PODcasting in the Classroom

For years now, I have been an avid user of the podcast, Learn French by Podcast. As a student and teacher of French, I have enjoyed using this site for practicing my own French and for integrating various podcasts into French lessons.

In the past, I have used podcasts from this site to teach students important grammar, vocabulary, or communication skills. Likewise, I have chosen a particular podcast to highlight the utility of this amazing site. With or without being a member (you can sign up for a free account), one can access lesson 159, an intermediate lesson, entitled, "Es-tu sur Twitter?", to mean, "Are you on Twitter?" This is a very practical lesson, introducing intermediate-level grammar and vocabulary for using the internet and for communicating with others.

In the high school classroom, I would present this podcast with a worksheet for students to follow along and fill in target grammar and vocabulary words that I previously chose to work on. This listening in particular focuses on question words, negations, and vocabulary words related to social media. The interlocuteurs speak several times, at times in English, and discuss this meaning of the phrases and words, which would be helpful for students to make meaning of the conversation.

As a follow up activity, I would ask students to use these new words and phrases in a group activity, and possibly in their own activity surrounding the idea of Twitter or social media.