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French Storytelling

Eleventh graders bring their past tenses together to narrate a story in French — setting the scene with the imparfait, telling events with the passé composé, and building to an ending — the capstone of intermediate narration.

Grade 11Raconter une Histoire55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Narrate a story.
  • ✓Combine past tenses.
  • ✓Order the structure.
  • ✓Tell a tale.
Essential Question

Now you can narrate! A good story sets a scene (imparfait) and tells what happened (passé composé). How do you structure a story in French?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Storytelling Steps

Project this and have students put the French storytelling steps in order.

📖 Put the storytelling steps in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Now You Can Narrate

6 min

A good story sets a scene and tells what happened — how do you structure it?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Start a story aloud.
  • Ask what comes next.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Raconter une Histoire

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present the story structure.
  • Note imparfait for setting.
  • Note passé composé for events.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Order the Steps

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Storytelling Steps.
  • Put them in order.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tell a short story.
  • Set the scene, then act.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tell it.
  • Build it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the first step.
  • Say which tense sets the scene.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate).

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: narrate a story.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: tell events.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare narration across languages.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to storytelling.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Story-structure cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Il était une fois ___.”
  • Use a story map.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with beginning and end.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Use a short story.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Tell a full story.
  • Add dialogue.
  • Write a short tale.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📖A story map
  • 💻Order the Storytelling Steps
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

l’histoirethe storyil était une foisonce upon a timele décorthe settingl’événementthe eventle problèmethe problemà la finin the endraconterto narratele personnagethe character
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you begin a story in French?
With “Il était une fois…” (Once upon a time...).
QUESTION 2
Which tense sets the scene of a story?
The imparfait (c’était, il faisait).
QUESTION 3
Which tense tells the main events?
The passé composé (il est allé, il a fait).

Reflect: raconte une histoire.

Have students narrate a short story in French, setting the scene and telling the events. A printable storytelling sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 French Storytelling (Raconter une Histoire)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 French Storytelling (Raconter une Histoire)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ French Storytelling (Raconter une Histoire)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: il était une fois, le décor, le personnage, le problème, l’histoire, l’événement, raconter, à la fin
  1. in the end
  2. to narrate
  3. the story
  4. the character
  5. the problem
  6. the setting
  7. once upon a time
  8. the event

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you begin a story in French?
  2. Which tense sets the scene of a story?
  3. Which tense tells the main events?
Answer key — Part A: 1) à la fin · 2) raconter · 3) l’histoire · 4) le personnage · 5) le problème · 6) le décor · 7) il était une fois · 8) l’événement
Part B: 1) With “Il était une fois…” (Once upon a time...). 2) The imparfait (c’était, il faisait). 3) The passé composé (il est allé, il a fait).