1. Unit Plan
French I & II
9th& 10th Grade
Sarah Labins EDSC 425 Fall 2012
2. Unit Level Questions
To what extent does the formality of our language give it
meaning?
To what extent do power relationships in society affect
the world?
To what extent can the “art” or products we create and
our contributions to the world benefit or change society?
To what extent does the way we describe something
give it meaning?
3. Unit Level
Objectives
Students will relate to the French films and art pieces by
creating their own form of nature-based art through visual
aids, skits, poems, or songs in the target language.
Students will compare and contrast their different forms of
nature-based art using the target language.
Students will discuss and critically analyze works of art
that portray power relationships, demonstrating their
understanding of societal issues involving power and
class struggles.
Students will apply their knowledge of the target language
and reflect on context and culture to understand how
these power tensions exist in other walks of life.
4. Unit Level Assessment
Students will be informally assessed throughout the unit
through task-based activities where different forms of
assessment will be collected, including written
dialogues, drawings, oral
presentations, skits, plays, songs, and short essays.
Students will have a Unit Level Formative Assessment
through their participation and reflection of the class
mural project.
5. National or State
Standards
ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language
Teaching
The Five C’s of Foreign Language Education
Communication
Cultures
Connections
Comparisons
Communities
6. Day 1: Introduction to Adjectives
Pedagogical Approaches: Traditional & Liberal/Progressive Teaching
Methods
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can we change the meaning of a
word by adding adjectives?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will be able to apply their newly acquired
vocabulary through a communicative task by identifying adjectives.
Lesson Activities: Direct Instruction with PowerPoint, TPR movements and
body language / facial expressions to introduce vocabulary. Fly Swatter
game with “Simon Says” game for review.
Lesson Level Assessments: Accuracy during Fly Swatter game to reinforce
learning of new adjectives.
Connections to Community: N/A
Relationships/Tensions: Showing opposites (Tall, small, nice, mean, etc.)
7. Day 2: Séraphine Ecojustice
Lesson
Pedagogical Approaches: Ecojustice
Lesson Level Questions: How can we embellish words and the things we see and interact with through the use of
adjectives? How does the impact of making the world a more ascetically appealing place affect the community, our
society, and us as students? What kind of role do adjectives play in the framework of language?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will relate to the French film “Séraphine” by creating their own form of nature-based art
through visual aids, skits, poems, or songs in the target language. Students will compare and contrast their different forms of
nature-based art using newly acquired adjectives in the target language.
Lesson Activities: Viewing of the French film “Séraphine”, creating a piece of art and describing it using the
target language.
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed on how they can share how they relate to the film by
creating their own visual aids like a painting or drawing, or a skit, poem, or song in the target language. The
formal assessment of this lesson will be depending on how the students can describe theirs and other
students’ pieces of art using adjectives and parts of speech in the target language.
Connections to Community: This lesson is aimed at creating, strengthening, and exploring community
connections, as “Séraphine” will most likely be a new lens for them to see French culture.
Relationships/Tensions: The main relationships that students will be discovering during this lesson are the
ones between nature and us. Having an Ecojustice themed lesson is a great way for students to have a
chance to think about the world as a place, not just pavement, buildings, and structures built by man.
Séraphine paints what she sees in nature, and this reflects her relationship with the world. I am hoping
students see that they can too have this kind of relationship with nature if they wanted to.
9. Day 3: Séraphine Ecojustice
Presentations
Pedagogical Approaches: Ecojustice
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does our connection with nature
shine through our artwork or creative response?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of
adjectives in the target language through presentations of Séraphine
inspired artwork.
Lesson Activities: Class Presentations
Lesson Level Assessments: Presentational Assessment
Connections to Community: Set up for Class Mural, inspiration is flowing and
more ideas are being brainstormed
Relationships/Tensions: Students & Nature, Society & Nature
10. Day 4: Introduction to Family Vocabulary
Pedagogical Approaches: Traditional & Liberal/Progressive Teaching
Methods, Transformative Methods through the Critical Pedagogy.
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent do people around the world value
family? To what extent does language and names affect how we
communicate?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will be able to identify French words for
family members and show relationships through a family tree diagram.
Lesson Activities: Direct instruction to introduce vocabulary through use of
visuals and PowerPoint.
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will arrange a dialogue and skit where
they portray different ages and types of people, and the class will guess
what member of the family they are acting as.
Connections to Community: Enlightenment for students about respect and
societal standards.
Relationships/Tensions: Critical Pedagogy, struggles between classes and
formalities of relations between age and status.
11. Day 5: Show & Tell of Student Families
Pedagogical Approaches: Traditional & Liberal/Progressive Teaching
Methods.
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does family have importance in
peoples’ lives? How do each of our family differences shape who we are as
individuals?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will share their family trees and introduce
family members to the class using the target language.
