Questions: Géoculture:
1. What is the name of the three major rivers that flow through the
île de France region?
2. Why do you think that this area of France became such an
important center for trade?
3. Locate Paris on the Map of France on page R2. Trace the
Seine to the sea and name the body of water it finally reaches.
What is this body of water called in French? Do you know what
this body of water is called in English?
4. What was the tallest monument in the world in 1889?
5. Where did Louis XIV relocate the royal court?
6. What is known as the “cradle of Paris”?
7. What is a popular place for cycling and rock climbing?
8. Name a feature for which the cathedral of Chartres is known.
Geography:
The Seine flows through the heart of Paris. The southern half of the city lies
to the left of the river when facing downstream and is called la rive gauche
(Left Bank). The area to the right is called la rive droite (Right Bank). At
the center of Paris are two islands, L’Ile de la cité and L’Ile St. Louis. Paris
itself is only about 105 square kilometers (41 square miles) in size. New
York City is approximately 321 square miles in size.
History:
Paris
The city of Paris developed from L’île de la Cité, originally a tiny fishing
village prone to flooding. In 52 B.C., the island fell under Roman control.
The Romans called the city Lutecia, meaning marshy place. Their
settlement flourished and eventually spread into the outlying areas.
L’île-de-France
The original name of L’île-de-France was Pays de France. The meaning of
the pays evolved to mean nation, so the name was changed around 1387.
L’île-de-France
can be viewed as an “island” delimited by the Oise, Seine, Marne, and
Ourcq rivers.
SAVAIS-TU QUE….?
The total elevation of the Eiffel Tower is 1,056 feet, including the base and
television antenna on top. To reach the third level, one must climb 1,710
steps or take the elevator.
Tourists can visit les égouts! The sewer system was part of the
modernization that transformed Paris during the mid-19th century. Other
improvements included bridges, boulevards, and parks, such as le bois de
Boulogne.
Museums: L’île-de-France is the home of numerous museums, including le
musée du Louvre, le musée Rodin, and le musée d’Orsay. Find out what
works of art are housed in the Louvre. You may have heard of the Mona
Lisa, or La Joconde, by Leonardo da Vinci. What French artists are you
familiar with? Have you heard of Rodin, Degas, Monet, Renoir?
La fête nationale le 14 juillet
July 14th is the French national holiday. It commemorates the liberation of
the Bastille prison, an event that sparked the French Revolution in 1789 and
ultimately led to the end of the French monarchy. In Paris and all across
France, the holiday is celebrated with fireworks, military parades, and other
festivities. How does Bastille Day traditions compare with Fourth of July
celebrations in the U.S.? In what ways are they alike?
Questions – Découvre l’île-de-France
1. Where can you meet Astérix?
2. What popular restaurant item originally came from Burgundy?
3. Where are the gardens that inspired many of Monet’s paintings?
4. What theme park opened in 1992?
5. What is Meaux’s specialty?
6. To what artistic movement does Monet belong?
7. When is the French national holiday celebrated?
8. Where is Disneyland Paris located?
Le Parc Astérix is based on the comic book character Astérix le Gaulois
created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. The first issue of Les
Aventures d’Astérix le Gaulois appeared in October 1959 in a weekly
magazine. The comic was successful from the start, and the first issue sold
200,000 copies. The popularity of Astérix has spread throughout the world
and his adventures have been published in 107 languages. Have any of you
read an Astérix comic book?
France produces hundreds of varieties of cheese that range from very mild
cheeses to very strong ones. Some French cheeses have achieved
appellation d’origine controlee (AOC) status, meaning that they originate
from a specific region and have been made according to strict regulations.
AOC status is reserved for cheeses produced by traditional methods. Brie de
Meaux, the “king of cheeses”, is one AOC cheese made in L’île de France.
Other cheeses from the same region include Brie de Melun and Coulommier.
What types of French cheeses are available at your local grocery stores?
The French are among the finest cheese makers in the world. L’île de
France is home to the famed brie, a soft mold-covered cheese.
U.S. architect Ieoh Ming Pei (I.M. pei), designer of the Louvre Pyramid, is
renowned for his architectural creativity and use of space. In his 1983
acceptance speech for the Pritzker Architecture Prize, I.M. Pei said about his
art, “I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be
built on a foundation of necessity.”
During World War I, German forces were close to overcoming French
forces near the Marne River outside of Paris. French military authorities
dispatched emergency troop reinforcements from Paris. On September 7,
1914, a fleet of Parisian taxicabs ferried about 6,000 reserve infantry troops
to the front. The strategy worked, and Paris was saved.
Astérix the Gaul might be one of the best-loved characters to come out of
French popular culture. Astérix and his friends provide a humorous look at
the period around 50 B.C. when the Romans were expanding their empire
and were meeting with fierce resistance from the native inhabitants.
RESEARCH –
1 – Research how the French make brie in the île-de-France region? Include
images of the types of brie researched. Bring some brie to class for students
to taste.
2 – Research the controversy that surrounded the Louvre Pyramid or how
Pei’s pyramid design was “built on a foundation of necessity,” as he put it.
3 – Research the period (50 B.C.) and locate Gaul on a map of that time.
Then, compare that map to a current one of France.
p. 16 et 17
MON OEIL –
In France, a common gesture to express doubt or disbelief about what
another person has just said is to use the right hand to pull down the right
cheek just below the eye. This gesture may also be accompanied by the
phrase MON OEIL, literally My eye.
In France, family and close friends greet and take their leave with a slight
touching of the cheeks on alternating sides. This is called faire la bise.
Although called a kiss, the lips are not firmly placed on the other person’s
cheek. Two kisses, one on each side, are most common. However, in some
regions three or even four kisses are customary.
Serrer la main = handshake
p. 22
Around 1066 the s sound after the vowels a,e, I, o and or u began to be
muted in common speech in France and disappeared altogether in the 18 th
century. In an attempt to graphically represent muted letters, the circumflex
(circonflexe) was officially introduced into the written language in the 1740
in the Académie française dictionary (feste/fête) Which English words in
which letters are replaced by a symbol. (isn’t, can’t, won’t) What letter is
frequently replaced? (the o in not)
*the pronunciation of the letters of the alphabet
How do you write – comment ça s’écrit carte? Then ça s’écrit
C-a-r-t-e
Quelle et ton addresse e-mail? ____________________________
les accents et les signes graphiques
You have seen special marks over some French letters. These are called
accents and they’re very important to the spelling, the pronunciation, and
even the meaning of French words.
Accent aigu tells you to pronounce an e similar to the a in the English word
date.
Elephant Senegal
Accent grave tells you to pronounce an e like the e in the English word
Zebra.
Zele Ou A
The accent circonflexe can appear over any vowel, and it doesn’t change the
sound of the letter
Pate foret ile hotel flute
The accent cedille under a c tells you to pronounce the c like an s
Francais ca
When two vowels appear next to each other, a tréma over the second one
tells you to pronounce each vowel separately:
Noel Haiti
p. 23
* write the name of a celebrity on a piece of paper and say the letters of his
or her name out loud in the correct order. (sports, movies, or music)
*You are a French exchange student arriving at the airport. Greet the
exchange with questions. Write the answers down and share with the class.
ex. 36
Je m’appelle Marlene. Moi, ca va tres bien. Et
toi? Dans ma classe, il y a dix eleves: six filles
et quatre garcons. Il y a trois fenetres, dix
bureaux et dix chaises. Il y a une television et
un lecteur de DVD.