A fun way to see if students have understood Le Petit Prince and to encourage creativity, is to have create their own “chapitre perdu”. In this activity, students will create a storyboard depicting a lesson of their choice. Ask students to think of their own lesson that they believe is central to life, and demonstrate it through the story of the little prince’s missing adventure to an eighth planet. Students may teach a lesson through satire which criticizes something they find illogical or through the inclusion of a wise character, like the fox, who explicitly teaches the prince an essential truth.
Students will enjoy presenting their stories in bande dessinée form. It won’t matter if their drawing experience is limited to open and closed boa constrictors - let the storyboard graphics do the work!
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Student Instructions
Imagine that the prince actually visited eight planets, but one of them was not included in the original book. It is your job to tell the little prince’s adventure on the eighth planet using storyboards in a bande dessinée format. Read and follow the requirements below carefully.
Letting students make creative decisions about their story's lesson and characters boosts engagement and encourages ownership of learning. Offer topic prompts or allow students to select themes that matter to them for deeper connections.
Demonstrate the storyboarding process by sketching a simple example on the board or projector. This clarifies expectations and inspires students as they map out their own comic panels and speech bubbles.
Encourage brainstorming of key phrases, vocabulary, and verb tenses as a class. This builds language confidence and ensures students use passé composé and imparfait correctly in their comics.
Provide blank comic templates and sentence starters to help all students organize their ideas and begin writing in French. This scaffolding supports language learners and students who need more structure.
Set aside time for students to share their finished comics in pairs or small groups. Guide them to give positive, specific feedback on storytelling and language use, promoting a supportive classroom community.
Encourage creativity by having students imagine a "missing chapter" where the Little Prince visits an eighth planet. Ask them to design a bande dessinée (comic strip) that tells a new story, teaches a life lesson, and uses dialogue and narrative in French. This fosters imaginative thinking and deeper understanding of the text.
A "chapitre perdu" activity asks students to create their own lost chapter of Le Petit Prince. They invent a new planet and story, illustrating the adventure as a storyboard or comic, and teach a central life lesson through the prince's interactions with a new character.
Students imagine the Little Prince's visit to an eighth planet, then draw a storyboard or comic strip showing the adventure. They use images, speech bubbles, and a short narrative under each panel, ensuring their story includes a lesson and uses correct French grammar.
The lesson is up to students to decide! They can choose a theme they believe is important to life—such as friendship, honesty, or critical thinking—and show the Little Prince learning it through dialogue, satire, or a wise character, much like the original book's style.
Assess comics by looking for clear storytelling, thoughtful lessons, accurate use of French (especially passé composé and imparfait), creative visuals, and effective dialogue. Encourage originality and understanding of the book's themes.