Sample 5: Grade 9

Topic: Electronic Correspondence

1. Prescribed Learning Outcomes:

Communicating
It is expected that students will:

• ask for assistance and detailed information
  
• share opinions and preferences, giving reasons
  
• describe and exchange information related to activities, people, places, and things
  
• arrange events in past, present, and future
  
• participate in selected meaningful, real-life situations
  

Aquiring Information
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
• 
  

Experiencing Creative Works
It is expected that students will:

• reflect on and respond to authentic creative works from the Francophone world

Understanding Cultural Influences
It is expected that students will:

• identify and compare Francophone cultures from around the world
  
• distinguish similarities and differences between their own customs and those of Francophone cultures
  
• identify language, expressions, and behaviours that suit cultural context
  

2. Overview

The teacher developed a series of web-based activities to initiate correspondence with students in a Francophone culture. The teacher considered a variety of ways to do this, for example, by students corresponding with individual students in another class, by the class as a whole creating messages for another class, or by having students participate in a student listserv or chat group. The introductory activities occurred continuously over two weeks of classes, while the correspondence process continued for the remainder of the school year.

Although this sample deals with electronic correspondence, it can be easily adapted to a penpal situation.

Evaluation was based on:

• participation in oral preparation activities
  
• information collection from the Internet
  
• visual projects developed on local activities, people, places, and things
  
• actual correspondence students sent to their "keypals"
• oral presentations of the information they received
  
• visual projects developed on differences and similarities between their own customs and those of Francophone cultures
  

3. Planning for Assessment and Evaluation

• Students worked in pairs to do the cooperative activity "think-pair-share" (see diagram) on the purposes and possible methods of correspondence. During the whole class sharing that followed this activity, the teacher prompted discussion with questions such as:
  • How many of you correspond regularly in writing with others?
    
  • How many of you have correspondents outside of this region?
    
  • What format options are available (e.g., mail, fax, e-mail)?
    
  • What formats do you most enjoy sending? Receiving?
    
• Students returned to their partners to create web charts/mind maps on poster paper that showed the benefits of having penpals/keypals. These were posted around the room for the duration of the unit to remind students of the purpose of this unit.
  
• The teacher explained that students would be selecting and corresponding with students from Francophone cultures around the world using the Internet. Students brainstormed how to find keypals on the Internet (e.g., keypal exchange, using a search engine to find keypal sites).
  
• The teacher provided students with (or, subject to time and interest, had the students do a web search for) the three types of keypal exchanges. The class chose the individual student-to-individual student format.
  
• The teacher read a sample letter. In pairs, students brainstormed features that make correspondence worthwhile and interesting. They collated ideas on a flipchart for classroom display. The teacher helped students follow up by suggesting simple ways to ensure quality in their correspondence in French, such as:
  • learning as much as you can about where your keypal lives
    
  • practising vocabulary and a variety of sentence frames for telling about yourself and asking questions about someone else
    
  • learning how to describe in French the place where you live
    
  • experimenting with ways of making your information interesting
    
• To help students become aware of the variety of Francophone cultures, the teacher played Francophone songs from various regions around the world. The teacher asked students where the performers might be from, leading the discussion with questions such as:
  • What clues might help you guess where someone is from?
    
  • What are some of the similarities and differences between this and the music you listen to?
    
  • What other areas in the world are French-speaking?
    
• Students coloured the areas of the world considered to be Francophone on a photocopied world map.
  
• The teacher divided the class into groups and assigned each group a major area of the Francophone world, such as Québec, Acadie, France, Afrique du Nord, or Louisiane. They were also given information sheets to complete.
  
• Using the Internet, students researched the assigned Francophone cultures to complete their information sheets. Each group presented their findings to the class with any visual support they were able to print off the Internet. The completed information sheets and visuals were posted on a central bulletin board on a large map of the Francophone world.
  
