A–B. Listening and Speaking · Listening and Speaking Across la Francophonie

Manger local, gaspiller moins : Comparing Spoken Texts and Discussing an Issue

A1.1 A1.2 A2.2 B1.2 B2.1 B2.2About 75 minutes

Learning goals

I can take notes while listening and pull out the key points about a local environmental issue.
I can compare the ideas in two spoken texts on the same topic.
I can express opinions and suggest solutions with il faut, on devrait, on pourrait and expressions of quantity.
I can take part in a small-group discussion, encouraging others and fixing my own mistakes as I speak.

Words to know

le gaspillage alimentaire
Food waste (gahs-pee-YAHZH ah-lee-mah(n)-TAIR). Gaspiller = to waste.

manger local
To eat local food, grown or made nearby.

de saison
In season (duh seh-ZOH(N)): des fruits de saison.

le compost / composter
Compost / to compost. Le bac vert = the green bin, in many Ontario towns.

un agriculteur / une agricultrice
A farmer (ah-gree-kül-TUHR / ah-gree-kül-TREESS).

les déchets (m.)
Garbage, waste (day-SHEH).

le dépotoir
The dump, landfill (day-poh-TWAHR).

on devrait / on pourrait
We should / we could (dev-REH / poo-REH): polite ways to suggest.

chaque petit geste compte
Every small action counts (shak puh-tee ZHEST koh(n)t).

La cafétéria jette combien de nourriture ?

Watch a school cafeteria at the end of lunch: half-eaten sandwiches, untouched apples, full containers of fries. Your school's eco-club (le club environnement) wants to change that, and they're asking students for ideas.

Today you'll listen to two short texts on the same topic (eating local and wasting less food), take notes, compare them, and then discuss solutions in a small group, the kind of discussion you'll have in many Grade 9 courses, not just French.

Note-taking while listening

When you listen to an informational text, you can't write everything. Use these strategies:

Set your purpose before you listen: What is the problem? What solutions are suggested? What is the speaker's opinion?
Make your page ready: draw a T-chart or three columns before you press play.
Write key words, not sentences: gaspillage = trop / cafét. → 3 solutions.
Use symbols: → (leads to), + (and, more), − (less), = (same), ≠ (different), ✓ (good), ✗ (problem).
Listen for signal words that announce key points: d'abord, ensuite, enfin (a list) · par exemple (an example) · par contre, cependant (a contrast) · donc, c'est pourquoi (a conclusion) · le problème, c'est que...
After, compare notes with a partner and fill the gaps.

Worked example

Let's listen to Texte A: a farmer's podcast

« Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Denise, et je suis agricultrice. Je cultive des légumes près d'Embrun, à l'est d'Ottawa. Pour moi, manger local, c'est manger des aliments qui poussent près de chez nous. D'abord, les aliments voyagent moins, donc ils sont plus frais. Ensuite, on soutient les familles d'agriculteurs de la région. En automne, par exemple, il y a des pommes, des courges et des carottes partout en Ontario. On devrait acheter plus de fruits et de légumes de saison. Par contre, c'est vrai : les bananes ne poussent pas en Ontario ! Il ne faut pas se sentir coupable. Chaque petit geste compte. »

Purpose: problem, solutions, opinion. Signal words organize the text: D'abord... Ensuite... par exemple... Par contre...
Main idea: eating local (food grown nearby) is good.
Reasons: (1) food travels less → fresher; (2) it supports local farm families (soutenir = to support).
Example: fall in Ontario → apples, squash (les courges), carrots.
Suggestion: On devrait acheter plus de fruits et de légumes de saison. Nuance: bananas don't grow in Ontario, and il ne faut pas se sentir coupable (you must not feel guilty): every small action counts.

Notes: manger local = près de chez nous · 1) voyage − → + frais 2) soutient agric. · ex. automne: pommes, courges, carottes · → acheter de saison · ≠ bananes · pas coupable, petit geste compte

Translation: "Hello! My name is Denise, and I'm a farmer. I grow vegetables near Embrun, east of Ottawa. For me, eating local means eating food that grows near us. First, the food travels less, so it's fresher. Next, we support farm families in the region. In the fall, for example, there are apples, squash and carrots all over Ontario. We should buy more fruits and vegetables in season. On the other hand, it's true: bananas don't grow in Ontario! You mustn't feel guilty. Every small action counts."

