French Level 3, Activity 13: Les directions / Directions (Face-to-Face)

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Emily Blackburn, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

Did you know that you can access the complete collection of Pathways Project French activities in our new Let’s Chat! French pressbook? View the book here: https://boisestate.pressbooks.pub/pathwaysfrench 

Please Note: Many of our activities were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner. 

Directions / Les directions

Description

In this activity, students will practice describing their "ideal" French plaza. Students will also take a quiz relating to directions and will practice giving directions to each other.

Semantic Topics

plaza, city, directions, map, buildings, villes, carte, bâtiment, place, les prépositions, prepositions, donner des indications, give directions, l'imperatif, the imperative tense

Products

Buildings

Practices

Mapping a city center, visiting public spaces

Perspectives

In many Francophone countries, the buildings are very old! Much of the time, in the city center, there is a distinct mix of old and new buildings. The French especially value architecture, and have a distinct taste for plazas and downtowns that incorporate these ancient structures.

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards

  • Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations or correspondence in French to provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
  • Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret spoken and written French on a variety of topics
  • Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas in French to an audience of listeners or readers.
  • Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures of the francophone world.
  • Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures of the francophone world.
  • Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of francophone cultures and their own.

Idaho State Content Standards

  • COMM 1.1: Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions
  • COMM 2.1: Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
  • COMM 3.1: Present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain,
  • CLTR 2.1: Analyze the significance of a product (art, music, literature, etc...) in a target culture.
  • COMP 2.3: Compare and contrast authentic materials from the target culture with the learner’s culture.

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

  • I can ask for directions from one place to another.
  • I can give directions to someone else.
  • I can name one famous plaza in a French speaking country.

Materials Needed

Warm-Up

1. Begin by introducing the Can-Do's for today's activity and opening the Google Slide Presentation.

2. Pour cette activité je vais vous mettre en groupe de deux (A, B, C, D). Avec votre partenaire, discutez les directions à suivre pour aller d’un endroit à un autre. Puis, vous allez les partager avec le reste du groupe. (In partners, give students 5 minutes to practice giving directions from one point in Boise to another. Assign each partnership as group A, B, C or D. Have them share aloud their directions with the group after.)

  • Groupe A: De Zoo Boise à Freak Alley
  • Groupe B: De Morrison Center à Pioneer Cemetery
  • Groupe C: De Flying M Coffeehouse à Julia Davis Park
  • Groupe D: De Knitting Factory à Saint Luke’s Boise

Main Activity

1. Students will choose one of the cards with pictures of a public plaza from the French speaking world. **They can work in partners if they want, but each student must have one plaza for themselves.

Vous allez choisir l'une des cartes avec une image d'un place publique du monde francophone. 

2. Students should discuss what they notice about the plaza.Encourage them to elaborate on as much as they can.

Discutez avec le groupe ce que vous remarquez sur la place. Développez autant que possible.

3. Then, they should compare the plaza to that of Boise. Is there a plaza like that in Boise? Is the plaza from the French speaking country bigger? Smaller? Busier?

Puis, comparez la place sur votre carte à la place de Boise. Est-ce que les deux sont similaires ? Différentes ? Comment ?

*Really encourage students to use the vocabulary!!*

- une avenue, un bâtiment, un boulevard, une statue, une fontaine, un banc, un chemin, une rue, un coin, au bout de, au coin de, autour de, jusqu'à, près de, tout droit

Wrap-up

Ask the following question(s) to finish the activity:

  • Voulez-vous visiter une de ces places ? Laquelle ? (Do you want to visit one of these places? Which one?)
  • Quelle est votre place préférée à Boise ? (What is your favorite place in Boise?)
  • Quelle est votre place préférée en générale ? (What is your favorite place in general?)

Cultural Resources

Explore Nancy, France's Plaza

Place des Vosges in Paris

Place de Verdun, Aix en Provence

End of Activity

  • Can-Do statement check-in... “Where are we?”
  • Read can-do statements and have students evaluate their confidence.
  • Encourage students to be honest in their self evaluation
  • Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future activities!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

  • I can ask for directions from one place to another.
  • I can give directions to someone else.
  • I can name one famous plaza in a French speaking country.
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