If you are a French teacher looking for meaningful & engaging French Orange Shirt Day activities and resources, look no further! Today I am sharing with you a number of French activities and resources for honouring Orange Shirt Day (or week!) in your classroom. At my school, we are actually spending the whole week honouring the children that never got to return home as well as the survivors of residential schools.

September 30 is journée du chandail orange or Orange Shirt Day.

Disclaimers

1. I am a non-Indigenous educator. I am actually a Punjabi teacher who was born and raised in British Columbia. I have benefited significantly from the colonization of Canada. I am not selling or making money from any of the resources or activities shared in this post. This would be incredibly harmful (to profit from genocide). I am only linking to Indigenous content creators and to books written by Indigenous authors. Educators – please be mindful of who your money is going to!
2. If you are a Canadian teacher, please take extra care of Indigenous students in your classroom during this time of year. Do not assume that you do not have Indigenous students in your classroom. Disclose to your students your French Orange Shirt Day activities and lessons and involve your counselors, administration and other teachers. Allow your Indigenous students not attend these lessons if they are not comfortable

Molly of Denali – Grandpa’s drum

With my absolute beginner French students, we watch an episode of Molly of Denali where she learns about her grandfather attending a residential school and why he no longer sings or plays the drum.

The episode is in English, however, I make the connection to my students that they come to my class to learn a language. Not too long ago, we sent children to schools to force them to forget their language. It’s a very powerful message that really resonates with my beginner French students.

French picture books on residential schools

There are so many beautifully written and illustrated books written by Indigenous authors on residential schools. You may not get these on time for this week, but we shouldn’t just be teaching about residential schools this week. Read my reviews on these books here. 

Post-it activity – 1 feeling, 1 promise and 1 commitment

@miss.howell shared this activity in June and it was so, so powerful with my Grade 8s. This year I am going to be doing it with my grade 11s.

The concept is easy – we learn about residential schools by reading a book, watching a video, having a discussion, etc. Then, we share how we feel, we make a promise and we commit to an action.

​Go read Emily’s post for more info!

Chaque enfant compte – write a reflection on an orange shirt

This orange shirt template can be used alongside any French Orange Shirt Day activity or resource you already have planned.

Documentaries & videos on Office national du film or National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board of Canada or the Office National du film has a playlist of documentaries and videos available on their website. Please ensure you watch them ahead of time to make sure they are appropriate for your grade level/students’ backgrounds.

Timeline of residential schools – video

If you teach advanced French students, this video is great to go over the timeline of events. I particularly like pairing this video with the digital book below by the Anishnabek Nation.

​Digital storybook – Petite fille papillion – by Anishnabek Nation

If you are looking to read a digital storybook with your students about Orange Shirt Day, this one is beautifully written and illustrated. It has a lot of repetition and is mainly written in present tense!

​Colouring sheets from Urban Iskwew

Urban Iskwew has generously created these beautiful colouring pages available in many different languages (Indigenous, English, French & more)

Historica Canada Podcasts on Les pensionnants autochtones

If you teach advanced French students, I recommend doing a jigsaw activity with these 3 podcasts. Divide up your class into three groups. Each group must listen to one of these podcasts. As they listen, they must take notes on the experiences being discussed in the podcast. When they are finished, they must regroup with members of different groups and compare notes on the different experiences of attending residential schools.

The post French Orange Shirt Day Activities appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

Today I am super excited to share with you one of my favourite books in French called Parfois je suis un renard. Parfois je suis un renard is a picture book written by an Indigenous author.

I often hear from my Instagram teacher community that there aren’t enough resources in French about anti-racism and representation.

That is definitely not true!

As a matter of fact, I have blog posts dedicated to French resources on Indigenous perspectives, BLM, and la francophonie.

While it can be very difficult to find good resources in French, they definitely do exist!

Parfois je suis un renard is a chilren’s book written by Métis author Danielle Daniel. Daniel wrote and dedicated this beautiful picture book to Indigenous children who never got to learn their totem animal.

These children may have lost touch with their culture as a result of a variety of traumas inflicted on Indigenous communities and peoples.

For example, their parents or grandparents were survivors of residential schools, the 60s Scoop or the foster care system which unjustly targeted and continues to target Indigenous families.

Each page of the book introduces a different totem animal. The reader learns about the totem characteristics of each animal and what makes them unique.

Who is Parfois je suis un renard ideal for?

This book is perfect for :

• primary French Immersion & up
• Beginner Core French & up

The book is written entirely in present tense ER verbs! As a result, it is simple to comprehend for French learners of all levels.

In addition, the repetition of a similar sentence structure ensures comprehension.

