How to Learn French Dialogues
Learning dialogues is a vital part of any foreign language class. Groups of two or more students must read aloud and memorize short vignettes that employ the vocabulary and grammar structures of the lesson. Each participant must practice his part well enough to deliver the lines without distorting the meaning of the words. Clear pronunciation is part of the process of learning the dialogue. With proper practice, students can make dialogue learning successful and fun.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Select a dialogue from a basic French text. Make a photocopy of the text that you can mark on. You may also copy the text onto your paper by hand if necessary. Read through the text and underline any words that you do not recognize or know. Ask your partner if she knows the meanings of any words that you did not understand. If necessary, look words up in a French dictionary and make a note on the text about the meaning.
-
2
Practice reading the text aloud. Read with proper emotion and stress on key words that give meaning to the text. If there is a model recording of the dialogue, listen to it to learn the pronunciation and tone of the words and sentences. Continue to read and practice the dialogue out loud until the words flow smoothly and naturally. Exchange roles and practice learning the lines of the other character to comprehend the entire dialogue.
-
-
3
Individually practice more with the dialogue by writing the words on your paper. Take a line at a time. Copy the line on a blank sheet of paper. Then fold the paper over so you cannot see the line. Rewrite the line below in the blank space. Open the paper and check your answer with the original text copied correctly from the book. Continue this procedure until you can reproduce the entire dialogue from memory.
-
4
Once you are confident that you have your dialogue learned well, practice in front of two or three students who also are learning dialogues in the class. Have them give you feedback on how well you communicated the message. Switch roles and review the dialogues they are working on as well. The scoring of the dialogue can include pronunciation, accuracy, clarity, volume, and nonverbal clues. A scale of 1 to 5 can be applied to each skill.
-
5
Present your dialogue to the entire class. This may be done live or on tape. Some students audiotape their presentations and create an anthology or collection of their dialogues for the semester. You may choose to ask the teacher for any clarifications for word meanings or pronunciations before your presentation.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit wine french cafe with classic french design image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
