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Describe & Compare Lesson Plan

Main Lesson PlanPurpose and requisites:

Learning outcome(s):

Lesson objectives:

The lesson is aimed at intermediate-level students. They should already be able to simply describe people physically (hair, clothes, height, etc.) and also have some basic vocabulary for character traits. They also should know how to compare terms with at least moins que / plus que. The lesson will introduce new description-related vocabulary for character traits and new ways of expressing comparison and impressions about people.

have gained rich vocabulary and linguistic tools to better describe someones character.

be able to describe someone accurately and master nuances to remain polite while doing so.

be able to compare peoples characters, qualities, andflaws.

be able to describe and compare people using idiomatic expressions, used in everyday French.

have improved on the negative form. have learned phrases and proverbs. be able to express intense impressions, overreact,

andemphasizepeoplesqualitiesandflaws.

Communication: Describe someone, express moderation or emphasize impressions

Grammar focus: Comparison, negative form, quantity adverbs

Vocabulary: Physical description - adjectives (review), character traits (new)

Culture: The French language frequently uses the negative form in everyday language instead of saying things directly, especially when it comes to expressing an opinion about someone. This lesson also introduces many idiomatic expressions, excluding slang, and proverbs

By the end of this lesson students will:

magazines with pictures of celebrities text (included in the lesson) optional: video documentary

(biography or portrait)

Material:

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Describe & Compare Lesson Plan

Main Lesson Plan

1- Confidence: Teacher will let students show what they are capable of by having them describe male and female celebrities (preferably French) in photos.

Each pair or small group of students should work on one celebrity. They do not have to know who the celebrity is.

1- Guidelines for students: Simply describe this person as best as you can. If you know who he/she is, you can introduce him/her to other students. If you dont, you may end your description by suggesting a possible job from how he/she looks (singer, actor, politician).

Students need a framework for their work; indicate how many sentences they should write at minimum.

Bridge-in: Guidelines and tips :

2- Correction triggers new vocabulary: Based on students work (which usually is focused on clothes and hairstyle at lower intermediate level), teacher provides new vocabulary both physical and character traits related.

List of words should include the following terms : lgant, glamour, classe, distingu, styl, sduisant, souriant, sympathique, tendance, mystrieux, superbe, mignon, charmant, agrable, and sociable.

If time allows, introduce more vocabulary.

Make sure students learn: intelligent/bte, agrable/dsagrable, heureux/malheureux, and prtentieux/modeste.

List of expressions should include: avoir lair (+ adjective) and avoir tendance (+tre, but explain that it could also be used with other verbs. Insist that it is a habit; do not explain that the adjective tendance is in fact a neologism and primarily a noun, but explain that it has a different meaning in the phrase avoir tendance .), and quelquun de (show that even if the subject is feminine, the adjective after this phrase is always masculine. The same rule applies to avoir lair but everyday language uses the feminine form as well.)

3- Negative form and comparison: The text will show students how to use the new vocabulary and how to use it in the negative form. The text uses some of the new words and some negative sentences, as well as comparison expressions, proverbs, adverbs for nuances, and phrases toemphasizequalitiesandflaws.

Tasks consist of classifying bolded expressions whether they describe the person positively or negatively. Have students use a star rating to decide whether the expressions are strongly emphasizing (***), moderate (**), or simply negative/quite neutral (*).

2- Always provide the feminine form if applicable. Each new adjective is listed on the side of the white board. To introduce new words, the teacher must have a reasonable amount of different images to use, to make obvious comparisons instead of using English. Examples: she is stylish, she is not etc. Provide the rest of the vocabulary if the correction did not allow introducing all of the listed words.

3- Teacher can read the text so students recognize the new words and write them down each time they do. Then distribute the text so each student can read a part of it aloud.Allow sufficient time for questions, before startingthe classification, in case thereareunfamiliar vocabularywords.

Proverbs should be explained before the task starts.

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Describe & Compare Lesson Plan

Main Lesson PlanText:Classez les mots et les expressions en caractres gras en deux parties : impression positive et impression ngative. Notez ensuite les expressions des deux listes avec des toiles : trois toiles pour les expressions fortes, deux toiles pour les expressions modres, une toile pour les expressions neutres.

