Play Script and Song
Article Archives - French
Teaching French can be an exhilarating experience... when all goes according to plan. Our students are learning to speak French fluently, participating actively in all of our French activities, easily initiating and continuing animated conversations with each other, asking questions and responding in grammatically correct phrases and sentences. They exit our classrooms continuing to converse in French all the way down the hall to the next class!
Not exactly your experience you say? Well then... time to awaken from the dream and get ready for the reality of teaching French in most classrooms. The truth is that getting students to participate orally can be a challenge. There are always some who are eager to try out new vocabulary and phrases, but many students are not such risk takers. They are shy about trying French pronunciation, they don't want to answer questions for fear of making a mistake or they don't want to be in the class at all and simply refuse to participate! This reluctance can definitely put a kink in the best French lesson plan.
How Do We Encourage Speaking French?
There are many French activities and games that encourage students to try speaking French, but I have found that the most effective method is to add a little drama to the lessons. During the introduction of new vocabulary and phrases, use gestures, body language, facial expressions and props to help communicate meaning. Adding visual clues to the oral French helps make connections to meaning and aids in retention of the new vocabulary. Where appropriate, add as much humour as possible to the presentation. Even the most reluctant learners will often respond to visual humour.
Let the Students Act Up
This sounds a little off for successfully teaching French, but it isn't quite the way it sounds. Getting the students in on the act allows them to enjoy oral participation without some of the stress. Start by inviting some of the bolder students to join in short animated interactions at the front of the class to demonstrate new vocabulary and phrases. Once the new material has been thoroughly presented in these mini skits, have the experienced students lead small groups to try the same conversations. In small group setting, the shier students will feel more comfortable attempting the new phrases. The next step is to ease them into presenting their rehearsed dialogues for the class. As they gain confidence with small skits, work into the presentation of short plays.
With a gentle lead up to oral presentation, students can soon tackle roles in longer skits and plays and the fears of speaking French will melt away. Find more dramatic ideas and play scripts for teaching French.
In part one of the article, we discussed one method of easing reluctant students into oral participation using simple skits and dialogues. For me, teaching French became the most enjoyable when the students were able to advance to preparing and performing short plays entirely in French. This allowed the students to use the language in a "real life" type of interaction.
Acting in short French plays gives students the opportunity to rehearse and perfect snippets of the French language and use actions, body language and props to make themselves understood - all necessary skills in learning to communicate.
Of course the first step in preparing a drama presentation is reading the script together. It is easier to maintain focus on the reading when students know that there is a purpose for the task. I also find it helpful to use scripts that have familiar story lines and characters such as; fairy tales, fables or T.V. shows. When these elements are already known, introducing new French vocabulary and phrases can be much easier.
Once the students have rehearsed the story sufficiently in the read-through, they can break off into groups, assign roles and prepare their own rendition of the play. The actors should be reminded that gestures, body language and facial expressions are essential not only for communicating meaning but also for entertaining the audience. While the goal is to allow students time to practice and perfect their lines in French, it adds to the enthusiasm when groups are also asked to have props, costumes and perhaps some symbolic scenery. As much as possible students should be speaking French during the preparations. A short list of useful questions and phrases could be posted for reference to help students to communicate.
This type of French activity leaves the teacher free to go from group to group to monitor the progress and help with any difficulties that the students may encounter. When the students become comfortable with the idea of presenting plays, each group could be assigned a different script to prepare. At some point, it would be beneficial for groups to write their own scripts.
Plays can be presented in the classroom or polished for a stage presentation to a larger audience. If your audience does not understand French, scripts can be prepared with a narrator's part in English so that the story line can easily be followed even though the dialogue is in French.
Teaching French through drama can add an element of play and often a touch of humour to learning the language. What better way to grab the interest and enthusiasm of all of the students who will readily participate orally in French?