NOM : __________________
LE FRANÇAIS I
BON VOYAGE !
DATE : ________________
CHAPÎTRE 3
GUIDE D’ANTICIPATION : LES PASSE-TEMPS EN FRANCE
Read the following statements on the anticipation guide. Check “vrai” if you think
the statement is true and “faux” if you think it is false. Make sure that you
complete this before you read the text!!! We will discuss this anticipation guide
in class before we go over the following reading.
VRAI
1. There are hundreds of movie theaters in Paris, most of
which offer reduced prices for students.
2. Many high school students like to attend parties on the
weekends, and older teens and adults can be found at
dance clubs.
3. In France teenagers can’t get a driver’s license until
they are 18 years old.
4. There are seven main television channels in France,
three of which are owned by the government.
5. Sports are not usually associated with schools in France,
and students who are interested in team sports need to
go to a club to exercise.
6. Teenagers under the age of 18 may not hold a regular
full-time job due to legal restrictions.
7. Many workers take up to six weeks of vacation in the
summer.
8. Shopping for CDs and downloading music is a favorite
activity of many French adolescents.
9. The lyrics to many contemporary French songs often
have to do with city life, antiracism, women’s issues, and
politics.
10. Multiculturalism is a big influence on the French music
scene, and has influences from such countries as West
Africa and Martinique, an island in the Caribbean.
FAUX
NOM: ______________________________
LE FRANÇAIS 7
BON VOYAGE!
DATE: _______________________
CHAPÎTRE 3 : À L’ÉCOLE
APERÇUS CULTURELS : LES PASSE-TEMPS EN FRANCE
Excerpts taken from Fawbush, Karla Winther ; Toni Theisen ; Dianne B. Hopen; and Sarah
Vaillancourt (2007). C’est à Toi!, Second Edition. Saint Paul, MN: EMC/Paradigm Publishing.
LE CINÉMA
Going to movies is a popular leisure activity in France. The hundreds of movie theaters in
Paris show new releases and classic films from around the world. On certain days of the week movie
theaters offer reduced prices for students.
LE TEMPS LIBRE
After school many French teenagers play sports, listen to music or watch TV. When they
have free time in the evening, they often get together with their friends at sidewalk cafés or at
home. Many high school students like to dance at weekend parties, called soirées. Younger teens
usually call their parties boums. Older teens and adults often go out to dance and listen to music at
les boîtes and les clubs (dance clubs).
LA MUSIQUE
Many French speakers listen to music from other countries, including England and the
United States. Teens may like le rock, le hip-hop, le break-dance, le reggae, la musique pop, la
musique classique, for example.
LE TRANSPORT
In France teenagers can’t get a driver’s license until they are 18 years old. They often walk,
bike, ride scooters, use inexpensive public transportation or even hitchhike to get to school or to
recreational activities.
LA TÉLÉ
There are seven main television channels in France:
 TF1: the largest and first privately owned television station
 France 2 and France 3: state owned
 France 5 and M6: privately owned
 Canal+: featuring movies and sports for a monthly fee (similar to American
cable channels like HBO)
 Arte: co-owned by France and Germany
Arte and France 5 share a channel. France 5 offers cultural
programming, whereas Arte offers educational programs.
Cable television (la télévision cablée or le câble) is becoming more and more popular in
France with about 50 channels, 45 of which broadcast in French. French television is no longer
completely funded by the viewing public, but also by commercials.
o
LES SPORTS
Since sports are not usually associated with schools in France, students often go to le club
to exercise. Many also take private lessons there. Local communities offer opportunities for
students to participate in sports and arrange competitions as well. In Canada many teenagers ski or
play hockey or ringette. On the Caribbean island of Martinique they play soccer or participate in
many kinds of water sports, for example, la planche à voile (windsurfing).
LE TRAVAIL
By law teenagers under the age of 18 may not hold a regular full-time job. But sometimes
younger students may find temporary, part-time work, for example, camp counseling or working at a
market or on a farm. The official work week in France is 35 hours, but naturally the actual number
of hours spent working depends on the specific job and worker. In offices and stores, the work day
typically begins around 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM and finishes between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM. All people
who are salaried for 12 months are given six weeks of vacation. Many people take up to four weeks
of vacation in the summer; the other weeks must be taken at a different time of the year. In
addition, employers must pay salaried employees for 11 holidays each year.
