🐕🦺French Level 1, Activity 11: Les animaux domestiques / Pets (Online)
Products: Dogs, cats, fish, etc.
Practices: Pets are often kept in French homes! Cats are more popular to keep than dogs, especially in Paris.
Perspectives: Domestic animals are seen as a members of the family in France – domestic animals often live inside with their family and are treated with respect. In some smaller villages, the animals also have practical purposes, cats can be used as “barn cats” used to catch vermin and unwanted pests, and dogs can be used to herd farm animals and protect the house
- How might the love of domestic animals relate to how animals and the environment in general are valued and respected in French culture?
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 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of francophone cultures and their own.
Idaho State Content Standards:
- COMM 1: Interact with others in the target language and gain meaning from interactions in the target language.
- COMM 2: Discover meaning from what is heard, read or viewed on a variety of topics in the target language.
- COMM 3: Utilize appropriate media to present an idea to an audience.
- CLTR 1.1 Analyze the cultural practices/patterns of behavior accepted as the societal norm in the target culture.
- CONN 2.1 Access authentic materials prepared in the target language by or for native speakers.
- COMP 1.3 Compare and analyze idiomatic expressions in the target language.
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can understand the role of pets in a French family.
- I can briefly describe my pet and what he/she likes to do.
- I can recognize cultural expressions used in everyday French.
Materials Needed:
Warm-up
1. Begin by introducing the Can-Dos for today’s activity.
2. Watch this short video with your students and then discuss the following questions: (Pour commencer, nous allons regarder cette courte vidéo et puis discuter quelques questions)
- Est-ce que vous pensez que les Français préfèrent les chats ou les chiens ?
- Est-ce que vous pensez que les Américains préfèrent les chats ou les chiens ?
- Pensez-vous que le rôle des animaux domestiques en France est le même qu’ici ? Comment ?
Main Activity
1. Have each student choose an a pet from the slide on the slideshow (this is there imaginary pet for the activity).
Demandez aux étudiants de choisir un animal de la diapositive sur le présentation (il s’agira de leur animal imaginaire pour l’exercice).
2. When the slide of their pet comes on, they are going to tell the rest of the group about their pet.
Quand la diapositive de leur animal arrive, ils devront parler de leur animal au reste du groupe:
- Comment il/elle s’appelle ? (What is his/her name?)
- Il/elle a quel âge ? (How old is he/she?)
- Il/elle est comment ? (How is he/she?)
- Qu’est-ce qu’il/elle aime faire ? (What does he/she like to do?)
- Qu’est-ce que vous faites ensemble ? (What do you do together?)
3. They should also practice asking each other questions about their imaginary pets.
Ils doivent également s’entraîner à poser des questions aux autres concernant leur animal imaginaire.
4. After, have them do the same activity but asking about their real pets at home.
Ensuite, faites-leur faire le même exercice en leur demandant de parler de leur animal réel qu’ils ont à la maison.
Wrap-up
1. If there is time left, explain some of the different French expressions using cats.
S’il reste du temps, expliquez différentes expressions françaises comprenant le mot chat.
2. After you go through them, have the students think of the different expressions in English that use cats or dogs.
Ensuite, demandez-leur de penser à différentes expressions en Anglais qui comprennent les mots chat et chien.
3. Go through the slides with the French expressions and have the students try and figure out what they mean. Then explain their translation and meaning.
French Idioms that include cats
-Il n’y a pas un chat:
Translation: There is not a cat (in sight).
Meaning: There is no one (or only a few people, but less than expected).
-Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter
Translation: To have other cats to whip
Meaning: To have bigger fish to fry
-Appeler un chat un chat
Translation: To call a cat a cat
Meaning: To say things like they are
-Avoir un chat dans la gorge
Translation: To have a cat in the throat
Meaning: To have a sore throat/difficulty speaking
-Donner sa langue au chat
Translation: To give your tongue to the cat
Meaning: To not be able to guess
End of Activity:
- Can-Do statement check-in… “Where are we?”
- Read can-do statements and have students evaluate their confidence with cards.
- Encourage students to be honest in their self evaluation
- Pay attention and use feedback for future activities!
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can understand the role of pets in a French family.
- I can briefly describe my pet and what he/she likes to do.
- I can recognize cultural expressions used in everyday French.
CULTURAL NOTES
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