Major Cities of France and the U.S. Lesson Revised for Collaborative Project-Based Learning 9 th Grade French

Assignment Description Using Skype in the Classroom, students will work collaboratively with a classroom of students in France. The idea is that the American students will be visiting cities in France and the French students will be visiting cities in America. In this imaginary scenario, the American students, acting as travel agents, will work in groups of 3 to create travel brochures and itineraries for American cities written in French for the visiting French students. In a similar manner, the French students will create travel guides for their American visitors written in English.

A Truly Collaborative Project At the end of the project, all students will be required to do a scavenger hunt by gathering information from their classmates travel brochures. In that way, all students will have the opportunity to learn from each other by sharing their work with the rest of the class. At the end of the project the French students will have the opportunity to critique the French language skills of the American students, while the American students will have the opportunity to critique the English language skills of the French students.

Criteria (American Students*) Three interesting facts that would make me want to visit your city Regional foods, wines, cheese, dialects Map with location, including department Population Major industries and products Museums, chateaux, culture Climate * French students would have similar criteria for the American cities

Assigned Cities (American Students*) LyonMontpellierGrenoble MarseilleRennesBrest ToulouseSaint-EtienneAvignon NiceLe Havre StrasbourgReims NantesLille BordeauxToulon * The French students would have a similar list of large American cities

Sources for Information CIA Factbook for statistical information

Standards ISTE Standards: 1. Creativity and Innovation 2. Communication and Collaboration 3. Research and Information Fluency 4. Digital Citizenship Ohio Content Standards: Communication: Communicate in languages other than English: Interpersonal 1. Exchange information via letters, /video mail, notes, conversations or interviews 4. Follow directions, instructions and requests 7. Use listening and reading strategies 8. Summarize information from authentic language materials and artifacts (e.g., TV programs, articles from youth magazines, Internet, videos, currency) Cultures: Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures 1. Explain objects, images and symbols of the target culture 2. Describe the impact of tangible products from the target culture Connections: Connect with other disciplines and acquire information 2. Investigate and discuss interdisciplinary topics (e.g., world health issues, fine arts concepts, geographical terms) 3. Interview a native speaker or expert in the field to develop new insights on topics of interest Communities: Participate in multilingual communities and cultures at home and around the world 1. Present information about the target language and culture to others 2. Participate in collaborative projects with language students of other grade levels or school districts 3. Establish personal communication links with speakers of the target language to obtain perspectives on topics of mutual interest