"Red Herring" Dialogue

• Students are motivated to listen to the dialogues presented because they want to know where the "red herring" will show up.
• Use it to reinforce grammar, vocabulary, a class joke.
• Involve all students at once.
• Adapt "red herring" sentences to any level, any lesson.

Have students from groups of 3-4.  Give each group a situation:

Chez le médecin
Chez le coiffeur/la coiffeuse
Au Restaurant
A EuroDisney
A la Gare
(etc.)

Instructions: [in target language]

• Write a dialogue in which each person has at least three lines. You'll perform the dialogue when you've finished.

• You have creative control over the dialogue, however each dialogue must contain the following sentences (or forms thereof). Where and why they appear in the dialogue is up to you.

Je suis certain/e que tu l'as mis dans ton sac!
Il faut que vous m'écoutiez (que tu m'écoutes)!
Je pense qu'il a dit,"coin-coin!"
Regarde ce que tu as fait! (Regardez ce que vous avez fait!)
Ça alors!

Each group presents its dialogue (about 10 minutes. total)

Comments:

The "red herring" helps to focus the creation, performance, and reception of the dialogues. Students have their audience in mind as they write, and the "audience" has a reason to listen attentively as students perform.
 

Copyright 1998 by Cheryl Krueger
Department of French
University of Virginia