VOCABULAIRE: Écrivez la définition en anglais.
1.
Une soirée :
2. Une boum :
3. Les boîtes/les clubs :
4. La télévision câblée/le câble :
5. La planche à voile :
QUESTIONS :
1.
What are three things that French teenagers like to do in their spare time?
2. How old must one be in order to obtain a driver’s license in France?
3. How does a French teenager often go from place to place? What means of transportation is
available?
4. How many television channels are there in France?
5. If a French teenager wants to play a sport, what options are available in order for one to
participate?
6. What are two popular sports in Canada?
7. How many weeks of vacation are given to workers who are salaried for 12 months?
8. How many holidays must salaried employees receive each year?
LA MUSIQUE
Music is an international language. Le rock, le jazz, and le reggae sound familiar to
teenagers all over the globe because of an increasing trend toward world music.
What kinds of music do you listen to? Chances are that French speakers listen to the same
sounds that you do. Music is an important part of a teenager’s life in French-speaking countries,
just as it is for English-speaking teens. Of course, tastes in music vary from person to person.
Shopping for CDs is a favorite activity of many adolescents in France. In fact, one popular
large music store in Paris occupies four stories!
Performers from all over the world appear at the Zénith and at Bercy, two popular concert
halls in Paris. When students’ favorite artists perform at these halls, concerts sell out in no time.
Traditional French songs are usually poetic and melodious. The lyrics often have a message
or a feeling to convey to the listener. The messages change, but the songs typically deal with love,
peace, family, daily life, and politics.
The words of contemporary songs are more daring than those of the past. Topics include
women’s issues, antiracism, the environment and the difficulty of city life. The music and the lyrics
are fairly aggressive, especially those of le rock, whose strong rhythm encourages dancing. French
teens also like le RNB, a sort of melodious rap. Le hip-hop, still popular in France, was influenced
by the same movement in the United States. In fact, many French-speaking teenagers listen to
songs in English and know the words, even though they may not know what these words mean.
At dance clubs and on the radio, teenagers listen to a variety of music formats, such as le
funk and le rock. Young people who have a taste for hard rock listen to le métal. Le raï could be
called the North African version of rhythm and blues. La techno, another popular type of music, is
based on an industrial, synthetic sound. Even though le jazz originated in the United States, many
teens in France listen to it as well. Clubs, such as Le Petit Journal Montparnasse, New Morning and
the Jazz Club Lionel Hampton, have helped establish Paris as one of the jazz capitals of the world.
Teenagers all over the world listen to a wide variety of sounds. A wave of multiculturalism
has swept across the music scene, influencing and expanding tastes. For example, Céline Dion, a
singer from Quebec, has become an international star. Other examples of the trend toward
international music are la musique créole, exported from Martinique, and le world beat from
French West Africa. But no matter where a song originates, its music and lyrics reflect the
lifestyles of its writers and performers.
VOCABULAIRE: Écrivez la définition anglaise.
1.
Le rock :
2. Le jazz :
3. Le reggae :
4. Le hip-hop :
5. Le NRB :
6. Le métal :
7. Le raï :
8. La techno :
9. La musique créole :
10. Le world beat :
QUESTIONS
1.
What is the major music trend in France?
2. What are the names of two concert halls in Paris?
3. What are two words that describe traditional French songs?
4. What are three topics that may be included in contemporary songs?
5. What is a style of music that is based on a synthetic sound?
6. What kind of music is played at Le Petit Journal Montparnasse?
7. What is a type of music that has been exported from Martinique?
APRÈS LA LECTURE: Choose two of the following topics. Using the space below, write a paragraph
about each of the topics you choose. Use specific examples from the text to support your answers,
when necessary.



If you were to create a playlist for your French pen pal, what music would you choose and
why? Name at least three singers and/or bands, and explain why you feel that their music
is so important for a French student to know.
What kind of influence has American music had on the French music scene? Use specific
examples from the text to support your answer.
Your reading argues that multiculturalism has “swept across the music scene, influencing and
expanding tastes.” Do you feel that this is true for the American music scene? Why or why
not?