There needs to be a reason to use another language. Our reason to learn French this term was to create a family album. We spent several weeks walking through vocabulary and structures of language until we had enough to set to work on our projects - electronic family albums.
To prepare the albums students need to have enough understanding of vocabulary and sentence structures to read, write and speak their way through creating the images and the text. The idea of bringing in what they know, their family, and adding it to what they have learned, French vocabulary and structures, and then bumping up the learning with creating the final form electronically wove together wonderfully. Everyone was able to complete the task and everyone was interested in seeing what others had created. There were many reasons to acquire the skills that were being asked to be acquired - learning had a purpose, and an audience.
The images in the presentations were gathered during the creation of the album phase of the unit. Prior to this phase were the instruction and practice phases, the laying down of the structures, the acquisition of the vocabulary, the building of the understanding, the practicing of the language orally and in written form.
After this ground work was laid down successfully work on the albums began; it is the work on the albums that is captured in this series of presentations. During the laying of the groundwork I was more infront of the class leading them through the acquistion of concepts and the expansion of ideas. Once they have what they need to produce their final product, the family album, I am no longer leading them - they lead themselves. It is at this point in the unit that I continue at the helm but more in a guidance, stay the course manner, than in a directive, follow me manner. They know I am around for help and support, they also know they are in control of where their project ends up and they make decisions in that regard as they proceed through the final stages.