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Throughout the school year, you have been
learning about various aspects of the culture
of your assigned Francophone country.
Consider the following questions about your
country that you studied:
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How do people greet each other and make
introductions in the country?
How might the geography and climate of the
county influence food and fashion?
How does home and school life there compare
to your own?
Which sports and hobbies are the most
popular in the country?
Who are some notable people from the
country?
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
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Next
Use the following resources to help you gather information about
your Francophone country.
 TV 5 Monde international French-speaking TV
 France 24 French television
 Koaci African news site
 La Soleil Canadian newspaper
 CultureGrams (password required outside of school- see
your School Library Media Specialist)
As you research, take notes using a graphic organizer found on
the next page. Don’t forget to cite your sources!
Soccer in front of the National Museum in Port Vila, Vanuatu
Image Source: CultureGrams
Silver= I can do this on my own
Gold= Challenge me!
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You will use the resources from the previous slide to
take notes about your Francophone country. You
may also incorporate information that you
gathered earlier in the year, but you must be able
to cite your sources. Wikipedia is not an
acceptable source. Google is a tool, not a source.
Use this graphic organizer to take your notes. Be
sure to complete all of the categories for each
unit of study including your information, URLs
where you found the information, and MLA
citations of your sources.
Please see the rubric for more details about how
your notes will be graded.
Québec Street in Québec City, Québec, Canada
Image Source: CultureGrams
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You will now compile what you have previously
learned and will use your notes from your
graphic organizer to create a Blendspace lesson
in French about your country (see tutorial). Be
sure to include all of the information from your
notes.
Use images in your Blendspace lesson that are
copyright-free or from sources licensed by
BCPS.
You will present your lesson out loud in front of
the class. Be prepared to speak on the date
that your teacher assigns.
Be sure to review the rubric to make sure that you
have met all of the requirements for your
presentation.
Women harvesting cotton in Bouake, Côte d’Ivoire
Image Source: CultureGrams
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Some people choose to leave their country of
origin to live in another country. These people
are called expatriates. Click on the picture to
watch a video about French expatriates in
Djbouti.
Use the following resources to learn more about
expatriates:
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The Expatriate Writer in Paris
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French expats in Abu Dhabi
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This Tour de France Never Leaves New York
Video Source: Discovery Education by subscription
Imagine that you are an expatriate who has
relocated to your assigned Francophone
country. Write a journal entry in French
comparing the culture of your new country to
that of the United States. Include your journal
entry in your Blendspace lesson.
Next
Grade Level and Content Area
ACTFL standards- American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages
FLL 2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives
of the culture studied.
FLL 2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives
of the culture studied.
FLL 3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
FLL 3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available
through the foreign language and its cultures.
FLL 4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture though comparisons of the culture
studied and their own.
Common Core State Standards
Reading: 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Writing: 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Standards for the 21st Century Learner
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g. textual, visual, media, digital) in
order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, realworld situations, and further investigations.
ISTE NETS - National Educational Technology Standards for Students
3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of
sources and media.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and
conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources.
c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
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Time Frame:
Two 90 minute class periods. An additional class period may be
required for oral presentations.
Differentiation strategies for this lesson:
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Direct students to use learning tools included in our BCPSlicensed databases, such as: audio read-aloud, labeled reading
levels/Lexiles, and embedded dictionaries.
Learning Styles addressed in this lesson:
Visual, auditory, tactile, reflective, global understanding
Notes to the teacher:
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Collaborate with your school library media specialist to
implement this lesson.
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This Slam Dunk lesson is designed for a level 2 French class.
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You may want to use part of the class period before you take
your students to the library media center to introduce the Slam Dunk
and to show/model what students will be creating. You may also
want to demo the tutorial for Blendspace with them.
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You may wish to set up a class on Blendspace or use a website
such as Edmodo to distribute and collect student assignments
electronically.
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You may want to add point values to the rubrics.
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If time allows, consider doing an online gallery walk and allowing
students to comment on the work of their peers.
Last updated: July 2014
Created by Amber Bickhart, School Library Media Intern
BCPS Slam Dunk Research Model, Copyright 2014, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. The models may be used for educational, non-profit school use only.
All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly. This lesson is based on Jamie McKenzie’s Slam Dunk Lesson module.