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Using pictures for listening and creative storytelling

I've blogged before about the value of a picture in generating lots of interesting language in a communicative way. In the example below a picture of a car crash can be used to create a story involving the background to the event, what happened and the people involved. Possibilities are numerous and allow students to come up with their own angles. There are no right or wrong factual answers. Different time frames can be used, including future.

My approach would be to display the picture, possibly describe it, then do a teacher-led lesson where the main goal is listening to comprehensible input, but with additional focus on speaking, reading and writing. You would ask questions, elicit answers and write them up in full or partial form on the board. In this way students get to see the language they are hearing and use it to help generate further answers. Once there is a full set of notes on the board these can then be hidden or gapped (e.g. using the "disppearing text" technique, removing more and more words or chunks until the class can more or less recount the story from memory). So this allows students to recall the story again, generating more repetitions of useful language. The story can be written up at home or in class. A really good class could use similar language to produce their own versions of the story based on the picture.

I would do this with a good GCSE (intermediate level) class or even an advanced group. So here's the example:

Image: pixabay.com

The following questions are for guidance and would be adapted to whatever the class suggests. I've included a possible role play scenario below the questions.


1.         Que voyez-vous ici?

2.         Dans quel pays sommes-nous par exemple? Comment le savez-vous ?

3.         Depuis combien de temps se trouve cette voiture ici ?

4.         C’est à quelle saison ? Comment le savez-vous ?

5.         Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ?

6.         Qui était le conducteur du véhicule ? Décrivez-le. Il était seul ?
7.         Il y avait des passagers? Qui? Décrivez -les.

8.         Comment est-ce que l’accident s’est produit ?

9.         Que faisait le conducteur au moment de l’accident ?

10     Qui était responsable de l’accident ? Pourquoi ?

11.       Qu’est-ce que le conducteur aurait pu faire pour éviter la collision ?

12.       Où est le conducteur actuellement ? Il est en quel état ?

13.       Si d’autres véhicules sont impliqués expliquez ce qui est arrivé aux autres conducteurs et   passagers.


Imaginez que vous êtes un policier arrivé sur scène. Téléphonez à votre gendarmerie pour expliquer ce que vous avez trouvé et ce que vous avez fait.


Vocabulaire utile

le volant
steering wheel
entrer en collision
to collide
heurter/tamponner
to hit, bump into
blesser
to injure
déraper
to skid
perdre le contrôle
to lose control
les urgences
emergency services
les pompiers
fire brigade





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