Grade 12 Unit plan

Grade 12 Literacy Unit Plan

Daniel Bowes
Simon Fraser University
23 July 2015

Grade 12 Unit plan

Unit Justification
In my unit plan I am taking a literary approach to teaching FSL through developing
reading strategies as a medium for classroom socialization in French and expression of key
concepts such as sentence structure, adjectives and descriptive language, and cultural
understanding. The plan thus far covers 20 days of 75 minutes lessons at the grade 12 level. The
first half to three fifths of the unit uses a literature circle to structure to explore Antoine de SaintExuperys novella Le Petit Prince. The expectation is that every week and a half a third of the
book should be finished with time allotted every second class for reading time and a brief three
sentence reaction to the in class reading. Afterwards, every fifth lesson after the first week is the
reading circle meeting where the reading will be discussed, understanding verified, questions
addressed, particularly interesting sections reread out loud and discussed, and insights from the
students shared in a low pressure environment with participation and oral being the weighted
element and graded after the final meeting of the literature circle. The secondary goal to
developing literacy in French texts is self-expression in reaction to literature. Critical mindedness
and being able to describe ones thoughts, thus a strong emphasis on adjectives and verb tenses
besides the present (futur, pass, and conditionelle), as well as conjunctions. Verb tenses and
conjunctions, rather than having their own lessons, will be woven into activities and taught
through practice, keeping the focus on the text as the main source of learning.
The basis for my unit is that when I was learning French, I became fluent through the
holistic experience of speaking, writing, and reading in school. If I am hoping to achieve a high
quality of French language, I see no reason to approach teaching FSL with a similar mindset.

Grade 12 Unit plan

Reading is at once a highly focused activity and one rooted in an extremely broad cultural
context with the potential to take one of several of many different forms. Focusing with
concentration on a text is, for many children, difficult but that is precisely what
effective reading demands. (Fleming et.al., 2010, 76),
Put another way by Mady is that this highly focused activity Fleming comments about is a
learned ability students have in their L1 that can then be transferred when learning an L2, and
should not be viewed as being exclusive to IF or FI programs, (Mady, 2013, 2). However,
Mady also identifies that in CF,students learn French as a subject, with a focus on basic
communication skills, language knowledge and an appreciation of Francophone culture practiced
in Canada[] (Mady, 2013, 3) . In English I identify literacy as using language to engage with
text and various media, thus when we speak of literacy in French, there is little doubt in my mind
that an identical mindset should be used when planning lessons structured around promoting
literacy in French using tools they use in their English class and adapted to an FSL classroom.
The Quest-Ce-Qui Se Passe activity is such an adapted activity, where I feel I can reasonably
expect they understand plot structures and characterization, thus giving students the vocabulary
to express these understandings and the structures to do so becomes the primary goal.
To implement this unit plan, an understanding of literary structures is probably necessary.
While I go into no depth whatsoever during the lessons, the underlying assumption is that they
are analyzing stories, and discussions in class will invariably revolve around text. Comfort in
reading French text and knowledge of a variety of texts/where to find them is necessary when
planning the activities, since they are essentially shells that can be used on any text the teacher
can find. Finally, being comfortable with students moving around to work in groups helps a lot.
Maybe not something to mention quite often, but creating movement is something I personally

Grade 12 Unit plan

try to structure into my lessons as much as possible, if only to get students to go talk with a
different group of people.
References
Fleming, M., & Stevens, D. (2010). English teaching in the secondary school: Linking theory
and practice. New York: Routledge.
Mady, C. (2013). Obstacles and opportunities for literacy teaching: A case student of primary
core French in Ontario. Language and Literacy, 15(2), 2-3.

Grade 12 Unit plan

Lesson
#`
1

Prescribed
Learning
Outcomes
Write
complex full
sentences
expressing
thoughts
and
reflections
Socialize
and make
meaning in
French
Use Future,
Present, and
Conditional
tenses

Instructional
Activities

Assessment

Differentiation

Materials/Re
sources

1) Sketch
artist
game
2) Reading
journals
3) Quest ce
qui se
passe?
4) Jaser et
Promener
5) Question
s varies
H/O

Future
revision.
Formative:
reading
Journals,
literature
circle,
adjective
handout.
Summative:
Reading
Comprehensi
on Quizzes,

Journals
Novella
Handouts
Writing
materials
Binder

---

1) Teaching
You to Walk.
(Teacher
Led,).
2) Literature
Circle.
3)In class
reading;
Comptes de

Summative:
Teaching Us
to Walk
(Student Led
+ Approved
the day
prior).
Lit Circle
Self

1) I can use
the bi-daily
journals to
track my
students
reading and
writing
progress.
2)If some
students
arent
comfortable
discussing in
class, I can
check journals
for
comprehensio
n.
3) Records
kept from
observations
based on
journal entries
and
discussion to
base further
differentiation
for later
activities.
4) Always
available for
extra help.
1) First lit
circle meeting
will need to
get used to
the schedule,
have to make
sure students
are
comfortable

Handout
Novella
Writing
Materials
Journal
Binder

Grade 12 Unit plan

---

Fes, fables,
histoires
4) Partons en
voyage.

