Séance 1 : Preparing: the world of inventors

  • Objectif : découvrir le vocabulaire de l'innovation et se préparer aux activités d'écoute et de lecture des séances suivantes
  • Activités : travail lexical sur le vocabulaire de l'innovation (inventor, invention, design, device, patent…) ; exercice de prononciation sur les mots en -ion ; construction de phrases à partir de la banque de mots
  • À retenir : les mots de vocabulaire de l'innovation et la règle de prononciation des mots en -ion (l'accent tombe sur la syllabe avant -ion)

Document: A sci-fi scene

A sci-fi couple in a futuristic setting

A sci-fi robotic couple

Questions: A sci-fi scene

What can you see?
Que peut-on voir ?
What is the relationship between the characters?
Quelle est la relation entre les personnages ?
What does this image represent?
Que représente cette image ?

Vocabulary Kit: Innovation

Nouns
  • inventor = inventeur / inventrice
  • invention = une invention
  • fair (= show = exhibition) = un salon / une exposition
  • device (= machine) = un appareil / une machine
  • design = une conception / un design
  • patent = un brevet
Verbs & more
  • to come up with an idea = trouver / avoir une idée
  • to invent = inventer
  • to design = concevoir / dessiner
  • engineer = ingénieur / ingénieure
  • outstanding = remarquable / exceptionnel
  • scarce = rare / insuffisant

Vocabulary Crossword

Expression mystère :
→ Across
1.The first working model of something, built to test an idea (9)
4.A piece of equipment made for a specific purpose (= machine) (6)
7.The act of creating something new for the first time (9)
8.To plan and draw how something will look or work (6)
9.Rare; not enough available (6)
↓ Down
1.An official right that protects your invention from being copied (6)
2.Exceptional; remarkably good (11)
3.A person who designs machines and systems (8)
5.A person who creates new ideas and objects (8)
6.The substances used to make something (9)

Pronunciation: Words ending in -ion

La règle

Les mots qui se terminent en -tion ou -sion se prononcent /ʃən/. L'accent tonique tombe toujours sur la syllabe qui précède -ion.

inVENtion  →  /ɪnˈvenʃən/

innoVAtion  →  /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/

soLUtion  →  /səˈluːʃən/

presenTAtion  →  /ˌprezənˈteɪʃən/

PASsion  →  /ˈpæʃən/

À retenir
  • La terminaison -tion / -sion ne reçoit jamais l'accent.
  • L'accent tombe sur la syllabe juste avant -ion.
  • La terminaison se prononce toujours /ʃən/.
Pratique — lis à voix haute

Repère la syllabe accentuée (en majuscules), puis lis le mot à voix haute.

  • inVENtion
  • innoVAtion
  • soLUtion
  • presenTAtion
  • PASsion
Autres exemples courants
  • naTION  /ˈneɪʃən/
  • eduCAtion  /ˌedjuˈkeɪʃən/
  • comPEtition  /ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃən/
  • comMUnication  /kəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃən/

Translate: Innovation vocabulary

Build the sentence in English
Clique sur une flèche pour lancer la roulette.

Séance 2 : Listening: Encouraging Young Inventors in Britain

  • Objectif : comprendre un document radiophonique sur les jeunes inventeurs britanniques
  • Activités : anticipation lexicale ; écoute et repérage du contexte, des personnages et du lieu ; repérage des étapes de l'invention ; prise de notes sur les opinions de deux intervenants sur les brevets et les talents mondiaux
  • À retenir : les étapes pour créer et protéger une invention ; les arguments des deux hommes sur le soutien aux inventeurs en Grande-Bretagne

Document: Encouraging Young Inventors in Britain

Stu, a radio journalist, visits the British Invention Show in London. He speaks to Kane Kramer, inventor of the digital audio player, and other visitors about what it takes to be a British inventor today.

Stu, journaliste radio, visite le British Invention Show à Londres. Il s'entretient avec Kane Kramer, l'inventeur du lecteur audio numérique, et d'autres visiteurs sur ce que signifie être inventeur britannique aujourd'hui.

Script
Anchor:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Hello and welcome to Swipe, this week, for the British Invention Show in London.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Wouldn't it be great come up with an idea that could change the world?
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Britain's produced some of the greatest inventors of all time, but who are today's homegrown geniuses?
Voice-over:
_____ _____ _____ _____
Here at the British Invention Show, there is certainly variety.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
British inventors are full of ideas; more than two hundred thousand patent applications were made in 2013.
_____ _____ _____ _____
But is enough being done to support homegrown talents?
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Kane Kramer should know — he is the man who came up with the digital audio player.
Kane Kramer:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
If you're a little inventor, you may have come up with a brilliant new idea;
_____ _____ _____
where do you go? Where do you take it?
Voice-over:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
You've got to build a prototype, market the product and get people interested.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Protecting your ideas is important too, but it can be expensive.
Man:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
To get a patent costs you on average about twenty thousand pounds.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
It's very hard for a lot of people to find that sort of money.
Kane Kramer:
_____ _____ _____ _____
Whether it comes from England or from Timbuktu, what does it matter?
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
What we need to do is harness the brilliance, the brains, the world.
_____ _____ _____ _____
All the solutions for the planet are probably out there now.
Voice-over:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
It's up to the creative minds of the future to make amazing ideas a reality.

