Open Discussion*
Activité en Français | Activity in English

Open Discussion
 This activity is an example of a CMC open discussion activity that prompts students to think about the role of food in France and the United States. They were asked to consider how French and Americans view food and what differences and similarities can be noted based on the readings.

Quelle est la relation des Français avec la nourriture selon les textes et les enregistrements dans le chapitre? Comment est-ce que cette relation est différente de la relation que les Américains ont vis-à-vis de la nourriture?
 

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Open Discussion
This activity is an example of a CMC open discussion activity that prompts students to think about the role of food in France and the United States. They were asked to consider how French and Americans view food and what differences and similarities can be noted based on the readings.

What is the relation between French and food according to the readings and the audio segments in the corresponding textbook chapter? How is this relation different from that of Americans and their attitude toward food?)

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Activité en Français | Activity in English

Debate

Position 1: Est-ce que dans 10 ans, les Français vont manger et considérer la nourriture de la même façon que les Américains? Quel est le poids des traditions et des mentalités contemporaines face aux évolutions sociales? Vous pensez que les Français ne pourront jamais se comporter comme les Américains. Vous trouvez vos arguments dans les textes de l'Unité 2.

Ou

Position 2: Est-ce que dans 10 ans, les Français vont manger et considérer la nourriture de la même façon que les Américains? Quel est le poids des traditions et des mentalités contemporaines face aux évolutions sociales? Vous pensez que l'évolution des habitudes des Français laisse présager que bientôt les Français considéreront la nourriture et se nourriront de la même façon que les Américains. Vous trouvez vos arguments dans les textes de l'Unité 2.

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Debate

The following is a CMC debate activity that requires students to argue a position: In 10 years will the French eat and consider food in the same way as Americans? In your discussion consider the importance of traditions as well as the contemporary attitudes that have evolved.

Position 1: You believe that the French could not think and behave as Americans do.
 

Position 2: You think that the evolution of French habits and customs will cause them to take on a more American attitude toward food.
 

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Das Vereinigte Deutschland :  Im Cybercafé Berlin
The following is a CMC chat exercise for 3rd semester or 3rd year German – a debate on opinions among Germans after the fall of the wall. Task : A company from the West wants to tear down the local café to build a computer store, giving your neighborhood lots of money and new jobs. Your instructor will give you a character to play. Chat about the situation.  Introduce yourself and your feelings about re-unificaion, but be sure to discuss the demise of the café as well.

Aufgabe : Eine Firma aus den Westen will das Cybercafé Berlin abräumen, um ein Computergeschäft zu bauen. Das bringt Ihrer Nachbarschaft viel Geld und viele Jobs. Ihr Professor wird Ihnen eine Rolle geben. Sie sollen mit ihren Freunden im Café über die Situation chatten aus Ihrer Perspektive.  Stellen Sie sich vor, und diskutieren Sie die Wende, aber vergessen Sie nicht, über den Fall des Cafés auch zu sprechen.

Sönke:  Sie sind Ostdeutscher und sprechen über Ihre Probleme im vereinigten Deutschland.  Sie können nur noch Teilzeitarbeit (part-time work) finden. Es ging Ihnen vor der Wende viel besser. Zwar hatten Sie wenig Geld, aber doch mehr Sicherheit.

Maria:  Sie haben immer in Ost-Berlin gewohnt, während Ihre Verwandte noch im Westen waren. Sie erinnern sich an Gutes seit der Wende. Zum Beispiel finden Sie es prima, dass jetzt die ganze Familie zusammen sein kann.

Werner:  Sie kommen aus West Berlin. In Ost-Berlin wird viel Geld ausgegeben, alles zu renovieren. Viele Ossis denken, Sie sind reich, nur weil Sie aus dem Westen kommen. Ja, Sie haben Geld, aber Sie arbeiten auch fleissig dafür! Kann es sein, dass die Ossis jetzt die Priviligierten sind ?

Amanda:  Sie sind als Tourist/Touristin in Deutschland und möchten wissen, wie das Leben in der DDR war. Sie finden es schade, dass das Café weg muß, aber Sie finden die viele Sehenswürdigkeiten in Berlin seit der Wende ganz interessant. Sie verstehen nicht, warum die Ossis and Wessis sich oft nicht verstehen.

[Possible extension:  After a chat session, students would come together to discuss stereotypes about East and West Germans and relate the above example to current economic developments].
 

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Re-Unified Germany :  In the « Cybercafé Berlin »
The following is a CMC chat exercise for 3rd semester or 3rd year German – a debate on opinions among Germans after the fall of the wall. Task : A company from the West wants to tear down the local café to build a computer store, giving your neighborhood lots of money and new jobs. Your instructor will give you a character to play. Chat about the situation.  Introduce yourself and your feelings about re-unificaion, but be sure to discuss the demise of the café as well.

Roles:

Sönke:  You are an East-German and you’ve had lots of problems since Germany re-unified. You can only find part-time work. Before the fall of the wall, things were much better. You didn’t make much money, but you had a job and more security.

Maria:  You’ve always lived in East-Germany, while most of your relatives were in the west. You know of lots of good things that have happened since the wall. For example, now your whole family can be together.

