UNE VIE DE CHAT avec La Classe Maternelle
Original title: Une vie de chat (A cat in Paris)
Country of origin: France
Year: 2010
Directors: Jean-Loup Felicioli et Alain GagnolLength: 70
mnLanguage: French
Voice cast: Dominique Blanc, Jean Benguigui, Bruno Salomone,
Bernadette Lafont
Genre: Fiction / animation
A Cat in Paris is a completely refreshing and unique throwback
to the traditional form - every cell of the film has been
hand-painted, and its highly stylized, colour-saturated design
looks absolutely gorgeous on the big screen.
Topics related to the film: Adventure - friendship - detective
and robbers - chase - family - mourning - loveCfE 1rst/2nd level
suitable for the transition P7/S1 and for the S1-S3 (the level of
difficulty is noted from the easiest ( to the more challenging
exercises ((()Curriculum subject of areas: French/Literacy/
Expressive arts /PSD/Health and wellbeing
Written by Chlo Millet and Marie-Christine Thibaut, Institut
franais dcosse
What is the film about? Jeanne works as a police officer in
Paris. Since her husband was killed by the gangster Victor Costa,
her daughter Zo has been traumatized and doesnt speak anymore.
Thankfully, Dino the cat is there to comfort her. But he seems to
be leading an exciting double life By day, he lives with Zo, by
night, he works with Nico, a burglar with a big heart. One day,
Dino brings Zo a very valuable bracelet. Lucas, Jeannes
second-in-command, notices this bracelet is part of a jewellery
collection that has been stolen. One night, Zo decides to follow
Dino. On the way, she overhears some gangsters and discovers that
her nanny is part of the gangsters team. They try to capture the
little girl in a thrilling chase around Paris rooftops
BEFORE THE FILM / AVANT LE FILM
I work on my own and with others to understand text using
appropriate resources, demonstrating my understanding by matching
written words to pictures and by reconstructing the text in a
logical sequence, for example. MLAN 2-08a
Having explored the elements which writers use in different
genres, I can use what I learn to create stories, poems and plays
with an interesting and appropriate structure, interesting
characters and/or settings which come to life. ENG 2-31a
I am learning to use language and style in a way which engages
and/or influences my reader.
ENG 2-27 a
(( Le commissaire de police mne lenqute.The teacher shows the
following characters on the smartboard.
((the name of the characters as well as the mention au cinma le
15 dcembre must be erased))Your mission is to find out which one of
these characters has stolen a diamond bracelet in the museum last
night. a. Look at the pictures of the characters. According to you,
which one seems to be the thief? Why?Write her/his name on a sheet
of paper and the reason why you think she or he might be the
thief.
b. Work in pairsOne of you is a police officer. You have to
choose one of the attributes of a French police officer and wear it
throughout the game. You can write on a computer the word POLICE
like on the pictures below and print it.
Linsigne de la policeLe brassard de la policeLa casquette de la
police
The other player is the only eye witness who saw how the thief
looks like. The police officer asks 5 questions in order to find
out who the witness saw last night. He fills in the profile sheet
of the character he suspects to be the thief.
Un de ces personnages a vol des bijoux dans un muse. Tu as vu le
voleur. Le commissaire de police te pose 5 questions et doit
deviner qui est le voleur.
Complte avec laide du tmoin la fiche didentit du voleur.
((the writing must be erased))
Fiche didentit du voleur
Le sexe( un homme( une femme
Lgeenviron ans
Le physique
Les cheveux
Signes particuliers
Le suspect, cest .
Your classmate (the eye witness) verifies if your answer is
right or wrong. Here is a little help to assist you in
accomplishing your mission.Le physiqueLes cheveuxLes vtementsLes
couleurs
Grand(e)
Petit
Gros (grosse)
Mince
Blond/blonde
Roux /rousse
Brun / brune
Long = court
fris
chauve
Une queue de cheval
Un chignon
Un tee-shirt
Un pantalon
Une jupe
Un costume
Une veste
Un pull
Une chemise
Un sac
Une cravate
Gris/grise
Rose
Jaune
Violet / violette
Noir / noire
Orange
Vert / verte
Bleu/bleue
Blanc / blanche
Marron
rayures
Etre ..Etre .
Avoir .Avoir .
