Grade 9 - Acquiring Information

This organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

extract, retrieve, and process information from French-language resources to complete authentic tasks
explain acquired information in oral, visual, and written forms

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

At this level, students will be motivated to acquire information from authentic materials when the purpose is practical and relevant to their age, such as meeting a friend at a bus depot or choosing a fast-food restaurant.

Have students review a variety of restaurant menus in French and practise ordering a meal. Then groups of three role-play a restaurant scene. One student is the waiter and the other two are customers who each order three items using the menus they are given. Students could also conduct a class survey of preferences and eating habits or compare menus with the Canada Food Guide.
After students examine several examples of classified advertisements in French, have them create a classified section for the classroom notice board. Students both prepare advertisements and respond to advertisements. When responding, students should make appropriate inquiries about the ads, such as details about the objects for sale, when they can be viewed, and where to go to see them.
Have students telephone Francophone businesses or organizations to find out their hours of business.
Have students read several letters in youth magazines, noting the topics discussed, opinions, and language expressions used. Students then write their own letters to the magazines or to penpals.
Have students choose articles from French-language youth magazines and generate four questions about the most interesting facts. Students then exchange their articles and questions with partners and answer the student-generated questions.
After reading a series of brief French-language articles on the same topic, students create publicity posters that summarize the information they have collected.
Have students watch a current French-language television program for one week. After viewing, have students complete worksheets based on the programs.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Students at this level show evidence of their language skills and strategies in the way they approach and work with the materials, as well as the way they represent the information they acquire.

After students have explored a variety of restaurant menus in French and role-played ordering a meal, look for evidence that they are able to:
- identify menu items they want
- order appropriate items in comprehensible French
- clarify information such as prices
Students use the classified ad format to prepare "for sale" advertisements in French for real or imagined objects. Other students respond in telephone role plays. Criteria for assessment might include noting whether or not students:
- use the appropriate format
- write clearly in simple French
- refer to information in the ads during their "calls"
- interact in French to complete the task
When looking at students' posters, look for evidence that the information is:
- accurate and complete
- written in understandable French
- displayed in a logical way that enhances meaning
Students watch a French-language television program for one week. They complete viewing fiches that summarize:
- main characters (age, brief descriptions)
- setting
- conflict or action in the episode
- conclusion of the week's action
Look for evidence that the information is accurate, complete, relevant, and written in understandable French.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

Print Materials

"Le magazine" Anthology Series
Stoddart Colour Visual Dictionary French-English

Multimedia

Entre amis Series, Level 2
Des chansons québécoises sans frontières
J'arrive vite et bien
Savoir faire: Passages 2

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