Unit 1: La famille

Subject/Course: French Level I

Lesson 3
Topic: Lannonce dun mariage
Grade(s):8-12

I- Introduction
This lesson is about two different families inviting other family members and friends to
participate in the wedding ceremony of their respective child Estelle and Olivier. The students
are expected to watch the video at least two times to get all the information provided by Estelles
and Oliviers parents concerning their childrens marriage. Then, the students will be involved in
different reading and listening activities to comprehend the cultural value of such an important
event in the French family life.
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-ZNYj5aiMuw
(Transcription): See exercises.
Civil Marriage (Video link):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q24epz_Yumg
II- Objectives: Through completion of this lesson, the students will be able to:
1. Recognize and understand the cultural value of a marriage shared by the French
people
2. Discover some cultural facts about marriage in France (Civil marriage)

3. Identify the type of information used in a wedding invitation

4. Collect and use the (essential) information needed to write an invitation card
III- Learning goals:
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Students will watch a video about a wedding invitation

They will read the transcription of the text in the video
They will listen to the presentation in the video (two times)
They will make hypotheses about unknown words and ask questions about the
content and specific information related to the text.
They will complete guided activities to help them understand the meaning of
unfamiliar words and answer their questions about the content and specific
information related to the text.
They will use their new vocabulary to answer both concrete and abstract questions
about the text.
After listening to the text several times, they will either read the text aloud as a
class or in pairs, and as individuals to reinforce proper pronunciation and
intonation.
They will create an invitation card using their new vocabulary.
They will create a visual representation of the content and specific information
(words, ideas) related to the text to evaluate their understanding.

IV- National Standards:

o Communication: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
o Culture:
2.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and
perspectives of the culture studied.
2.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and
perspectives of the culture studied.
o Connections: 3.1, 3.2
o Comparisons: 4.1, 4.2
o Communities: 5.1, 5.2

V- Time required (90 minutes)

VI- Materials to be used: PowerPoint, video clip, teacher scripts, students handouts.
VII-

Procedure

The Reading/Learning Activities will take place in the following manner:

I- Pre-reading: Students will engage in a series of activities that guide them through all
phases of the reading/ learning cycle. They will begin with these steps:
A. Preparation for learning. They will first watch the video and listen to the wedding
invitation / announcement, focusing on a few simple prompts: 1) what do you see when
you look at the picture (on the 1st slide)? 2) Have you ever been invited to attend a
wedding ceremony? 3) Have you heard a wedding announcement or read a wedding
invitation before? 4) What type of information do you expect to find in a wedding
invitation? 5) Listen to the information provided in the text and say why you think it is an
invitation about either a civil or religious marriage.
B. Organizing prior knowledge. In groups of two or three, students will take a few
moments to think of the symbol that one associates with marriage (they will probably
come up with a heart as a symbol of love, a pair of rings for marriage, although other
answers are possible).
C. Developing questions: In groups of two or three, students will highlight vocabulary and
prepare a check list with words that they think they might hear or read in a wedding
invitation.
Next, they will write at least three questions that they would ask Estelles and Oliviers
parents about the time, the date, and the location where the wedding will take place to
understand the contextual information they may expect to find in the wedding invitation
or announcement.

II- During Reading:

1. In their groups, students will scan the text.

First, they will identify at least three words in the text that look similar to
English words (cognates).

Then, they will identify (3 or 4) words that they think will be important for the
class and that they are unsure of and create a hypothesis for a definition based on
the context. Each group will share its words and will create a class vocabulary
list.
2. Guided interaction

Students will have a guided reading activity that will lead them to understand the
meaning of the words without reverting to English. Some items will suggest word
families with which they would already be familiar.

Next, students will check whether each word expresses an idea / an emotion or an
action associated with marriage. This requires them to re-read the text and
apply their new definitions.

Students will listen to the wedding invitation again. During this time, they re-visit
their predictions from before reading (Q.4 in preparation). They will record the
words that they anticipated finding in the invitation and actually did.

Now they will re-visit their questions from before reading. Did the parents (in the
video) answer any questions that they had asked?

III-

Post Reading:

Revising and re-organizing the information (Comprehension check)

A. Using the transcription, with all the sentences already put in order, students will re-read
the text. They will consider the question, Why is the wedding ceremony taking place at
the City Hall? How do you know? At the end of the text, Why do the parents require a
confirmation of attendance? or Why is the confirmation of attendance important to
them?
B. Students will now read the wedding invitation together as a class after having heard it
several times to practice correct pronunciation and intonation. Then, they will read in
unison with their partners. Finally, they will read it on their own.
IV-

Integrating the information:

A- In groups of two or three, students will draw an image or several images to summarize
the theme or the ideas related to it. They can create any depiction they would like, with
any kind of illustrated graphic. They are therefore encouraged to demonstrate what they
have learned in this lesson and use their creativity to express themselves.
B- Finally, students will now use their new vocabulary words to write an invitation card
based on the theme already covered. In this way, they are creating their own message
with their new words, which will increase the likelihood of vocabulary retention.

VIII- Assessment:
It will focus on the ability of the student to:
1- Read the information used to prepare an invitation card
2- Ask and answer essential questions (both speaking and writing)
3- Collect the essential information to write an invitation card
4- Arrange sentences in logical order
5- Take notes and organize the information to write an invitation card.

Name: ___________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Exercises
I- Transcription:
Mettez les informations du texte suivant dans un ordre logique. Utilisez les chiffres 1 8
pour numroter les phrases.
Bonjour!
-

Nous partagerons ensuite un dner au Pavillon Royal.

Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncer le mariage de notre fille Estelle

Vous tes convis partager ce grand jour en notre compagnie.

Merci de nous confirmer votre prsence avant le 15 juin 2010.

La crmonie civile se droulera la mairie du 17e arrondissement de Paris le 8 Aot 2010

15 heures.

Lchange des voeux sera clbr symboliquement au parc Monceau 16 heures 30.

avec notre fils Olivier.

Merci de nous confirmer votre prsence avant le 15 juin 2010.

II- Lisez les informations suivantes, ensuite rpondez aux questions poses.
Les familles Pierre et Bertrand se font le plaisir de vous inviter la bndiction nuptiale de
leurs enfants Marie et Lon le 20 dcembre 2014 la Basilique Notre-Dame de Paris 17
heures. Aprs la crmonie religieuse, un diner vous sera offert 18 heures au Salon Bleu sis au
22 rue Fernand Lamarre. Veuillez confirmer votre prsence avant le 15 novembre 2014.

1. Qui vont se marier?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Quand est-ce quils vont se marier?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. O est-ce quils vont se marier?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. O a lieu la rception du marriage? A quelle heure?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Quels sont les noms de familles des parents de Marie et de Lon?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

II- Encerclez la lettre qui correspond la rponse correcte pour complter chaque phrase.
1.Tony et Martine se sont maris depuis 3 ans. Ils ftent leur .
a. anniversaire de naissance. b. anniversaire de mariage.
2. Bertrand fte ses 20 ans aujourdhui. Ses parents vont lui offrir .
a. un cadeau danniversaire. b. un gteau de mariage.
3. Simon et Yolne vont se marier. Les parents de Yolne vont prparer
a. une carte dinvitation.

b. une carte dadieu.