For instance, each page contains 1-2 ER verbs and a number of adjectives describing the totem animal.

Extension activities for Je suis un renard

So, you have purchased the book and you read it to/with your class. Now what?? I have two activity suggestions for you!

Elementary French Immersion or elementary Core French

Scholastic Canada has a fantastic extension activity for elementary students. It is a PDF printable that you can either project or print for the kiddos.

In this PDF, students circle adjectives that they identify with. In fact, I suggest you do this activity before reading the book. This also a great opportunity to learn the adjectives that will be discussed in the book.

Moreover, the PDF also shares age-appropriate information on the book and author.

FSL Secondary

This next activity is more of an in-depth analysis of the picture book. Students begin by looking up the key vocabulary outlined at the top of the page.

Next, the goal is for students to locate the ER verbs and adjectives located on each page.

They then copy down the ER verb and the adjective in the appropriate box. Finally, I have my students draw an image of that specific totem animal characterized by the verbs and adjectives.

For example, if the animal is wise, they have to draw me a picture showing how the animal is wise.

Looking for a Facebook Group to continue learning?

Join our FaceBook community where French Immersion & Core French teachers share the resources we use in our own classrooms. Click here to join.

• 
  What Anti-Oppressive French Teaching Looks Like in 2025
  Today, we’re going to discuss pedagogies, assessment, instructional tools, and system-wide changes to advocate for all that helps form a learning environment that is anti-oppressive, differentiated, culturally responsive, and identity-affirming.
• 
  French Films and Short Films with Muslim Representation for the Core French Classroom
  Today I am sharing French films and short films with Muslim representation for the Core French classroom. You can show these in the French Immersion classroom as well. These films and short films are a … Read more
• 
  French Resources for Asian Heritage Month in Canada
  In this blog post, I’m excited to share a curated selection of French resources tailored specifically for Asian Heritage Month in Canada.
• 
  French picture books with Muslim characters
  Here 5 French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters. French picture books are an incredible tool for Core French and/or French Immersion classrooms.
• 
  5 intermediate French Duolingo Podcast episodes for French class
  Are you a French teacher searching for listening activities for French students to improve their French listening skills? Today I am sharing with you five fun and informative French podcast episodes from the French Duolingo podcast.
• 
  French Orange Shirt Day Activities
  If you are a French teacher looking for meaningful & engaging French Orange Shirt Day activities and resources, look no further!

The post Parfois je suis un renard – FSL Activity appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

Today I am going to be sharing with you 5 French books on residential schools. It is incredibly important that our students understand the magnitude of the traumas inflicted on Indigenous peoples in residential schools.

All 5 of these books are in French and are picture books appropriate for Elementary-aged students and older. There is a number of activities that you can do with your students to demonstrate their understanding.

Additionally, if you teach Indigenous students, please ensure that you are speaking to counsellors and family members in advance. This is a crucial step to avoid re-inflicting trauma on those students.

Finally, if you are looking for more French resources with Indigenous perspectives, I have a whole blog post dedicated to movies, documentaries, texts, books and so much more.

1. Les bas du pensionnat

This is a 7 chapter story about Margaret a 7 year-old Inuit girl who lives near Aklavik.

Margaret desperately wants to attend the same residential school her father attended, but her father will not allow that. She dreams to read, write and attend this school her half-sister also attends.

After attempting to convince her father for months, her father reluctantly agrees to allow her to attend residential school. Margaret discovers all too soon that the school is nothing like home and that the sisters are nothing like her family.

2. Quand j’avais huit ans

This picture book and Les bas du pensionnats are written by the same authors. Quand j’avais huit ans is a condensed version of Les bas du pensionnat.

3. Shi-shi-etko

This story is about Shi-shi-etko, a little girl who is about to leave for residential school for the first time.

Days before leaving, Shi-shi-etko spends all her time outdoors and with her family. She savours the way the sand feels under her toes, the sound of bees buzzing around her and the tall grasses swaying from the wind. She savours all the sights, sounds, and feel of everything and everyone she finds comforting and familiar.

In the end, Shi-shi-etko promises to herself that no matter what happens at school, she will never forget all of the lessons her family taught her and the memories she holds in her heart.

4. La pirogue de Shin-chi

La pirogue de Shini-chi, written by the same authors as Shi-shi-etko, features the story of Shin-chi who is Shi-shi-etko’s little brother. Before leaving for school, the two siblings ask their father if he will make them a new canoe.

During their long journey to school, Shi-shi-etko comforts her little brother by reminding him about the best part of home and she tells him important. When they arrive at the school, she gives him the little oak canoe that.

