Holiday Language Fun

Grade Level

6th Grade

Duration

53 minutes

Class Size

50 students

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1: Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.B: Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.5.A: Interpret figures of speech and idioms appropriate to grade 6.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4: Present claims and findings with clear pronunciation, relevant descriptive details, and appropriate facts and evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1.E: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Materials Needed

• Printed student handouts containing the "Version française" pages (one page 1 and one page 2 per student)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Timer or stopwatch
• Name tags or stickers
• Classroom space arranged to facilitate mingling and group discussions

Lesson Overview

This lesson uses a highly interactive "Find Someone Who..." activity in French to build speaking, listening, and comprehension skills among 6th graders. Through a festive holiday-themed scavenger hunt with French descriptive phrases, students will practice question formation, vocabulary recall, and conversational fluency. This session targets speaking and listening Common Core standards while building confidence with basic French expressions.

Detailed Activity Breakdown

1. Introduction & Warm-Up (8 minutes)

• Objective: Activate prior French vocabulary knowledge and set cultural context.
• Teacher introduces the theme: “Holiday Traditions and Descriptions.” Briefly explain the significance of holiday symbols mentioned in the handout (like Père Noël, Christmas stockings, and holiday clothing).
• Quickly review tricky vocabulary on the handout (like chaussettes, douceurs, jouets).
• Model how to ask and answer simple yes/no or descriptive questions in French related to the phrases (e.g., "Est-ce que tu portes un chapeau du Père Noël?").

2. “Find Someone Who...” Scavenger Hunt (30 minutes)

• Objective: Practice oral questioning, listening comprehension, and social exchange.

• Hand out one copy each of Page 1 and Page 2 to each student.

• Explain the instructions: Students circulate around the room using French to ask and answer questions based on the statements.

  Examples:

  • “Tu portes des chaussettes rigolotes?”
  • “Tu as un anniversaire en juin?”

• Each student finds a different classmate for each statement who fits the description and writes their name beside the phrase.

• Encourage students to formulate their own questions in French using the target vocabulary, prompting with teacher assistance as needed.

• Implement rules to rotate partners and engage with as many peers as possible.

• Teacher and aides circulate helping with vocabulary, pronunciation, and encouraging full sentences.

3. Small Group Discussion & Reporting (10 minutes)

• Objective: Develop speaking abilities and collaborative communication.
• Divide students into groups of 5.
• Each group shares interesting findings about their classmates using French descriptive sentences.
• Each group selects 2-3 fun or surprising facts to share with the whole class in French (with teacher support).
• Example from a student: "Marie porte souvent un chapeau du Père Noël et adore courir."

4. Wrap-Up and Reflection (5 minutes)

• Review new vocabulary and expressions learned.
• Teacher asks students to reflect (in English or simple French) on the activity: What new words did they learn? What was easy or hard about asking/answering questions?
• Collect the handouts for assessment of participation and understanding.

Assessment

• Formative:
  • Teacher observation during scavenger hunt for use of complete sentences and question formation.
  • Student participation in small group sharing.
• Summative:
  • Completed "Find Someone Who" sheets with correctly matched peer names next to appropriate phrases.
  • Oral presentation of group findings demonstrating comprehension and speaking skills.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence frames and question stems for English Language Learners or less confident students.
• Allow advanced students to create sentences with added adjectives or conjunctions.
• Use visual flashcards for vocabulary scaffolding.

Extensions and Cross-Curricular Connections

• Writing: Students create a short paragraph (in French or English with French vocabulary) describing their own holiday traditions using the phrases learned.
• Art: Design a holiday stocking or hat with decorations representing vocabulary words.
• Social Studies: Discuss holiday traditions and cultural differences around the world.

Teacher Tips to ‘Wow’ Your Class

• Use festive music softly playing in the background to boost holiday spirit.
• Wear a Santa hat or holiday scarf yourself to model enthusiasm and cultural excitement.
• Use colorful sticky notes or stamps as rewards next to students’ names when they answer or ask fluently.
• Record short clips of students sharing facts or practicing questions to create a digital class memory.

This lesson plan integrates speaking, listening, vocabulary acquisition, and cultural awareness around a fun and meaningful holiday theme, all clearly aligned with Common Core standards for speaking and language skills in the target grade. It’s designed to maximize student engagement and accessibility while building confidence in language use.