This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about Mardi Gras. Back in 2015, I shared My Favorite #Authres (and More!) for Mardi Gras & Carnaval. In 2021, I shared Mardi Gras 2021 in French Class, during the crazy covid year, and then followed it up with Reflections on Our Virtual Mardi Gras Celebration. This year I am sharing an updated curation of resources. Many of them are the same as the ones I’ve shared in the past, but I’ve removed a few I consider no longer useful or relevant, and I’ve added in a few more as well.
I still show the below video to introduce students to Mardi Gras. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video. Although it’s in English and it is a bit dated, it has lots of good information in it and serves as a nice overview of the holiday.
Whenever I show a video that takes place somewhere in the French-speaking world, I also show where it is on a map. You can just mention New Orleans, but most students don’t actually know where it is.
After showing the video, I go on to describe the holiday a little bit in French, demonstrating some of the key vocabulary words (such as médiéval, bouffon, masque, etc.)
I think it’s also important to show students that Carnaval and Mardi Gras are not unique to the francophone world; that this is a holiday celebrated the world over. I show them some of the photos from this gallery that depict Carnival celebrations all over the world. Be aware before you show this that some of the costumes shown in the photos may not be suitable for school. I handpicked beforehand which photos to show. As we look at each photo and see where it was taken, I ask the students whether or not the place is in a French-speaking country.
Because students are often confused about the difference between Carnaval and Mardi Gras, I drew a little timeline that shows the Carnival season, starting with La Fête des Rois (which we also celebrate) and how the excitement builds up to Mardi Gras. The green squiggly line is supposed to represent the level of excitement, culminating on Mardi Gras itself.
Next we travel to Le Robert, Martinique and watch the below video. Students see a different looking celebration than the ones in New Orleans. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.
Finally, we travel to Nice, France and see yet another variation on a Carnaval celebration. Students are usually pretty amused by all the crazy floats in this video. Note: I have chosen to edit out the float of Donald Trump before showing it to my students, given the current political climate. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.
After we travel to all these locations, students are asked to come up with something interesting they learned about Mardi Gras and Carnaval. Below are some past observations students have made.
The next class, students learn about Black History in New Orleans with the below presentation, comprised mainly of my own photos. Email subscribers, click here to view the presentation.
After going through the presentation, students watch the below video about the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.
After watching the video, students are asked to state one thing they learned about Black History in New Orleans. Here are some examples of things they said:
The class before Mardi Gras, students make masks that they can bring to class on Mardi Gras or bring in their own from home. This year, I will be showing the below video to give them some inspiration beforehand. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.
This is the brand of masks I distribute to students. Each student gets a blank mask, an elastic, a feather, and three jewel stickers. Below are some examples of finished masks.
The last piece before our Mardi Gras celebration is learning the lyrics to “Le bal masqué” by la Compagnie Créole. It just wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without some music. I love this song because it’s an authentic francophone song, it’s catchy, and the lyrics are relatively simple and repetitive. It’s not uncommon for me to hear a student singing the song at some point later on in the year! Below is a lyric video (email subscribers, click here to watch the video) and a Just Dance video that students enjoy dancing to (email subscribers, click here to watch the video).
On the day of Mardi Gras (or, if Mardi Gras occurs during February break, the Friday before), students bring in typical Mardi Gras dishes: Kings Cake, beignets, cream puffs, gumbo, jambalaya, and more. As I normally do on days when we have food, a parent volunteer comes into each class to help serve the food. Parents really enjoy the opportunity to come into the middle school, as there are fewer opportunities at this level than when their kids were in elementary school.
Bonus activity! This year, my French Club students decorated mini Kings Cakes after school using Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. I found the idea, not surprisingly, on Pillsbury’s website. I brought in pre-baked cinnamon rolls that I had unrolled and rolled into a circle as per the instructions. Students put icing and purple, green, and gold sugar on them after learning about the importance of the cake. I hid an M&M inside one of the cakes, and the student with that cake got to be king (queen, actually) and got a crown!
Below is a video I showed beforehand. I had to include some background information about Mardi Gras, because not everyone who attends French Club takes French. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.
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