Daily French Conversations - À la station service - Intermediate Lesson Plan

Daily French Conversations - À la station service - Intermediate French Lesson Plan

This lesson is designed to show students how daily conversations flow in French. You get a video in French and English, an audio version with the dialogue spoken in French only, a fill in the blank exercise, and a transcript which will serve as an answer key. You also get a role play situation written in English that students can use to create their own dialogues. I've included a page of helpful sentences and expressions (one copy only in French and another in French and English). Scroll down to the bottom of this description to see the other themes included in this series. Here's what this one looks like:

À la station service - Buying gas

• You and a friend are driving around France in your rental car, and you notice that you’re almost out gas. You are both keeping your eyes open for the nearest service station. You see one, and you pull in. You get out of the car, and just before you start to fill up the tank, your friend notices that you’re about to fill up with diesel!! You need unleaded!

In the video, students will listen and read along as a typical French dialogue unfolds à la station service in France. As students listen to the conversation, listening comprehension will improve, and they will learn lots of new vocabulary words and expressions. This is really the way French people interact, though it may never have shown up in the textbook! The video lasts approximately two minutes, and it is easy to put it on pause so that everyone has a chance to study the text.

The speech is not too fast in this video, and all of the words are written on the screen in French and with English translations. The grammar in this conversation is quite varied, and some of it is definitely upper-level. However, French learners at any level can learn a lot and benefit from these conversations through context. I think your students will find the English translations to be most helpful, and they will see how it is nearly impossible to give direct translations from French to English.

LESSON PLAN (as you explain it to students):

Step 1: Watch the video and read along as you listen to the conversation. When you don't understand a word, just look down at the English translation. Be sure to take notes! It's ok if you don't understand all of the grammar. Just try to pay close attention to how the sentences are put together and how we do it differently in English.

Step 2: Listen to the audio recording without looking at the words and translations on the video. Do you remember what the words mean? You can use this recording to practice and fine tune your listening skills

Step 3: Print out the fill in the blank exercise, and write in the missing words as you listen to the recording. An answer key is provided. Once you have done this a few times, I challenge you to get out a blank sheet of paper and try writing it all! Just have that pause button ready!

Step 4: Read over the role play situation with a partner. Study the page with helpful French sentences and expressions, and invent your own dialogue. You can use some of what you learned in the video in your conversation!

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