Comprehension: Part 1

Where does the British Invention Show take place?
Où se déroule le British Invention Show ?
What did Kane Kramer invent?
Qu'a inventé Kane Kramer ?
What is the main question raised in the programme?
Quelle est la question principale soulevée dans le programme ?
According to the programme, who can be an inventor?
Selon le programme, qui peut être inventeur ?

Comprehension: Part 2

Sort what each man says into the correct column.
Classe les propos de chaque homme dans la bonne colonne.
The first man — patents
The second man — global talent

Translate: Young inventors in Britain

Build the sentence in English
Clique sur une flèche pour lancer la roulette.

Séance 3 : Reading: Kelvin Doe

  • Objectif : découvrir le parcours de Kelvin Doe, un jeune inventeur autodidacte de Sierra Leone découvert par le MIT et Harvard
  • Activités : lecture de la Culture Box sur Harvard et le MIT, lecture active du texte de www.gineersnow.com, compréhension écrite (anticipation sur la photo, questions de compréhension, inférence lexicale)
  • À retenir : savoir décrire le parcours de Kelvin Doe, comprendre des informations implicites dans un texte et inférer le sens de mots inconnus à partir du contexte

Culture Box: Harvard & MIT

Harvard and MIT are two of the most prestigious academic institutions in the United States — and both play a key role in Kelvin Doe's story.
Harvard et le MIT sont deux des institutions universitaires les plus prestigieuses des États-Unis — et elles jouent toutes deux un rôle clé dans l'histoire de Kelvin Doe.
Harvard University, founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The MIT campus — one of the world's leading science and engineering universities.
Harvard University

Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in America. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it includes a world-famous School of Engineering.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The MIT is a world-famous research university also located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is particularly known for science, engineering, and technology.

Compréhension: Anticipation

Look at the photo and read the introduction. What do you expect to find in the text? Say what you can about Kelvin Doe.
Observe la photo et lis l'introduction. Qu'est-ce que tu t'attends à trouver dans le texte ? Dis ce que tu peux sur Kelvin Doe.
Sample answers: Kelvin Doe is a teenager from Sierra Leone. He has an engineering talent. I think he invented something impressive. He was maybe discovered by scientists at MIT or Harvard. He probably built something with limited resources.
Réponses possibles : Kelvin Doe est un adolescent de Sierra Leone. Il a un talent en ingénierie. Je pense qu'il a inventé quelque chose d'impressionnant. Il a peut-être été découvert par des scientifiques du MIT ou d'Harvard. Il a probablement fabriqué quelque chose avec des matériaux limités.

Document: Kelvin Doe

Kelvin Doe comes from Sierra Leone, his engineering talent gets discovered by MIT1 and Harvard.

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Kelvin Doe
Without any formal training or initial knowledge about electronics, Doe was able to create a battery powerful enough to light up houses in his neighborhood. Although it took him several trials before he could make a working prototype, Doe was never disheartened, because he was thinking of how electricity is very scarce in their place and how his invention would help a lot of people. [...] What's even more amazing about this kid hero is he is able to create devices out of materials he gets from trash. His battery was made up of just baking soda, acid and metal scraps; while his generator came from a deteriorating voltage stabilizer.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Because of his outstanding talents, Doe was discovered at a non-profit Innovate Salone program by fellow Sierra Leone-native David Senegh, who is a doctoral student at MIT. [...] This prodigy's inspiring work also touched Harvard and so he was invited to be a guest presenter at their School of Engineering.
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. — www.gineersnow.com

Compréhension écrite

How does Kelvin Doe work? What does he use to build his inventions?
Comment Kelvin Doe travaille-t-il ? Que lui faut-il pour fabriquer ses inventions ?
Why was Doe never disheartened during his work?
Pourquoi Doe ne s'est-il jamais découragé durant son travail ?
How was Doe discovered, and what did he achieve afterwards?
Comment Doe a-t-il été découvert, et qu'a-t-il accompli ensuite ?

Vocabulaire: inférence du sens

Using the context, draw a line to match each word with its French meaning.
En utilisant le contexte du texte, relie chaque mot anglais à son sens en français.

    Translate: inventions and innovations

    Build the sentence in English
    Clique sur une flèche pour lancer la roulette.