Thomas nest pas vraiment lgant mais lorsquil doit sortir, il a toujours lair distingu. Marie, elle, fait trs attention sa tenue et ce, en toutes circonstances, pour la vie quotidienne et pour le travail, comme pour les sorties du soir ou du week-end. Thomas a pour habitude de dire quelle est plutt glamour, ce qui nerve un peu Marie. Thomas nest pas quelquun de prtentieux mais il a tendance tre dsagrable avec les personnes quil ne connat pas. Cest de la timidit parce que Thomas pense quil nest pas franchement sduisant et il a souvent peur de dplaire. Pourtant, les femmes, en gnral, trouvent que Thomas est vraiment charmant. Un peu plus style mais surtout bien plus souriante que Thomas, Marie a lair de quelquun dassez sympathique. Gnralement, on trouve que Thomas est un peu trop mystrieux, franchement pas sociable et que Marie est beaucoup plus intelligente. Cela dit, ils sont tous les deux tout fait sympathiques une fois quon les connat mieux. Le plus gros dfaut de Thomas, cest quil est ttu comme une mule. Quant Marie, elle est bavarde comme une pie. La timidit, elle ne connat pas!

AnswersPositive a toujours lair distingu **plutt glamour **vraiment charmant ***un peu plus style **bien plus souriante que ***a lair de quelquun dassez sympathique **beaucoup plus intelligente ***tout fait sympathiques **Negativepas vraiment lgant **nest pas quelquun de prtentieux *a tendance tre dsagrable **pas franchement sduisant **un peu trop mystrieux **franchement pas sociable ***

3- Read the text and answer the true or false questions below:Thomas nest pas vraiment lgant mais lorsquil doit sortir, il a toujours lair distingu. Marie, elle, fait trs attention sa tenue et ce, en toutes circonstances, pour la vie quotidienne et pour le travail, comme pour les sorties du soir ou du week-end. Thomas a pour habitude de dire quelle est plutt glamour, ce qui nerve un peu Marie. Thomas nest pas quelquun de prtentieux mais il a tendance tre dsagrable avec les personnes quil ne connat pas. Cest de la timidit parce que Thomas pense quil nest pas franchement sduisant et il a souvent peur de dplaire. Pourtant, les femmes, en gnral, trouvent que Thomas est vraiment charmant. Un peu plus style mais surtout bien plus souriante que Thomas, Marie a lair de quelquun dassez sympathique. Gnralement, on trouve que Thomas est un peu trop mystrieux, franchement pas sociable et que Marie est beaucoup plus intelligente. Cela dit, ils sont tous les deux tout fait sympathiques une fois quon les connat mieux. Le plus gros dfaut de Thomas, cest quil est ttu comme une mule. Quant Marie, elle est bavarde comme une pie. La timidit, elle ne connat pas!

1. Marie est gnralement plus classe que Thomas. True

2. Thomas est charmant mais il est trop timide. True

3. Thomas a lair bien moins sympathique que Marie. False

4. Thomas ne plat pas aux femmes. False

5. Les gens disent que Marie nest pas aussi intelligente que Thomas. False

6. Marie aime la mode. True

7. Si on est ami avec le couple, Marie est vraiment plus sympathique que Thomas. False

8. Thomas est dsagrable parce quil est jaloux de Marie. False

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Describe & Compare Lesson Plan

Answer Key - French Quiz #1Pretest:To be able to use the vocabulary and create their own expressions from the ones they haveclassified,studentsmustworkonquiz

1. Review or introduce: plus que moins que plus/moins aussi que / pas aussi ... que

and more if possible : autant que comme tout autant que

Teach could check to see if the students know the irregular forms:

bon / meilleur que mauvais / pire que

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Describe & Compare Lesson Plan

Main Lesson PlanGames and role play:Games to use character traits and physical description

1. Game 1 is called qui suis-je: A student picks a celebrity and other students have to find out whohe/she is by asking questions. Students must only answer yes or no. Teacher should indicate a maximum number of questions allowed and count them.

2. Game 2 is called lenqute: A student asks questionstootherstofindoutwhoisthecriminal.Answers must only be yes or no. The detective student must leave the classroom so other students can choose who the criminal is. Only the criminal student is allowed to not tell the truth.

Role play to use character traitsHave pairs of students prepare a short role play by choosing one of the following situations :

A teenager wants to go out with girlfriend/boyfriend but parents wont allow: The teenager has to convince his/her parents that the girlfriend/boyfriend is a good person with many positive qualities.

A couple has met new friends, who are also a couple, but they dont quite agree on their new friends: The man (or woman) is friendly and seems to have many qualities, whereas the woman (or man) is not that friendly.

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Closure:Homework should include worksheets (and possibly quiz 2).

Teacher also could ask students to write short texts describing their favorite persons in the world.

Assessment:1. Free-text writing is a good way of checking how

students can use what they have learned in this lesson. A video can also be used, but it has to be a portrait/biography of someone of interest, artist, politician, historical character etc. preferably controversial but not too much. With a video, a debate is the best way to work on the assessment.

2. Exercise 1 on quiz 2 may be used to assess comparison skills, but could it also be the opportunity to organize a small debate or used instead of the video.

3. Correcting the worksheet is also a good assessment.