Teaching le Festival du Voyageur in the French as a Second Language FSL Classroom

Le Festival du Voyageur is one of my absolute favourite core French units! Kids love learning about French culture and history which makes this unit super fun and engaging. 

Here are 8 steps to a successful Festival du Voyageur Unit!

1. Hook them with a video!

   1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dGrnqdl6jg

   2. I love to show this video because it highlights a ton of different roles that people would have had during the time of the voyageurs. It helps to bring this history to life for students. 

2. Introduce Key Vocabulary Terms with a PowerPoint presentation

   1. Anyone who knows me knows that I am all about introducing vocabulary with short powerpoint presentations. When introducing new vocabulary terms, it is super important to show students images that represent each word. This helps them to make associations with the terms and better remember them. 

   2. I suggest starting by going through the PowerPoint presentation once all the way through, having students look at the pictures and hear the words. 

   3. The second time you go through, I suggest asking students to repeat the terms after you. 

   4. Then the third time that you go through the presentation, ask students to whisper, state or yell out the vocabulary terms that they remember. 

      

3. Provide an opportunity for low stakes practice by playing a whole group game!

   1. A really great game to start with is LOTO! This is because it is easy for everyone to be successful, especially if you show the images that you are calling under the document camera. Kids respond really well to having the opportunity to win small prizes like candy! 

      

4. Provide opportunities for small group practice with games

   1. I LOVE all sorts of games such as:

      1. POP

      2. Aller Pêcher

      3. Concentration

      4. Jeu de Société

         1. Putting students in small groups and using games as stations works super well! Each group can spend around 15 minutes playing a game and then you can switch.
            

5. Provide Independent Practice opportunities with Digital Activities

   1. Digital Activities are like a worksheet on steroids! They are super engaging for students because of the moveable pieces. I love that they require no prep and are super easy to assign in Google Classroom.

      

6. Provide an opportunity for whole group review with games

   1. I love using classic games like charades and hangman to help students review their vocabulary terms before the quiz. 

7. Provide an Opportunity for Partner Review with a Study Guide

   1. I suggest providing each student with a list of the vocabulary terms and their associated images. Then they can work with a partner to quiz each other and prepare for the test. 

      

8. Test students on their vocabulary knowledge. 

   1. My absolute favourite way to assess is through Google Forms. They are self-marking! Which means a huge time saver! Plus since they are in full colour, students can clearly see images. 

      

If you are looking for materials that are already ready to go, I have a Festival du Voyageur Unit in my TPT store, click HERE to take a look. 

Want to learn more about teaching French winter festivals? Check out THIS blog post all about teaching le Carnaval de Québec in the French as a Second Language Classroom.