Creative Writing in Other Languages Workshop 5 Using grammatical patterns

There is a musicality about many grammatical patterns. We can use the rhythms and repetitions to reinforce the form. We can also use it to create something that is aesthetically pleasing.

Do you remember the poem by Jacques Prévert that manipulates the prefect tense?

Il a mis le café
Dans la tasse
Il a mis le lait
Dans la tasse de café
Il a mis le sucre
Dans le café au lait
Avec la petite cuiller
Il a tourné
Il a bu le café au lait
Et il a reposé la tasse
Sans me parler
Il a allumé
Une cigarette
Il a fait des ronds
Avec la fumée
Il a mis les cendres
Dans le cendrier
Sans me parler
Sans me regarder
Il s'est levé
Il a mis
Son chapeau sur sa tête
Il a mis
Son manteau de pluie
Parce qu'il pleuvait
Et il est parti
Sous la pluie
Sans une parole
Sans me regarder

When I was taught languages by the old "grammar grind" method, one of the joys was chanting out declensions and conjugations in competition with the class next door. Sometimes it was even in a different language.  

It made the patterns stick. But you can also play with those patterns and a heck of a lot of meaning can be punched into a few words. Study Prévert's poem, the picture at the beginning of this post and the other German example below:

Ich habe einen Vater
Ich habe keinen Bruder
Ich habe einen Hund.
Now have a go yourself.
     

Creative Writing in Other Languages Workshop 4 Some Oulipo ideas

We are beginning to get into something a little like what the Oulipo poets did.

Adding a word

You start off with a simple sentence and add something else simple. This can come from the students' normal repertoire or you may allow them to use a dictionary.  The example below is in French.

 

Un mot en plus  

Voici mon chien.

Voici mon grand chien.

Voici mon grand chien noir.

Voici mon grand chien noir et mignon.

Voici mon chien qui dort.

Mon chien, que j’adore 

 

Altering words

You change one word for each new line. Students practise both vocabulary and grammar. Again, they can use their own repertoire or find new vocabulary from the dictionary. This example is in German.   

Veränderungen

Der Mann schläft im Garten.

Mein Mann schläft im Garten.

Mein Sohn schläft im Garten.

Mein Sohn arbeitet im Garten.

Mein Sohn arbeitet in einem Garten.

Mein Sohn arbeitet in einem Krieg.

Have a good look at the Oulipo ideas.  You might think of how to use the n + 7 method or the metro poems.  

  

Creative Writing on Other Languages Workshop 3 Acrostic poems

These can also be created by students who are very new to their foreign language.  These also encourage effective dictionary work.

First, you spell out a word. Then you look in the dictionary for words that begin with each word.  Note the third line includes a more complex sentence.  You don't need to have that there but it is an option for more advanced students.  These examples are my name. You can use real nouns or a topic.       

Moi

Gamine, généreuse, grande, garantie,

Intelligente, idéaliste, idiomatique, illogique,

Laisse les mots tomber comme les perles,

Lamentable, laide, légende, létale

Yo

Graciosa, guapa, gentil,

Intelligente, idéologica, ilusa,

Labré mi propia vida

Larga, laudable y legal.

Ich

Glänzend, gut, gastfreundlich, geduldig,

Intelligent, individuell, infantil, informativ

Laufe ich durch die ganze Hafenstadt,

Lakonisch, lässig, lästig, langweilig und launisch.

Creative Writing in Other Languages Workshop 2 Hello Goodbye Poems

These are so easy and can be used with any set of vocabulary. Examples are given here in French, German and Spanish. 

Start off the session with revising the main set of vocabulary – in the first example this would be school subjects. Revise also other relevant areas of vocabulary. Display all the gathered vocabulary on the whiteboard. For less able students you could actually provide the vocabulary on flash cards and let them pin them on the wall or on to a flip chart. They could even be presented electronically.       

Bonjour mardi, au revoir lundi 

Bonjour maths, au revoir anglais

Bonjour M X, au revoir Mme Jones

(This one revises days of the week and combines it with school subjects.)

Hallo Oma, Auf Wiedersehen Opa

Hallo Mutti  Auf Wiedersehen Vati

Hallo Schwester Auf Wiedersehen Bruder

(Here we are practising family relationships.)

Hola colegio, adios playa.
Hola frío, adios calor.
Hola alumnos, adios amigos.    

(This one combines seasons and leisure activities.)

This can be an effective way of linking two or more topics together. It is also possible to allow students to use the dictionary to find more words.       

Creative Writing on Other Languages Workshop 1 Haiku

This can be used at any level. Learners should always be encouraged to make as much use as possible of what they already know.

First step: think of words associated with something learnt recently. For beginners this might be colours, days of the week, classroom objects.

See examples below in French, German and Spanish:

vert, jaune, gris, blanc, bleu, rouge, noir, violet, rose, marron, orange  

Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag, das Wochenende 

el libro, la pizarra, la mesa, la computadora, la carpeta, el reloj,  el papel, el lápiz, las tijeras. - la silla, el diccionario,  el boli,

We often think of haiku as three line poems with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third with a change of tone between the second and third line. The best haiku often don't do exactly that but students often get great pleasure in following these "rules" precisely.

We might then find something like this:

Bleu, jaune, rouge et vert,  

violet, orange, marron, gris?

je préfère rouge et bleu 

Montag Dienstag schlecht

Samstag besser, ja?

Das Wochenende!

Mi libro, boli,

diccionario, papel

mesa, pizarra

You can use these for extending vocabulary. For example, take a colour and allow the students to look up words in a dictionary that go with that colour.  So we might get:

Bleu: la mer, le ciel,

Le cahier, le pantalon,

Le bleu sur le front.

You can also use this to combine subjects. Students often think in boxes so it's good to get them to make the most of what they know from all of the different subjects they've met. Here we combine days of the week and school subjects:

Montag: Geschichte

Diesntag Kunst, Mittwoch Mathe,

Lieblingstag: Mittwoch

Slightly more advanced students might use in the last line a sentence they can construct either because of what they have learnt in this unit or another one.

Libros, papeles,

Lápiz, boli, tijeras

Los tengo todos.    

These can also be tackled as group work and the outcomes lend themselves to colourful displays that can further enhance learning.