First half Chapter 9 10 11 First half Chapter 10 Chapter 11 12 First half Chapter 12 13 Chapter 13 14 Chapter 14 15 Chapter 15 16 First half Chapter 16 17 Chapter 17 18 First half Chapter 18 19 First half Chapter 19 20 2nd half Chapter 6 21 2nd half Chapter 9 22 2nd half Chapter 10 23 2nd half Chapter 12 Le Fantôme de l’Opéra Vous deviendrez l’expert du chapitre! Each student will be assigned a chapter on which to become the expert! 1.  You will read your chapter for content and look for troublesome vocabulary which you will front-­‐load for your classmates. Choose approximately 5 words or phrases that you had to look up/learned while you were reading and teach them to the class. 2. You will roll the cube of fate to assign two of our chapter quesKons to the class to make notes on while listening. 3. You will read your chapter aloud for the class. PracKce reading your chapter aloud, focusing on fluency and correct pronunciaKon. You may schedule a Kme to talk with Mrs. Wright to do a read-­‐through or just ask any pronunciaKon quesKons that you have before our class meeKng Kme. 4. You may bring treats/cookies to share with the class while you read. This is OPTIONAL!! J 5. AYer you have read your chapter, you will lead a class discussion on the quesKons you rolled. Note: You will have to have answered all quesKons ahead since you won’t know which you will roll. 80 points Magnifique Vocabulary—choice of
phrases and presentation
to class
_______/20 You chose at least 5 unique
words/ phrases & taught
them to the class in a
creative way. Fluency & Intonation
_______/25 Pronunciation
_______/25 Writing prompt
Opinions
_______/10 Bien fait You chose less than 5
vocabulary items but your
presentation was good OR
you chose 5+ items but
didn’t help us understand the
vocab You read with expression in Your pace or your intonation
a way that was fun to listen made the presentation a
to. Your pace was good and little harder to follow at
you were easy to listen to! times but overall you did
well. Your pronunciation was spot- Your pronunciation was
on! You did a great job
good, with only a few words
researching any words/
that were pronounced
phrases you weren’t sure of! incorrectly. You gave well-thought out
answers that reflect your
understanding of the
chapter. Plus d’effort You didn’t choose at least 5
vocabulary items AND your
presentation of them was not
useful to the class or didn’t
exist. Your pace or intonation
made you hard to listen to in
places or overall. You didn’t know how to
pronounce several words,
making your presentation
hard to listen to/understand. You made some good points You clearly didn’t
but didn’t completely show
understand the main points
your understanding of the
of your chapter. chapter. Comment commence le chapitre?
How does the chapter begin?
Comment se termine le chapitre?
How does the chapter end?
Qui sont les personnages
importants de ce chapitre et
pourquoi?
Who are the important characters in
this chapter and why are they
important?
Dis si tu approuves ou
désapprouves un choix d’un
personnage et pourquoi.
Say whether you approve or
disapprove of a choice made by one
character and why.
Décris les émotions de deux
personnages.
Describe the emotions of two
characters.
Qu’est-ce que c’est la chose la plus
importante de ce chapitre et
pourquoi?
What is the most important thing
about this chapter and why?
Honors Français IV
Nom ________________________________
Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Chapitre
Vocabulaire
Questions
Sommaires
Le Fantôme de l’Opéra Chapitres 1-­‐6 Nom: ________________________________________ Les Synonymes une demi-­‐douzaine—six Target
Vocabulary
introduced
prior to reading
absente—pas présente un triomphe—un grand succès étrange—bizarre, pas normal le docteur—le médecin tout de suite—immédiatement tout à coup—soudain blême—pâle les maîtres—les directeurs au ciel—au paradis décider—prendre la décision évident—clair une tête de mort—un crâne près de—à côté de ne pas oublier—se rappeler finir—terminer je veux—je désire sans doute—sûrement se mettre à—commencer à la pauvreté—la misère remarquer—voir démissioner—donner sa démission rougir—devenir rouge je pense—je crois la première chanteuse—prima donna prendre la place—remplacer l’édifice—le bâtiment bas—haut ouvrir—fermer malheur—bonheur entrer dans—sortir de l’arrivée—le départ pleurer—rire raison—tort rempli de monde—désert un matin—un soir commencer—finir à la campagne—en ville devant—derrière agréablement—désagréablement personne—quelqu’un relever—baisser oublier—se rappeler la guerre—la paix en retard—en avance vrai—faux une perte—un gain ne pas avoir de—avoir beaucoup de capable—incapable après—avant le couloir—le corridor Les Contraires laid—beau nouveau—ancien accepter—refuser Conclusion:
My students enjoyed the story and the unit and felt that their
French improved significantly in several ways:
Their ability to pronounce French words while reading
Their vocabulary both in their chapter & in the chapters read to them
Their confidence in being able to read chunks of material in the L2
References:
Bell, T. 2013 Innovative Approaches to Teaching Literature in the World Language Classroom CSCTFL Annual Report 2013
Retrieved from http://www.csctfl.org/documents/2013Report/Chapter%208.pdf September 29, 2015
Pellicer-Sanchez, A. & Schmitt, N. (2010). Incidental vocabulary acquisition from an authentic novel: Do Things Fall Apart?
Reading in a Foreign Language April 2010, Volume 22, No. 1 pp. 31-55
Retrieved from http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/April2010/articles/pellicersanchez.pdf September 29. 2015
Yamashita, Junko. (2004). Reading attitudes in L1 and L2, and their influence on L2 extensive reading
Reading in a Foreign Language Volume 16, Number 1, April 2004
Retrieved from http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/April2004/yamashita/yamashita.html 29, September 2015
Thank you for attending and listening!
Any Questions?
Terri L. Wright [email protected]