This page from La Cité des Sciences website offers a test to calculate one's carbon footprint. The vocabulary is very approachable, the site first gives a definition in French of "l'empreinte écologique", the next step is the Quiz itself (18 questions, in 4 categories: nourriture, maison, transport and consommatin) which are different depending if a child, a teenager or an adult is taking the quiz. Validate each answer before going on to the next and the end result gives you your score to compare with the French average. You are left to draw your own conclusions, which could lead to a suitable class discussion or to writing an "action plan".
Understanding Radio News Items
The RFI website offers a great range of teaching materials to "comprendre l actualité". Actual radio news items have been used to create online comprehension activities, all of which come with answers: the link takes you to an archives of items which have been developed as resources: all you do is click on the article you select for your class to listen to and work on! It is very topical and it is kept up to date with news as they occur.
This website dedicated to French speaking pre and early teens provides excellent news resources to use from Level 6 and up. News from France and around the world, as well as Culture and Sport are presented and kept up to date. The "Espace Enseignant" suggests workshop activities to exploit these news items in the classroom, as well as a range of topical issues (smoking in public, use of blogs, gender equality...) The language is accessible, and the site easy to navigate.
Les Jeux Olympiques de Pékin, Août 2008