Telling Tales Together

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📘 Curriculum Details

Subject: French
Grade Level: Grades 5–6
Duration: 40 minutes
Unit Title: Tales in French (Lesson 1 of 8)
Lesson Title: Introduction to Storytelling in French
Curriculum Area: French as a Second Language — Ontario Curriculum, Grades 4–8 (Revised 2013)
Strand: Oral Communication & Reading
Overall Expectations:

• A1. Listening to Understand – Determine meaning in oral texts in French through listening and responding.
• A2. Speaking to Communicate – Use speaking skills and strategies to communicate clearly in French.
• B1. Reading Comprehension – Read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of French texts with support.

Learning Goals (En français):

• Je peux identifier les éléments clés d’un conte : les personnages, le décor et l’intrigue.
• Je peux nommer différents types de contes en français : les fables, les contes de fées et les légendes.
• Je peux partager, en français, un conte que j’aime.

Success Criteria:

✔ I can name and describe three types of stories in French.
✔ I can identify the characters, setting, and plot in a simple story.
✔ I can share ideas about my favourite story using simple French sentences.

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🧠 Minds-On (10 minutes)

Activity: Story Snippet Match-Up

Purpose: Activates prior knowledge and introduces genres.

Materials: Pre-cut strips with brief summaries in English, each representing a fable, fairy tale, or legend. Example:

• “A clever fox tricks a crow” (Fable)
• “A sleeping princess is awakened by true love’s kiss” (Fairy Tale)
• “A turtle the size of a mountain protects a village” (Legend)

Procedure:
In table groups, students sort the brief summaries into three genre categories (fables, fairy tales, legends). After 3 minutes, a brief class discussion follows. Teacher introduces French terms:

• les fables
• les contes de fées
• les légendes

Hook: Use a vivid, oversized illustration of the crow and the fox from “Le Corbeau et le Renard” to initiate interest.

Transition: "Aujourd’hui, nous allons explorer les contes en français!"

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👩‍🏫 Teaching Segment (15 minutes)

Format: Slide Deck Presentation & Guided Practice

Slide 1: Title – “Les contes en français”
Introduces the 3 genres with images and French vocabulary.

Slide 2 – Les Fables:
Brief explanation in French with icons + audio example:
"Les animaux parlent. Il y a une leçon à la fin."
Illustration: “Le Lièvre et la Tortue”

Slide 3 – Les Contes de Fées:
Keywords: magie, château, sorcière, transformation
Examples: “Cendrillon”, “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge”

Slide 4 – Les Légendes:
Larger-than-life heroes, cultural significance.
Example: Légende autochtone — “Nanabush et le Monde”

Slide 5 – Les Éléments d’un Conte:
Characters (les personnages)
Setting (le décor)
Plot (l’intrigue)

Interactive Discussion: After each genre, teacher prompts:

• “Est-ce que vous connaissez une fable?”
• “Quel est ton conte de fée préféré?”
• “Est-ce qu’il y a une légende dans ta famille ou culture?”

Use a simple word bank on the board to support vocabulary production.

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✍️ Guided Activity (10 minutes)

Activity: “Mon Histoire Préférée” Quick Write & Share (French + Visuals)

Students respond in French to the sentence prompts and illustrate a scene:

• Mon conte préféré est _______________.
• Il y a ________________ (characters).
• Le décor est ________________.
• L’intrigue est _________________________.

Provide sentence starters on the board or handout sheet with example French vocabulary.

Example Sentence:
“Mon conte préféré est Le Petit Chaperon Rouge. Il y a une fille, sa mère et un loup. Le décor est la forêt. Le loup veut manger la fille.”

If time allows: 3–4 volunteers share theirs with the class en français.

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🔁 Consolidation & Reflection (5 minutes)

Oral Exit Ticket:
As students line up or pack up, teacher asks:

• “Quel genre de conte préfères-tu – une fable, un conte de fée ou une légende?”
  (Simplified to: “Tu préfères les fables, les contes de fées ou les légendes?”)

Extensions / At-Home Ideas:

• Students bring in a picture book (in French or English) that fits one of the 3 types for next class.
• Take a list home: “Dictionnaire des contes” with vocabulary from today & space to doodle.

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🛠️ Differentiation & Supports

ELL/Intensive French Support:

• Use visuals & gestures for comprehension.
• Word bank on whiteboard with images.
• Pre-teaching key words: personnage, décor, intrigue.

Enrichment:

• Encourage use of transition words: “Ensuite”, “Mais”, “Finalement”.
• Suggest re-writing the ending of their favourite tale.

Alternate Formats:
Students who prefer not to write can draw and verbally describe their story element instead.

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🧩 Assessment Opportunities

Assessment For Learning:
✓ Observation during group sorting and oral responses
✓ Quick write responses (informal check-in)
✓ Exit ticket data (preferred genres)

Look for accurate use of genre terms and basic sentence structures in French.

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📦 Materials Checklist

• Slide deck with visuals and French audio
• Pre-cut “story type” strips for sorting
• Copies of scaffolded response templates
• Word bank chart
• Vocabulary anchor chart for classroom display

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⭐ Teacher Tips

• Personalise examples by using local Indigenous legends or legends submitted by families.
• Record students’ favourite tales for use in Lesson 2 (for listening or writing prompts).
• Pause the lesson momentarily to model pronunciation eg. “Intrigue” [ɛ̃.tʁiɡ]

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🎯 Looking Ahead

In Lesson 2, students will dive into a classic French fable — Le Corbeau et le Renard — and work on sequencing events using time connectors in French.

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Teacher Reflection Prompt (Post-Lesson):

What surprised me about how students connected with the genres?
Did students use enough French, and where could routines support more target language use?

Bon départ! 🎉