Part A: J’habite au Maroc

Planning your lessons

Part A introduces Morocco as a rapidly changing country; some parts look modern and familiar, but older traditions are also part of everyday life. Children will see French is widely spoken as well as Arabic. They can compare three towns: Rabat, the capital city (650,000 people), Khémisset, a provincial market town (110,00 people), and the small country village of Aït Ouahi.

Activities

Warm up

Before showing film A1, ask children what they already know about Morocco, and what they think it will be like when they see it in the films. Show the e-flashcards (“Where is Morocco?”) to locate Morocco on a world map; it’s in North Africa - very close to Europe. Even today, it is isolated from the rest of Africa by the Sahara Desert and the high Atlas Mountains Which are the neighbouring countries?

Watch film A1: 3 towns in Morocco

❑ Watch film A1 to introduce Morocco. Can children see this is a multi-lingual country, where people speak more than one language?

Film A1: “Voici Aït Ouahi, un petit village à la campagne”

Most of the French heard will be familiar; there is little specific new language introduced - apart from place names (see “A1:new words”).

But the sights and culture they see may be quite different to what children are used to in their own community.

Get used to the sounds

❑ Echoing: show the e-flashcards, “Where is Morocco? ”; show significant places, with thumbnail illustrations (click to enlarge).

A1: NEW WORDS

Saying where you live

Où habites-tu?

Where do you live? (to individual)

J’habite au Maroc

I live in Morocco

J’habite à... (Rabat)

I live in... (Rabat)

Other towns in Morocco

...Khémisset

...Aït Ouahi

...Meknès

- ...Khémisset

- ...Aït Ouahi

- ...Meknes

Pupils echo, e.g. “les montagnes de l’Atlas”

NOTE: in film A1 , you’ll hear some place names pronounced in a French way, but also said by children more used to the sounds of Arabic, e,g. spot variations in the first phoneme of ‘Khémisset’.

Respond with understanding

❑ Ask children to point to places on a map in response to your questions, e.g. “Où sont les montagnes de l’Atlas?” Look at the GoogleMaps link.

❑ Ask children to reply in words to questions such as: “Sur quelle continent est le Maroc?”

...“Quelle est la capitale du Maroc?”

“Khémisset, c’est dans quel pays?”

(see “A1 Teacher questions” box). You could continue this dialogue about your own country and other countries your class knows about, e.g. from geography or history.

❑ Writing: Select the e-flashcards ‘ A1. Changing Morocco’

Geography le désert du Sahara l’océan Atlantique les montagnes de l’Atlas la mer Méditerranée

- Sahara Desert

- Atlantic Ocean

- Atlas Mountains

- Mediterranean Sea

Countries le Maroc l’Espagne l’Algérie en Afrique du nord

- Morocco

- Spain

- Algeria

- in North Africa

A1: Teacher questions n Ask children to work in pairs. Each pair selects a picture to do with Morocco that interests them and to write a sentence about it in French, e.g. Rabat est une grande ville;

Sur quelle continent est... (le Maroc)?

On which continent is... (Morocco)?

Quelle est la capitale... (du Maroc)?

What is the capital of... (Morocco)?

(Khémisset,) ...c’est dans quel pays?

What country is... (Khémisset) in?

Aït Ouahi est à la campagne.

Voici la mosquée.

Le drapeau marocain est rouge. A Rabat il y a une gare.

Qu’est-ce que c’est? C’est la kasbah.

Talk about...

This gives a brief history of Morocco, and introduces words to help children write about visible change: “la mosquée”, “le minaret”, “la kasbah”, “le souk”, “le drapeau marocain” n Ask children about what similarities and differences they noticed between your own community and what they saw of Morocco?

A2: NEW WORDS

Your nationality

Quelle est ta nationalité?

What is your nationality?

Je suis... marocain - BOY

I am... (Moroccan)

Je suis... marocaine - GIRL

I am... (Moroccan)

...français(e)

...britannique

EXTRA ...belge

...suisse

...tunisien(ne)

...américain(e)

...canadien(ne)

- ...French

- ...British

- ...Belgian

- ...Swiss

- ...Tunisian

- ...American

- ...Canadian

Where you live

Où habites-tu?

Where do you live?

J’habite... au Maroc

I live... in Morocco

- ...in France

- ...in Great Britain

- ...in Belgium

- ...in Switzerland

- ...in Tunisia - ...in England - ...in America - ...in Canada

Languages you speak

Quelle(s) langue(s) parles-tu?

What language/s do you speak?

