Exploring... Films and Regions for KS3 French

Comprehensive project packs based around popular, contemporary target-language films and culturally rich regions. This carefully written, authentic and engaging target-language material is the perfect way to teach common KS3 topics and language – and meet the requirements of the new National Curriculum!

This is a 5-star resource with incredibly comprehensive and varied materials

S Pearson ,HoD and Customer

Each resource contains:

  • ready-made scheme of work with clear outcomes, AfL and cross-curricular links where relevant
  • structured lesson plans – including starters, mains, plenaries and homeworks
  • student worksheets
  • end-of-project revision and assessment lesson
  • full answers make for quick and easy teacher-, peer- and self-marking

A brilliant resource that helped bring the south of France into our classroom...

...Students responded really well and demonstrated a strong understanding of what they had learnt

A Kimberly, HoD and Customer
  • Available for Years 7, 8 and 9, with further differentiation within each pack – supports those who struggle while stretching the brightest; suitable for any class!
  • Fun, varied and original activities capture students’ interest while allowing practice of all four main skills. Aural, visual and kinaesthetic tasks appeal to learners of all types.

Exploring… Une vie de Chat (year 7)

Oscar-nominated French animated adventure film set in Paris. A gorgeous, hand-drawn production bound to engage your students. Its length (64minutes) and accessibility make this film perfect for study in early KS3.

Exploring… Tahiti (year 7)

Your year 7s will love exploring this French-speaking island and will learn useful KS3 vocabulary through topics such as wildlife, exotic culinary specialties, holiday activities and Paul Gaugin’s paintings.

Exploring… Côte d’Azur (year 8)

The most glamorous and coveted of Mediterranean playgrounds, French Riviera is bound to enchant and excite your students. Teach them all about film through talking about Cannes Festival and make sports vocabulary fun by discussing Olympique de Marseille!

Exploring… Kirikou et la sorcière (Year 8)

Students delve into the magic world of this francophone film set in rural Africa. Entertaining activities, such as dice games and roleplays, and GCSE-focused tasks, such as translations, make French language learning fun.

Exploring… Le Petit Nicolas (year 9)

Engage and entertain your year 9 students with this humorous French-Belgian production based on the famous series of children’s books. Your students will love learning French through little Nicholas’ amusing adventures!

Exploring… Midi- Pyrénées (year 9)

Packed with cultural and historical facts and perfect for late KS3 or early GCSE preparation. Accessible coverage of a fantastically wide range of enticing topics- from the Cathars in Middle Ages through the paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to the modern music group Zabda and Toulouse’s famous rugby club!

Exploring… Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (year 9)

Your classroom explorers discover everything from the competitive array of winter sports to the engineering expertise of the Lumière brothers and traditional gourmet food. A variety of structured activities guides students through this spectacular region and motivates learning.

What do teachers say about this resource? (6436)

Overall, this is a fabulous resource which is well-planned and well-structured. It is very detailed and very easy to follow.

S Pearson, HoD and Customer

This resource enhances learning by exposing the pupils to something different and culturally interesting. The educational value lies in the range of vocabulary covered across the 8 different cultural areas that are studied. These cultural areas are away from the norm and linked closely to other subjects e.g. Paul Gauguin, so the pupils can see a link between their other subjects and French.

V Pick, HoD and Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6448)

The concept of this resource is brilliant. It is accessible for pupils of all abilities and also non-specialist teachers. There are many opportunities for peer-assessment, self-assessment as well as whole-class assessment and homework tasks. Everything is done for you! You just need to get on with it and enjoy!

S Pearson, HoD and Customer

I was hugely impressed by the amount of teaching and learning incorporated. Congratulations to the author on bringing together the linguistic and cultural elements so thoroughly. I liked the wide range of activity and the opportunities for pupils to be creative.

J Ireland, Lecturer and Peer Reviewer

A great way to engage our Year 8 students with the language they are learning through exploring the culture of the country. There is a variety of lessons and activities so students who are interested in geography, history, art, film, food – there is something for everyone! I loved this resource so much that I immediately bought the Year 9 equivalent – exploring the Midi-Pyrenées!

A Kimberly, HoD and Customer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6443)

ZigZag Education resources definitely have the X factor! The author has clearly researched all the facts very thoroughly. It covers everything about the region and more!

S Pearson, HoD Customer

A brilliant resource that helped bring the south of France into our classroom. I particularly like this resource because… It includes more than just geography, but really dives into the culture of the region by combining lessons with history, art and geography with the local culture. Students responded really well and demonstrated a strong understanding of what they had learnt.

A Kimberly, HoD and Customer

The resource will be a perfect end of Yr 9 project to fit topics of festivals and holidays taught. I also bought Yr 8 mexico pack for Spanish.

Resources are ready made and power-points with end of unit mini assessment for use too. It is based on knowledge and understanding of cultural and traditional information whilst linking key skills in MFL teaching.


V Loxley, Head of MFL and Customer

I like that even though this resource is a geographical region, there are many other areas that are covered, such as art, cuisine, history, festivals. This will give pupils a good insight. There are kinesthetic activities in this pack to engage learners, it also includes videos, which is a nice alternative to listening exercises. It is a very good resource for keeping pupils engaged, as there are great games: rapidity games/board games.