Assessment

Reading
Circle.
Partons en
Voyage.
Storyboards
+
presentation
of
storyboards.
Journal
Entries:
Est-ce-que
tes
predictions
pour le livre
ont t
realise?

Formative:
Lit Circle
Self
assessment
of
discussion.
Journal
Entries,
partons en
voyage
Summative:
Storyboards

sharing their
opinions on
the novella.
2) Need to
offer
alternatives to
simply ad lib
sharing. Can
ask for
character
sketches/shari
ng from
journals.
3)Teaching
Activity can
be about
anything the
student
wants, so long
as it can be
taught in
under 3
minutes.
Interest is
usually pretty
high for this
activity.
1) I have
ideas for the
response
questions for
journal
entries, but at
this point I will
probably be
either
changing the
questions
based on the
students
direction of
inquiry, or to
guide their
thinking if

--11x18 sheet
for
storyboards

Grade 12 Unit plan

---

Segue from
Le Petit
Prince and
discussion of
characters
and
representatio
n of
personal/ad
ult issues to
international/
local issues
in media.
Questions in
Journals
adapt,
asking more
to reflect and
react to
readings
instead of
analyse story
and

Formative:
Lit Circle
Self
assessment,
Journals,
Article; read
out loud?
written
response in
journal. (Tie
back to
Authors
background,
so into
analysis of
reading and
text, into the
relevance of
being a pilot.

theyre almost
there but not
quite.
2) At this
point I can
(should) be
able to see
which
students are
keeping up
rather easily.
If anyone is
struggling, Ill
check with
them
discretely
after class to
see if they
need any
extra time or
help.
1) doesnt
necessarily
need to be a
computer
search. Just
mining for
information.

--Library

Grade 12 Unit plan

characters.
5

---

Summative:
Formative
assessment:
Dialogue
presentation

Can be
recorded if it
makes my
students more
comfortable.
Can take 2
days if
needed
(probable).

Whatever
they need.

Grade 12 Unit plan

Day 1
Introduce reading
journals.
Adjectives 20
minutes
Activit Soyons
Artistes
40 minutes
Introduce reading
circle activity and Le
Petit Prince. (12)

Day 5
15 Minute Prep.
60 minute Reading
Circle 1/3

Day 9
15 Minute Prep.
60 Minute Reading
Circle 2/3

Day 13
Reading Circle 3/3
Final assessment,
Group dialogue
introduced/travel
brochure: describe a
place you think
someone would like

Day 2
Future simple
revision en bref.
Text Interpretation
Handout: Quest ce
Qui Ce Passe? 30+
minutes
Reinterprette en
phrases completes.
20 minutes
20 Minutes ICR (in
class reading +
journal entry.
Day 6
Teach a thing
activity:
In class activity;
teach me how to
walk 20 minutes
prep time 35
minutes
Adjectives 2 actions
handout
20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry.
Day 10
Partons en Voyage
50 minutes

9
Day 3
Info Sur Lauteur
(LPP) De nos
premiers
observations, o
sont les
charactres?
Quel raport a la vie
de lauteur au livre?
Pourquoi croyonsnous ceci?
30 minutes
Jaser et se
Promener
40ish minutes
Day 7
** Teach how to do
a thing activity 75
minutes
10 minutes to
present per group
15 minutes to prep

Day 11

20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry.

Day 14
Reintroduce
Background story of
Antoine de St.
xupery.
Brief history lesson,
so back into history
of being a pilot in
WWII.

Day 15
Half class? Library
research on
authors biography.
Why, given his
background, does
he write about what
he does in Le Petit
Prince?

Day 4
10ish minute
reading quiz.
Handout- Questions
Varies 40 minutesish
20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry.

Day 8
Lecture en classe
Histoire courte:
contes, fables,
mythes, legendes,
et romans.
Skynet.be
Meaning making
handout. Full
sentences.
20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry.
Day 12
Storyboard, 35ish
minutes.
Prsentation of
storyboards, 20ish
minutes
20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry.
Day 16
Create a brief
dialogue between
the Prince and the
narrator where their
positions are
reversed at the end,
aka the narrator is
leaving the Prince.