• Students read sample French penpal/keypal letters and generated a list of useful vocabulary and language structures. They worked in pairs to fill in the blanks in letters where words and phrases had been omitted (cloze activities). Multiple samples and alternate phrasings helped students develop variety in their correspondence.

Information Sheet

• Each student created a letter of introduction to a keypal that was first sent to the teacher's e-mail address. The letter contained elements from the information chart done as part of the web search in a previous class. The teacher forwarded students' letters to the appropriate teacher, school, or student listserv.
  
• During the rest of that term/semester, students were given the opportunity to check their e-mail regularly and to respond to any messages received. The teacher tracked the correspondence by providing a correspondence log to be completed by students.
  
• At the end of the term/semester, students introduced their keypals to the class with multimedia presentations that included all of the information they had learned about their keypals' cultures as well as personal descriptions of the students. Each presentation had an oral introduction, a music background, pictures and objects from the keypal's country, photos of the keypal, and samples of his or her favourite foods. A few students chose to do PowerPoint presentations.
  

Correspondence Log

4. Defining the Criteria

The teacher reviewed the learning outcomes for these activities, then explained the requirements of each task to the students. The teacher and students decided the following key criteria should be demonstrated in the assigned tasks.

Accessing Information on the Internet
To what extent does the student:

• access a variety of electronic sources (such as French search engines and web sites)
  
• download appropriate data from the Internet

Participation in Oral Activities
To what extent does the student:

• interact with the information through questions, responses, and following instructions
  
• use French to ask and respond to questions from the teacher and other students
  
• speak French during class and group activities
  
• respond to and support others in their use of French

Web Chart/Mind Map on the Benefits of Having a Keypal
To what extent does the student:

• provide all required information
  
• include relevant and interesting details
  
• use appropriate vocabulary, spelled correctly
  
• show appropriate organization of information

Information Sheet
To what extent does the student:

• provide all required information
  
• include relevant and interesting details
  
• use appropriate vocabulary, spelled correctly
  
• show appropriate organization of information
  
• reproduce French words and patterns in understandable form

Oral Presentation of the Information Sheet
To what extent does the student:

• present information clearly
  
• include relevant or interesting details or features
  
• speak smoothly-most pauses occur at the end of phrases or sentences
  
• use a variety of vocabulary and language structures appropriate to the subject

E-mail Letters to Keypal
To what extent does the student:

• present clear, relevant, and appropriate information
  
• include interesting details or features
  
• ask questions about or make comparisons with local community
  
• include information about personal tastes, a description of the school, and community customs
  
• ask questions about comparable customs or behaviour patterns
  
• use a variety of vocabulary and language structures
  
• use spelling and mechanics that do not interfere with meaning

Multimedia Presentation on the Keypal
To what extent does the student:

• convey an understandable message
  
• include all required information
  
• provide relevant and unusual details to add interest
  
• sustain the use of French-pauses do not impede communication
  
• pronounce most words accurately or approximately
  
• self-correct as needed
  
• use appropriate vocabulary and language patterns correctly
  
• include several types of media: music, visual, electronic
  

5. Assessing and Evaluating Student Performance

The teacher used performance rating scales to evaluate students' work on this unit. Students were given copies of the rating scales, and discussed them in English before working on their assignments. Teachers and students used the scales to assess and provide feedback on the posters, information sheets, information presentations, and e-mail letters. These scales were adapted and used throughout the year to assess visual, oral, and written work.

Accessing Information on the Internet

Participation in Oral Activities

Web Chart/Mind Map on the Benefits of Having a Keypal

Student Mobiles

Oral Presentation of the Information Sheet

E-mail Letters to Keypal

Note: Communication of meaning is the most important consideration and should receive the greatest weighting in assigning a grade.

Oral and Multimedia Presentation

Note: Communication of meaning is the most important consideration and should receive the greatest weighting in assigning a grade.

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Maintained by: International Languages Coordinator

Last Modified: February 2002