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I. Présentation du livre
A. L’histoire
Tibili is a young African boy, 6 years old, who loves to spend his day laughing and
having fun. Then, when his mother mentions school, it’s a catastrophe! Tibili
doesn’t want to go…
Centered around the theme of fear and avoidance of what is unknown or
unfamiliar, Tibili is a work that invites children to seek knowledge and to remain
open to new experiences.
B. Les Auteurs
Marie Léonard et Andrée Prigent
C. Le thème : la peur de l’inconnu et de la différence
Tibili does not want to go to school because he prefers to spend his time playing
outside instead of facing a “tableau noir…triste, triste, comme l’ennui.” He
doesn’t think he needs to learn to write, and prefers to “read” like his
grandfather did: “pas sur du papier, mais dans le ciel…où le soleil chante le jour
et où la lune danse la nuit.”
However, in the end, Tibili realizes that he needs to conquer his fear of the
unknown or unfamiliar in order to be open to all of the wonderful possibilities
that the world has to offer him.
II. Découvrir l’album : Introductory Exercises
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(hide the title of the book for your students’ first look at the book cover)
A.) Qui est-ce que vous voyez ?
C’est un garçon.
Quels vêtements porte ce petit garçon? Et vous, qu’est-ce que vous
portez aujourd’hui ? Est-ce que vos vêtements sont similaires à
ceux du petit garçon ?
Pouvez-vous deviner ses émotions ? Est-ce qu’il sourit ou pas ? A
votre avis, est-ce un garçon heureux ? triste ? calme ? énergique ?
espiègle ?
Pourquoi est-ce qu’il fait cette tête ? Et vous ? Est-ce que vous
faites cette tête parfois aussi ? Et pourquoi ?
Now show your students the title of the book : « Tibili, le petit garçon qui ne
voulait pas aller à l’école », and help students anticipate what the story will be
about:
A votre avis…
- Qui est Tibili?
- Quel âge a-t-il ? (Devinez!)
- Où est-ce qu’il habite ? Aux Etats-Unis ? En France ? Ou
ailleurs?
- Pourquoi ne veut-il aller à l’école ?
Et vous?
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Est-ce que vous voulez toujours aller à l’école ? Est-ce que
vous préférez rester chez vous quelquefois ?
B.) Nous voyons aussi….
- Les couleurs/les formes : des feuilles, une étoile, des triangles,
des rayons, un rectangle…
- Les membres du corps : les cheveux, la peau, les lèvres, les bras,
les jambes…
* Reinforce the idea of masculine, feminine, and plural nouns
by creating a chart :
masculin
pluriel
féminin
un triangle
des rayons
une étoile
un rectangle
des lettres
une feuille
- Les couleurs : noir, brun, rouge, jaune, orange, bleu, blanc…
* Reinforce the idea of adjective agreement by listing the
masculine, feminine, and plural forms of these colors :
masculin
pluriel
féminin
noir
noirs/noires
noire
brun
bruns/brunes
brune
rouge
rouge
rouges *
blanc
blanche
blancs/blanches **
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(etc.)
*make sure students notice that with adjectives that end in an “e”, like rouge, jaune, and
orange, the masculine and feminine forms
are identical in both singular and plural forms.
** point out that “blanc” is an example of an adjective with an irregular feminine form
Now help your students combine nouns and adjectives, with the appropriate
number and gender, to describe what they see:
Je vois…
un triangle orange
les feuilles bleues et rouges
les cheveux noirs
le sol orange
des rayons rouges
une étoile blanche
C.) JEUX : « Dans la salle de classe, je vois… »
Encourage your students to make connections between their own surroundings
and what they see in this picture of Tibili.
Professeur : Dans cette image, Tibili porte un tee shirt rouge et blanc. Dans la
classe, je vois quelque chose de rouge… (students will then have to find
something red and guess what it is that you are thinking of)
-
la lampe est rouge.
le cahier est rouge.
le pull de Patrick est rouge. (etc.)
D.) Impressions du livre:
Now that your students have described the shapes and colors on the cover, help
them describe their impression of the book, according to the cover image: Est-
ce un livre sérieux ou drôle?
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III. Lisons!
Commençons à lire l’histoire…
Guide your students through the story by breaking it down into segments and
focusing on key ideas and vocabulary.
A. Questions de compréhension
Pages 1-4 : Présentation de Tibili
1.) Quel âge a Tibili ?
