Passion4French
Grades 1-5

Chanson de la semaine

During my PS2, I learned from a teacher mentor that was extremely passionate about the French language. I was amazed at the students ability to listen to the song and understand the words that they are hearing. I kept thinking to myself, how can we spread the joy these kids are feeling while listening to a French song around the French Immersion community?

When I started my PS3, I knew this is something I couldn't do with my Kindergarten kids because they are working on writing their names and identify letters/letter sounds. I knew I had to get the rest of the school involved. I sent an email out to the other French teachers in my school, seeing if they would be interested in having me come visit their classroom to do fifteen minutes a week with their students. This time would be spent being shown a new French pop song while working on their listening comprehension skills. I was lucky enough to have 6 teachers volunteer their classes. Here is what the fifteen minutes in the classroom looked like:

  1. Students would get their "ranking" sheet. This was something I held onto for them every week (so they didn't lose it), allowing them to compare the different French songs and rank them on a scale of 1/10. This way, at the end of the six weeks we spend together, students were able to see which song won the most votes. 

  2. I would tell students the title of the song and the artist name.

  3. Students would listen to the song (without watching the video) and write down as many words/sentences that they heard as possible. This would be done on a mini whiteboard or a piece of paper.

  4. After students listened, I would put the music video on for them and they could watch it (this was often the kids favorite part). At this time, I would ask students to rank the song out of 10. 

This was such a fun project and it allowed me to make connections with students outside of Kindergarten. These are a few of the songs I did with the students. 

Le Coach - Soprano

The kids LOVED this song. The older kids were drumming on their desk to the beat and the younger kids were dancing like crazy. So. Much. Fun. 

Danser - Arcadian

This was the first song I showed the kids for Chanson de la semaine. What I loved about this one, is the simplicity of the lyrics and the meaning behind them. Students still see me in the hallway and say "Danser, danser, danser, danser!"

Tahiti - Keen' V

A super fun song about a guy that is dreaming of the day we can travel again. This song is upbeat and although he sings quickly, students were still able to pick up on the lyrics.

Je te le donne - Vitaa et Slimane

This song was a slower song and I wasn't sure how the kids would feel about it because of it being a love song. The girls in the older classes were big fans. 

Interested in doing Chanson de la semaine in your classroom?

Click here to see my French Spotify playlist
Kindergarten

J'aime le français jeudi

In Kindergarten, their ability to speak and understand French is obviously significantly lower so I kept thinking about how I can get kids excited about French at a young age. I started incorporating French culture on a weekly basis in my Kindergarten program. Whether it was through food tasting, listening to French music, or creating art influenced by French artists, students were introduced to many beautiful parts of French culture. Below are some of the highlights and examples of ways to incorporate French culture into your classroom in a fun and meaningful way. 

Croissant tasting!

This was a fun and delicious activity that involved trying croissants with cheese and nutella, and deciding which one we liked better. Students had to vote and we counted to see which one won over the most hearts in our Kindergarten class. 

French bops and Freeze dance

I would show the students a French song and we would play freeze dance while we listened to the French song. The kids loved it.

Monet and Waterlilies 

Monet is a very important figure in French art. The kids had so much fun trying to recreate the water lilies. 

Building the Eiffel Tower

Students were given the challenge of building the Eiffel tower. They were allowed to use Lego or Playdough and the results were pretty fantastic. 

Le Petit Prince

A very beautiful story that is a big part of French culture and literacy, I read the students Le Petit Prince. A complex story, I was able to bring it down to their level and share one of my favorite stories of all time with them. Students designed their own planets and the results were amazing. 

Baguettes and Grape Juice

We all know the stereotype of how much the French love their baguettes and their "grape juice". Students got to taste some baguettes while drinking grape juice! 

Van Gogh: Starry Night

While Van  Gogh wasn't French, he spent a lot of time in France doing his work. As a class, we did a collaborative art piece that involved us taking blue, yellow and purple pieces from newspaper as well as using oil pastels to recreate starry night.  

My Findings

At the beginning, students were telling me they really don't like French music, by the end, that definitely changed! The kids were LOVING Chanson de la semaine. Every time I came into the class they would all start smiling. After we did one song, they would ask if we could do another. It was a very rewarding experience for both me and the elementary students. 

The students are more capable of hearing the words in the songs than you think! It is amazing to see what the students are capable of doing.  

They tend to take great pride in the words they have written down and love sharing it. 

My Kindergarten students LOVED the different French food tasting. They especially enjoyed the croissants with Nutella!

Teachers said they would continue the Chanson de la semaine if I provided them with a song list.