Hello you lovely reader. How are you today? I’m fine, thanks for asking.
I just barely started working with classes on my own. In one school, I’m following a set curriculum but in the other I’m basically doing anything I want. This is nice because it’s more flexible, but it requires some kind of preparation. So, for my first classes I asked the students what subjects interested them and we’d talk about them throughout the year. This was my way of killing time the first lesson and also a lazy way of making a curriculum for the rest of the year. The students came up with topics like fraternities, spring break, the death penalty, health care reform, America’s wars, racism in the US and France, etc. That’s a pretty impressive list for a bunch of high school students.
For my first lesson, I also thought it would be fun to talk about stereotypes of France and Texas. This was a little tricky sometimes because each class had a different level of English. First, we talked about stereotypes of Texas. “When you hear the word, ‘Texas’, what do you think of?” This is what they shouted out.
Texas
- George Bush
- Chuck Norris
- Cowboys (always pronounced the funny French way)
- Mexico
- Cowboy hats
- Guns
- Cows
There were a lot of others, but those were consistent in all of my classes. There weren’t many positive results, so I usually helped them out by adding “Lance Armstrong” after George Bush, or “BBQ” after Cows. I told them that I had also asked students in the US what they think of when they hear “France.” I didn’t really ask anyone, but this really interested them. So, I made up my own list.
France
- Baguettes
- Snails
- Frogs
- Body odor
- Hairy women
- Berets
Does anyone else have ideas to put under the “France” category? I haven’t done this exercise with all of my students yet, so it would be nice to add some real thoughts on there besides my own. They don’t have to be negative, I guess.
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Hey Kevin
Sounds like youve had a nice approach to the “flexible” class!
I guess some Americans would connect the French with “anti-war”? Because they wouldnt go to war against Iraq I guess.
For example Marge Simpson says “We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it”.
David Letterman said “The last time the French ask for ‘more proof ‘ it came marching into Paris under a German flag.”
For other European countries, like here in Norway, a lot of people appreciated that the French had the guts to stand up against the U.S and ask for more proof. And at last, it turned out that the evidence was “fake” or whatever.
From a Norwegian point of view romance is a typical word linked with the French, dunno why though.
Cheese, Sex and the City, fashion, stinky cheese, wine, “the drunk Frenchman” stereotype in movies, the “French lover” stereotype.
Interesting gameplan for setting up your lesson plan!
Cigarettes, horizontal stripes…
I’m doing something similar with Chicago today, but I don’t know how much they will think of. It’ll be my first time meeting this class, and I’m jumping right in, so I guess we’ll see!
Hah, horizontal stripes! Cigarettes was also a big one.
I had mixed reactions with this. Most of the students seemed to really enjoy it, but I had some thumb-twiddlers today.
body odor is nasty that is why i always take a bath twice a day.~,~