Il a six ans.
Before reading the text, your students had to guess Tibili’s age. Did anyone
guess correctly?
2.) Qu’est-ce que Tibili aime faire?
3.) Qui est Kablé ? Qu’est-ce que Tibili fait pour elle ?
Questions de vocabulaire
1.) In these first four pages of the book, what is your first impression of Tibili ?
Est-il…
actif ou paresseux?
drôle ou sérieux ?
content ou triste ?
Have your students give “le contraire” of each adjective:
actif ≠ paresseux
drôle ≠ sérieux
content ≠ triste
2.) Kablé is described as « coquette ». According to the context, what do you
think « coquette » means?
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3.) On page 4, the adjective “petit” is used twice: « les petites tresses » and
« les petits doigts ». Why do we see this adjective in two different forms ?
(Stress number/gender)
Questions de grammaire
1.) On page one, we learn that Tibili is “un petit bonhomme qui rit du matin au
soir.” When writing in French, when do we use « du » and « au »? (stress the
idea of contractions, de + le/les, à + le/les)
2.) On page two, we see 4 different verbs used to describe Tibili’s actions.
Which verbs are used, and how are they conjugated? (follow up with having
students also identify the infinitive form of each verb)
rirait conditionnel (rire)
tombait imparfait (tomber)
court, joue présent (courir, jouer)
3.) You’ll notice that there is no text on page 3. Looking at the picture, write a
sentence in French that describes what Tibili is doing.
4.) Page 4, we learn that Tibili loves to laugh all day, and that “il ne s’arrête
guère que pour manger ou pour faire les petites tresses de sa soeur…”
a.) What does the verb « arrêter » mean ? How does the meaning change
with “s’arrêter”? (key grammar point: reflexive verbs)
b.) What is your understanding of “ne…guère”? How is it different from
“ne…pas”?
Pages 5-8: Tibili ne veut pas aller à l’école !
Questions de compréhension
1.) Pourquoi est-ce que Tibili s’arrête enfin de rire ?
2.) Qui a donné ces mauvaises nouvelles à Tibili ?
3.) Quand est-ce que Tibili va commencer ses cours ?
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Questions de vocabulaire
1.) On page 5, we see the verb « apprendre ». What does “apprendre” mean?
(note: two meanings: to learn AND to teach).
2.) On page 7, we see the verb “rester”. What does “rester” mean? (this is a
great opportunity to bring up the idea of a false cognate, or un faux ami : a
French word that looks similar to an English word, but does not have the same
meaning.)
3.) Also on page 7, we learn that Tibili does not wish to remain “enfermé dans la
salle de classe.” What is your understanding of the word “enfermé”? Can you
name a word in French that means the opposite of “enfermé”?
4.) Tibili describes the blackboard as “triste, triste, comme l’ennui.” “Ennui” is
an example of a noun. Can you think of an adjective that has “ennui” as a root?
Questions de grammaire
1.) On page 6, we read: « Tibili ne veut pas aller à l’école. » Can you identify the
verb in this sentence? What does this verb mean, exactly? Conjugate the verb
by filling in the chart:
Infinitive: ________________
Je
Nous
Tu
Vous
Il/Elle/On
Ils/Elles
* point out that vouloir is an example of a stem-change verb : the nous and
vous forms take the same root as the infinitive, while there is a spell change
with je/tu/il/ils, etc.
* you can also mention that stem-change verbs are “boot” verbs: if you draw a
line around all the subject pronouns that have a change of spelling, it looks like a
little boot!
2.) In these pages, Tibili is thinking about the things that he needs (or doesn’t
need) to do. Think of some things that you need to do today, and give some
examples:
Exp. Aujourd’hui, j’ai besoin de faire mes devoirs.
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Pages 9-12 : Les préférences de Tibili
Comment est-ce que Tibili préfère « lire » ?
1.) Dans ces pages, on apprend comment Tibili préfère « lire ». Donnez quelques
exemples de la façon dont Tibili aime « lire », et illustrez vos exemples avec de
petits dessins :
Exp. Tibili préfère lire dans le ciel.