Worked example

Let's listen to Texte B: an interview on the school radio

« — Maya, tu es présidente du club environnement. Quel est le problème à la cafétéria ? — Le problème, c'est qu'on jette trop de nourriture. Par exemple, beaucoup d'élèves prennent un repas complet, mais ils ne mangent pas tout. Ces aliments vont au dépotoir, et là, ils produisent du méthane, un gaz à effet de serre. — Qu'est-ce que vous proposez ? — Trois solutions. D'abord, des portions plus petites, pour ceux qui ont moins faim. Ensuite, un bac de compost à côté des poubelles. Enfin, une étagère de partage : si tu ne veux pas ta pomme, tu la mets sur l'étagère, et quelqu'un d'autre la prend. — Et manger local ? — C'est une bonne idée, mais si on jette la nourriture, ça ne sert à rien ! Il faut d'abord moins gaspiller. »

Problem: the cafeteria throws away too much food (trop de nourriture); students take full meals and don't finish.
Consequence: the food goes to the dump and produces methane, a greenhouse gas (un gaz à effet de serre).
Three solutions (signal words D'abord, Ensuite, Enfin): smaller portions, a compost bin, a sharing shelf for food you don't want.
Opinion: eating local is good, but if food is thrown away, it's useless (ça ne sert à rien); first we must waste less.

Translation: "— Maya, you're president of the environment club. What's the problem in the cafeteria? — The problem is that we throw out too much food. For example, many students take a full meal but don't eat it all. That food goes to the dump, and there it produces methane, a greenhouse gas. — What do you propose? — Three solutions. First, smaller portions for people who are less hungry. Next, a compost bin next to the garbage cans. Finally, a sharing shelf: if you don't want your apple, you put it on the shelf and someone else takes it. — And eating local? — It's a good idea, but if we throw the food away, it's useless! First we have to waste less."

After listening, sort your notes: ideas only in Texte A, ideas in both, ideas only in Texte B. The middle column shows what the texts agree on.

Maya's argument as a cause-and-consequence chain. The third box adds the science behind it: buried food rots with little oxygen, which makes methane. Words like donc and c'est pourquoi signal chains like this when you listen.

The language of solutions

Must, should, could:

Il faut + infinitive = we must / we need to: Il faut moins gaspiller.
Il ne faut pas + infinitive = we must NOT: Il ne faut pas jeter les restes. (Careful: it does not mean we don't have to.)
Pas besoin de / On n'est pas obligés de + infinitive = we don't have to: On n'est pas obligés d'acheter des fraises en hiver.
On devrait + infinitive = we should: On devrait composter. (conditionnel of devoir)
On pourrait + infinitive = we could: On pourrait organiser une collecte.
Il est important de + infinitive: Il est important de lire les étiquettes. (labels)

Quantities take de (no article) before the noun:

beaucoup de déchets · trop de nourriture · moins de gaspillage · plus de fruits · assez d'eau

Connectors that make an argument: parce que / car (because) · donc / alors (so) · c'est pourquoi (that's why) · par contre / cependant (however) · en plus (moreover) · d'une part..., d'autre part... (on one hand..., on the other...)

Il ne faut pas is a prohibition, not a choice. To say you don't have to, use pas besoin de or on n'est pas obligé(s) de.

Discussing in a small group

A good group discussion isn't a contest. Use these strategies:

Encourage others: Bonne idée ! · Continue, c'est intéressant. · Et toi, Sam, qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?

Build on ideas: Pour ajouter à ce que Maya a dit, ... (To add to what Maya said...) · Je suis d'accord avec Léo, et en plus...

Fix your own mistakes (repair): Pardon, je recommence. (Sorry, let me start again.) · Ce que je veux dire, c'est que... (What I mean is...) · Non, attends, je veux dire...

Use your face and hands: nod, count solutions on your fingers (premièrement, deuxièmement), raise your eyebrows for a question. Gestures help listeners follow, especially in a second language.

Worked example

Let's watch a group discussion work

Three students discuss: Comment réduire le gaspillage à la cafétéria ?

