Monsieur Lazhar

A complete French lesson plan for Monsieur Lazhar — ready to open and teach.

Philippe Falardeau's 2011 film is set in a Montreal elementary school that has just lost its teacher to suicide. The man who takes her place is an Algerian refugee who has applied for asylum on false pretenses, knows nothing about Canadian pedagogy, and turns out to be exactly what the children need. It is a film about teaching, grief, and the things adults and children cannot say to each other — and it is set inside a French-language classroom.

Good films have natural moments — a powerful scene, a cultural encounter, a shift in the story — where the language and meaning come together. This plan identifies those moments in Monsieur Lazhar and builds a lesson around each one. For every scene, you get vocabulary and cultural notes, comprehension activities, and communicative tasks your students can work through in class or independently. A pre-film warm-up gets them ready before the first screening.

Everything is included: the teacher's guide, student worksheets in French, and an answer key.

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📅 Teach it when it counts

• Back to school (September): A film about a substitute teacher entering a grieving classroom has immediate resonance at the start of a new year.
• Québécois French units: Montréal French, culture, and identity — a natural fit for francophone diversity discussions.
• Immigration and belonging: Lazhar's refugee status is central to the story and drives powerful discussion.

Language: French | Director: Philippe Falardeau | Year: 2011
Level: Intermediate | Format: Downloadable PDF — instant delivery

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