The song and lessons are available on Teaching French through Songs & Games.
Vocabulary for Names of Colors in French
Blanc/blanche
Noir/noire
Jaune
Orange
Rouge
white
black
yellow
orange
red
Violet/violette
Bleu/bleue
Vert/verte
Gris/grise
Rose
purple
blue
green
gray
pink
(Insert the color adjective of your choice.)
L’oiseau bleu, l’oiseau bleu
à ma fenêtre,
L’oiseau bleu, l’oiseau bleu
à ma fenêtre.
Prends une petite fille, (…you can also change gender, if desired)
tape-lui sur les épaules. (…and pick a different body part)
Prends une petite fille, (…you can also change gender, if desired)
tape-lui sur les épaules. (…and pick a different body part)
Ah! Je retourne chez nous!
Here’s an example of how all those changes can be incorporated:
L’oiseau jaune, l’oiseau jaune
à ma fenêtre
L’oiseau jaune, l’oiseau jaune
à ma fenêtre
Prends un p’tit garçon,
frotte-lui le dos.
Prends un p’tit garcon, frotte-lui le dos.
Ah! Je retourne chez nous!
Teaching Tips from Denise Gagné Williamson:
This is a well-known Orff song. I have adapted it both as a game and as a listening activity. Unlike the first colour song (“Rouge, rouge, rouge”), only children who are wearing mostly the colour named get to stand up, and become the birds of the song. In other words, either most of their pants or their shirts must contain the colour specified.
As the song progresses, the standing students follow the instructions. This requires comprehension of the terms “garcon” (boy), “fille” (girl) and a variety of body parts. To encourage even greater listening,
the instruction to tap her on the shoulders may change to rub him on his back, tap him on his hands, etc.
When the verse ends, the “birds” fly back home to their original spots.
To use the Activity Sheet, have students colour their picture, each choosing their favorite colour for
the bird. Once you have collected a few of these samples, with a variety of colours for the birds, use these as visual support for the song.
The song and lessons are available on Teaching French through Songs & Games.