Je parle... (français)

I speak... (French)

In English, we are used to putting a capital letter for country names, nationalities and languages. In French, of these only country NAMES have a capital, e.g..: “J’habite au Maroc”

(I live in Morocco)

BUT... “Je suis marocain”

(I am Moroccan) and...“Je parle français”

(I speak French)

Film A2: Nationality & language

❑ Film A2 shows Moroccan children in a French class telling their teacher who they are, where they live and what their nationality is. It concludes with animations of children in France, Morocco and Britain giving their nationality and what languages they speak. You can use the e-flashcards to introduce a wider range of other relevant countries.

Get used to the sounds - ‘I am...’ n You may want to introduce other nationalities that are relevant to your school, community and its links, e.g. that of a partner school. Spot which nationality-adjectives do or don’t change when it’s a boy or girl.

❑ Echoing: Show the ‘ A2: Nationality & language’ e-flashcards; select ‘I am...’initially with sound and text ON. Can children spot that the adjective for nationality often changes when it is a male or female speaking? when it’s a male or female speaking? Pupils echo each statement e.g. a girl saying “Je suis marocaine”.

...arabe

...anglais - ...Arabic - ...English n Discuss with the class what you see: what differences do they see between Rabat, Khémisset and Aït Ouahi? n Are there signs that Morocco is changing? n What is Morocco’s weather is like? (our filming was in October, yet it is sunny and warm).

HOW FRENCH WORKS:

“I live in...” - with M and F countries

In French, ‘France’ like most country names is a feminine noun, and you say you live in that country with ‘en’ , e.g.:

“J’habite en France”

(I live in France)

A few countries names are masculine nouns, and you say you live there with ‘au’ , e.g.:

“J’habite au Maroc”

(I live in Morocco)

Get used to the sounds ‘I come from’

❑ Echoing: show the e-flashcards ‘Nationality & language’ - initially with sound and text ON. Can children spot the prepositions?

Key Sounds

Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?

as in... Espagne, montagne, Grande-Bretagne heard before in campagne, Boulogne as in... Algérie, océan, Méditerranée heard before in désert, Amérique as in... Algérie, Afrique, Suisse heard before in piscine, diabolo n Switch sound and text OFF and see whether children can say what languages would be spoken by a child from that country.

Pay attention to “key sounds”.

Respond with understanding

❑ Play “Where do YOU live?”

Ask children to say where they live, “Où habitestu?”. You could give children different name badges to assume the identities of past or present famous people when replying, e.g. “Napoléon Bonaparte, où habites-tu?” n Discuss where children know French is spoken. Remind children of work in Early Start French 2.

Talk about...

Get used to the sounds ‘I speak...’

❑ Echoing: show the ‘Nationality & language’ e-flashcards and select ‘I speak...’ - start with sound and text ON. Can children spot how the language-names in French are written differently to those in English? (see “how French works 2”).

Respond with understanding

❑ Play “What do YOU speak?” n You could repeat giving children different name badges to assume the identities of past or present famous people when replying, e.g. “Napoléon Bonaparte, quelle langue parles-tu? n Why do they think people in some North African countries speak French as well as Arabic? (see “Talking point 1”, which tells how France conquered and ruled Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco in the 19th century until the mid20th century).

Ask children to say what languages they speak, even if only a little“Quelle(s) langue(s) parlestu?”. Some children may be able to speak other languages, e.g. from holidays, from having lived elsewhere, or speaking another language with family members at home. Children could find out how to say the French name for each language they know.

Talk about...

Film A3: My school

❑ Film A3 shows two Moroccan primary schools (a rural school that serves all the farms around the village of Aït Ouahi, and a town school in fast-growing Khémisset).

Get used to the sounds ‘ISubjects’ n Can children remember how to say in French what lessons they like, and what is their favourite lesson? n Discuss what it would be like to be taught in different languages - and to have one language at school and another at home. n Morocco is trying hard to icrease literacy: still only 69% of males aged 15+ can read and write, and only 44% of females - and there is a problem with more girls dropping out of school to help at home, especially in rural areas. Why does this matter?

❑ Echoing: Show the e-flashcards ‘A3 My school’ - start with sound and text ON.

Film A3: the school day starts with the flag ceremony. We see children arrive at school, mostly walking. Each day starts with the ‘flag ceremony’; the school sings the national anthem as the flag is raised, bearing the religious symbol of the 5-pointed star, the “Seal of Solomon”. Children may spot that the Maths lesson that follows is in Arabic, which many children also have to learn as they speak a Berber language at home.

Talk about...

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

❑ Citizenship: Use the e-flashcards to explore the two documents the class study in the Moroccan school’s citizenship lesson in film A3.

Film A3: A school citizenship lesson

They spend 6 hours a week learning French,the language of their citizenship lesson.

You can display a large version of each documentwith optional English translation and French voice - also print out copies of the documents for your class: n Charter of a Good Citizen, with 8 rules; n Rights and Duties of a Child Citizen, which says children have both rights that should be respected, and duties that they owe to their family, school, community and country. n These documents are studied in every school in Morocco. Personally approved by the King (whose photo is displayed on the classroom wall), they are part of his plan to prepare a new generation to be more involved in running their country and move towards democracy. n Do children think the same ideas about citizens’ rights should apply to them in their community?