Grade 12 Unit plan

to go to/you would
like to go to. Can be
fictitious or real.

Day 17
Prsentation
3x peer evaluation
handouts per
presentation (ideally
created earlier in
the year)

10

4x Group diagrams
(what we know,
what we think, what
we believe).
20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry; how
do you believe that
the author`s past is
reflected in his
writing?
Day 18

Return to class:
What did we
discover if
anything?
Time given to
prepare dialogues.

What does this

change, if anything?
20 Minutes ICR +
journal entry; What,
in your opinion, is
the relevance of the
ending? Is the
Prince dead, or did
he get home safely?
X

Prsentation (Si
necessaire).

Appendices

Quest ce Qui Se Passe?

tape 1: Je vais vous passez des textes lires. Pour chacun, jaimerais que vous preniez des
notes sur cette feuille de vos observations et vos prdictions de ce qui se passera dans lhistoire.
Texte 1:
1 Qui est le charactre principale? _______________________________
2 O se passe lhistoire? _______________________________
3 Quest ce qui se passe dans lhistoire?______________________________________________
4 Quest ce qui se passera?________________________________________________________

Texte 2:
5 Quest ce qui se passe dans lhistoire?______________________________________________
6 Quest ce qui se passera? _______________________________________________________

Grade 12 Unit plan

11

Texte 3:
7 Avais-tu raison? ______________________________________________________________
8 Quest ce qui se passe dans lhistoire?______________________________________________
9 Crois tu que the charactre principale avait raison dagir de cette faon?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
tape 2: R-crit tes rponses pour the premier et the troisime texte en phrases completes.
1____________________________________________________________________________
2____________________________________________________________________________
3____________________________________________________________________________
4_____________________________________________________________________________
5_____________________________________________________________________________
6_____________________________________________________________________________
7_____________________________________________________________________________
8_____________________________________________________________________________
9_____________________________________________________________________________
Conjonction: ET, MAIS, PARCEQUE, DONC, PLUS, PUIS, PAR CONTRE (and, but,
because, therefore, then/next, however). Avec ces conjontions fait un texte complet avec les
phrases davant.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Grade 12 Unit plan

12

______________________________________________________________________________
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Les Adjectifs
Taille: Height
grand / grande (tall)

Nom:___________
petit / petite

(small/short)

Il est __________________.
He is tall.
Elle est ___________________.
She is short.
Le Poids: Weight
lourd / lourde (heavy)

lger / lgre (light)

Vous pesez combien ? / Quel est votre poids ?

How much do you weigh?
Elle pse 60 kilos. _________________________________________________.
She weighs 60 kilos. She is very __________________________.

Grade 12 Unit plan

13

La Carrure: Build, Physique

maigre (skinny)

mince (thin)

maci (emaciated)

trapu (stocky)

muscle (muscular)

charpent (big-boned)

bien bti (large, jacked, big-boned)

carr (muscle men)

Expressions:
Il est _______________________ comme un clou!
______________________________________________________________________!
gros / grosse (fat)

grassouillet / grassouillette (chubby)

obese (obese)

joufflu (chubby-cheeked)

l'obsit (obesity)

potel (plump)

Choisisez deux hommes de la photo en haut et decrivez-les brievement (Ex: Le premier homme
la gauche est trapu).
1)___________________________________________________________________________.
2)___________________________________________________________________________.

L'apparence: looks
attirant / attirante (______________)beau / belle (handsome)

la beaut (beauty)

Grade 12 Unit plan

14

mignon / mignonne (cute)

Long (Long)

Court (___________)

joli (_____________)

laid / laide (_____________)

En devant (in front)

la laideur (ugliness)

vilain /vilaine (ugly)

Derire (behind)

Fait moi un compliment:

______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
Insulte moi (avec des mots descriptifs sur cette feuille!):
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.

Grade 12 Unit plan

15

Club de Litrature
For this unit we will be reading Le Petit Prince, and at determined dates we will be
convening as a class to discuss our reading in a literature circle. You will be paired with two
others in preparation for these literature circles. Each week be prepared to discuss:
1. The chapters read. Quas-tu compri de ta lecture?
2. The characters.
Descriptions: De quoi -t-il laire? Comment est-ce-quil sabille?
Job: Quest-ce-que le charactre fait?
Relevance: Pourquoi est-ce-que le charactre est important?
3. The morals of the chapter: Quest-ce-quon apprend durant le chapitre?
4. Personal observations on the actions of the characters/ plot of the story at this point:
Quest-ce-que tu test demand en lisant le chapitre?
5. Any notable or significant quotes?
Before every meeting 15 minutes will be allotted to discuss with your groups before class
discussion.