Pratique d’écriture

By Lysanne Audy, Dawson College

At a Glance

Discipline

  • Languages and Literature

Instructional Level

  • College & CEGEP

Course

  • Langue française et communication

Tasks in Workflow

Social Plane(s)

  • Individual
  • Group
  • Whole Class

Type of Tasks

  • Analyzing
  • Reviewing & assessing peers
  • Creating & designing
  • Writing
  • Taking a quiz & test

Technical Details

Useful Technologies

  • Low tech Active Learning Classroom
  • 6 White Boards with Different Coloured Markers

Class size

  • Small (20-49)

Time

  • Single class period (< 90 mins)

Instructional Purpose

  • Application & knowledge building
  • Assessment & knowledge refinement

Overview

In this activity, students write a story in groups of five, learning to apply the theory they learned in class and read about in the short story of the narrative structure and literary devices.  

In class, each group starts with a whiteboard and a coloured marker and writes one element of the story before switching whiteboards and adding the next element to a new story. At each stage they have to read, understand, and adapt to the changing situation in order to remain consistent in the grammatical tense. They gradually build in the internal point of view of the main character, revealing their goal/bias.  

After they have finished the situation finale, each group reads out the final story to the class and they discuss the elements that make each story stronger or weaker, analyzing what causes some to be successful or not (inconsistency with past elements, changing grammatical tenses etc…). Students then correct the language and the teacher circulates and draws their attention to certain mistakes. 

Instructional Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Identify components that make a successful story
  • Construct a complex character with specific social characteristics

Workflow & Materials

Workflow

Activity Workflow

View on CourseFlow
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Article

Short Story (French)

Lysanne Audy

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Document

Teacher Instructions (French)

Lysanne Audy

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Document

Example (French)

Lysanne Audy

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Document

Lesson Presentation (French)

Lysanne Audy

Contributor's Notes

Benefits
Challenges
Tips
Benefits
  • They are able to write better on the exam since they have internalized the narrative scheme and the theory, which they have applied in this exercise 
  • They learn how to better organize their time when they are writing a story (how long to spend on each element of the narrative structure) 
  • Their grammar becomes more consistent both as they correct the grammar in their groups and after each swap as they add to each story
Challenges
  • The group size is sometimes a challenge as it is hard to fully engage each member in creating a story 
  • Sometimes it is necessary to give a review halfway through the activity in order to refresh the theory on the adjectives which they should use to show that the narrator is inside the character’s head. 
Tips
  • Assigning specific roles to each group member would help to ensure better participation (creating the story, correcting grammar etc…) 
  • In order to foster a better class/group dynamic, the groups are switched halfway through the semester 
  • If you have access to a high tech classroom with computers, students could use antidote and there could therefore be more feedback 
  • Giving feedback throughout the activity as they are writing is essential (underlining grammatical/language mistakes) 

Applied Strategies

Distributed Problem Solving

Artifact evaluation and completion