The 6 weeks that my students and I spend with Antoine de St. Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” is always my favorite time of year. Shout out to le renard: I named my website and business after you – L’Essentiel French Resources. As much as I love jumping into page 1 of chapter 1, I check myself because pre-reading strategies in French for Le Petit Prince are critical for students and I must not overlook them. (Not to mention our English teacher colleagues would cringe at the thought of beginning a novel without any!)
Why are pre-reading strategies important for our French and World Language students? Pre-reading strategies give background knowledge and focus in advance of the novel which provides confidence to our students. It’s tough to focus on content AND language during a piece of classic literature. By helping with direction and organization, both strong and struggling readers benefit.
These pre-reading strategies in French explain WHY we are reading the book, WHAT they will be learning from it, and HOW this famous piece of literature is connected to other books they might have read. These 3 strategies will have examples from St. Exupéry’s book Le Petit Prince but can be applied to any novel – in any language.
Strategy #1 – Literary Devices
A review of the literary devices used by St. Exupéry provides an anchor point for students of what to look for as we read the chapters together. Some literary techniques used in Le Petit Prince include:
- Conflict (internal and external, literal and figurative)
- Example: The Little Prince feels bad about how he treated the rose.
- Imagery (use of the 5 senses to amplify the message)
- Example: the setting of the desert is isolated – a crowded train is also isolating
- Personification
- Example: Used to describe how the rose wakes up each day
- Motif
- Example: The Little Prince asks questions rather than answering them.
- Paradox
- Example: We’re supposed to grow wiser with age but adults don’t do that.
- Protagonist / Antagonist
- Example: the narrator and the Little Prince
- Metaphors
- Example: how people focus on what is truly important to them
While one might find many literary techniques used in Le Petit Prince, I choose 3-7 to present to students (depending on their strengths and struggles as a class). Some of the devices function at the word level and some relate to the entirety of the novel. Either way, these words, definitions, and examples are posted around the room and as we encounter them, we add examples underneath the categories.
When a spontaneous French speaking or writing activity is needed, the information posted provides the content and the students provide the language. When the summative arrives, if a student chooses to write or speak about literary devices, all the quotes and references are there. Less stress + more organization = more French language from my students.
Strategy #2 – Author Study
Authors do not write in isolated vacuums. On the contrary, by understanding the life and experiences of Antoine de St. Exupéry, we can better appreciate the setting, the context, and the characters of Le Petit Prince. From which parts of his life did he pull and combine these ideas? An author study of St. Exupéry provides insight into post-reading analysis: How did the themes and actions of the book parallel his real life experiences and relationships?
Finally, author studies also provide an opportunity to read informational text – a subcategory of non-fiction. Author studies are also more concrete (a life timeline) and for students who have anxiety going into a French novel study, this approach is a great confidence-booster for all of my French students.
Strategy #3 – Announce the Themes in Advance
Much like the literary devices posted around the room, I also post the themes around the room. We discuss them in advance and compare the themes to other novels they have read (in English or in French – for school or for pleasure). For example, (internal and external) conflict resolution is a theme in Le Petit Prince. Where is there a similar conflict in Romeo and Juliet or Harry Potter?
As we find quotes or events in Le Petit Prince, we add to the theme’s category by writing the page number and a brief explanation of how the event is proof of that theme. When it comes time to write an essay or make an oral presentation, students have the themes and textual evidence posted on the wall of our French classroom. This helps the struggling students as well as the perfectionist students to lower their anxiety levels. Now I get more content in the French writing assignments and there are fewer stress points for them.
Bottom line:
Modeling my expectations are critical to the learning French and working through a French novel. My goal at the end of the Le Petit Prince unit is to have provided them with the necessary knowledge and textual resources to be able to complete the final summative in French. I cannot bank on the fact that every student is present every day and taking perfect notes – therefore, we “take notes” on the wall as well as in our notebooks. It helps with chapter reviews. It helps the visual and sequential students. It helps the students who struggle with sequencing and note-taking. It helps the overachieving students who stress about the summative on the first day of the French reading unit!
We work through the content (French vocabulary and comprehension) together. These pre-reading strategies then provide a framework of opportunities for our students to focus on speaking and critical thinking – in French (retell / compare and contrast / prove / defend / relate to real life / etc…). Boom. Game. Set. Match.
I enjoy being your new French colleague – how can I help you tomorrow?
Learn more details about starting with an author study with another of my blog posts “How to teach an author study and stay in the target language?“. Opt-in here to receive FREE category headings (literary terms and themes) in French to be posted around the room during Le Petit Prince unit.
