Learning through Poetry for A Level French

An intriguing window into poetic masterpieces of francophone culture. Particularly suitable for A Level students who want to challenge themselves to engage further with literary texts and for those who want to go on to study French literature at university.

I love this resource!

S West, Head of French & Peer Reviewer

Students read authentic target language poems from diverse cultures, genres and countries to improve their language and reading skills.

Poetry spanning 1555–2011 covers everything from lyrical and engaged poems to fables and open letters, giving students plenty of opportunity to delve into classical and modern works.

I think it's a lovely way of looking at French culture and it is presented in a really accessible way, which is important when most pupils are very nervous about studying poetry in French!

S West, Head of French & Peer Reviewer

4 worksheets per poem:

  1. Understanding the words: a vocab-based activity and starter questions to help students understand the poem and learn new expressions
  2. Putting the poem into context: a reading activity based on a text introducing the poet, followed by varied comprehension activities and translations to consolidate learning
  3. Analysing the meaning of the poem: in-depth exercises to develop students’ analytical skills, followed by a writing task and a class debate to stimulate speaking practice
  4. Your opinion: students express their opinion on the poem and justify it – an important skill for speaking and writing

What do teachers say about this resource? (10157)

I love this resource! I think it's a lovely way of looking at French culture and it is presented in a really accessible way, which is important when most pupils are very nervous about studying poetry in French! I love the breadth of topics and poets, as well as the variety of styles - I particularly like the inclusion of J'accuse, because it provides pupils with so much cultural capital. I also very much like the way that there is a "further reading" section at the end of each set of worksheets, so that encourages pupils to explore further. I wish I'd had this last year when preparing a pupil for Oxbridge interviews!

S West, Head of French & Peer Reviewer

A good idea to use different types of texts and poetry is often underrepresented, probably because it is more difficult to understand. I feel this resource does justice to the intention (cultural knowledge, loose links to the topics covered by the specifications). Activities are well structured. The context is explained through comprehension exercises. I particularly liked the follow-up tasks and the recommendations for further reading. I think this would be suitable for gifted linguists as it would provide an insight into a different genre and would stimulate curiosity.

I Rodriguez, HoD & Peer Reviewer