A few months ago, I was scrolling on Facebook when I came across a question posed by a French teacher in a major French Facebook Teacher group. This teacher was seeking guidance on how to begin with anti-oppressive teaching, as well as examples of activities and assessments that are anti-oppressive, differentiated, culturally relevant, and identity-affirming.

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.

Read my blog post from a few years ago about how your French teaching pedagogy may be reinforcing colonial hierarchies.

Who am I, and what authority do I have to speak on this topic?

Bonjour! My name is Pav and I am a French teacher of South Asian descent from Vancouver, Canada. For the past three years, I have served as the anti-racism lead at my school. Part of my responsibilities includes planning school-wide activities and events, advocating for changes with my school, and communicating with students, parents, and administration to ensure that we are constantly moving forward in the direction of progress.

Online, I have used my platform for the last five years to advocate for change in French pedagogies. I have tried to demonstrate to French teachers that teaching inclusively and anti-oppressively is not only very doable, but it is also non-negotiable and gratifying.

While I have worked very hard to advocate for change and progress, both in my career and online, I also want to acknowledge that I am not perfect. I am constantly trying to learn more, even unlearn, to be a better human being and teacher.

I am also completing a post-grad diploma on compassionate classrooms. This diploma has taught me a lot about SEL, trauma-informed teaching, restorative justice/restorative practices, and more.

I am also a big reader and specifically focus on reading diversely. Feel free to peruse my Goodreads for diverse book recommendations.

What are the ways students and teachers encounter systemic oppression in education?

Let’s begin with the understanding that the legacies of colonialism are alive and well within society and all institutions. For example, students and teachers encounter systemic racism in the school setting. What does systemic racism look like in the education setting?

Systemic Oppression and the Curriculum

An example of systemic oppression and the curriculum is a focus on Eurocentric perspectives & curriculum where marginalized students do not see themselves reflected in the content and instructional practices. In French class, teachers and/or the curriculum only focus on France or Quebec, erasing Francophone communities in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.

Discriminatory Discipline Practices

It is easy to turn a blind eye to discipline practices within the education setting. For example, Black, Indigenous, and racialized students can be disproportionately suspended or expelled in contrast to their white counterparts.

In Canada specifically, the school-to-prison pipeline for Indigenous boys is an example of this type of disproportionate representation.

Ableism in Assessment and Instruction

The following are examples of ableism in the school setting:

• One-size-fits-all instruction that does not differentiate
• Students lack voice and choice in assessment and learning practices
• Traditional grading systems that penalize students for mistakes or not learning the same way as neurotypical students disadvantage those who have dyslexia, ADHD, auditory processing disorders, or executive functioning challenges.
• Lack of accessible tools, equipment, or learning resources
• An emphasis on compliance and “good behaviour”

Other examples of systemic oppression

• Lower graduation rates for Indigenous students
• Higher rates of academic streaming for racialized and low-income students
• Lack of belonging, safety, and representation for LGBTQ2S students
• Poor mental health outcomes for marginalized students
• Inaccessible learning environments for neurodivergent and disabled students
• Students encountering racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, homophobia, and anti-Semitism at school
• Students are forced to suppress parts of their identity to feel safe or to fit in
• Teacher burnout from working in unjust systems

These are only a few examples!

Bottom line, oppression in the education system exists.

Why is anti-oppressive teaching a non-negotiable?

If we care about the well-being and success of our students, we will do everything in our power to foster an anti-oppressive learning environment for them.

In my mind, anti-oppressive teaching is divided into two fields:

a. changes I can make in my own classroom and within my teaching practices

b. changes I must advocate for at my school

Anti-oppressive teaching in the French classroom

Let’s explore the various ways to cultivate an anti-oppressive learning environment in the classroom.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

What is Culturally Responsive Teaching? CRT is an educational approach that acknowledges and celebrates students’ diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences and connects them to classroom learning.

In her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain, Dr. Zaretta Hammond states that Culturally Responsive Teaching is essential if we want our marginalized students to succeed in rigorous learning. I highly recommend reading her book, as Dr. Hammond shares not only that it’s possible to implement CRP but also explains the benefits to student learning.

Trauma-Informed Teaching & Trauma-Sensitive Classrooms

As teachers, we must understand that our students are walking into our classrooms with past trauma. Trauma is going to change how our students learn. The BC Provincial Government defines TIP as:

Trauma-Informed Practice is a strengths-based framework grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma. It emphasises physical, psychological, and emotional safety for everyone, and creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment. 

Is your classroom a trauma-informed space? Is your teaching trauma-informed?

Trauma-sensitive classrooms:

• implement Culturally Responsive Teaching
• establish students’ physical and emotional safety
• cultivate relationships with students every single day
• focus on student strengths and never view students from a deficit perspective
• are culturally competent
• include voice and choice in activities, lessons, and assessments.
• never get into a power struggle with students
• teach/model healthy coping strategies.

This document is invaluable for understanding the various traumas students bring to school and for implementing trauma-informed practices.

Instruction & Assessment Flexibility

An anti-oppressive teacher understands that not all students learn the same way. There are so many factors that alter how we change. Anti-oppressive teachers are flexible and not stubborn. They are willing to explore different instructional approaches and assessments to see what works best for their students.

Inclusion of Diverse Voices & Perspectives

In a French classroom, there are numerous ways to incorporate diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences. Here are some quick examples!

• Explore French music & musicians. There’s so much diversity here!
  • Manie Musicale is an accessible way to get into this, and all of your planning is done for you
• Teach about Verlan & France’s banlieues.
  • Teach French slang expressions and their origins
• Learn about diverse celebrations in your novice French classes
  • Cécile Lainé has created (independently and in collaboration with others) these accessible, novice-friendly slideshows about diverse holidays
• Read French picture books
  • Explore my favourite picture books with Muslim representation, Black representation, and Asian representation.
• Begin to explore the Francophone world.
  • Discover Francophone cultures through a specific theme or topic, such as food, geography, clothing, or music.
• Acknowledge BHM, AHM, Pride, Orange Shirt Day, Indigenous Heritage Month, etc in your classroom
• Learn about First Peoples’ Principles of Learning and incorporate them into your teaching

Celebrating Students’ Identities

Hold space for and celebrate your students’ identities. We’re so lucky we teach French as there are so many ways to do this!

Last year, I organized a whole-school Culture Day. With the help of a $2,000 grant my students won, we were able to share diverse cultural foods with our entire student body.

During the event, a Filipino student came up to us, thrilled to see lumpia (Filipino spring rolls) on the menu. He told us he had never seen Filipino culture represented at school before. I cried when I heard this—tears of both joy and sadness.

How can you celebrate your students’ identities in your classroom and in your school?

Student (and Teacher) Accountability

One of the most important things you can do to be an anti-oppressive educator is to hold students accountable when they make discriminatory statements.

I’ve heard from my students time and time again that when someone says something racist to them and their teacher does nothing, it confirms to them that their teacher does not care.

Not holding students accountable is the number one way to alienate marginalized students because you are declaring in capital letters that you are NOT a safe teacher!

