All That Glitters...
The main aim of this blog is to make learning English as interesting as possible. I may be biased, but I think one of the best ways to achieve this is through history, and what more interesting period in history is there than the French Revolution?
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of this period is Versailles, and one of the best ways to present this extraordinary palace, garden and court is through modern technology. CLIL relies heavily on visuals. Students are learning new subjects in a second language. It takes a lot of time, and teachers must build interest and confidence. Visuals, therefore, are key.
So, instead of having students read passages about Versailles, why not just show them? Google Arts and Culture answered this question with their site, "Versailles: The Palace is Yours." Unfortunately, I cannot embed the site here, but I have included the link at the bottom of this post.
Once you click on the link, there is a treasure trove of content here. Students can see how and where Marie Antoinette woke up each morning. They can stroll through the thousands of acres of gardens. Note to teachers: the material also references more adult themes such as Louis XV's mistresses and their official roles at court.
With this content, teachers can pause the virtual tours and ask students to describe what they see using a specific verb tense or comparative adjectives. Alternatively, students could identify symbols of power throughout the videos and discuss what they communicate about absolutism.
Still, as rich as this content is, how do we convey that this life represented less than two percent of the population and was often regarded as a prison sentence in itself? THAT, we will address in our next post. In the meantime, check out the below link and let me know your thoughts. Have you been to Versailles? If so, did you think it was more palace... or prison?
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