Porter .
IQUEc. Did you (as the police officer) think of the same
suspect?
If not, describe in 5 sentences who you suspected to have stolen
the jewels last night without saying his/her name. Your team must
guess who have in mind.
Tu es le commissaire de police et tu dcris en 5 phrases ton
suspect numro 1. Ton quipe doit deviner qui tu suspectes davoir vol
les bijoux.
(( Qui suis-je?
Look at the pictures of the characters below. Each character has
a corresponding letter.
ABCDEFGHI
Folimage
Read the following sentences. Write down in the first column the
letter corresponding to the character and its description. Finally,
write down the names of the characters underneath each
picture.Salut, je mappelle Dino. Le jour, je joue avec Zo. La nuit,
jaccompagne Nico sur les toits.
Je suis petit et gros. Je suis le gangster que la police
recherche: jai tu le papa de Zo. Je veux absolument avoir le
colosse de Nairobi, une statue africaine de trs grande valeur.
Moi, cest Zo. Jai 8 ans. Jai un chat noir. Il sappelle Dino. Ma
maman travaille la police. Mon papa est mort. Il a t tu par Victor
Costa et sa bande de gangsters.
Je mappelle Nico. La nuit, je monte sur les toits des maisons.
Je passe par les fentres, jentre dans les maisons et je prends
largent et les bijoux.
Nous, on fait partie de la bande de gangsters. On a chacun un
surnom: M. Grenouille, M. Patate, M. Bb, M. Hulot. On aide Costa
kidnapper Zo.
Je suis Jeanne. Jai une petite fille, Zo. Je suis commissaire de
police. Mon mari, policier lui aussi, a t tu par lennemi public
numro 1: Victor Costa. Avec mon collgue Lucas, on veut arrter Costa
et sa bande. de gangsters.
Je mappelle Claudine. Je suis grande et brune. Je suis lgante.
Jaime le parfum. Je suis la nounou de Zo, mais je travaille aussi
pour Victor Costa.
Et moi, cest Rufus. Je dteste les chats et les voleurs!
Je mappelle Lucas et je suis policier. Je travaille avec Jeanne
et en ce moment, jenqute sur le casse de la rue Mouffetard et de
mystrieuses empreintes de pattes de chat.
( Une vie de chat (literally a cats life but translated as A Cat
in Paris) is the title of the film you will see next with your
class.
In small groups, describe what cats are usually doing day and
night. Make up a spider diagram with the word UN CHAT in the
middle. Think of all the words and phrases that might be associated
with this word.
(( Creative writing: Write a short story using some of the
following characters:
Zo, Dino, Claudine, Costa, Nico, Rufus, Jeanne. Choose who is
the main character of your story, the location and the main
actions. You can illustrate your story. Once pupils have seen the
film they can discuss how close their version of the story is to
the real one.
( Look at the poster of the film.The teacher shows the French
poster of the film on the smartboard.Brainstorming in English (or
partly in French for more advanced levels) during 15-20 mins in
total, preparation in small groups for 5-10 mins then discussion
around the film title and the poster.Work in small groups. After
looking at the poster of the film, give your first impressions.
Write down information/key words throughout the brainstorming.Here
are some questions to help you. some piece of evidence for your
statement.
a. Who do you see on this poster?
b. Who is the main character?
c. When does the scene take place? d. What impression do you
have? Is it scary? Threatening? Mysterious? Why?
e. In which country / city does the cat live? Find out some
evidence.
Voil quelques questions pour taider. Trouve des preuves.
( Qui vois-tu sur laffiche du film?
( Qui est le personnage principal?
( Quand est-ce que la scne a lieu?
( Quelles impressions as-tu? Est-ce que a fait peur? Est-ce que
cest menaant? Mystrieux? Pourquoi?
( Dans quel pays/ dans quelle ville est-ce que le chat vit?
Trouve une preuve.
( Look now at the English version of the poster and compare it
with the French one. Find out the differences.
a. What characters appear on the front cover on the English
poster?
b. Compare the French and the English title. Why do you think
that the English title is different from the French one?
c. Which one sounds more appealing to you? Why?
d. Which version of the poster do you like best? Why?
e. What do you imagine the story is going to be about?
f. Make a list of possible themes and key words related to the
film.
h. What type of film do you think it might be? Why?
