In this unit, students will learn various techniques associated with the sound of poetry, as well as some simple poetic forms that will provide them a format in which to create poems organized around thematic vocabulary in the French language classroom. Students will classify and explore vocabulary on their own terms, according to their own preferences, thus experimenting with French language while embedding its patterns and peculiarities into their knowledge base.
This set-up will provide enough structure and guidance for students to be able to focus on word exploration while building vocabulary in an expressive context that will allow excitement and enthusiasm to guide them. Use this unit to either nurture the place in your students that loves rhyme and song and sound, or perhaps to introduce them to that place while also practicing necessary linguistic elements. This poetry creation process will fulfill the language teacher's need to individualize the vocabulary acquisition process as well as supply a worthwhile reason for using that vocabulary.
Although the strategies explored in this unit will prove useful across many languages and levels with certain adjustments, it is written for a fifth-grade, first-year French class.
(Developed for French Exploratory, grade 4; recommended for French Beginners, Middle School grade 5)
