One of the central elements of Le Petit Prince is the rich thematic wisdom. Students can readily identify many of these themes, in part because several of them are explicitly stated by the prince, the fox, and the narrator. In this activity, students will explore themes in the story and create a storyboard to illustrate each one. Students should be encouraged to share their understanding with the class.
Vary this activity by requiring that students find themes stated explicitly in textual quotations or allowing them to express any theme that they interpret. To give students the opportunity for more personal expression, ask students to include a cell depicting the way each theme applies to their own lives.
Ce qui fait leur beauté est invisible. La beauté se trouve à l'intérieur.
La sable rayonne parce qu’il y a un puit sous la surface. La cause de sa beauté est invisible.
Les yeux sont aveugles. Il faut chercher avec le coeur.
Même si les roses paraissent toutes semblables aux yeux, le petit prince sait que sa rose est différente des autres puisque c’est elle qu’il a arrosée, mise sous globe, et écoutée se plaindre et se vanter.
On ne connaît que les choses que l’on apprivoise.
Il faut l'intérêt, le temps, et le dévouement pour vraiment connaître quelqu’un. “Apprivoiser”, c’est un mot qui veut dire “devenir ami” dans ce livre.
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Student Instructions
Illustrate your understanding of three central themes in Le Petit Prince.
Select key quotations from the story that highlight major themes and display them for students. This helps students connect textual evidence with abstract ideas.
Ask students to restate each theme using their own language. This ensures understanding and personal connection.
Prompt students to reflect on how each theme relates to their own lives. Sharing personal stories deepens engagement and empathy.
Organize students into small groups to brainstorm real-world situations that illustrate each theme. This promotes collaborative thinking and application beyond the text.
Create a bulletin board or digital collage showcasing student interpretations and illustrations. This celebrates diverse perspectives and reinforces theme comprehension.
Le Petit Prince explores themes such as the importance of seeing with the heart, the value of friendship, the nature of love and loss, and the idea that what is truly essential is invisible to the eye.
Students can identify themes by looking for key quotes and recurring ideas in the story. To illustrate them, they can create storyboards that depict scenes, symbols, or moments reflecting each theme, and describe how these relate to their own lives.
This phrase means that true understanding and appreciation come from emotional connection and empathy, rather than just outward appearances or logic.
Friendship is key because the story shows that building connections requires time, effort, and care. Through the prince’s relationship with the fox, students learn that taming and being tamed leads to meaningful relationships.
Activities like personal storyboards, group discussions, and using textual quotes allow students to reflect on how the book’s themes—such as love, friendship, and inner beauty—relate to their everyday experiences.