Holding students accountable also means:

• Communicating promptly with the Administration team when something unsafe and dangerous occurs. This includes a student saying a slur.
• Communicating with the parents of the victim to let them know what has occurred. This is crucial because these parents need to know how to guide their child, advocate for them, and even get them therapy to process what they experienced.
• Advocating for changes at the system-level if necessary

Avoid tone policing staff and students

If a staff member or a student comes to you and expresses that something you said or did was discriminatory, please do not tone-police them. This human being is telling you they experienced harm. Your first words should not be “well, I wish you didn’t tell me right now or right here” or “I wish you had used different words”.

Tone policing diverts attention from the harm caused to your own discomfort with accountability. Furthermore, you are reinforcing power dynamics by reinforcing your own authority and power in the relationship.

Instead, focus on repairing harm

Instead of tone policing, focus on acknowledging the harm that you unintentionally caused. Thank them for being vulnerable and communicating with you. Express your commitment to learning and doing better in the future.

Once you leave, commit yourself to learning more about why what you said or did was harmful. Read a book, find a YouTube video, or ask a question in an anti-oppression teaching group on Facebook.

Anti-oppressive teaching on a school-wide level and systems-wide level

Now, let’s discuss school-wide activities and events.

School-wide recognition of Black History Month, Pride, Asian Heritage Month, etc.

If you’re a Canadian teacher in 2025, your school should absolutely be organizing school-wide recognitions of these months.

This past year, my colleague and I co-organized a Black History Month panel (our third annual!) at our school. It was incredible. One of our panellists was Jamila Pomeroy, who is a film screenwriter, director, and producer. She’s amazing. One thing she said that continues to haunt me is that anti-Black racism since 2020 has gotten worse. As a teacher, I see and hear this from my Black students every single day.

School-wide celebrations are powerful because they make identities visible. Many of my marginalized students have shared that when these months go unacknowledged, they feel unseen.

There is a need to not only acknowledge these heritage months but also to celebrate joy within these communities.

Using Your Voice & Privilege to Advocate for Students

One of the most important things you can do as an anti-oppressive educator is to use your voice and privilege and advocate for your students when you see or hear of injustices.

We absolutely cannot pretend that discrimination does not exist anymore in our schools. It happens.

If you see that the system is not handling the situation well, which is causing trauma to students, please use your voice and privilege to advocate for the problem to improve!

Let me know what you think!

This is my summer reflection of what it means to be an anti-oppressive educator in 2025. If there’s something I have not discovered, I would love to hear from you! Please share with us in the comments below.

The post What Anti-Oppressive French Teaching Looks Like in 2025 appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

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 great way to humanize Muslims, especially Francophone Muslims, and foster empathy among our students.

Students need to see and hear stories about Muslims because it helps humanize their experiences, fosters empathy, and challenges stereotypes, allowing students to see the richness and diversity within Muslim communities. This kind of representation is essential for building a more inclusive and understanding world.

I also have a blog post with French picture books (that I love and adore) with Muslim characters. You can read it here.

À pleine voix – Saida Ouchaou-Ozarowski (ONF/NFB)

The first documentary is a 52-minute film featuring the stories of four Muslim Canadian women. They share their personal experiences of being Muslim in Canada and discuss how they navigate stereotypes and generalizations from society and the media.

Three of the women are Francophone and one is Anglophone.

The stories of these women are both compelling and highly relevant to today’s society, especially when it comes to the humanization (or lack thereof) of Muslims. In my opinion, it’s a must-watch.

À pleine voix, Saida Ouchaou-Ozarowski, offert par l’Office national du film du Canada

Au secours! Clichés de la Terre entière. Des filles et des règles.

This is a really fun series on TV5Unis. This particular episode is all about periods, a relevant and taboo topic.

This would also be a great episode for International Women’s Day or Women’s History Month!

Banlieusards on Netflix (Street Flow in English)

Banlieusards is the story of a Senegalese family living in a French banlieue. This is hands down one of my favourite French films because of the way it weaves the story of young people living in Banlieue and the immigrant experience in France. I showed this film to my Grade 10s last year and they were obsessed!

Please do note that there are some swear words in the film.

If you know any other French films or short films with Muslim representation, please leave them in the comments below!

The post French Films and Short Films with Muslim Representation for the Core French Classroom appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

French teachers – are you looking to update your classroom library with engaging French picture books with Asian characters? As French teachers in Canada, we understand the power of representation in the classroom. French picture books with Asian characters are invaluable resources for fostering cultural awareness and celebrating diversity.

Today, I’m thrilled to introduce a curated selection of French picture books featuring Asian characters. Whether you’re seeking resources for Asian Heritage Month in Canada or simply looking to diversify your classroom library, these books offer a rich tapestry of stories that reflect the experiences and identities of diverse Asian individuals and stories.

Moreover, in 2020, many French teachers committed to diversifying their bookshelves. Consequently, teachers unpacked the role that diverse picture books play in providing mirrors and windows and eventually becoming sliding glass doors, for all of our students. 

This blog post is the third in a series where I share my favourite French picture books with characters with diverse identities. The first blog post featured French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters. I have also written a similar blog post with French picture book recommendations with Black characters.

Where should you purchase these French picture books from?

I really encourage you to purchase from your local independent bookstores. One of my favourite bookstores is located a block away from my school.

I will be linking all of these books through Les Libraires which is an independent bookstore in Québec.

Who writes the stories? #ownvoices

I am a South Asian woman who was born and raised in Canada. I never got to read stories about my culture written by people who looked like me until I was in my twenties.

This has got to change!

On my platforms, I choose to share books written by #ownvoices. If you are interested in learning more about own voices, please do read this important blog post by Little Feminist explaining what it is and why it’s important.

I have tried to exclusively share French picture books with Asian characters written by Asian authors.

Which Asian countries are represented in these French picture books?

I’ve tried my absolute best to represent diverse Asians in this blog post. However, my efforts are limited in terms of what is out there. However, since 2020 publishers have released so many diverse French picture books with Asian characters.

I will continue to update this blog post as new French picture books with diverse Asian characters are released.

Mon bindi – Gita Varadarajan & Archana Sreenivasan

In Mon Bindi, we meet Divya. Divya’s amma wears a bindi every day. In the Hindu religion, girls and women wear bindis. The bindi symbolizes a third eye and offers protection to the wearer from evil. Throughout the story, we discover that Divya wishes to wear a bindi to school, but she worries that her peers might mock her.

Despite her concerns, Divya chooses to wear a bindi to school. The reactions of her classmates and her teacher, Ms. Gonzalez, validate Divya and her decision to proudly wear her bindi to school!

Final opinion: This book moved me to tears. The opportunity for young girls to read a picture book like Mon Bindi and see themselves represented in such a heartwarming story? Priceless.

Themes: Hinduism, identity, embracing one’s heritage, family

French level: high-novice. It’s entirely in present tense.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie – Danny Ramadan & Anna Bron

This story takes place in Vancouver, Canada. Salma and her mom reside in a refugee shelter in Vancouver, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Salma’s baba.

