Describing Family Members

Overview

This 90-minute lesson is the second of four in the unit "Exploring Family in French." It introduces 10th-grade students to using adjectives for describing family members, emphasizing agreement in gender and number. Students will build sentences using learned vocabulary and practice speaking and writing skills with peer support and teacher guidance.

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Common Core State Standards Alignment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4:
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Application: Students analyze adjective agreement and usage within family descriptions.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1:
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Application: Paired speaking activities describing family members using adjectives.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2:
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Application: Write sentences and short paragraphs describing family members with adjective agreement.

World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL):

• Communication: Interpersonal (speaking in pairs) and Presentational (writing sentences/paragraphs).
• Cultures: Understand how French adjective agreement reflects cultural language patterns.

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Learning Objectives

• I can use adjectives in French to describe my family members.
• I can correctly match adjectives with family nouns based on gender and number.
• I can create at least three sentences describing my family members using the correct adjective agreement.

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Success Criteria

• Students write and orally present at least three grammatically correct sentences describing family members with properly gendered and numbered adjectives.
• Students provide peer feedback demonstrating understanding of adjective agreement.
• Advanced students produce a coherent paragraph with varied adjective usage.

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Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Vocabulary and adjective agreement reference chart
• Sentence starter handouts
• Laptops/tablets for digital writing (optional)
• Project rubric for extended writing activity

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Lesson Breakdown (90 minutes)

1. Warm-Up & Review (10 minutes)

• Quick review: Ask students to recall family member terms in French (e.g., mère, père, frère, sœur).
• Highlight focus adjectives (e.g., gentil/gentille, grand/grande, petit/petite, intelligent/intelligente). Write examples on the board demonstrating gender and plural agreement.
• Compare English adjective placement briefly to French (post-noun position).

2. Mini-Lesson: Adjective Agreement Rules (15 minutes)

• Teacher-led explanation of adjective agreement:
  • Gender: masculine/feminine endings
  • Number: singular/plural forms
• Use family member examples: mon père est grand, ma mère est gentille, mes frères sont intelligents.
• Write and analyze 3-4 example sentences together as a class.

3. Guided Practice: Sentence Creation with Peer Support (20 minutes)

• Students work in pairs (differentiation: stronger students support peers).
• Provide sentence starters handout, e.g.:
  • “Mon/ma [family member] est _______.”
  • “Mes [family members] sont _______.”
• Students create at least three sentences describing their family, orally sharing with their partner to practice pronunciation and structure.

4. Speaking Activity: Describe & Guess (15 minutes)

• Each pair chooses one student to describe a family member using three adjectives without naming them, the partner guesses who is described.
• Rotate roles to ensure active participation.
• Encourages speaking fluency and attentive listening.

5. Independent Writing: Sentence Creation (15 minutes)

• Students write three original sentences (minimum) describing their family using adjectives learned and correct agreement.
• Use vocabulary and agreement charts for support.
• Teacher circulates for feedback and individualized support (differentiation).

6. Extension Activity for Advanced Learners (Optional) (10 minutes)

• Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) describing their entire family, incorporating a variety of adjectives and complex structures learned.
• Includes use of adjectives not covered in class with personal dictionary or thesaurus support.

7. Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes)

• Volunteers share sentences or paragraphs with class for peer feedback.
• Use “I can…” statements to self-assess learning.
• Outline next steps for Lesson 3: introduction to L’imparfait with common verbs (tie-in bridge).

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Differentiation Strategies

• Struggling Learners:

  • Use sentence starters and adjective charts.
  • Pair with supportive peers.
  • Provide visual aids illustrating adjective endings and gender cues.

• Advanced Learners:

  • Challenge to use less common adjectives and incorporate verbs in L’imparfait for extended descriptions.
  • Write longer descriptive paragraphs.
  • Explore cultural comparisons of family descriptions in French-speaking countries.

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Assessment

• Formative: Monitor pair conversations and sentence writing for correct adjective agreement.
• Summative: Review written sentences and paragraphs for grammar accuracy and adjective usage.
• Oral participation during speaking activities assesses communicative competence aligned with CCSS speaking standards.

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This lesson merges linguistic clarity with interactive peer learning, meeting Common Core rigor through using language arts skills in vocabulary acquisition, grammar application, and communication—providing a dynamic, student-centered learning experience.