(student draws picture of the sky)
2.) On page 10, we see how Tibili reads « sur la terre rouge de la piste où mille
bêtes de toutes les couleurs vont et viennent, dans tous les sens, sans être
obligées d’aller à l’école. »
a. Is red a color that you typically associate with “la terre”? (as a
homework or group assignment, have students do a bit of research on
African red soil: why is it red? Where in Africa is it found? Is it found in
any other parts of the world?)
b. Regardez les animaux que Tibili est en train de regarder. Pouvez-vous
les tous identifier ?
___________
_______________
_________________
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______________
________________
_____________
c. Quels autres animaux est-ce que Tibili pourrait voir parmi ce groupe cidessus ? Donnez des exemples, et illustrez-les avec vos propres
images.
d. Et vous ? Quels animaux est-ce que vous voyez quand vous jouez
dehors ? Voyez-vous les mêmes animaux que Tibili? Faites une liste
des différents animaux que vous voyez dans votre jardin, ou dans votre
quartier.
3.) Indoor Activities v. Outdoor Activities:
A.) With your students, brainstorm on different indoor and outdoor
activities:
Exp.
Indoor:
jouer aux échecs/dames
Outdoor :
se baigner dans la mer
les jeux vidéos
bicyclette, à vélo…)
faire une promenade (à
les livres de coloriage
football/volley/tennis…
jouer au
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B.) Tibili loves to play outside. Make a list of outdoor activities that Tibili
enjoys doing.
Tibili aime…
-lire dans le ciel
-regarder les animaux/la terre/les couleurs
-rêver sur la plage
- pêcher
- enfourcher des gazelles
- se balancer avec des singes
C. What about you? Are there activities that you like to do indoors, or do
you also like to play outside? Make two lists: one of outdoor activities,
one of indoor activities. Do you like to do the same things as Tibili?
Outdoor Activities
Faire une promenade (à pied, à bicyclette…)
Indoor Activities
Jouer aux jeux vidéo
Jouer aux
échecs/dames
4. On page 11, we see a description of activities that Tibili likes to do instead of
going to school. With your classmates, create a poster illustrating each of these
activities.
5. On page 12, we learn that Tibili prefers to wear « son beau pagne, rouge
comme un flamboyant, pour revêtir un uniforme d’une couleur si terne, que s’il
s’étendait sur la plage, on pourrait le confondre avec du sable et lui marcher
dessus. »
Here, it is clear that Tibili prefers wearing bright colors over dull colors.
Make a list of colors that you think he would like to wear and would not
like to wear, knowing this information :
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Les couleurs claires
Les couleurs ternes
Vert, rouge, etc...
gris, noir, beige...
Pages 13- 15 : Tibili est triste...
1.) La rentrée des classes approche, et Tibili est triste « comme les buffles
maigres que les Peuhls mènent aux champs. » Selon le contexte, qu’est-ce que
c’est qu’un « Peuhl » ? (try to get students to associate a « Peuhl » with the idea
of a « berger » in class, then have them look up more information on les Peuhls
as a classroom/homework assignment).
P. 16-19 Tibili commence à chercher des conseils.
Questions de compréhension
1.) Who are Pi-ou and Koumi ? What does Tibili ask them ?
2.) What solutions do Pi-ou and Koumi suggest to Tibili ? Does Tibili think these
are good suggestions ? Why or why not ?
3.) What does Tibili think of Koumi’s suggestion, in particular ?
Questions de vocabulaire
1.) What type of tree does Piou suggest Tibili hide in ? Have you ever heard of
this type of tree before ? Where in the world do these types of trees grow ?
2.) On page 18, we see that Koumi « médite sur sa branche. » What does
« méditer » mean ? Can you think of some synonyms in French for the word
« méditer ? » Can you name some actions that would mean the opposite of
« méditer » ?
3.) We know that Koumi likes to rest on « la branche » of his tree. Can you name
any other parts of a tree ? Draw a tree and label each part (le tronc, les
feuilles, les racines, etc..)
Questions de grammaire
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1.) Tibili is thinking about what he is going to do (or not going to do). In these
pages, we see verbs in the future tense. Name some examples.
2.) In these pages, we see examples of reflexive verbs. Can you find them ?
3.)On page 19, Koumi suggests Tibili pretend that he has a stomachache, using
« avoir mal ». Create a list of other excuses that Tibili could come up with, using
the expression « avoir mal » :
J’ai mal aux dents !
J’ai mal aux pieds
J’ai mal à la tête....
P. 20-21 : Les conseils de Crope
Questions de compréhension
1.) Qui est Crope ? Quels conseils donne-t-il à Tibili ?