Salma notices that her mother no longer laughs. Determined to bring joy to her, Salma decides to prepare one of her favorite Syrian dishes, Foul shami.

Salma embarks on a grand adventure to cook her favorite Syrian dish, but it’s not without its challenges. She encounters numerous obstacles that nearly derail her culinary efforts.

Fortunately, the generosity and kindness of everyone at the shelter ultimately assist her in completing her dish just in time for dinner.

Themes: culture shock, allusions to depression as a result of war, kindness, generosity

Level of French: high intermediate. It’s almost entirely in present tense, however, there is very little repetition of vocabulary which might make it challenging.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Le plus beau des Aïds – Zeba Talkhani et Abeeha Tariq

Eid, or aïd en français, is the celebration that occurs follows Ramadan. In this book, we meet little Safa who is beyond excited about Eid!

Throughout the book, we explore the traditions and customs Safa and her family observe during Eid.

These traditions include wearing new clothes, adorning one’s hands with henna, gathering with family, praying, and much more!

At the end of the book, Safa learns that a significant aspect of Eid is the act of giving selflessly. Consequently, Safa and her mom distribute sweets and gifts to all of their (very diverse!!) neighbours.

In my opinion, every single classroom in Canada needs to have this book. Children need to be exposed to celebrations other than Christmas since our classrooms are very diverse places.

Themes: celebrations, Eid, traditions, and customs

French level: high novice. Present tense.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Mamie Coton compte les moutons – Liao Xiaoqin et Zhu Chengliang

Mamie Coton compte les moutons tells the tale of Mamie Coton, who struggles to fall asleep one night.

Despite trying to count sheep, Mamie Coton finds no success. Then, she remembers she forgot to bring the chrysanthemums back inside. After rectifying her mistake, she returns to bed and attempts to count sheep once more.

Yet again, this method proves unsuccessful. Mamie Coton decides to take a brief stroll around the neighborhood. Upon her return, she discovers that Papi Coton has come back from visiting family.

During her sleepless night, Mamie Coton engages in a variety of selfless acts of service for people objects, animals, and people.

Mamie Coton compte les moutons is a heartwarming story about small acts of selfless love for others.

Themes: acts of love, kindness

French level: intermediate. It has a lot of vocabulary that students won’t be familiar with and may need to be pre-taught. It’s written all in present tense.

About the book: A French original from the French publishing company (Hongfei-Cultures)’s collection Vent d’Asie

Sous le bleu de ciel – Aghdas Sekhavat et Denise Paquette

In Sous le bleu de ciel, we meet la Petite-Neige, a white cat living with a Persian family in Iran.

Petite-Neige and her owner Sanaz must leave Iran for Canada. Sous le bleu de ciel tells the story of immigration from the perspective of Petite-Neige, the owner’s pet.

Through Petite-Neige’s perspective, we glimpse Sanaz’s life before immigration and witness the fears and uncertainty Petite-Neige experiences during the journey to Canada. Petite-Neige also undergoes culture shock, noticing the myriad ways in which life in Canada differs from life in Iran.

Final opinion: the story is really well-written. It’s interesting to read about immigration through the perspective of a pet. However, if you’re looking to shed light on the human experience of immigration, this book isn’t it. That being said, I think Sous le bleu de ciel is still a very engaging and fascinating read for the French classroom!

I absolutely LOVE the vibrant illustrations in this book.

Themes: immigration

French level: advanced. It is text-heavy, however, the story is broken down into sections. You don’t have to read it all in one day.

The story is written in passé composé and imparfait. This is a GREAT French picture book if you are trying to expose your students to passé composé and imparfait in authentic texts.

About the book: A French original (l’Édition de la Francophonie)

Dix petits dumplings – Larissa Fan & Cindy Wume

Les Dix Petits Dumplings tells the tale of a family with 10 sons. Since the beginning, these sons have been affectionately referred to as “dumplings,” not only because of their physical resemblance to dumplings but also because dumplings symbolize luck and prosperity.

Throughout the story, we witness the brothers living their lives in their village, where they are adored and cherished by the entire community.

Towards the end of the story, we learn that the sister of the 10 brothers is recounting the story.

This is a true story based on the author Larissa Fan’s story.

Themes: family, cultural/societal norms

French level: novice (some scaffolding will be needed but it’s doable). Short sentences, some sentences using participe présent and a few at the end with imparfait. However, it’s one line per page so it’s very comprehensible.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Le plus beau Diwali – Sonali Shah & Chaaya Prabhat

In Le plus beau Diwali, we meet the main character who is eagerly anticipating celebrating Diwali this year.

Ariana is excited to make Indian desserts, wear her brand-new outfit, and go to the mandir. However, her three-year-old brother Rafi ruins it all!

He spills flour all over the floor and destroys her brand-new outfit!

Ariana is especially looking forward to participating in the rangoli contest, for which she has been preparing for weeks. Unfortunately, her brother accidentally ruins her design. Fortunately, both the judge and the audience are impressed with the result, and Ariana ultimately wins first place!

At the end of the story, Ariana realizes that life wouldn’t be the same without her little brother.

This is a heartwarming story of family and Diwali.

Themes: family, Diwali, siblings

French level: low-intermediate. All in present tense, some futur proche.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Des bisous au coin des yeux – Johanna Ho & Dung Ho

Des bisous au coin des yeux is a heartwarming tale. In this story, the main character, a young girl, takes pride in the shape of her eyes. To her, the shape of her eyes represents the strength and love passed down from her mom, grandma, and ancestors.

Themes: self-acceptance

French level: low-intermediate. Mostly in present tense. Tons of repetition.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

L’énorme appétit de Doña Esmeralda – Melissa de la Cruz & Primo Gallanosa

So I do this thing where I regularly stalk my favourite book store for new French picture books. When I saw that this one was released – a French picture book by a Filipina author – I I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Let’s dive into it.

“L’énorme appétit de Doña Esmeralda” tells the tale of a very, very, very old lady with an insatiable appetite. Doña Esmeralda eagerly awaits children saying, “je ne veux pas manger ça” so she can appear and feast on their leftovers! The twist? Doña Esmeralda can only eat leftovers.

But what happens when children finish all their food and leave nothing on their plates? Doña Esmeralda finds herself facing a situation she’s never encountered before!

Melissa De La Cruz drew inspiration for this story from a similar Filipino tale her parents read to her during her childhood. She also wanted to pay homage to all the delicious foods she enjoyed while growing up.

Final opinion: This one was so fun to read! It reminds me so much of Robert Munsch books!

Themes: food, family, cultural tales

French level: advanced. There’s a variety of tenses from present, imparfait to passé simple.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Grand-papa Grognon – Katrina Moore & Xindi Yan

At the very beginning of Grand-papa Grognon, we meet Daisy who is really excited to spend time with her Yeh-Yeh (her paternal grandfather).

When Yeh-Yeh arrives, she realizes he is different from the last time she saw him.

Daisy’s mom tells her that Yeh-Yeh is showing his love to Daisy in different ways. Daisy realizes that’s what she needs to do as well. She needs to show Yeh-Yeh her love in ways he understands.