(( Regarde et compare laffiche franaise et laffiche anglaise du
film. Trouve les diffrences. Voil quelques questions pour
taider.
( Quels sont les 4 personnages qui apparaissent sur laffiche
anglaise?
( Compare le titre franais et le titre anglais du film. Pourquoi
sont-ils diffrents?
( Quel titre te semble le plus accrocheur? Pourquoi?
( Quelle version de laffiche (anglaise ou franaise) prfres-tu?
Pourquoi?
( Imagine, en quelques phrases, lhistoire du film.
( Fais une liste de thmes et de mots-cls lis au film. ( De quel
genre de film sagit-il daprs toi?
( un film dhorreur ( une comdie ( un film policier ( un film
damour(( Work on the trailer of Une vie de chat.Listen to the
trailer of the film without watching the pictures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7e07c52VWgPay particular attention
to the background noises you hear. Here is a list of possible
answers. Tick the right ones.(MIAOU: un chat qui miaule( Le bruit
du tonnerre
( Un homme qui crie A laide!( SMACK: un bruit de bisou
( Floc floc: le bruit de la pluie( Ae: une femme qui a mal
( PANPAN: le bruit dun pistolet( Hi, hi, hi: une petite fille
qui rit
( Le bruit dune alarme( Cocorico! Un coq qui chante
( OUAF! OUAF! Un chien qui aboie( Le bruit de la sirne de la
police
( Work in smalls groups. Read the questions before and answer
them after the screening of the trailer. Each group prepares 5 more
questions related to the trailer and ask them to the other
groups.
( Que volent Nico et Dino au muse?( Quest-ce qui est crit en
rouge sur une des maisons?( Qui est mort?
( Quels instruments de musique entend-on?
( la clarinette ( le violon ( le piano ( la flte ( le saxophone
( la guitare ( la trompette ( Quels sont les animaux que tu vois
dans la bande annonce?
( un chat ( un gorille ( des girafes ( un poisson ( des lphants
( un chien ( un zbreHere a little help before the screening of the
the trailer
Un/une commissaire de police a (male/female) police officer
Voler qqch to steal - Un voleur a thief un vol: a theftUn casse
a break-in
Des bijoux: jewels
Une poursuite - a chase poursuivre qn: to chase Les toits de
Paris the roof tops of Paris
Tu as donn ta langue au chat? Cat got your tongue?
Mener une double vie to lead a double life
After the film / Aprs le filmI can read and demonstrate
understanding of words, signs, phrases and simple texts containing
mainly familiar language. MLAN 2-08b
I can understand how a bilingual dictionary works and use it
with support. MLAN 2-11a
I am aware of and able to express my feelings and am developing
the ability to talk about them.HWB 2-01a
When I engage with others, I can respond in ways appropriate to
my role, show that I value others contributions and use these to
build on thinking. LIT 2-02a
( Vrai ou faux?
Read the following statements about the film. Decide wether they
are true or false.
Correct the statements when false.
VraiFaux
( Dino le chat a une double vie.
( Il passe ses nuits chez une petite fille, Zo, et ses journes
chez un voleur, Nico.
( Dino aime le parfum de Claudine, la femme de mnage de
Jeanne.
( La nuit, Nico vole de largent, des bijoux et des uvres
dart.
( Le pre de Zo a t tu par un gangster.
( Ce gangster, Victor Costa, a lintention de voler le Colosse
dAlexandrie.
( Claudine connat bien Victor Costa.
( Zo surprend les gangsters et cest Nico qui vient la
sauver.
( Jeanne pense que Nico a kidnapp sa fille.
( Les gangsters russissent senfuir.
((Tout est bien qui finit bien: Jeanne, Nico, Zo et Dino se
retrouvent en famille.
(( Qui est-ce?Material: the pictures of the main characters of
the film
Teams of 3 or 4 pupils, all of them have a copy of the 8
pictures as a reminder and the card representing one of these
characters that the other teams will have to guess.
Each team must guess what the other teams cards are by asking
questions to one of the teams, in turn.
The first 3 questions have to be yes or no type of questions,
then open-ended questions are possible but of course nothing too
precise like who is it? otherwise its too easy. A list of questions
is provided (see below) but the pupils can add more (they should
have 5 mins of preparation in this case).
