Francophone Monuments Reading Comprehension BUNDLE

Explore Francophone monuments around the world with these French reading comprehension articles. Your Core French and/or French Immersion students will learn about Citadelle La Ferrière and Palais Sans Souci in Haiti, la Grande Mosquée de Djenné in Mali, la Citadelle de Québec, Les Catacombes de Paris, and le Panthéon de Paris. Learning about historic monuments is a fun way to learn about la Francophonie.

All articles use the passé composé when speaking about the history. Please check out the preview to assess the language level and whether or not it is ideal for your students.

What is Citadelle La Ferrière?

The Citadelle La Ferriere is located on top of a mountain in northern Haiti and is accessible only by foot or on horseback. The Citadelle La Ferriere was built between 1805 and 1820 by Henri Christophe, one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution. It was built as a fortress to protect Haiti from French invasion and is one of the largest fortresses in the Americas. La Citadelle La Ferriere is considered one of the most impressive military fortresses in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also a symbol of Haitian independence.

What is the Citadelle de Québec?

This Francophone monument was built to protect Québec from an American invasion after the War of 1812. The Citadelle is a popular tourist attraction in Quebec. It is also a National Historic Site of Canada. The Citadelle de Quebec is an active military site and is the official residence of the Royal 22nd Regiment, the only French-language regiment in the Canadian Armed Forces! It is also the official home of the Governor General of Canada.

What is the Grande Mosquée de Djenné?

The Great Mosque of Djenne is located in the city of Djenné in Mali. The mosque and mud-built town surrounding the mosque are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Djenne is also a symbol of Islam in West Africa and is known for its distinctive minarets and ornate facades. La Grande Mosquée de Djenné is thought to be one of the greatest examples of Sudano-Sahelian architecture. This type of architecture is characterized by the use of mud bricks and wooden beams. The mosque is made entirely of mud and is the largest mud-brick building in the world.

What are the Catacombes de Paris?

The Paris Catacombs contain the remains of an estimated 6 million people. It is therefore one of the largest mass graves in the world. Paris city officials transferred the remains to the catacombs from overcrowded cemeteries in Paris in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The underground tunnels of the catacombs span over 200 miles (322 km), but only a small section of the tunnels is open to the public.

What is the Panthéon de Paris?

The Paris Pantheon was originally a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. However, during the French Revolution, it was repurposed as a mausoleum for famous French figures, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie.

Structure of resource

1. Pre-reading activities - vocabulary research & KWL chart

2. Reading comprehension article

3. Reading comprehension questions in English & in French

4. 1 extension activity

5. answer keys

NOTE ABOUT ANSWER KEYS

The Francophone monuments and Colonial injustices bundles are the only ones that have answer keys in the French reading comprehension article series as of now. Answer keys to previous articles WILL be added in Summer 2023.

Resource formats :

This resource comes in 3 formats. Please note that digital versions are provided, however, not all activities in this reading comprehension series will be digital compatible (e.g. colouring/crafts). The text and graphics are not editable due to copyright reasons.

1. printable PDF
2. Link to editable Google Slides
3. Instructions on how to download the Google Slides as a PowerPoint

Read this blog post on French reading comprehension strategies to learn how I structure reading comprehension tasks with my own students.


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*** This resource is NOT editable. Please understand that this is to protect my own copyright (my resources are my art) and to comply with graphics and font licenses. Thank you for understanding.