Le Quatorze Juillet - resources and links

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

also known as Bastille day is on Monday, so here are some resources and links I’ve gathered together for a last minute celebration with your class:

This French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Find out more from About.com which explains the history in both French and English (you choose), including an examination of the Tricolore (French National Flag) and some suggested activities and crosswords for you to download.

If you subscribe to Babelzone (LCF Clubs) you’ll be able to access a Bastille Day movie in the Moving Pictures section. Or if not try YouTube where I found this video of the 2007 parade in Paris , this one of the Fireworks celebrations at the Eiffel Tower and this US clip which shows Kick TV finding out about Bastille Day, while on Teacher Tube you might want to look at this simple introduction to La France. Remember you can download these videos direct to your computer by using the free program Realplayer, or copy the url (next to the video in a little box) and paste it into www.zamzar.com and get them to convert it for you to download.

On the TES Resource bank, aspidistra has shared a Bastille Day worksheet. Or perhaps a little music – find out about La Marseillaise from wikipedia and maybe even sing along! Feeling peckish? Well you might not want to make the cocktails suggested on the French TravelandEat site, but check the colourful recipes instead.

Teteamodeler has some great hands-on ideas, as always. Feeling wicked? Why not colour in their suggested Kings of France, but you could the activity by adding a key with numbers and colours in French. or follow these instructions together to build your own fortress though it would be a shame to storm it.

[Jayne Jackson]

Just like Jan, I spent Bastille Day in France this year too, finishing work slightly early to attend a summer school and then tagging on my family holiday. As expected, a great deal has been added to the site in the meantime and I'm sorry I haven't been able to use some of the wonderful ideas above this year but I will definitely keep in mind for 2009 - the powerpoint is superb - many thanks.
Must admit, like Jan, I felt a bit diappointed with the celebrations - no music, no Marseillaise, no parades or street entertainment, chain stores trading etc. The 11pm firework display was pretty spectacular, but with youths throwing fireworks in the street next to pedestrians and parked cars and no-one even batting an eyelid to this, it was actually quite unnerving.
Salut!

[Jan Lewandowski]

Salut tout le monde!
Just back from La Belle France having celebrated le 14 juillet. Fantastic weather on the day but not exactly the great celebration we all imagine; getting a bit like the UK- another shopping opportunity in the chains.
The procession seemed a bit lame (and this was in a major city)- no rousing music, no Marseillaise to be heard from where I was, no great sense of occasion and not a lot of community involvement- just a military parade. The chaps in the képis looked great though!

[Isabelle Jones]

This is just so useful and a life saver at this time of the year. Thank you so much for sharing. I have added other resources to my delicious under French + culture and I have also found the resources on http://www.ngflcymru.org.uk/eng/vtc-home/vtc-ks3-home/vtc-ks3-french(2) quite useful although some need updating.

Isabelle
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

Here's a powerpoint I've just finished - might help for an assembly or start a class discussion.
Le Quatorze Juillet.ppt

[James Padvis]

Fantastic stuff, managed to create a whole lesson out of it! Vive la république!