Est-ce que cest:- un garon -une fille - un homme -une femme?
Est-ce que ce personnage est jeune - g?
Est-ce quil sagit - dun animal - dune personne?
Est-ce que cest un personnage - gentil - mchant courageux -
dangereux? Etc. And eventually when they have guessed: Est-ce que
cest ? until all cards have been guessed.
( Qui parle qui?
Work in pairs. Read the following sentences and decide who is
speaking to
whom.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tu
es en retard ce soir, jallais partir sans toi, mon vieux! =>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Je
sais qui tu penses, je ne connais pas de chose plus triste que
davoir perdu son papa. Nous devons continuer vivre sans lui.
=>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tu
me fais confiance ? Alors tu vas taccrocher trs fort mon dos.
=>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ils
lont kidnappe !
=>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tu
vas me lcher sale bte =>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alors,
tas du nouveau pour moi, ma jolie ?
=>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cest
celui qui a tir sur ton papa. Tu sais, bientt je lattraperai, a je
te le promets.
=>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ah,
vous tes l ! Avec tout a, on na mme pas eu le temps de discuter. Je
mappelle Nico, tu ne veux pas me parler ? Tas donn ta langue au
chat ?
=>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------((
Quiz about the film
On this website you find 15 questions in French about the film
with some scenes from the film.
http://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/travaillerLeFilmEnClasseQuizz.phpHere
are some other tricky questions ...
Work in groups and find out the most answers in 10 mn time.
( Quels animaux est-ce que Dino chasse au dbut et la fin du
film?
( Que donne Dino Zo comme cadeau?
( Quel indice est-ce que la police a trouv au muse?
( Quel est le nom de code de Victor Costa?
( Qui donne Lucas des informations sur ladresse du chat?
( Dino et Nico ont un point commun la nuit. Lequel?
( Zo et Dino ont un point commun au dbut du film. Lequel?
( Quel est le plat prfr de Victor Costa?
( Comment est-ce que Costa sait que Zo est alle se cacher au
zoo?
( Comment est-ce que Dino retrouve la trace des gangsters qui
ont kidnapp Zo?(( Quel est cet animal contre lequel se bat
Jeanne?
A qui ressemble cet animal? Quest-ce quil symbolise?
(( Quel objet dart est-ce que Costa essaie de voler?
Pourquoi?
(( Quest-ce que Nico offre Jeanne pour Nol?
( Es-tu un bon observateur?Find the four animals hidden on this
picture.
Folimage( Lets play Taboo: Guess the character
Pupils will be given a card of the character of the film.
In groups, make up a spider diagram with the name of the
character in the middle and find out verbs and adjectives that may
be associated with it.
Then describe that character without using its name (it is taboo
to pronounce it). The other group have to guess who the character
is. You can use a bilingual dictionary as support.
( Vocabulary race
Work in teams. Find in 5 minutes time the most words for the
tools which appear on this picture.
((( Creative writing
Zo writes a letter to a friend to tell her/him about what
happened and explains the new changes in her life after this
adventure. Use the imperfect tense to describe life before
discovering Dinos double life, the encounter with the gangsters and
Nico, and the present tense to describe life as it is now.
( Match each character with the description which suits.
Dino
ZoVictor Costa
Rufus
Nico
Jeanne
Claudinese met facilement en colre
est trs sensible.
est coquette et adore le parfum.
a horreur des lzards morts.
aboie quand il voit passer Nico et Dino.
veut absolument arrter Costa.
se sent seul.
ternue cause du parfum de Claudine.
a perdu son papa.
( Circle timea. Discuss in class what Dino looks like, how he
acts and why he is in some way like other cats or not. b. Discuss
with others the evolution of Zos character in the film.
a. How does Zo feel at the beginning of the film. Why?
Who gave her some comfort? How is her relationship with her
mother?
b. Recall when Zo laughes for the first time in the film.
c. Which word does Zo try to pronounce for the first time?
Describe the situation when she uses this word. What did she want
to express?
d. In which situation does she pronounce Mamaaaaan! for the
second time?
e. How does Zo feel at the end of the film?