Werner:  You’re from West Berlin. In East-Berlin lots of money has been spent on renovations since the all of the wall. Many East-Germans think you’re rich, just because you come from the West. Sure, you have money, but you’ve worked hard for it. You suspect the Easterners are getting lots of priveleges now, just because of where they live.

Amanda:  You’re an American tourist in Germany and you’d like to know what life in the GDR was like. You are sad that the café will be torn down, but you are fascinated by the many changes and new signts in Berlin. You are having trouble understanding why East and West Germans can’t get along.

[Possible extension:  After a chat session, students would come together to discuss stereotypes about East and West Germans and relate the above example to current economic developments].
 
 

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Persona A: Vas con un/a compañero/a a pasar el próximo año estudiando en Madrid. Antes de llegar allí, es necesario decidir dónde vais a vivir, y el programa de intercambio acaba de mandarte cuatro apartamentos posibles, y cuatro posibilidades distintas a tu compañero/a. Como tienes que vivir con él/ella, es importante que lleguéis a un acuerdo en cuanto al apartamento que elijáis. Al tomar la decisión, ten en cuanta tus preferencias personales: Eres muy friolero/a y necesitas calefacción central en el apartamento. No tienes mucho dinero, y así no puedes pagar más de 100.000 pesetas al mes. Eres muy particular en cuanto a la limpieza, y te importa mucho tener un lavaplatos. Recuerda, sin embargo, que tu compañero/a tendrá sus propias preferencias. “Chatea” con él/ella sobre vuestras opciones. Vuestra meta es encontrar un apartamento que os satisfaga a los dos. Para hacer esto, puede que sea necesario hacer compromisos. Aquí tienes la información sobre los apartamentos.
 
 
 

Persona B: Vas con un/a compañero/a a pasar el próximo año estudiando en Madrid. Antes de llegar allí, es necesario decidir dónde vais a vivir, y el programa de intercambio acaba de mandarte cuatro apartamentos posibles, y cuatro posibilidades distintas a tu compañero/a. Como tienes que vivir con él/ella, es importante que lleguéis a un acuerdo en cuanto al apartamento que elijáis. Al tomar la decisión, ten en cuanta tus preferencias personales: Te importa mucho que el apartamento esté amueblado. Te gustaría que el apartamento tuviera un balcón o una terraza para disfrutar aún más de estar en la ciudad. Eres buen cocinero y así quieres que el apartamento tenga cocina. Recuerda, sin embargo, que tu compañero/a tendrá sus propias preferencias. “Chatea” con él/ella sobre vuestras opciones. Vuestra meta es encontrar un apartamento que os satisfaga a los dos. Para hacer esto, puede que sea necesario hacer compromisos. Aquí tienes la información sobre los apartamentos.
 

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Information Gap

Person A: You and your partner are going to spend next year in Madrid studying through the Education Abroad Program (EAP). This program requires that before you go, you secure a place to live in Madrid. They have just sent you and you partner lists of possible apartments from which you might choose. You have four listings and your partner has four different listings. Since you will be living with your partner next year, the two of you need to share your ads and decide in which place you would like to live. You will make the decision based on your own personality preferences, with the following caveats. Since you feel the cold in the winter, you are fairly insistent that there be central heating. You are on a strict budget, so you need an apartment that costs less than 100.000 pesetas per month.  You are a picky about your place being clean, so you’d like there to be a dishwasher. You partner, of course, has his or her own preferences that you have to accommodate. Chat with your partner and discuss the options you have. Your goal is to find a place from your combined listings with which you can both be happy. This may
require that you give in on one of your preferences. You may do this, but you should not give in on more than one of your preferences. The ads are written in abbreviated jargon; you will have to help each other understand the content of each one. Here are your listings.
 
 
 

Person B: You and your partner are going to spend next year in Madrid studying through the Education Abroad Program (EAP). This program requires that before you go, you secure a place to live in Madrid. They have just sent you and you partner lists of possible apartments from which you might choose. You have four listings and your partner has four different listings. Since you will be living with your partner next year, the two of you need to share your ads and decide in which place you would like to live. You will make the decision based on your own personality preferences, with the following caveats. You are fairly insistent that the apartment you rent be furnished. You really want the place to have a balcony or a terrace so you can take in the ambiance of Madrid right from your apartment. You like to cook so the place must have a kitchen.
You partner, of course, has his or her own preferences with which the two of you must work. Chat with your partner and discuss the options you have. Your goal is to find a place from your combined listings with which you can both be happy. This may require that you give in on one of your preferences. You may do this, but you should not give in on more than one of your preferences. The ads are written in abbreviated jargon; you will have to help each other understand the content of each one. Here are your listings.
 
 

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*The open-ended chatroom discussion activity and chatroom debate with positions were developed by Hélène Gresso (Penn State University).

** These activities are adapted from Dr. Robert Blake, Professor of Spanish at University of California at Davis, and Director for the University of California Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching. They are used here with his permission. See these Web pages for his descriptions and subsequent activity: http://philo.ucdavis.edu/zope/home/rblake//task6A.html; http://philo.ucdavis.edu/zope/home/rblake//task6B.html

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