Lesson Activities: Show &Tell of Family Trees
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will share one statement about three
family members of their choice, using vocabulary in the target language.
Connections to Community: Students having meaningful learning that brings
their outside interests into the classroom will be more memorable and
engaging.
Relationships/Tensions: N/A
12. Day 6: Critical Aesthetic Seurat Lesson
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does the use of “vous” or “tu” change context when speaking
in the target language To what extent do tensions exist because of formal and informal personal
pronouns?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will discuss and critically analyze works of art that portray power
relationships, demonstrating their understanding of societal issues involving power and class
struggles. Students will apply their knowledge of personal pronouns and reflect on context and culture
to understand how these power tensions exist in other walks of life.
Lesson Activities: Students will share their first impressions of art piece “La Grande Jatte” by Georges
Seurat. I will then show them a few other more recognizable versions of the piece and see if the
students can distinguish who would be addressed in the formal and who would be addressed in the
informal.
Lesson Level Assessments: The students will be creating a dialogue about “La Grande Jatte” in the
target language. They have the opportunity to act out through drama or write a descriptive version, all
while incorporating a certain amount of dialogue between characters. This will show their
understanding of Vous/Tu.
Connections to Community: Students’ acquired knowledge of the target language is an attribution to
society, just by their cultural and linguistic awareness and growth as a learner.
Relationships/Tensions: The main relationships that students will be discovering during this lesson are
the ones between people of different levels of class in society. They will be using divergent thinking
when creating their own dialogues and realizing patterns in who uses Vous/Tu.
17. Day 7: Georges Seurat Dialogues/Art Presentations
Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic & Critical Pedagogy
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent does your Seurat-inspired image show the
relationships and tensions between characters and their statuses in society? To what
extent can giving dialogue to an image make it come to life?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will demonstrate their understanding of Vous/Tu
through their Seurat-inspired image and dialogue, presented in the class.
Lesson Activities:The students will be presenting their own image, along with
providing a presentational type of overview of the features in the target language, or
they can act out through drama or write a descriptive version, all while incorporating a
certain amount of dialogue between characters. This will show their understanding of
Vous/Tu.
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed on their use of Vous/Tu
through their dialogues presented and their understanding through characters.
Connections to Community: Students will gain an awareness and understanding of
societal power struggles.
Relationships/Tensions: The main relationships that students will be discovering
during this lesson are the ones between people of different levels of class in society.
18. Day 8: Class Mural Project Introduction
Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy, Critical
Pedagogy, Ecojustice Pedagogy
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can your public art send a message to your
school community? To what extent can art be a tool for people to tell a story?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will illustrate their understanding of relationships
in society within nature and between different societal statuses through a Mural on
school walls.
Lesson Activities: Students will collaborate and brainstorm ideas for mural images for
the staircase walls in the school.
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will work in small groups and submit one
outline of ideas for their wall space, including an explanation in the target language.
Connections to Community: This mural will be student-organized and student-made,
in their school. It will be spreading students’ messages about the themes brought up
in class, including nature and societal ranking.
Relationships/Tensions: Students will begin to apply their understanding of using art
to demonstrate their beliefs and opinions on society and nature.
19. Day 9: Class Mural Day
Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy, Critical
Pedagogy, Ecojustice Pedagogy
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can your public art send a message to your
school community? To what extent can art be a tool for people to tell a story?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will illustrate their understanding of relationships
in society within nature and between different societal statuses through a Mural on
school walls.
Lesson Activities: Students will partake in a class mural where they will paint their
images depicting messages about the themes brought up in class, including nature
and societal ranking.
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed through a reflection and
questionnaire filled out at the end of the class, asking what their contribution was,
and what message they wanted to share.
Connections to Community: Students will be directly contributing self-made public
art to the school.
Relationships/Tensions:Students will apply their understanding of using art to
demonstrate their beliefs and opinions on society and nature.
20. Day 10: Class
Soirée
Pedagogical Approaches: Transformative: Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy, Critical
Pedagogy, Ecojustice Pedagogy
Lesson Level Questions: To what extent can your public art send a message to your
school community? To what extent can art be a tool for people to tell a story?
Lesson Level Objectives: Students will reflect on their art and share their mural piece
with the class and other guests, students, and faculty.
Lesson Activities: Students will give a tour of the mural, each sharing their part and
speaking in the target language. Light refreshments will be provided by the Teacher.
Lesson Level Assessments: Students will be assessed on their participation,
presentation, and use of the target language when speaking and sharing about their
mural piece.
Connections to Community: Students will be explaining their art to the school
community in the target language, therefore leaving some guests to use their
imagination, and being advocates of their French studies.
Relationships/Tensions:Students will share their understanding of using art to
demonstrate their beliefs and opinions on society and nature.