Returning a Catalogue Order

Level: Elementary (Intermediate if letter-writing or clothing vocabulary are reviewed)

Immediate Application: French 101, Voilà, Leçon 10

Vocabulary: Clothing, colors, adjectives.

Structures:

Present tense verbs; past tenses; adjective agreement; letter-writing conventions

Functions: Describing; letter writing

Skills: Writing

Learning Styles: More visual- and haptic-friendly than most writing activities.

Background:

Students have studied colors, adjectives, clothing. If possible, they have done a reading exercise from book or realia involving a clothing catalogue. Ideally, they have prepared the Clothing Catalogue exercise on this site.

Extra Materials:

Catalogue pages (created by students or from catalogue in target language)

Overview / Preparation: [In French]

• Why do people return items that have been mail ordered?
• What if there is a tough return policy, but you really feel you should not have to keep the item?  (Get to letter writing)
• How would you address the company?
• Which form of "you" would you use?  How would you close the letter?

• I'm going to give you a page from a catalogue, illustrating an item you have ordered for yourself or received as a gift.
• Each group will write a letter explaining why they are returning the item.  Describe what is wrong with it.
• You'll have [15] minutes to work.
• Everyone in the group should write out a draft of the letter.

• Teacher circulates, guiding self-correction.
• Let students know when they have a minute or two to finish.

Students "send" a sample letter with photo to responsible group who makes corrections before turning it in to the instructor.

Expansion:

Give further guidelines for length, style, and grammar editing, and have students use the in-class essay as a draft for an individual composition assignment.
 

Copyright 1998 by Cheryl Krueger
Department of French
University of Virginia