Diwali, Halloween and Day of the Dead: Festivals of Light in Autumn!

The season of autumn is upon us and Madame Giraffe has many resources to share for this special time of year. Check out the Diwali slideshows with art lessons, as this celebration is a wonderful way to get students reading about different cultures, or even their own culture if the students are of Asian Heritage. Halloween is just around the corner, and there are several Halloween themed activities, games and slideshows for you. Finally, Day of the Dead is celebrated after Halloween and is a lively cultural event in South America. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-All-Saints-Day-and-The-Day-of-the-Dead-Traditions-ENGLISH-VERSION-7279649 

Check out the slideshows for the autumn season of celebration: celebrate light over darkness this fall and autumn season. Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte and cosy up with a warm sweater as we all settle into our colder weather routines in North America at this time. Cheers!

Claude Monet

Sometimes there is a heavy emphasis on oral communication and writing skills in a French class. Don't forget about the reading part! I have come up with a new idea for a reading task in French. It is a Claude Monet reading comprehension activity. With this activity students are able to read instructions in French and make a drawing based on what they have read. Their understanding of what they are reading will come through in what they have drawn. The work of art being described just so happens to be a famous work of art by Claude Monet. Can you guess which one it is? Give this lesson a try! Students who have completed this assignment in my class in the past have really enjoyed it. We used it as part of our French artwork display in the gym. At the end of the lesson I showed the work of art by Claude Monet and the students were so happy that their works of art looked similar to his famous work of art. Have fun with this art project!

Here is a video lesson on Claude Monet:

Ratatouille

Recently I showed the Disney film Ratatouille in class in French. I found that the movie was a good springboard for talking about French culture because it takes place in Paris and features some French cuisine. I created a Ratatouille package that has worksheets to preview the new vocabulary in the movie and make a web that connects all the characters. It also has comprehension questions for specific sections of the movie if you want to break it down into 15 minute chunks for viewing. The students enjoyed the movie, and next they will make a menu and media project to show what they know about French food and culture. At the Madame Giraffe Store you can find a Ratatouille worksheet featuring the Eiffel Tower to give to students during or after watching the film.You can also find an outline for the menu project as well as rubrics for assessment. Bon travail!