Ponette

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

Jacques Doillon's 1996 film follows a four-year-old girl in the weeks after her mother is killed in a car accident. Ponette — played by Victoire Thivisol, who won Best Actress at Venice at age four — tries to figure out where her mother went and whether she can be brought back. The film is entirely from a child's perspective, which makes the French accessible and the emotional content extraordinary.

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 Ponette 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

• Toussaint / All Saints (November): French attitudes toward death, grief, and what comes after — explored through a child's honest eyes.
• Child-centered French: The language of childhood is ideal for novice learners — simple vocabulary, high emotional weight.
• Faith and spirituality discussions: Ponette's attempts to pray and bargain with God generate thoughtful, age-appropriate classroom conversations.

Language: French | Director: Jacques Doillon | Year: 1996
Level: Novice | Format: Downloadable PDF — instant delivery

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Learn more about Ponette

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