Teaching about la francophonie is arguably the most important part of teaching French! Our students love learning about francophone countries & francophone cultures. Additionally, as French teachers we also want our students to think critically about the legacies of colonialism in the Francophone world. So, how do we balance celebrating francophone regions, but also teach about these legacies? I have found 10 excellent French activities to help you teach about la francophonie.
Before we begin – be sure to grab this freebie!
1. Teaching about the colonial legacies of la Francophonie – France’s Empire – Johnny Harris
Firstly, let’s chat about Johnny Harris! Johnny Harris is a very popular YouTuber. In this particular video, Harris discusses the French Empire and the fact that French colonies exist to this day.
In my opinion, Harris describes each of these colonies very well. Most importantly, he does not avoid discussing the tragic realities of colonialism.
For example, Harris mentions how France conducted nuclear tests in the French colonies in the 20th century.
It is important to discuss critically the former and present colonies. In fact, they are not only tropical destinations for tourists. These Francophone regions are home to people who live with the legacies of empire.
2. Spotlight on Francophone Africa – Conte-moi et TV5 Afrique (YouTube)
Secondly, we have a series of illustrated legends from la Francophonie. You can find illustrated tales from Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali and France.
These legends are ideal for advanced FSL students or intermediate-advanced French immersion students.
Moreover, each legend comes with free downloadable PDFs (teacher guides, student worksheets and more!)
Finally, you should subscribe to the TV5 Africa YouTube channel. Their YouTube channel contains excellent videos for the classroom on Francophone Africa!
3. Creative projects and assignments on la francophonie
If you are looking for prep-free Core French units and French projects on the Francophone world, I have got you covered!
You can find resources on :
- French slang (verlan) & racism in France
- a project on francophone celebrations
- French reading comprehension article on Francophone countries and regions
- a flag project on francophone regions and countries
- French reading comprehension article on breakfast in la francophonie
Looking for more ideas, tips and tricks? Read my blog post on 10 different ways to teach about Francophone countries.
Le petit-déjeuner francophone
4. Learning about Francophone Canada – Les visages de la francophonie
For those living outside Quebec/Ontario/New Brunswick and other Francophone communities, la Francophonie is not very visible.
I am from BC and there are not many opportunities to immerse yourself in francophone communities in my province. If you live in the US, that is probably true for you too!
Therefore, this is a fantastic video that illustrates what the French language means to francophones, especially those living in anglophone regions. Speakers also discuss the challenges they face and why they are proud to be Francophone.
Language level : beginning-intermediate
5. French reading comprehension worksheets on la francophonie
Are you looking for engaging and relevant French reading comprehension worksheets with pre-reading and post-reading activities? If you answered yes, these articles are for you!
I wanted to have engaging and appropriate texts for my middle students. As a result, I ended up writing these French reading comprehension worksheets for my students.
If you are looking for French reading comprehension strategies, I’ve got you covered on that as well. I have a whole blog post article dedicated to tips, tricks and strategies.
6. Francophone countries : 29 countries in 2 minutes
7. Conte-moi
This website contains many resources on the diverse Francophonie. You can find maps, tales in PDF format with illustrations and images.
8. On fête ensemble (TFO)
In our classrooms, we often talk about celebrations and how our celebrations and traditions differ from our origins. This website contains many videos about family celebrations.
Additionally, please note that these videos are a little dated. However, I still think they are a great tool for the class.
9. Réseau In-Terre-Actif – comprehensive PDFs
Here is another INCREDIBLE resource. This website offers you free PDFs on Francophone countries! These PDFs are very detailed.
10. Centre de la francophonie des Amériques
Finally, this last resource is a website of the Centre de la francophonie des Amériques. You can find many resources like posters, books and educational PDFs!
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