To present the basic sentences involved in all the discussions to come, I will model them by introducing myself to the class. Students have discussed names and ages extensively in fifth and sixth grades, so that will provide a portal of familiarity through which students can access the new phrases.
After I introduce myself, I will put pictures over my face, like a makeshift mask, of other familiar faces within our building (our principal, assistant principal, arts director, teachers they had in previous years, this year's teachers), pretending that I am each of those people. (Of course this requires the willingness of these colleagues to let themselves be photographed for classroom use.) I will hesitate during parts of my introductions for students to fill in the blanks. For example, while holding up a picture of our principal, I will say
Je m'appelle…
and let students fill in his name. This should help to build enthusiasm and draw students out. Students will easily be able to supply names and nationalities in this scenario. For ages, I can hold up a card with a number and students can use the numbers chart on the wall to help recall that vocabulary to fill in the required age as I say
J'ai … ans
.
Then, using one of the many stuffed animals on hand for such purposes, I will ask myself the questions that correspond to the information already given. For example, I will have the animal ask me
Comment t'appelles–tu?
and I will respond
Je m'appelle Madame Cipriano
. Then I will flip it around and ask the same questions of the animal, and have the animal answer. This gives students a model from which to draw, without having to rely on seeing things in writing just yet.
Next I (or the stuffed animal) will ask individual students questions, gauging comprehension so that I ask each student the question he or she is most likely to answer correctly. This is the first practice point of the lesson, so I am primarily looking to build confidence and comprehension. Since I will have had most of my seventh graders for either one or two years already, I will know who can more comfortably handle the discomfort of not being sure of the correct answer, of taking that risk anyway, and who needs the security of answering a question with confidence. Each student gets asked one question. If a student still gets stuck, I will repeat the question and answer between the animal and myself, stressing necessary components. That should help the struggler to understand what is being asked.
Then I will split students into pairs. (9) I will ask a question, and partner A will answer it. Partner A will then "kick it over" to Partner B, using the multi–purpose
Et toi?
/ And you?
Then Partner B will answer. This allows students to get more confident with the statements without focusing yet on the question format.
Next, I will pass out the pictures of familiar people in the school. On the back I will have the pertinent information about each person listed. Each pair will get a personality, and students will take turns being that personality and themselves as they ask and answer these beginning questions.
This will lead in to an explanation of the Passport. I will put up an overhead transparency of my own faux passport and speak about myself as I point to each piece of information. I will hand out to students a sheet that has my passport data page on one side, and a blank on the other. As I say my own information, I will then ask the applicable questions to individual students, who can then answer for themselves and fill out their own information.
I will check the work overnight, and make editing notations of anything that needs to be fixed. Students will use those marks to make a revised "application," which they will submit to me. We will take "passport" photos in class and I will present the students with their final passports another day.