Final opinion: It can be very challenging for children to see how much their grandparents change with age and/or illness. I think this is a very sweet story about the different ways we show love to loved ones as they change.

Themes: family, aging elder, language barrier between generations

French level: intermediate. Mostly in present tense.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Le Diwali de Binny – Thrity Umrigar & Nidhi Chanani

Binny wakes up one morning, bursting with excitement. Today, she gets to talk about Diwali with her classmates.

With Diwali approaching, Binny eagerly shares with her classmates the various traditions and customs her family observes during this festive time.

Binny enthusiastically recounts to her classmates what Diwali means to her and why it’s her favourite celebration.

French level: intermediate.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

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As French teachers in Canada, embracing diversity and celebrating cultural heritage is an integral part of our job. As we approach Asian Heritage Month, it’s essential to amplify the voices of Asian communities within our classrooms. In this blog post, I’m excited to share a curated selection of French resources tailored specifically for Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

What is the history of Asian Heritage Month in Canada?

In December 2001, Asian-Canadian Senator Vivienne Poy proposed a motion that was adopted by the Senate of Canada. This motion designated May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. In May 2002, the Government of Canada signed a declaration designating May as Asian Heritage Month.

What countries should we represent during our Asian Heritage Month celebrations?

There are specific communities who made major contributions to Canadian society in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. These communities experienced a lot of discrimination and marginalization.

During Asian Heritage Month celebrations, we absolutely should seek to educate Canadians about the contributions and experiences of these early Canadians.

However, modern-day Canada is incredibly diverse. There is room in our celebrations to learn about and honour the experiences of all Canadians of Asian descent.

For that reason, my celebrations include all cultures, communities, and countries on the continent of Asia.

English & French Asian Heritage Month Posters

Looking to honour and celebrate the contributions of Asian-Canadians and Asian-Americans this Asian Heritage Month? These beautiful posters have been brought to you by a South-Asian (Punjabi) Canadian French teacher who grew up without meaningful and authentic representation. This set of posters contains 23 posters of diverse, notable Asians who have made important contributions. These are Asians that we look up to – who were “firsts” in so many fields.

Also, as a South Asian woman, it is exhausting when the only representation of you is a human rights activist. Don’t get me wrong – this is important, however, we are also politicians, scientists, doctors, etc. Therefore, it was important to me to ensure that there was a diversity of representation in terms of career.

Read French Picture Books with Asian Characters

One way to honour Asians of all backgrounds is to read French picture books with Asian characters.

In this blog post, I share all of my favourite French picture books with empowering stories celebrating diverse Asian characters.

Office National du Film – Films / Short Films for Asian Heritage Month in Canada

The National Film Board of Canada has an amazing treasure trove of short films and documentaries documenting the experiences of diverse Asian Canadians.

Whether you teach elementary or high school French, they’ve got something for you.

The Reel Canada films – Mois du Patrimoine Asiatique

The Reel Canada also has a selection of films for Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Canadian teachers can rent out films with the Reel Canada to show for free in their classrooms!

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Whether you teach Core French or French Immersion, French picture books are an indispensable teaching tool. Today I am sharing my favourite French picture books with Black characters. Notably, whether you are looking for French picture books with Black characters for Black History Month or for any other month, I’ve got a wide variety of options for you in this post.

Moreover, in 2020, many French teachers committed to diversifying their bookshelves. Consequently, teachers unpacked the role that diverse picture books play in providing mirrors and windows, and eventually becoming sliding glass doors, for all of our students. This blog post is the second in a series where I share my favourite French picture books with characters with diverse identities. The first blog post featured French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters.

Additionally, if you find this blog post as you are preparing your French Black History Month lesson plans, please note that I have an entire blog post dedicated to resources for Black History Month.

Why should you have French picture books with Black characters in your classroom library?

Half of English picture books published in 2015 featured non-human characters. However, the number of English picture books written by Black authors has increased since 2015. Noticeably, there was a noticeable increase following the Black Lives Matter movement’s remergence in 2020. Nevertheless, there are no similar studies on French picture books with Black characters. What we do know is that many of the French picture books in the market are French translations of American books.

Why do we need to have French picture books with Black characters in our classroom libraries?

Black children need to see themselves represented. When students spend six hours a day in classrooms learning, representation within the context of education is essential. Furthermore, non-Black students must also see read about Black characters in picture books.

Anti-Black racism did not end in 2020, folks. It is alive and well.

Moreover, our non-Black students need to learn about the history and presence of anti-Black racism. They need to play an active role in unlearning stereotypes and biases. Non-Black students also need to read stories where Black characters experience joy and successful.

Who writes the stories? #ownvoice

I am a South Asian woman who was born and raised in Canada. I never got to read stories about my culture written by people who looked like me until I was in my twenties.

This has got to change!

On my platforms, I choose to share books written by #ownvoices. If you are interested in learning more about own voices, please do read this important blog post by Little Feminist explaining what it is and why it’s important.

Wherever possible, I have tried to share French books written by Black people. There are a few unique cases where I have decided to include a book written by a non-Black author.

Where should you purchase these French picture books with Black characters from?

I recommend purchasing these French picture books from your local independent bookstores.

Invaincus par Kwame Alexander, illustrations de Kadir Nelson

Invaincus is a powerful hommage to all Black trailblazers who fought for freedom and justice.

This book is about a long history of resistance and resilience.

There are so many things I love about this book – the powerful illustrations and the poetic way in which Kwame Alexander writes.

Kwame Alexander writes in a way where he allows the pictures to speak for themselves. It is a powerful way of storytelling as it allows you the teacher to lead an age-appropriate discussion. I

Final opinion: this book should be in every classroom library in Canada and the US. We cannot move forward without knowing where we come from and where we are today.

Themes: pionniers noirs, résistance, résilience

French level: mid-novice. Lots of present tense, some past tense, and tons of French adjectives.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Nos boucles au naturel – Matthew A. Cherry, les illustrations de Vashti Harrison

In Nos boucles au naturel, we meet Zuri who is so proud of her beautiful hair.

Zuri wakes on a special morning and enlists her dad’s help to do her hair. Her dad attempts to help her with her hair. However, his initial efforts failed despite his best efforts.

This book belongs in every classroom and school. At a time when Black hair is still so stigmatized, Black children deserve to see themselves represented in a story that celebrates a unique aspect of their appearance and their identity – their hair.

This book is equally important for non-Black people to read for so many reasons!

Themes: identité, famille, apparences physiques, fierté

French level: intermediate. There’s quite a bit of passé composé and imparfait.

