Conjugating Regular ER Verbs Through Celebrity Interview Game
Grade 8 · Social Studies · 45 minutes
Objective
Students will accurately conjugate regular -ER verbs in present tense while practicing conversational French through role-play interviews.
Materials
- Index cards
- Markers
- Timer
- Whiteboard
- Celebrity photo cutouts from magazines
- Recording sheets
Hook
Bonjour mes étudiants! Today you're going to become famous journalists interviewing celebrities, but there's a catch – all interviews must be conducted en français! You'll need to master your -ER verb conjugations to ask the perfect questions.
Main Activity
Students work in pairs where one plays a celebrity (real or fictional) and the other plays a journalist. Using pre-made question cards with -ER verbs (parler, danser, chanter, voyager, etc.), journalists must conjugate verbs correctly to form interview questions like 'Est-ce que vous chantez souvent?' The celebrity responds using the same verb forms. After 5 minutes, roles switch. Students record successful conjugations on their sheets, earning points for correct usage. The class votes on the most entertaining interview, and winning pairs demonstrate their best exchanges for everyone.
Discussion Questions
- Which -ER verbs were easiest to conjugate during your interviews?
- Quelle question était la plus difficile à poser?
- How did playing different roles help you remember conjugation patterns?
- What celebrity interview surprised you the most?
- Comment peut-on améliorer nos conjugaisons?
Exit Ticket
Write three different questions you could ask a celebrity using three different -ER verbs, conjugating each verb correctly for 'vous' form.
Differentiation
Support: Provide conjugation reference charts and sentence starters like 'Est-ce que vous _____?' with common -ER verbs already listed for students to choose from.
Extension: Challenge advanced students to conduct interviews using multiple tenses (past and future) with -ER verbs, or to create follow-up questions that build on the celebrity's responses.
