Activities about France
1. ART .....You can't talk about French art with mentioning the Impressionists, Art Nouveau, Pointalism, Cubism, and a host of talented artists. The Incredible Art Department at Princeton provides teachers with an abundance of art lessons and this link features different periods of art.2. ART .....In Aix-en-Provence, where I painted my mural, you are in the stomping grounds of Paul Cézanne. He painted the mountain Sainte Victoire which overlooks the city. The Incredible Art Department also provides lessons for specific artists, including Cezanne.
3. HISTORY .....Into the French Revolution? This lesson for high school focuses on Marie Antoinette and the Revolution. Let them eat cake and then see what PBS has to say.
4. HOME EC .....Nothing interests students in French culture like French cooking. I still remember falling in love with French onion soup in Madame Heine's class. It is incredibly easy to find recipes online. The hard part is making the decision what to prepare. Search out, Food & Wine, Delish.com, Saveur, GypsyPlate, and Simply Gourmand to begin your search.
5. LITERATURE .....Yes, if I thought about it, I'd say that his name looks French. However, it wasn't until I saw his burial site in the Pantheon that I realized that Louis Braille was French. Learn about the man and his alphabet in this activity brought to you by Education World.
6. HISTORY .....Facts from history are made much more personal to students when the history involves other teenagers. This lesson plan by the Holocaust Teacher Resource Center introduces the French Resistance in World War II using teenagers involved in the event.
7. HISTORY / LITERATURE .....If your students are especially interested in teenagers during World War II, they might enjoy "Un Sac de Billes" (A Bag of Marbles) by Joseph Joffo. It tells the true story of two Jewish brothers and their journey from Paris to the south of France to escape the Nazis. It's available on Amazon.com.