About the book: a French translation of an English original

Le carnaval de Malaika par Nadia L. Hohn et les illustrations d’Irene Luxbacher

Le Carnaval de Malaika is a picture book that will give you all the feels.⁣
⁣
This is a story of a little girl who lives in the French Caribbean. Her mom marries a Québecois man and Malaika and her family must move to Canada.⁣
⁣
Malaika is incredibly heartbroken about having to leave her beautiful home, her community, and especially her loving grandmother.⁣
⁣
When Malaika reaches Quebec, she has a difficult time adjusting to her new home and she misses her grandmother dearly!⁣
⁣

Themes: choc culturel, immigration, famille

French level: intermediate (all in present tense)

About the book: A French original

I Have a Dream – 52 icônes noires qui ont marqué l’histoire – Jamia Wilson et Andrea Pippins

This is an excellent French book for kids, especially for French Black History Month lessons and activities (le mois de l’histoire des noirs). It contains beautiful illustrations and empowering descriptions of the lives and contributions of 52 Black icons all around the world.

So many of these types of books focus solely on the contributions of Black Americans. Canadians are typically more exposed to American stories, so it’s fantastic that this book has an international focus. It reinforces that Black history pertains to ALL of us everywhere in the world.

Examples of a few Black icons included in the book: Malorie Blackman (UK), Josephine Baker (US/France), Kofi Annan (Ghana), Nelson Mandela (South Africa)

A few ways to use I have a dream with your students:

• assign a different icon to each student in your class. Students can research and present their icon to the class
• as a class, study a different icon every day

Themes: pionniers noirs / pionnières noires, le mois de l’histoire des Noirs

French level: advanced French. We learn about the history of each character as well as how their story connects to the historical context of the time.

About the book: French translation of an English original

La détermination de Viola Desmond par Jody Nyasha Warner et Richard Rudnicki

If you are Canadian, you are likely familiar with Viola Desmond’s story.

This book is re-tells the story of Viola Desmond.

Viola Desmond was a Black Canadian trailblazer. She resisted racial segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s. Desmond was arrested in the 1940s for refusing to leave a whites-only area of a movie theatre.

Desmond’s courage paved the way for the end of segregation in the province.

Many Canadians falsely believe that there isn’t a history of segregation and anti-Black racism in Canada. It is only recently that Canadians have become familiar with Viola’s story.

Viola Desmond’s story is a vital part of Canadian history.

La détermination de Viola Desmond recounts the story of what happened that night when Viola resisted.

Themes: ségregation, injustices, droits civils au Canada, pionnionère noire

French level: high intermediate-advanced French (mix of tenses, some simple structures, some complex structures)

About the book: English translation of a French book

La princesse de l’eau claire – Susan Verde, illustrations de Peter H. Reynolds

La princess de l’eau claire is based off of the true story of Georgie Badiel. Georgie Badiel is an African model from Burkina Faso who spent much of her childhood walking many kilometers daily to access freshwater.

This story was inspired by Georgie’s determination to find a solution so that families did not have to walk long distances to access water. Georgie also wanted to find a solution that would ensure that the freshwater was clean to drink.

La princess de l’eau claire is an inspiring story of a little girl who dreams to one day put an end to this water crisis that affects the residents of Burkina Faso.

Themes: la détermination, trouver des solutions

French level: mid-novice French (repetition of irregular French verbs pouvoir, vouloir, faire in present tense as well as ER verbs). On the last

About this book: French translation of an English original

Joséphine – Joséphine Baker, la danse, la Résistance et les enfants par Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrations de Christian Robinson

Joséphine is a 99-page book about the life of Joséphine Baker.

Baker was a renowned Black American entertainer who defied racial barriers in 20th-century France & the United States. Celebrated for her captivating performances and iconic banana skirt dance, Baker used her fame to aid the French Resistance during WWII.

She also fought against segregation in the United States. Baker became the first Black woman to be inducted in the Panthéon in 2021.

The book is divided into different periods in Baker’s life. We begin with her childhood and end with her death.

If you teach French Immersion (Grades 6+) or older Core French (Grades 10+), I recommend reading a section of her life at a time and then spending time learning about the historical events discussed in that section. You will also need to break down new vocabulary for your students.

**** The French version of the N-word (the word from which the English N-word is derived) has been used multiple times. On p.31, it is used within the context of the violence the KKK was committing towards Black people. On pages 54, 56, and 58 the word appears once more. This time it is the name of a French magazine. On p.71, the word describes a genre that Josphine sang in Austria. On p.78, Josephine is called the feminine version of that word by American media. It appears twice on this page.

My final opinion: This is the first book I’ve read about Josephine’s life and accomplishments and I enjoyed the read.

I loved learning about the history of the 20th century through the lens of Joséphine’s life. It was also interesting to see the difference in treatment that Josephine received in France vs. in the United States.

Themes: le racisme envers les personnes noires, la ségregation aux États-Unis, les genres musicaux, Deuxième Guerre Mondiale, la Résistance, la danse, la musique

French level: advanced. It has some extremely challenging vocabulary and sentence structures.

Le voyage de Cora par Natacha Hounsou, illustrations d’Anastasiya Rudyk

Finally, we’ve got Le voyage de Cora which is a book written by an Ontario French teacher! French teachers – go support your fellow French teacher!

This is a light read about Cora going on vacation to the sea for the very first time. In order to enjoy every part of her vacation, Cora must overcome her fear of the sea.

Themes: famille, vacances, mer, aventures, gentillesse

French level: high intermediate (a mix of tenses and tons of new thematic vocabulary)

About the book: A French original

The post French Picture Books with Black Characters appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

French picture books are an incredible tool to use in the Core French and/or French Immersion classroom. Particularly since 2020, teachers have recognized the role that diverse picture books play in providing mirrors and windows, and eventually sliding glass doors, for all of our students. Today I am sharing with you French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters. This blog post is the first in a series where I share some of my favourite French picture books with diverse characters.

Dear French publishers – this isn’t good enough

This blog post is very short and I am incredibly saddened by it. I have searched for French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters for a very long time. I am talking about years.

There are dozens and dozens of incredible books that are coming out in English with Muslim and/or Arab characters. These books, written by Muslim authors, are not just about trauma and war. As a matter of fact, they often have to do with celebratory messages and stories that Muslims and non-Muslims alike need to be exposed to.

The stories that tend to be translated into French are almost always about war and trauma. These stories are also incredibly important. However, only publishing picture books about war and trauma paints the false (and dangerous) narrative that the Muslim and Arab world only have one story – that of tragedy.

Since the death of George Floyd in 2020, there has been a lot of effort to ensure that there are diverse French picture books being published. There has been a ton of progress. However, we fall VERY short when it comes to French picture books with Muslim characters and Muslim representation.

Disclosure #2 – the Muslim world is very diverse

Before we proceed with this blog post, please understand that the Muslim world is incredibly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, language, culture, and more. There is no single French picture book that could represent that diversity.

I am a South Asian woman who is friends with, and have always been friends with, Muslims from all over the world. I am very well aware of the diversity.

My dream is that this blog post will soon have French picture books with representation of a very diverse Muslim world.

Also, please note that I am fully aware that not all Muslims are Arab and not all Arabs are Muslim. I fully understand that there is so much diversity within the Muslim and/or Arab world.

I will continue to update this blog post with new French picture books with Muslim characters as they become available.

Do you have recommendations of French picture books with Muslim characters?

