Habitons en France!

A Webquest

Introduction:

Oh là là! You have been accepted by the French government to teach English in France for a year! You have been notified about the program and were told that you can choose any city to live in which you feel you will be most comfortable. But time is running out! You only have eight days to do your research, find a city and an apartment to live in, and convince your parents that you’ve made the right decision… or your spot in the program will be taken!

The Task:

You have been accepted by the French government to teach English in France for a year. You will be given a 500-euro-a-week stipend (pay). However, your parents aren’t thrilled about the idea of you being away for a year on your own. They are worried about you finding a suitable roommate, an affordable apartment, and knowing enough French to get by. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you; thus your goal is to do your “homework” and then prepare a convincing presentation for your parents in French convincing them that you’ve made the right decision.

Working in pairs, you will prepare a presentation explaining where you will be living in France, what the apartment you will be living in is like (how much it costs, what it looks like, and what it’s near,) and why you feel you’ve made the best possible choice. You must also explain what distinguishes your city and apartment from others you’ve researched. Your presentation may be created in whatever format you prefer: Power Point, letter/email with pictures, audacity file, Prezi, poster board, etc. Remember: Be creative and convincing! You only have two days before your spot in the program is taken. Bonne chance!

The Process:Cities in France:The first step to convincing your parents you can survive in France for a year is to learn more about its cities and be able to share your findings with them. Use the following links and questions to guide your search.

1. What kind of climate do you prefer? Which cities in France have this climate? Think about some worries your parents may have. Why is climate so important?

2. What kinds of landmarks do you think would be most beneficial to live near? (Restaurants? Tourist attractions? Shopping Centers? Grocery stores? Etc…) Why?

3. What other information could you give to your parents about the city of your choice to prove to them that you’ve made a smart decision? (Think about population, crime rates, public transportation available, etc)

http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk/en/guide/cityhttp://www.europelifeofluxury.com/5-must-see-cities-in-france/

http://about-france.com/ http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/visites/menu_FRA.html

http://www.indigoguide.com/france/paris-metro.htm

Apartments in France:The second step to convincing your parents you can survive in France for a year is to educate yourself about living arrangement options and share your findings with them. Again, use the following links and questions to guide your search.

1. How much money can you afford to spend on rent if paid 500 euros a week? Think about/factor in possible food costs, public transportation costs, recreation/travel costs, etc. You will most likely need a roommate or two to help cut costs in half. What are your plans for finding a roommate?

2. What does your apartment of choice look like? What amenities/comforts does it offer? Is the apartment furnished, or will you have to provide your own furniture?

3. What other information could you give to your parents about the city of your choice to prove to them that you’ve made a smart decision? Again, think about safety. On which floor is your apartment located? In which area of town is your apartment located? ***Convince your parents you have chosen a safe, affordable place to live!

http://www.sublet.com/state_rentals/france_rentals.asphttp://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france.htm

http://sublet.lodgis.com/en/france/http://www.primelocation.com/international-property/search/path/france/sr/r/t/apartment/

* Now that you have finished researching, it is time to organize a convincing presentation. After you have developed your presentation, you will present it to your “parents” (aka:

Madame Wilson,) and I will decide whether you will be permitted to accept your offer into the English-teaching program. :) See evaluation criteria below for more details!

Evaluation (Peer Grade)

Objective:StudentsWill…

F= 10-12 D= 13-14 C= 15-16 B= 17-18 A= 19-20 Score

Work co-operatively

in pairs.

Contributes to grouponly whenprompted.

ContributesTo groupwith occasionalprompting; participates in needed changes with occasional prompting.

Contributes to group withoutprompting;shows some sensitivity to partner; makes needed changes when shown what needs to be changed.

Works toward group goals most of the time; usually sensitive toward feelings of others; willingly helps partner identify and make necessary changes.

Consistently and actively works toward group goals; is sensitive toward feelings of others; helps partner identify and make necessary changes.

Commun-icate in French

Occasionally speaks French when doing research and working with others; does not prepare

presentation in French.

Speaks French when doing research and working with others with some prompting; presentation written in French, but contains at least 10 errors.

Speaks French when doing research and working with others, rarely resorting to English; presentation written in French, but contains 7-9 errors.

Actively speaks French when doing research and working with others; sometimes encourages others to speak French; presentation written in French, but contains 4-6 errors.

Consistently and actively speaks French when doing research and working with others; always encourages others to speak French; presentation written in French with only 1-3 errors.

Questions Did not use resources provided to answer questions in “process” section; not on task.

Used resources provided, but didn’t focus on the assignment enough to answer all questions in “process” section.

Had trouble with provided resources; therefore unable to answer all questions in the “process” section.

Had trouble with provided resources, but still answered all questions in “process” section.

Worked well finding answers to questions using provided resources; successfully answered all questions in “process” section.

Creativity Presentation is unorganized; listing of rote facts; no pictures; rationale for

Presentation is unorganized; mixture of rote facts and convincing

Presentation written in an innovative, convincing manner; very few pictures;

Presentation written in a clear, convincing and innovative manner; incorporates

Presentation written in a clear, innovative, convincing manner;

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You have now completed the research portion of your journey through France. You will soon be presenting your presentation, complete with your findings to your parents in hopes that they will agree to you living in France this coming year. Now that you’ve learned more about France, French life, and the vocabulary that goes along with describing it, I’d like you to take some time to reflect on the assignment. What do you like about the Webquest? What don’t you like about it? What would you change about the assignment to make it more meaningful to you? *Please write your answers to these questions in French and turn them in with your final project!*