5. L’histoire du chandail orange

This book is absolutely one that you should begin with, if your students are completely new to the history of Orange Shirt Day.

Phyllis Webstad went shopping with her grandmother before attending her residential school. Her grandmother purchased her a brand new orange shirt and she could not wait to wear it on her first day of school.

When Phyllis got to her school, the sisters took Phyllis’ shirt cruelly. The orange shirt has become a symbol of the trauma and pain inflicted on Indigenous children in residential schools.

Do you know of French resources on residential schools?

Do you know of French Books on Residential Schools not mentioned in this post? Please share with us in the comments below!

Are you looking for more resources, ideas and inspiration on prioritizing BIPOC representation in your French class? Join our FaceBook Group!

The post 5 French Books on Residential Schools appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

Aujourd’hui, je vais partager avec vous une de mes lectures récentes intitulée Kuessipan de Naomi Fontaine.

C’était un de ces livres où on arrête de lire vers la fin parce qu’on ne veut pas que ça finisse !

Si vous cherchez d’autres ressources avec des perspectives autochtones, veuillez cliquer ici. J’ai écrit un article avec des liens aux documentaires, films, textes, livres, podcasts et plus. J’ai également un autre article avec des ressources pour La vie des Noirs compte.

Qui est Naomi Fontaine ?

Naomi Fontaine est écrivaine innue. Elle est née à Uashat, au Québec. En plus, elle est aussi enseignante de la langue française au secondaire dans sa propre communauté.

Ce qui est très intéressant, c’est que le talent de Fontaine a été découvert par son prof lors de son bac en éducation.

Fontaine a écrit et publié Kuessipan en 2011 à l’âge de 23 ans.

Quel est le but du livre ?

Pour commencer, Kuessipan est d’une collection de descriptions abstraites et émouvantes de lieux, de personnes et des évènements. Le roman est divisé en quatre parties intitulées Nomade, Uashat, Nutshimit et Nikuss.

L’écriture de Fontaine coule si merveilleusement et est de nature poétique. Fontaine raconte la vie dure mais plein d’espoir et de résilience au sein de son communauté innue.

Dans chaque partie du livre, elle raconte des événements qui ont fait de la vie une lutte pour elle-même et pour sa communauté. En même temps, la lectrice témoigne de la résilience et de la force de sa communauté.

Quels sont les thèmes du roman ?

Fontaine raconte des histoires au sujet de la pauvreté dans sa communauté, les tragédies, l’amour de sa grand-mère, les pensionnats et beaucoup d’autres sujets.

Pourquoi ce livre est-il particulièrement remarquable ?

J’ai fait mon baccalauréat en français au Canada. À l’université, nous avons suivi des cours où nous devions mémoriser le vocabulaire descriptif en mémorisant des listes de vocabulaire.

Quand je lisais Kuessipan, ce qui me frappait, c’était la façon dont Fontaine tissait des mots pour créer des images vives. Ses descriptions peignaient des images si vives dans mon esprit comme si je regardais le monde à travers ses yeux.

En fait, vers la fin, j’arrêterais de lire le livre parce que je ne voulais pas qu’il finisse !

Qui devrait le lire ?

Je me demande combien de programme d’immersion au secondaire lit au moins un livre écrit par un autochtone francophone. À mon avis, ce livre devrait faire parti de chaque programme de littérature au secondaire en immersion ou à l’université.

Les mots de Fontaine et la manière dont elle écrit sont tellement puissants.

Fontaine écrit, pour la plupart, au présent et au passé (composé et imparfait). Pour cette raison, les élèves en immersion pourront facilement comprendre les évènements.

En plus, vous pouvez aborder une quantité infinie de discussions, de questions et de réflexions sur les expériences, les histoires et les perspectives autochtones.

Pour conclure – procurez-vous Kuessipan de Naomi Fontaine immédiatement

En conclusion, je vous encourage, surtout si vous êtes blanc, à tenir des discussions réfléchies avec les membres de votre département.

Demandez-vous combien de livres que vos élèves lisent, sont écrits par des francophones autochtones. Les francophones autochtones existent depuis le début de la colonisation. Ils DOIVENT être représentés dans nos classes de FSL et de FRIMM.

Veuillez cliquer ici pour voir Kuessipan sur Amazon

The post Kuessipan de Naomi Fontaine | Lectures diverses appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

In June 2020, I put together a blog post filled with a variety of French-language resources for Black Lives Matter. This blog post contains educational resources for French teachers with Indigenous perspectives, lived experiences and stories.

Additionally, I created this list of resources not to speak over or on behalf of Indigenous voices. On the contrary, my goal is to create a list of resources with Indigenous perspectives and voices.