Léo : À mon avis, il faut installer un bac de compost. Inès : Bonne idée ! Et pour ajouter à ce que Léo a dit, on pourrait faire des affiches pour expliquer le compost. Sam : Moi, je pense qu'il ne faut pas... euh, pardon, je recommence. Je pense qu'on n'est pas obligés d'acheter un nouveau bac. Il y en a déjà un au gymnase. Léo : Ah, c'est vrai ! Donc, ça ne coûte rien. Inès : Et toi, Sam, qu'est-ce que tu penses de l'étagère de partage ? Sam : J'adore l'idée, parce que beaucoup d'élèves ne mangent pas leurs fruits.

Opinion + solution: il faut installer un bac de compost.
Encouraging and building: Bonne idée ! Et pour ajouter à ce que Léo a dit...
Repair: Sam started with il ne faut pas (must not), noticed it was the wrong meaning, and fixed it: pardon, je recommence... on n'est pas obligés de (we don't have to).
Including others: Inès invites Sam: Et toi, Sam, qu'est-ce que tu penses de...?
Reasons: Sam supports the idea parce que beaucoup d'élèves ne mangent pas leurs fruits.

This is what a strong discussion looks like: each person gives an idea with a reason, builds on others, includes quieter members, and fixes mistakes without stopping the conversation.

Just for fun

In French, a potato is une pomme de terre: literally an apple of the earth. So if your cafeteria serves fries and apple slices, technically you're getting two kinds of apples.

Hands-on activity

L'enquête du frigo (The fridge investigation)

You need: your kitchen (with a grown-up's OK), paper and pencil.

Choose 8 foods in your fridge or pantry. For each, check the label or ask a grown-up: is it from Ontario, elsewhere in Canada, or another country? (Look for Produit du Canada / Product of Canada or Cultivé en Ontario.) Make a three-column chart.
Find one food at risk of being wasted (old bread? soft fruit?) and suggest a way to use it: On pourrait faire du pain doré avec le vieux pain ! (French toast)
Family discussion (5 minutes): Present 3 ideas to reduce food waste at home, using il faut, on devrait, on pourrait. Invite your family's ideas (Et toi, qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?) and build on one of them (Pour ajouter à ton idée...).
Reflect: Which discussion strategy did you use? Which one could you add next time?

What to look for: quantities with de (trop de pain), il ne faut pas used only for things that are forbidden, and at least one idea built on someone else's.

Your turn

What are Denise's two reasons for eating local?

What are Maya's three solutions?

Name one idea that both texts share.

Say: We should buy fruit in season.

Say: There is too much garbage.

You said something wrong in a discussion. What can you say to fix it?

Invite a quiet group member to share.

More practice: warm-up

What does gaspiller mean?

What does par contre signal?

What does the symbol → mean in notes?

What is le bac vert in many Ontario towns?

What does Bonne idée ! do in a discussion?

More practice: on your own

Il ne faut pas or pas besoin de? (a) ___ jeter les piles à la poubelle (it's dangerous). (b) ___ acheter un nouveau bac (we already have one).

Correct: Il y a beaucoup des déchets.

Explain in English why Maya says ça ne sert à rien about eating local.

Build on this idea: On pourrait faire des affiches.

Use d'une part..., d'autre part... to give two reasons to compost.

Challenge

Compare Texte A and Texte B in two French sentences, using par contre.

Maya says Il faut d'abord moins gaspiller. Do you agree? Give your opinion with a reason and a counter-argument.

Explain the chain aliments jetés → dépotoir → méthane in French, using donc and c'est pourquoi.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Il ne faut pas gaspiller means...

Which is correct?

In Texte A, Denise says local food is fresher because...

According to Maya, food in the dump produces...

Which is a repair strategy?

Which signal word announces a contrast?

Which sentence suggests a solution politely?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students use note-taking strategies (A1.1), extract key points about a local environmental issue and compare two spoken texts (A1.2), and take part in a small-group discussion with encouragement and repair strategies (A2.2, B1.2, B2.1, B2.2). Healthy eating and local environmental issues are common Grade 9 topics.

How to help: Do the fridge investigation together. Then have a 5-minute family discussion: your teen leads in French, you can answer in English, and they must build on one of your ideas.

Common difficulties:

Il ne faut pas = must NOT (not don't have to). This is one of the most common errors at this level.
Beaucoup des / trop des: after quantities it's just de.
Writing full sentences while listening: encourage key words and symbols.

Safety: When checking food labels, follow your household's rules for the kitchen; no cooking or knives are needed for this activity.