If you know of French picture books or graphic novels that exist out there with Muslim and/or Arab representation, please DO leave me a comment below! I’d love to add more French picture books to this blog post.

We need to explicitly counter dangerous stereotypes of Muslims and Arab people

Look, the Western world has carefully constructed the very dangerous narrative that Muslims are terrorists, especially Muslim men. The classroom is a radical environment in which we must deconstruct these narratives and humanize the Muslim world.

In the 21st Century, the West has also normalized the pain and suffering that Muslims have been forced to experience. If we are sharing stories of war and tragedy in our classroom, we must balance the narrative by also sharing stories of joy.

Muslim children deserve to live and experience joy and happiness. End of story.

Where should you buy these French picture books from?

I really encourage you to purchase from your local independent bookstores. One of my favourite bookstores is located a block away from my school.

I will be linking all of these books through Les Libraires which is an independent bookstore in Québec.

Zaha Hadid par María Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustré par Asun Amar

Zaha Hadid is the true story of a little girl from Iraq who knew she wanted to be an architect at the age of 11.

When Zaha was a little girl, she loved both art and math. She loved exploring with unique shapes and forms to create unique art.

Zaha’s story is an inspiring story of a woman who broke through the glass ceiling. In 2004, Hadid not only became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, but she was also the first Muslim woman to win such a prize.

Themes: art, math, careers, women’s history

Year published: 2019

French level: Intermediate. mostly in passé composé/imparfait

Le plus beau des Aïds par Zeba Talkhani et Abeeha Tariq

Eid, or aïd en français, is the celebration that occurs post-Ramadan. In this book, we meet little Safa who is beyond excited about Eid!

In this book, we learn all about the traditions and customs that Safa and her family partake in on Eid.

Traditions include wearing new clothes, decorating one’s hands with henna, getting together with family, praying, and so much more!

Safa learns at the end of the book that a really important part of Eid is the act of giving selflessly. Thus, Safa and her mom take sweets and gifts to all of their (very diverse!!) neighbours.

In my opinion, every single classroom in Canada needs to have this book. Children need to be exposed to celebrations other than Christmas since our classrooms are very diverse places.

Themes: celebrations, Eid, traditions, and customs

Year published: 2022

French level: high novice. Present tense.

Le Bibliobus by Bahram Rahman, illustrations by Gabrielle Grimard

In Bibliobus, we meet Pari and her mom who are Afghan. Pari and her mom live in a rural Afghan village nestled in the mountains. They live a short drive away from a UNHCR refugee camp.

Pari’s mom drives the Bibliobus to the refugee camp every day to ensure that the girls who live at the camp have access to free books.

Pari’s mom teaches her daughter about the importance of being educated and how their liberty (from war and violence) is intricately connected to their education.

Themes: education and the importance of access to education, girls and women’s rights

Year published: 2020

French level: high novice to intermediate French

While the story is evidently set during the United States’ war on Afghanistan post-9/11, there is no outright mention of violence and war. The author subtly alludes to the consequences of this war, such as the illustrations of the UNHCR refugee camp. As such, this story is suitable for elementary years.

Most importantly, this story is about courage, perseverance, and the heroism of Afghan teachers.

Dounia by Marya Zarif

Le Monde de Dounia takes place in Aleppo, Syria. Dounia is our main character. In the beginning of the story, we see what Aleppo was like before the Syrian war.

We see and learn about the beautiful streets and historical landmarks.

Then, the first bombs begin to fall on Aleppo and we see the world beginning to crumble around Dounia and her family.

Dounia, her grandmother, and her grandfather embark on a dangerous journey seeking shelter and safety. Upon their arrival in Greece, they are treated poorly by the soldiers.

Eventually, Dounia and her grandparents arrive in a wintery Canada and are finally safe.

Themes: Syrian war, the challenges refugees face on their journey

Year of publication: 2021

French level: high novice (all in present tense)

Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie by Danny Ramadan, illustrations by Anna Bron

This story is set in Vancouver, Canada. Salma and her mom live in a shelter for refugees in Vancouver awaiting the arrival of Salma’s baba.

Salma notices that her mother no longer laughs. She decides that she is going to make one of her favourite Syrian dishes Foul shami in order to make her mom smile.

Salma embarks on a grand adventure to make her favourite Syrian dish. However, it’s not easy. She stumbles upon many obstacles that almost prevent her from making her dish.

The generosity and kindness of every individual at the shelter eventually help her finish her dish just in time for dinner.

Themes: culture shock, allusions to depression as a result of war, kindness, generosity

Year published: 2020

Level of French: high intermediate. It’s almost entirely in present tense, however, there is very little repetition of vocabulary which might make it challenging.

Just like Bibliobus, Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie alludes to war, but there are no explicit statements. Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie is about the culture shock, PTSD, and transition children who are refugees have to experience.

Salma’s story is beautifully written as it gives the reader an inside perspective on some of the feelings and experiences that children who are Syrian refugees may be experiencing.

I will be honest – I cried my eyes out in the last quarter of the book and at the simple, but heartwarming ending.

In my opinion Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie is a must-read.

Bonus : Le courage d’Amal

Here’s a novel recommendation for French Immersion teachers looking for a diverse French read-aloud option.

Le courage d’Amal is about 12-year-old Amal. Amal lives in a rural village in Pakistan. She is the eldest in her family and adores her sisters.

You’ll probably have stereotypes of Pakistan in your head because of the mainstream media. However, it’s worth noting that the family is middle class, like most of her village. Life for this family and community is simple, but they’re all happy.

Amal loves to read, learn, and go to school. In fact, it’s everything she dreams of doing. Amal dreams of being a teacher so that she can pass on her love and passion for education to others.

However, an event at the village market changes the course of Amal’s life. Because of this event, Amal discovers that a small group has the most power in the community. This group’s power comes from wealth.

Subsequently, Amal leaves her family to become a maid for the richest and most powerful family in the village.

What follows is a chain of unjust events. Amal discovers that she must find the courage to face up to the injustices of powerful and dangerous characters.

Themes: girls and women’s rights, social classes, activism, bravery

Year published: 2018

Did you find this blog post on French picture books with Muslim characters useful?

If you have found this blog post on French picture books with Muslim characters useful, please do leave a comment below.

Let me know which of these French picture books you intend to use in the classroom. If you have recommendations of French picture books with Muslim characters not listed in this blog post, please do let me know below!

In solidarity,

Pav

The post French picture books with Muslim characters appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

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. These are personally some of my favourite podcasts for intermediate-level French listening practice. These are ideal for high school French classrooms.

The French Duolingo podcast episodes are super accessible for intermediate French language learners due to a few very specific reasons. First of all, the narrator takes the time to teach new vocabulary in context. Second of all, the podcast is bilingual. So it changes between French and English every thirty seconds to a minute.

The topics chosen are also super engaging!

Most of these French Duolingo podcast episodes below employ the passé composé and imparfait past tense structures.

Before we go any further, I made worksheets to accompany each of the podcast episodes. Go ahead and download them to use with your French classes.

I really wanted colouring sheets and comprehension sheets to use with my own students. I am sharing the set with you as well!