Guibert Paxton, HoD and Customer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6440)

This is a 5-star resource with incredibly comprehensive and varied materials. It is sometimes difficult to plan good resources around authentic materials when you’re a busy teacher. This resource allows our pupils to access something different and interesting.

S Pearson ,HoD and Customer

I think this resource is excellent. The clear structure of the lesson plans and amount and variety of exercises means that pupils will have plenty to do and teachers will be able to show progress. Teaching authentic material may be daunting for some; this resource will make it straightforward for the teacher and enjoyable for the pupils. The new national curriculum includes a need to "go beyond immediate needs and interests" when teaching vocabulary; this resource does this by covering new and different themes. By studying this film pupils would also be able to, "read and show comprehension of original material".

V Pick, HoD and Peer Reviewer

I think this is fabulous resource, providing a very wide variety of activities for students and a very clear and detailed series of lesson plans for teachers. The lesson plans are very detailed and provide both extension work and differentiation, but leaving the teacher the freedom to adapt them as he or she wishes. The activities are engaging, fun, some are quite challenging, and I particularly like the pair work and independent cultural learning tasks involving ICT. A whole variety of tasks using reading, listening, speaking and writing are used in the resource. Vocabulary and grammar are enhanced - present tense and past tense are introduced. Speaking exercises promote confidence. The culture element is present throughout. I would love to use this, I can already see my students enjoying all the activities and developing their knowledge of vocabulary and Paris.

F Levett, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (10156)

Overall I liked the concept behind this resource. It provides a good general overview of the region and incorporates a range of cross-curricular opportunities which could be exploited further through links to other departments. There was a diverse range of cultural information which should appeal to a range of interests within a class e.g. History, Food, Film & Sport. There was a good variety of linguistic activities and also the opportunity for further independent research. With a fairly high ability class there would not be much need for further planning at all as everything is provided! I think that this resource provides linguistic challenge as preparation for the demands of the GCSE courses but more importantly it also enables students to develop their knowledge and understanding of a region of France. They will also need this understanding and cultural context for their GCSE and A Level studies so it’s important to introduce this to language learners as early as possible. The new GCSE demands specific knowledge of France in terms of its Geography, History and Culture so this resource provides examples that students (many of whom will not have ever been to France) can understand and use successfully in their Speaking and Writing assessments.

L Clark, Teacher of French at Treorchy Comprehensive school in South Wales 1997-2018 & Peer Reviewer

A great resource. The author has clearly done a lot of research about the region and the lessons are nicely sequenced and structured. The activities offer a great variety and all types of learning (VAK) are catered for. It is suitably differentiated for different abilities, with the perfect tense being used in the last lesson. I love the variety of activities and the fact that it would appeal to many learners. I also like the fact that it is a whole scheme of work containing 8 lessons and an assessment unit, which can be taught over several weeks. As a school teacher, I would definitely consider buying this resource (depending on price) as I believe the new GCSE curriculum places an increased focus on cultural awareness, which is often lacking in our students.

S Cooke, Teacher of French and Spanish at Cundall Manor School & Peer Reviewer

I think this resource is well put together. It’s a great resource to discuss culture with KS3 classes and get them interested. The range of topics covered is very good. The lesson plans provide a quick overview of what is discussed in each lesson and there is an assessment for the end of the project. I like the cultural aspects mixed with the vocabulary acquisition/comprehension questions. The homework suggestion is also a nice touch for busy teachers.

I Rodriguez, HoD & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6444)

A really lovely resource paired with a lovely film that was a brilliant introduction to Year 9 French this year. I loved the reinforcement of adjectives and describing family that helped support the development of students’ linguistic abilities but also the look into French culture that helped them to get a better understanding of the language that they are studying and where it is spoken.

A Kimberly, HoD and Customer

It's full of varied and fun activities that are also challenging as it provides extensions as well. Good differentiation and it can easily be adapted for even lower abilities. I really like the fact that it is all based around lessons with a clear SoW and detailed lesson plans, as well as homework. So complete and very helpful!

E Sinot, HoD and Peer Reviewer

I like that this resource helps pupils with practising the language, but they are also exposed to French culture and society. Pupils are exposed to authentic materials. It was nice to see pupils learn more complex vocabulary related to the film. E.g.: bêtise/Épanoui. I would say it is great for preparing them on having an opinion on more complex themes, such as the role of women, work and social classes.

J Guibert Paxton, HoD and Customer

What do teachers say about this resource? (7631)

I enjoy the idea of teaching French from a popular African storybook that is so well known in many French-speaking countries. The variety of differentiation and assessment methods reinforce learning allowing students to enjoy a scope of activities that meet the different learning needs in the class. It is also essential to note that this resource also involves little preparation.

R Manne, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

I really liked this resource. Personally, with film work I find it difficult to find a range of supporting activities to do alongside the watching of the film that are impactful and aid pupils to make progress. I like the way this enabled pupils to make cross curricular links whilst increasing their knowledge of the larger world and its culture.

K Seazell, HoD and Peer Reviewer