Letter writing can happen around all of the scenarios delineated in the previous section. A variety of greeting and leave-taking expressions should be provided, as well as structures for asking questions and responding to them. (25) It is very important that students include dates on these letters so that the story may be followed over time. A side benefit to this should be an improved occurrence of the date appearing on other class work as well!
These letters may be generated from a prompt or from information expressed in role-play exercises. They may also be used in future role-play contexts. For instance, a letter from a contact in the United States could be used to prompt a role-play scenario between a French Canadian immigrant and a border agent. Very few documents were required between the U.S. and Canadian border until mid-century, after World War II, but people would often show letters of reference.
Students can write letters to contacts in the United States - family or community members who have already made the move - in which they identify or introduce themselves, including where they are from, where they want to move, with whom, and why. Students can write responses to these letters as well. Alternatively, they can write letters to family members who did not make the move, describing family and work life in the United States, the migration route and process, and perhaps telling when they will come back to visit.
This is a good opportunity to stress the difference between the formal and familiar forms of the subject pronoun "you." When writing to family members, students can use the familiar
tu
but when writing to community members with whom they are not very close, they can use the formal
vous
. I didn't suggest this in the role-play section because I didn't want students to become overly preoccupied with these details during that more spontaneous activity, as it could thwart the process. But of course it is also an option.
The following additional writing opportunities may be used throughout the unit:
JOURNAL ENTRIES: Students may be asked to record the day's information in some way, using sentences, fragments, and drawings. This can be used to assess what has been learned well and what still needs development, in a risk-free and creative way.
LISTS:
Students may be asked to jot down lists that can allow them to practice and gather necessary and relevant vocabulary. Examples include: Who is going to the United States with me? /
Qui va aux États-Unis avec moi?;
Who is staying here? /
Qui reste ici?
; Why go to the U.S.? /
Pourquoi aller aux É.U.?
; What I like about America /
Ce que j'aime d'Amérique
.
DIALOGUES:
Students may be asked to write dialogues reflecting given aspects of the unit. They might be original or you might ask them to take notes after a role-play activity and then create a dialogue that reflects it.