1. Paris – Les catacombes interdites

The first French Duolingo podcast episode is all about les Catacombes à Paris. The episode is called les Catacombes interdites. The story is narrated mainly in the past tense – so your students do need to have a strong foundation in passé composé and imparfait.

In this episode, we learn about the life and mission of photographer Gaspard Duval and his love of the Paris Catacombs. This is a fantastic French listening activity if you are looking to teach your students about the history of the Catacombs and how they came to be. We also learn a little about the history of Paris as well.

It is a very engaging listen! One of the reasons why I love the French Duolingo podcasts so much is that I feel like I am in Paris with the narrator and the photographer.

This French podcast episode would fit in perfectly with Paris or historical monument units or even for l’Halloween!

If you’re looking for another activity to pair with this podcast episode, here is a French reading comprehension article on les Catacombes written specifically for intermediate French students.

2. La chocolatière

The next French Duolingo podcast episode explores the story of Euphrasie Mbamba. Mbamba was born in Cameroun and spent most of her childhood at her family’s cacao plantation.

At the age of 10 Mbamba moves to Belgium and tries chocolate for the first time. She falls in love with the delicious treat. This is when Euphrasie decides she wants to become a chocolatière.

However, she notices that the chocolate industry in Belgium does not have any Black people and definitely no Black women.

The French podcast explores Euphrasie’s remarkable journey as a chocolatière and entrepreneur.

This is a great French listening activity to accompany a French class food unit!

3. La mélodie de la Martinique

In this intermediate French podcast episode, we meet Christophe. Christophe’s family is from Martinique, but they moved to la France métropolitaine when he was a child.

Christophe’s dad is passionate about music and passes on his love of music to his children.

Christophe and his siblings tragically lose their parents in a plane crash. Christophe decides to go to Martinique after their death to produce a musical album inspired by his parents’ ancestral home.

This is literally the PERFECT French listening activity for a thematic French music unit. It such a beautiful way to bring in Francophone culture and les Antilles into a very typical Core French unit.

4. Surfer au Sénégal

This is an inspiring story about Khadjou Sambe. Khadjou lives in Senegal and she wants to be a surfer. However, it is frowned upon for girls and women to surf in her small village.

This podcast episode explores Khadjou’s story and her journey to becoming a pro surfer!

This French podcast episode would fit in well to any Core French sports unit.

5. Le nom caché

Ugh – I will warn you – this one may end in tears.

On a more serious note, this podcast episode features the story of Damien who discovers that his deceased grandparents were Jewish.

This discovery results in Damien trying to find answers about what happened to his great-grandparents and his grandfather.

At the end of the podcast, Damien learns that his lack of relationship with his grandfather likely was due to his grandfather’s trauma from his childhood.

Please be careful to ensure that you have properly warned your students of the podcast content. If they have Jewish heritage, they may find parts of the podcast to be triggering.

I have to admit – this one was my favourite out of all of the French Duolingo podcast episodes I’ve shared today. It had me captivated from the very beginning.

The post 5 intermediate French Duolingo Podcast episodes for French class appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

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.

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Teaching about Francophone countries is arguably one of the most important aspects of teaching French. Today I am going to be sharing with you all of the ways in which I teach about Francophone countries & Francophone cultures in my own classroom! I have the problem of actually having way too many ideas than I have time with my students to do them all!

Before you scroll – don’t forget to grab your freebie!

Why should we teach about francophone countries?

It’s pretty simple actually. Francophone countries should be the “meat and potatoes” of French class. You may be wondering why and it’s pretty simple :

Francophone countries and cultures make French class interesting and meaningful

A language does not exist in a vacuum. As a matter of fact, a language is intricately connected to culture as culture is connected to language.

It is not fun to learn grammar and vocabulary solely and to never learn of the people, values, cultures, traditions and practices associated with that language.

Every year, my students comment that their favourite learning opportunities in class were ones where they learned about the people who speak French.

The people and countries who speak French are diverse and not showcasing this diversity is whitewashing

I know – my words sound strong. However, we are not doing the language and the people justice if we only ever represent white francophones.

First of all, places like France, Quebec, Belgium, Switzerland are also incredibly diverse. On the other hand, African French-speaking countries also deserve to explored and discovered in French class. Then there’s also the French Antilles and the resilient cultures and people that live there.

How should we teach about francophone countries?

Avoid tokenizing Francophone countries and cultures

What does this mean? Well, it means that francophone cultures and countries are incredibly unique. Therefore, no one “resource” or “unit” can cover the complete uniqueness, complexity and diversity of the francophone world.

Ideally, every single one of our units and lessons should be sprinkled with francophone cultures.

Be conscious of the colonial nature of our work

Francophone cultures and countries should be studied for their diversity and uniqueness, and not solely because “they speak French”.

Remember that the French language and French Empire were incredibly violent and destructive to the people and cultures who now speak the language. When we are teaching French, we should try to avoid the perspective that the French language is inherently superior.

“But there are no diverse French resources”

Before we get on to my 12 ideas for teaching about la francophonie, I want to quickly address this statement I often hear from French teachers.

It is not true! There are actually so many incredible resources that exist out there. It is just a matter of finding these resources.

1. Manie musicale & French music in general

One of my favourite ways to “sprinkle in” culture is through French music! First of all, Manie Musicale was not my idea. It was actually the original idea of two French teachers who have generously created resources based on the activity. They also have an awesome Facebook group you can join.

Chanson de la semaine

The premise is simple. Each week I introduce my students to two new French songs. These French music videos always featured artists from diverse backgrounds. In addition, I also try to choose songs on topics that make my students think critically and creatively about the world around them.

I have a YouTube playlist with all of my favourite songs if you’d like to check them out!

Additionally, music in general is such a fantastic way to analyze different cultures.

Radio.garden is an international radio station where you can tune into radio stations from around the world. Last week we listened to the radio in Guadeloupe and Senegal and compared accents and musical preferences in comparison to our own! Each green dot on the map represents a radio station you can listen to!

There are actually so many ways to teach with French music. I have a whole blog post dedicated to ideas and resources. You can also find a blog post with some of my favourite diverse singers.

2. Francophone countries map assignment

One of the very first assignments my High School French students do is a map assignment. I am a millennial teacher who did tons of map assignments in my History undergrad. Contrary to popular beliefs, I actually learned so much from them!

Pick 30-40 francophone places around the world and have your students colour in these places on a map. I also have my students label them in French. Here is a website with free black and white map printables if you need one!

3. Francophone countries flag assignment

This is one of the assignments my students do in the beginning of their studies. They research one francophone location around the world and create these lovely flags with all of the information they find.

4. Francophone countries game – can you place the country on the map?

I LOVE playing this game with my students. It’s so simple. I divide my class into two groups and have 1 member of each group come up to the front.

Next, I project a map of the world on my whiteboard. Above this map, I list the name of a francophone country in French.

Both members have to run up to the board and circle where on the map they believe that country is located.

Team members are allowed to vocally help their teammate. This game is so fun because students learn a lot about how much they actually know the world map and where countries are located!

