D Day: a time to recall the events of WW2 and use French for real

 

I have prepared a resource which could be used in French lessons to accompany lessons about the second world war.

The resource is available as a document and PowerPoint. It aims to describe in simple French language

(1) the important dates of WWII from a French perspective

(2) the key points about the French resistance 

(3) the key points about D Day

It can be adapted to suit your purposes.  It includes a presentation, a worksheet and a quiz.

You can download the files directly from my Google Drive here.

Rationale:

FACTS

D Day celebrations give an opportunity to remind pupils of the timeline of events in the war.  They are likely to have learnt about the war from a British perspective, they will have access to much info on D Day itself at this period (programmes, articles etc) but they may not be familiar with the French perspective, including the notions of ‘collaboration’ and ‘resistance'. 

LANGUAGE

When visiting France (e.g. Battlefields trips, Normandy beaches) pupils are very likely to see text and pictures referring to WW2.  Reading authentic texts can be interesting and satisfying.  Even if words have not been encountered before, learner can ‘work out’ meanings drawing on what their existing knowledge events and language.