If your students have access to an Apple or Android mobile device equipped with the French language version of the personal assistants Siri or Google Now, then it would be easy to set an enjoyable and useful communicative task. Siri and Google Now will accept some inaccurate pronunciation, up to a point, and if you did this in a classroom setting background noise could be an issue, but I would set pupils a series of questions to ask either personal assistant.
To show the task was done, they could note down the responses they get. Siri and Google Now sometimes gives a straightforward spoken response to a question. Frequently it will refer you to a web source or give you an answer in reading form.
How about these questions for intermediate students? They all practise the use of " quel(le)(s)".
1. Quel temps fait-il à Paris en ce moment?
2. Quel est la capitale du Pakistan?
3. Quelle est la date de naissance de Napoléon Bonaparte?
4. Quelle est la population de la France?
5. Quel est l'animal le plus rapide du monde?
6. Quels sont les restaurants les plus près d'ici?
7. Quels films peut-on voir au cinéma à ...?
8. Quelles langues est-ce qu'on parle en Suisse?
9. Quelle est la température actuelle à ... ?
10. Quelles sont les langues les plus parlées du monde?
Students could be asked to make up, say, five questions of their own.
This could be done as a paired exercise if students are sharing a device.
I wonder how far we are from having a device with which you could have more spontaneous conversations. It may be less rewarding to talk with a device, but some students may actually feel more comfortable doing so. If you have seen the excellent movie Her you will know how personal your relationship with an operating system could one day become.
To show the task was done, they could note down the responses they get. Siri and Google Now sometimes gives a straightforward spoken response to a question. Frequently it will refer you to a web source or give you an answer in reading form.
How about these questions for intermediate students? They all practise the use of " quel(le)(s)".
1. Quel temps fait-il à Paris en ce moment?
2. Quel est la capitale du Pakistan?
3. Quelle est la date de naissance de Napoléon Bonaparte?
4. Quelle est la population de la France?
5. Quel est l'animal le plus rapide du monde?
6. Quels sont les restaurants les plus près d'ici?
7. Quels films peut-on voir au cinéma à ...?
8. Quelles langues est-ce qu'on parle en Suisse?
9. Quelle est la température actuelle à ... ?
10. Quelles sont les langues les plus parlées du monde?
Students could be asked to make up, say, five questions of their own.
This could be done as a paired exercise if students are sharing a device.
I wonder how far we are from having a device with which you could have more spontaneous conversations. It may be less rewarding to talk with a device, but some students may actually feel more comfortable doing so. If you have seen the excellent movie Her you will know how personal your relationship with an operating system could one day become.
Comments
Post a Comment