❑ See how much of each document the class can understand. Listen to it line-by-line; use French words you know, cognates, and ones you can guess to work out roughly what it means. Switch the English translation OFF so children have to work it out for themselvesthen ON to check.

You could ask children to compare this with their own country: how is the prime minister and the government chosen?

Do they have unlimited powers? What powers does the monarch (or head of state) have?

❑ History, Inter-Cultural Understanding: Why do they speak Arabic and French? Show the e-flashcards ‘Changing Morocco’ to see a visual summary of what brought Morocco into contact two different languages and cultures, Arabic and French (see “talking point 1”).

Talking point 1

Everyday Life In Morocco

Why they speak Arabic and French

Children can see that Morocco is the nearest part of Africa to Europe. Whilst part of North Africa, it has been cut off through most of its history by the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains.

Arab conquest

Over the centuries, the original inhabitants, Berbers, were invaded by the Roman Empire, then by the Arabs. Following the prophet Muhammad , 7th century Arabs rapidly conquered a vast Empire, also spreading the Muslim religion in all directions from their holy city of Mecca - west across North and West Africa, and east towards India and Asia.

This part of North Africa is called the ‘Maghreb’, which means ‘West’ in Arabic

From Morocco, the Arabs conquered much of Spain, just across the narrow Straits of Gibraltar. The local Arab kings who ruled Morocco and southern Spain were on the western edge of the Arab Empire, and were largely independent of the distant Caliph who ruled the Empire from Baghdad, back in Arabia.

The local Berbers converted peacefully to the Muslim religion. They continued speaking their own Berber language, but might learn to read Arabic, the language of the Qur’an (the Muslim holy book).

In film A3, children can see some school lessons being taught in each of these languages. Recently the Moroccan government has allowed some schools to teach classes in Berber languages as well.

Pirates of the Barbary Coast

Over the centuries, Christian kings drove the Arabs (known as “Moors”) out of Spain. Some took over abandoned strongholds in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and made a living as pirates (see “talking point 3”). Pirates from the Barbary Coast attacked ships in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean - stealing cargoes, but also capturing sailors to sell as slaves or ransom back to their families. They also raided coastal villages around Europe, to bring back slaves. paying taxes so he could not afford to keep a strong army. European powers agreed that France should rule most of Morocco as a “protectorate”, leaving the weakened Sultan in place, but stripping him of his powers. Other parts of Morocco would be ruled by Spain.

French colonisation

Some countries tried bribing the rulers of the Maghreb to leave their ships alone. In the 19th century, France started to conquer Algeria, partly to capture some of the pirate bases and end the danger to shipping.

France weakens the Sultan of Morocco

The French army fought a bloody and ruthless war to make Algeria into a French colony. Local inhabitants asked the Sultan of Morocco for help; they were being killed so French settlers could take over their land and property.

In French Morocco, they built spacious new French-style cities called “villes” alongside the old Arab walled cities called “kasbahs” - along with other benefits of European civilisation like railways, mines and the telegraph. Few Moroccans went to school; those who did were taught in French, about France, French history and literature. The old religious schools which taught in Arabic were starved of resources. Moroccan soldiers fought alongside the French in the trenches of the First World War.

Second World War

When Germany conquered France in 1940, Morocco came under the collaborating Vichy government. The then Sultan, Mohammed V, secretly helped Moroccan Jews escape persecution, and helped the Allies successfully invade in exchange for their help to secure Moroccan independence after the war.

Moroccan independence

Eventually in 1956, after growing rebellion amongst the Moroccans, France agreed to independence. Mohammed V set the new country on a fairly slow path towards being a modern state with an elected parliament; he changed his title to “king”, and kept control of many aspects of government and of the country’s resources and mineral wealth.

The new king still had to negotiate taking over the parts ruled by Spain - this happened bitby-bit. The king led a peaceful “Green March” of Moroccan civilians into the Spanish Sahara, where there are still problems with people who would prefer it to be a separate state.

Painting by Delacroix of the Sultan of Morocco in 1832. In 1832 the French met the Sultan (recorded in a painting by Delacroix, see “talking point 4”) They tried to persuade him to stay neutral. Eventually in 1912 they sent French troops to occupy parts of Morocco too. By then the Sultan had lost control over the tribes, who stopped

Spain still rules some towns on the north coast, “enclaves” similar to British-ruled Gibraltar on the Spanish coast, or the British Channel Islands just off the coast of France.

Changing Morocco

The population has grown rapdly, from 12m in 1960 to over 32m in 2012, making Morocco a young country (27% under 14) full of contrasts: modern and traditional, rich and poor...