Before beginning each section, the teacher should select and identify to the students key vocabulary words found in each portion of the reading. Five to ten minute of class time is adequate to introduce the words and practice the pronunciation. The students are responsible for looking up the words in a dictionary. The sections of the story are short enough such that one section of the
story maybe assigned for reading in one evening. When students arrive in the classroom the next day, there should be 2-3 plot related questions written on the board, overhead projector, etc. as a sponge activity/ pop quiz (according to teacher preferences). 

There are numerous ways to read a text in class. Students may take turns reading aloud, they may divide into groups to read and discuss the text, or students may read silently to themselves and answer written and/or oral questions regarding the reading comprehension. For a more difficult text as "La Parure," many students feel more confident about their abilities if the teacher leads the class in a discussion of the material while re-reading portions of the text. At the end of each section, the teacher may wish to follow the discussion with a few written or oral questions that help the students summarize the material and put it into the context of the entire story. 

Vocabulary sample from Section 1 of "La Parure" 

le dot, un commis, la naissance, se sentir, la delicatesse, les sieges, la laideur, l'etoffe, le meuble, coquet, l'argenterie, une truite, le desespoir 

The following is an example of types of questions that may be asked for section 1 of the story: 

Sponge activity/ Pop Quiz 

1. Decrivez la jeune femme. 

2. D'ou est-elle? 

3. Est-elle riche ou pauvre? 

After the students have finished the pop quiz, the teacher should lead the students in finding the answers or evidence of the
answers in the text. 

     What are some key vocabulary words that help answer question #3? 
     Does the text directly state where she is from or is it implied elsewhere? 

These types of questions help the students orient themselves to what they have read. After reading the text in class, a discussion or some type of follow-up activity should take place in order to solidify vocabulary, concepts, and other elements that are discussed during the class period. 

Follow-Up Questions 

1. A votre avis, son amie riche, jouera-t-elle un grand role dans le conte? Pourquoi? 

2. Y a-t-il des elements naturalistes dans le texte? Donnez des exemples. 

In addition to the questions for each section of the story, the teacher may also wish to address the vocabulary words in the form of a short quiz or the teacher may also have the students create original sentences using each of the vocabulary words in context. 

In order to vary the reading activities for each section of the text, the teacher may wish to change the format of the class discussion. One day instead of reading aloud, the students may have a worksheet of questions that may guide the students through the text so that they answer their own comprehension questions themselves. This type of activity may be done individually or in small groups. The teacher may assign a section of the story to a group of students to present to the entire class.  Guidelines for the presentation should be provided to the students with questions to answer that will help guide their reading comprehension. 

     Que se passe-t-il dans cette partie? 
     Y a-t-il des changements chez les personnages? 
     Quels sont les mots clefs qui aident le lecteur? 
     Faites un sommaire de l'intrigue. 

The time line for reading "La Parure" in the classroom is about two weeks. This will of course vary depending on the level of students and other factors involved in school scheduling. At the end of the reading, the teacher may wish to give a test, quiz, or other type of assessment to insure that students have successfully comprehended the plot and other elements of the story. 
 

This activity can be done in two parts- a French version and an English version. Both the French class and the language arts class should produce their own version of "The Necklace." When the final product is presented, the students will compare and contrast differences, similarities, and other aspects of the two versions of the story. 

Before beginning this activity, the teacher should prepare the students for the work on this project. How shall the students take a text written in past tense and put it in present-tense dialogue? The teacher should model sentences to put students at ease in the writing process. As a class, students should identify the characters that will be needed in the play. They may wish to discuss
setting and possible costumes. 

Students should work in small groups and the teacher may wish to divide these groups according to the sections of the story. It is easy to assign one section per group of students and have each group write the script for one particular section of the text as the characters will stay the same, but the particular scenes will change. There are sections of the story, however that will not have very much dialog. For example, the first section of the story merely serves as an introduction to the text and this part may be added to the second section of the story when assigning portions of the story to be transposed into the script. Students should be encouraged to work as much as they can without asking the teacher for help. The teacher should merely serve as a reference tool and grammarian. The suggested time frame for this portion of the activity can last one to two days. The teacher may wish to assign the writing of the script as homework. The teacher should check for grammatical errors when the students have finished their rough draft. For those student errors that have occurred in the grammatical areas that have previously been addressed in class, a circle should be placed around these mistakes, and the students should attempt to first correct the mistake themselves. For all other errors, the teacher may correct them, but offer rationale to the students at the same time. 

When all the groups have completed their portions of the play, then it is time to discuss production. 

     Who will be actors and actresses? 
     Who will direct? 
     Who will produce? 
     Who will design costumes?, etc. 

It is advisable that the teacher supervise the pronunciation aspect of the actual performance, but the students lead in all other areas of the production. The teacher will decide how elaborate the production is to be according to time constraints and other factors. This part of the project can last a class period or several days. If block-scheduling is a part of the school day, this is an
excellent activity for that extended time period. 

Both the language arts and French classes should be involved in the audience. Even though not all or perhaps not any of the language arts students take the advanced French class, these students will be exposed to another language. With the combination of dialog, movement, costumes, and experience with the story in English, the language arts students should have little problem following the performance. 

This activity should be followed by a discussion of the play by both the French and language arts students. 

     What happens to Mathilde Loisel now? 
     What becomes of her life? 

Students should be encouraged to write creatively in French and these questions provide an excellent way in which they may, using their own imagination, decide what will become of Mathilde Loisel. Both the French and language arts students should complete this activity, each in his/her own language. This is an excellent individual activity for French students. It can also be completed in or outside of the classroom. The students should be free to write according to his or her vision of the story. The teacher should suggest guidelines such as story length, use of past tenses, and vocabulary. The language arts teacher may wish to use the same guidelines in English. 

After the students have finished their rough drafts, the teacher should utilize peer evaluation in the correction process. Students should read each other's work and provide comments and suggestions. The teacher should serve as the final consultant on the students' work before the final draft is completed. 

When both classes have finished the next chapter of the story, all the students should assemble to present and discuss the various endings of the story that have been created. This dialog should transpire in English so as to accommodate both classes. 

As a conclusion for this activity, the teachers may wish to make this assignment into a contest and choose the top three endings of the story. Prizes or other incentives may be awarded for the best and most creative endings. 
 

     Should Mme Forrestier give Mathilde the real necklace back? 
     Should Mathilde have admitted to Mme Forrestier that she lost the necklace in the first place? 

The teacher may divide the students in to two groups- yes/no, pro/con, etc. Students should be given 10-15 minutes to discuss within their groups the issues addressed in each question. They should prepare their answer beforehand and develop a strategy for presenting their answer. The students can then select a four person team to debate the questions against the other side. 

As a follow-up activity to the debate, French students may write (in French, of course!) in paragraph form their rationale for each side of the questions. They may also apply the questions to themselves. 

     Que feriez-vous si vous etiez Mathilde ou Mme Forrestier? 
     Voudriez-vous que Mme Forrestier vous rende la parure? 

They should justify and support their arguments. The language arts students may do the same.