My students always beg me to keep going once the game ends. That’s how much they love it!

5.Teaching about the French Antilles via Compagnie Créole

I spend weeks in French 9 teaching all about the French Antilles. It is actually one of my favourite things to teach about.

La Compagnie Créole is a very famous Zouk band from the French Antilles. La Compagnie Créole was very famous all around the francophone world in the 1980s. I take three of their songs and have my French classes analyze them to the T. We analyze :

1. Le bal masqué
2. Ça fait rire les oiseaux
3. Au mariage de ma femme

To begin, we analyze the meaning of the lyrics. These lyrics are honestly so fun, especially the last song, and my students find them super entertaining!

Next, we do what we can as a class to understand the significance of the lyrics. We ask ourselves the following questions :

• what do the lyrics say about what is important to the people of the French Antilles?
• why are the people dressing up for Bal masqué? Why is that important?

6. Teaching about Francophone countries via films

Using French films in your classroom is one way to have incredibly meaningful discussions. Here are some of my favourite French films for French class :

Monsieur Lazhar

Monsieur Lazhar is a Québecois film about the story of an Algerian refugee. This French movie was really popular several years ago and for good reason!

TW : suicide

Le sac de billes

Le sac de billes is a French film about a Jewish family in Paris during WWII. We watch this French movie in my Intermediate French class and my students love it!

Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard is an awesome French movie on the life of the greatest hockey player of all time, Maurice Richard.

Kuessipan

Kuessipan is a book written by Innu author Naomi Kuessipan. It was turned into a film and released in 2020. It was one that I have not watched, however, I have read the book and it was one of my favourites of 2020!

7. Francophone celebrations and traditions

Another way to teach about francophone cultures is through francophone celebrations and traditions! I don’t just mean the usual (e.g. Christmas, Mardi Gras, etc.). There are so many unique and beautiful francophone celebrations that deserve more love!

If you are looking for a resource, I have one that is prep-free and ready to go in my TPT.

8. Teaching about racism, identity, and Verlan in France

This next idea has one of my most successful unit ideas. In my intermediate French class, I teach about verlan, youth identities, and systemic racism.

It may feel as though this is a heavy unit, however, my students told me that it was the most meaningful thing they have learned the whole school year!

So many of my students who had previously never loved French and/or were never engaged in projects completed their final project EARLY AT HOME BY CHOICE. TEACHERS (sorry for yelling) — you know exactly how much of a win that is!!

I actually have a whole blog post dedicated to this unit. In this blog post I share the template for the one-pager final project, videos, podcasts and articles I used with my intermediate French students.

9. Introducing interesting topics and themes via reading comprehension articles

Another way we explore francophone countries & francophone cultures is via interesting French reading comprehension articles.

First off, my reading comprehension activities are well-structured with pre-reading & post-reading activities. These strategies actually repeat in all of my comprehension resources.

This enables our students to practice these reading comprehension strategies over and over again. It has made a HUGE difference in my students’ reading comprehension skills!

Examples of engaging reading comprehension topics :

• Le petit-déjeuner, plats typiques et desserts francophones
• Francophone places around the world
• Seasonal Francophone readings (Halloween, Noël, Mardi Gras)
• Francophone cultural topics
• Fêtes culturelles et religieuses – Vaisakhi, Ramadan, Nouvel an lunaire, etc
• Fêtes francophones
• Monuments francophones
• Colonial injustices with lasting legacies

10. French videos, short films and documentaries on la francophonie

Lastly, I love using French videos, short films and documentaries to showcase complex identities and perspectives. I have shared some of my favourite French video recommendations on Instagram and I am leaving them below for you!

11. Do a unit study on a specific Francophone country

Focusing one specific Francophone country is such a great way to expand students’ understanding of the Francophone world in all of it’s complexities.

Once they graduate, they will forget how to conjugate verbs or explain the difference between être and avoir. However, they will never forget about tagine or Léopold Senghor!

The post 10 ways to teach about Francophone countries appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

It is no secret that there is much diversity within the French-speaking world. In fact, there is significant diversity within the Francophone world in Canada. Likewise, there is also shame associated with speaking a dialect of French other than standard French. Here are 10 French videos on linguistic discrimination for the French classroom.

Before we begin – don’t forget to download this freebie!

Why should we teach about linguistic diversity and discrimination using French videos?

Put it simply, France’s constitution prioritizes homogeneity. Thus, dialects and minority cultures have been pushed to the margins of society. As a result, there is often shame associated with speaking one’s own language.

Unfortunately, this marginalization is also heavily present in Canada as a result of colonization.

Therefore, the discrimination of French dialects is a huge problem in the French-speaking world. French videos are a really important way to foster empathy and critical thinking in our students.

At the end of the day, we want to raise thoughtful and empathetic human beings. French videos and documentaries showcase new perspectives that allow us to do just that.

Le goût des belvas (ONF) – a French documentary on Acadia and Chiac

Firstly, Le goût des belvas is a beautiful story of an Acadian family from New Brunswick. The director has weaved together an engaging story based on food (blueberry pie), tradition, the Acadian dialect and family.

This French video corresponds with units on food and/or tradition. There are two versions available – one in French with no subtitles and another in French with English subtitles.

Le goût des belvas, Stéphanie David, offert par l’Office national du film du Canada

Bittersweet Blues, Stéphanie David, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

La parole est en jeu – Les Québécois (ONF)

Secondly, the following three French videos focus on regional francophone identities in Canada.

La parole est en jeu – Les Fransaskois (ONF)

La parole est en jeu – Les Franco-Colombiens (ONF)

5 francophones de l’Acadie ont un message pour le reste de la francophonie | Reportage Rad (YouTube)

Next up is a fantastic French video on the experiences of 5 young Acadians. In this video, they share why they are proud to be Acadian.

Maurice Richard (film)

One of the worst kept Canadian secrets is the Anglophone hate for Québec.

However, most Canadian youth are not aware of how the first Canadian government fuelled hatred between Francophones and Anglophones. For example, the film Maurice Richard sheds light on the discrimination that the Québecois experienced for centuries.

Further, this film is ideal for intermediate-advanced French students. It explores the life and legacy of the legendary hockey player Maurice Richard. Subsequently, a major theme is the discrimination the Québécois hockey players experience in the NHL.

Tintamarre en Acadie (ONF & Idello) – A French documentary on Acadian resilience

Next up is an awesome French documentary on Acadian identity, history and resilience. Tintamarre is actually an Acadian celebration and tradition that occurs each year.

Tintamarre – La piste Acadie en Amérique, André Gladu, offert par l’Office national du film du Canada

D’où vient l’accent du Québec ? Histoire et origine du français canadien(YouTube)

Lastly, this short video explains the origins of Québec and the history of the Québécois accent.

Recommendations – French videos on linguistic diversity and discrimination

Consequently, here are my top picks of French videos on linguistic discrimination in the French language. Additionally, if you have any recommendations for additional documentaries and/or videos, please feel to share with us below in the comments!

The post 10 French videos on dialects, linguistic diversity and discrimination appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.