( Expressive arts
a. What is Zo drawing?
b. How do you find the graphic work of the film? b. Are you
interested in discovering how the animated scenes are
created?http://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/expositionsEtapesAnimation.phphttp://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/coulissesLayOut.phphttp://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/coulissesAnimatique.php
c. ( Handwork: Fais ton
flipbookhttp://www.uneviedechat-lefilm.fr/doc/flipbook-une_vie_de_chat.pdfd.
Do you remember which technique the drawer uses to make the scene
during the power cut in the cellar more expressive? e. Are you
interested in discovering how the soundtrack is created?
http://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/coulissesMusique.php La musique
cest comme une recette de cuisine, on y met lun aprs lautres des
ingrdients, cest dire diffrents instruments de musique.
(( Have a look at the map of Paris.
source: http://vroum52.com/parisvisite.htmlFind the following
buildings on the map.
( La grande Arche ( Le Sacr cur( La Tour Eiffel
( LArc de triomphe ( Notre Dame ( Le muse du Louvre( Now look at
the photos and find out the names of these well known
buildings.
A
B
C
D
E
F A: Cest ..
B: Cest ..C: Cest ..D: Cest ..
E: Cest ..
F: Cest ..
( Which buildings do you recognise on this setting?
( Use the Internet and do a little bit of research to discover
on which building in Paris the fight between Costa and Nico
happened. Extract some key information from the text to find out
the name of the building by using google research.
( ( Handwork: Construis ta tour EiffelVisit following links and
print the draft of the Eiffel Tower.
http://www.mescoloriages.com/chiffres-et-formes/coloriages,decoupages/tour-eiffel-2.gif.shtmlhttp://www.mescoloriages.com/chiffres-et-formes/coloriages,decoupages/tour-eiffel-3.gif.shtmlhttp://www.mescoloriages.com/chiffres-et-formes/coloriages,decoupages/tour-eiffel-4.gif.shtmlhttp://www.mescoloriages.com/chiffres-et-formes/coloriages,decoupages/tour-eiffel-5.gif.shtmlhttp://www.mescoloriages.com/chiffres-et-formes/coloriages,decoupages/tour-eiffel-6.gif.shtml((
Avez-vous aim ce film?Sondage: demandez 4 camarades de classe ce
quils ont prfr dans ce film.Prnoms =>moi
Quel personnage prfrez-vous? Pourquoi?
Quelle scne du film prfrez-vous? Pourquoi?
Aimez-vous la musique? Aimez-vous le style du film?
Quelle scne du film changeriez-vous? Est-ce que la fin vous
plat?
Est-ce que vous recommanderiez ce film un ami/ une amie?
Helpful websitesOfficial website of Une vie de
chatwww.uneviedechat-lefilm.frPresskit in English and in French
http://en.unifrance.org/movie/29898/a-cat-in-paris/press-papersTrailer
of the film Une vie de chat with English subtitles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7e07c52VWgFrench Poster of the
film
http://www.traileraddict.com/poster/a-cat-in-parisEnglish poster
of the film A cat in Paris
http://www.nzcinema.co.nz/movies/NZFF-2011-A-Cat-in-Paris-5255.phpActivities
in French for the class
http://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/index.phpQuiz pour la
classe
http://uneviedechat.crdp-lyon.fr/travaillerLeFilmEnClasseQuizz.phpOther
films with suggestions of activities for the French classroom on
www.ifecosse.org.uk (rubrique Education). The Institut franais
dEcosse holds a number of films on DVD (in French with English
subtitles) suitable for Secondary schools. Contact:
[email protected]!
Il miaule.
UN CHAT
Ron ron ron.
Il .
Il...
( Je suis ne en 1163 sur lle de la cit en plein coeur de Paris,
sur les bords de la Seine.
( Je suis en style gothique.
( Mes deux tours font 69 mtres de hauteur.
( Cest dans mes murs que Napolon a t couronn empereur en
1802.
( Victor Hugo ma rendue clbre dans un roman paru en 1831 avec le
bossu Quasimodo et une tzigane nomme Esmeralda. Plus tard, un music
hall a port mon nom.
( Sur mon toit, il y a des animaux bizarres qui font peur. Ce
sont des gargouilles qui servent transporter leau de pluie qui
tombe sur mon toit.
As-tu trouv qui je suis?
