Contents
Activities
Inspired by an improvisational theatre activity, this extended SBA gets students to use the past tenses (passé composé, imparfait, and plus-que-parfait) in a fun and spontaneous way. The Three Bears have accused Goldilocks of breaking and entering and destruction of property; students take on the roles of Goldilocks, the Bears, their lawyers, various witnesses, and the jury to conduct her trial. Meanwhile, the professor takes notes on what is said, and concludes the activity with examples of the verb tenses produced. (N.B. – This works best when an entire class period can be devoted to it.)
Similar to those used in creative writing classes, I developed this story-starter to help students write a short composition emphasizing the past tenses (passé composé, imparfait, and plus-que-parfait). The mini-mystery format and the elements demanded in the story-starter make it easy to lay out quickly while leaving plenty of room for creativity. An example of one student’s mystery is available here.