2.) Où se trouve le « coffret du savoir » ?
3.) Crope dit à Tibili qu’il prendra le coffret « avec précaution ». Pourquoi, à ton
avis, est-ce que Crope suggère que Tibili soit prudent en ouvrant le coffret ?
P. 22-26 : Le coffret du savoir
Questions de compréhension
1.) Qui est Kut-Kut ? Qu’est-ce qu’il demande à Tibili ?
2.) Qu’est-ce qu’il faut faire pour ouvrir le coffret du savoir ?
3.) Pourquoi est-ce que Tibili n’arrive pas à l’ouvrir ?
4.) Quelle est la réaction de Kut-Kut après avoir entendu ces nouvelles ?
Questions de vocabulaire
1.) What is a « marigot » ?
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2.) We’ve already seen a « fromager » in this book, and in these pages, we are
introduced to two other types of trees. What are they ? (have students look up
the three types of trees they’ve seen so far, and create descriptions.)
P. 28-29 : Conclusion de Tibili
Questions de compréhension
1.) What does Tibili do after Kut-Kut reacts in this way?
2.) Why, in your opinion, does Tibili make the decision that he does at the end of
the book?
Discussion topics
Après la lecture: Post-reading discussion topics
1.) Tibili initially didn’t want to go to school because he was afraid of leaving his
typical daily activities. Have you ever been afraid to do something because it
was unfamiliar? What was it that you were afraid to do? How did you conquer
this fear, and what were the results?
2.) Kut-Kut’s reaction obviously made a big impression on Tibili. How do you think
Tibili felt when Kut-Kut laughed at him for not being able to read? Has there
ever been a situation in your life where you felt bad when someone pointed out
something that you couldn’t do?
3.) Think of all the animals mentioned in this book (lézard…le
pintade…l’araignée…) Would you be surprised if you encountered any of these
animals walking around your yard or neighbourhood? Would you be scared? (Try
to stress that Tibili doesn’t seem surprised or afraid of these animals, because
he seems pretty familiar with them. What animals are your students afraid of?
Compare/contrast these fears with those of Tibili…arriving at the conclusion
that we are afraid of things that we don’t know very much about).
4.) Do you ever try to make excuses to avoid going to school? Give some
examples.
Post-discussion activities:
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1.) Below you will see a list of events that happened in the story, but they are
out of order. Put the events in order by numbering each one:
_____ Tibili devient très triste après qu’il apprenne les nouvelles de sa mère.
_____ Tibili ne peut pas ouvrir le coffret du savoir.
_____ Kut-Kut se moque de Tibili.
_____ Tibili cherche des conseils de Pi-ou.
_____ Pi-ou suggère que Tibili se cache dans un fromager.
_____ Tibili demande à Koumi ce qu’il peut faire pour éviter l’école.
_____ Koumi suggère que Tibili fasse semblant d’avoir mal au ventre le jour
d’aller à l’école.
_____ Tibili trouve le coffret du savoir et essaye de l’ouvrir.
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Tibili aime rire toute la journée.
_____ Kut-Kut explique qu’il faut lire la plaque pour ouvrir le coffret.
_____ Tibili avoue qu’il ne sait pas lire.
_____ Tibili décide qu’il veut aller à l’école.
_____ Crope parle à Tibili du coffret du savoir.
_____ Un jour, la maman de Tibili lui dit qu’il doit aller à l’école.
2.) Think about the ending of the story. How would it have changed if:
-
Tibili had never found out about the “coffret du savoir”?
or
-
Kut-Kut had read the instructions for Tibili, instead of laughing at
him?
Re-write the story, creating your own ending using one of these changes. Would
the end result have been positive or negative, in your opinion?
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3.) At the beginning of the story, we meet Kablé, Tibili’s sister, and we see his
mother at the very end. Imagine what the rest of Tibili’s family members are
like….does he also have brothers? More sisters? Cousins? Aunts? Uncles?
Create a family tree for Tibili, illustrating the family members that you think
Tibili would have (with a little research, students can give typical African girls
and boys names to use for each member!)
4.) Think about the importance of knowing how to read and write
(“alphabetisation”). What everyday activities would become much more difficult
if you didn’t know how to read or write? (For upper levels: help students
research “alphabetisation” in the US and Africa on the internet or at the
library, and make a presentation comparing literacy levels in both places).
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