Are you a Core French and/or French Immersion teacher looking for an engaging Core French Read Aloud? In this blog post, I am sharing all of the reasons why I love to read Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie in my Core French classroom!
What is Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie about?
Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie is written by Danny Ramadan. It is the story of Salma who has recently moved to Vancouver from Syria. In the story, it is implied that Salma and her mother are refugees.
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.
Who is Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie for?
There is no outright mention of war and violence. In my opinion, this is a great book for grades 4+.
The level of French is high intermediate. It is all in the present tense, however, there is very little repetition of vocabulary so that may be tough for novice learners.
I read this Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie to my Grade 10 students. This is a very squirrely group that struggles to sit for five minutes.
The entire time I read to them, not a single student moved or spoke. They were so engaged!
Who is this French picture book NOT for?
French teachers – please ensure that you know the background of each and every student in your class before you read it. I do not recommend reading this to students who escaped war recently. It may be really very triggering.
Why should we read Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie in our classrooms and schools?
Canada is home to not only Syrian refugees but refugees from all over the world. Canadian children need to know and understand how and why refugees arrive in Canada, the trauma and violence they experience, and how difficult the transition in their new home country can be.
Ultimately, we want our students to be empathetic towards all of their peers as children and then as adults.
Extension activities to do with this French picture book
Summarize the story using passé composé and imparfait
I personally had my Grade 10 students summarize the story in the past tense.
- Pourquoi Salma et sa mère ont-elles déménagé à Vancouver ?
- Qu’a remarqué Salma à propos de sa mère au début du roman? Quelle était la solution de Salma à ce problème ?
- Comment les sentiments de Salma à l’égard de Vancouver ont-ils évolué au cours de l’album ?
Research and map out the journey of a refugee
Students can research and learn about the journey that refugees must make when they decide that their home country is too unsafe. This includes the physical journey, but also understanding the laws and legalities of the different countries they must pass through.
Learn about the Syrian civil war
Another important extension activity is learning about the Syrian war, especially if you teach high school students. It doesn’t have to be a unit, even just reading an article can be impactful.
Watch Nul poisson où aller on Office national du film
Nul poisson où aller is a short film released in 2014. Warning – it is not suitable for all ages!
It also comes with a Guide pédagogique that you can download.
Nul poisson où aller, Nicola Lemay et Janice Nadeau, offert par l’Office national du film du Canada
Learning about the treatment of Arab refugees vs Ukrainian refugees
Here are some articles you could read with your classes :
- France: Un traitement différencié entre les « réfugiés » ?
- Réfugiés : d’Ukraine ou du Moyen-Orient, un double traitement médiatique et politique ?
Download this dossier pédagogique from Unicef
Unicef has created classroom resources en français that you can use in your classroom.
Where should you purchase this French picture book from?
I personally recommend purchasing your French picture books from your local independent bookstore. If you’re looking for an option, I recommend Les Libraires which is an independent bookstore based out of Quebec.