Furthermore, please do your due diligence by thoroughly watching and reading the resources before showing them to your own students. 

This is not a complete and final list of resources. As I stumble upon and/or am made aware of other documents, I will be adding them to this blog post. If you know of resources, please share them with me in the comments!

Documentaries, Films & Videos

1. National Film Board of Canada

A. Documentaries For Parents and Teachers

B. Documentaries for students 15+

C. Documentaries for ages 12-14

D. Documentaries for ages 6-11

2. Québec Cinéma

3. Wapikoni

A. Où sont tes plumes ?

4. YouTube : Radio-Canada – Espaces Autochtones

5. Kuessipan – le film

Readings & Other Resources

1. Les enfants devenus (a chronological timeline starting at 1615)

2. Atlas des peuples autochtones

3. Guide pédagogique Historica Canada – perspectives autochtones

4. Musée virtuel – Anutshish

5. Relations-autochtones.ca

Podcasts

1. Voix Autochtones

2. Atalukan

Where to find books written by Indigenous authors

1. Kwahiatonhk

2. Free digital books using Québec’s Samuel website (Canadian teachers have free access by making an account)

3. Librairie Hannenorak

4. Indigo Chapters – Voix autochtones

Children’s Books

Novels

1. Kuessipan (Naomi Fontaine)

2. Les bas du pensionnat (Christy Jordan-Fenton et Margaret Pokiak-Fenton)

Art & Posters & Maps

1. Indigenous History Month Posters [French & English]

2. Map of Indigenous place names

3. Journée du chandail orange – chaque enfant compte

Instagram Accounts

I hope that this list was useful to you and your students.

Finally, if you are familiar with any resources with Indigenous perspectives and voices in the French language, please share them with me below!

The post Indigenous Perspectives – Educational Resources for French Teachers appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

If you have been to Québec in the spring, chances are you have heard of this Québécois tradition. You may have even attended a cabane à sucre! Today I am going to share with you how I teach about the traditions of cabane à sucre et le temps des sucres in French class!

I teach all about francophone traditions and celebrations in French 9 as it is a part of the BC curriculum. I always begin by having my students complete a reading comprehension activity on cabane à sucre before moving on to other francophone celebrations and traditions.

What are cabane à sucre et le temps des sucres?

Le temps des sucres translates to maple season in English. As you may have predicted, this tradition celebrates the harvest of maple syrup.

As a matter of fact, maple syrup is an important historical and cultural Canadian icon. Eurocentric historical narratives do not give credit to the origins of this sweet water. Maple syrup was in fact discovered by Indigenous peoples far before Europeans set foot in North America.

Historical background on the tradition cabane à sucre

Using this free text, your students will learn that the First Peoples harvested maple water and boiled it down into maple syrup long before colonization.

In fact, there are many Indigenous legends surrounding the discovery of maple syrup.

For example, in the legend Sweetwater Maiden: The Mi’kmaw Legend of Maple Syrup, a young maiden discovers the sap of a maple tree and boils it down to maple syrup.

As a French student myself who was studying in Quebec, I experienced first-hand a Cabane à sucre during the springtime and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my time in Quebec.

However, I only wish I had known the importance of le temps des sucres to Quebecois identity.

Due to this reason, I created a reading comprehension resource for my own students as part of their francophone celebrations unit. With this resource, students will learn all about the tradition cabane à sucre.

Using the resource, students will

• read about la cabane à sucre and le temps des sucres and their historical origins
• learn how maple syrup was first harvested by Indigenous peoples
• discover how the harvest of maple syrup has changed over the centuries
• learn 20 new vocabulary words connected to maple syrup
• discover how le temps des sucres is an important part of Québécois identity
• watch a series of videos on YouTube to further their understanding of the origins and importance of maple syrup to Indigenous populations and Québec

Supplementary videos to watch

This first video is a quick introduction to the history of maple syrup. This particular video is best suited for French Immersion students Grades 5 & up.

Next up is a video showing how the production of maple syrup has changed over the centuries. Since the reading comprehension article focuses on how maple syrup was originally distilled, this video shows how that process has evolved over time.

Video #3 is perfect as it explains a lot of the information in the first two videos, but in a more kid-friendly way.

Finally, this last video shows how maple water was originally harvested and distilled by local Indigenous populations in the lands now called Ontario and Québec.

This activity includes a pre-lecture, a reading as well as activities for post-reading. I have also included exit tickets and  6 supplemental resources such as YouTube videos and articles that you can show your students. 

To receive this resource for free, all you need to do is sign up below!

The post How to teach about cabane à sucre in French class appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.