French: Poème à mon frère blanc

Identify past-tense and future-tense verb phrases within a French poem.

Explain the message Léopold Sédar Senghor communicates to his 'white brother' through the poem's repeated color imagery.

Compose an original poem addressed to a chosen person, modeled on the poem's repeated 'Quand je…' structure, reflecting on a personal identity issue.

Read the biography note on Senghor's presidency before the poem so students can connect the 'frère blanc' address to his role as a symbol of France-Senegal cooperation.

The four analysis questions are answered in English even though the poem and template are in French, so pre-teach relevant past/future tense vocabulary if needed.

The closing instructions direct students to copy their finished poem onto colored paper and add drawings for a class presentation — plan display time or space accordingly.

Verb tense identification in French — students locate past-tense ('j'étais,' 'j'ai grandi') and future-tense ('je serai,' 'tu seras') phrases within the poem (page 2).

Literary theme analysis — students explain in English what message the poet communicates to his 'white brother' through repeated color imagery describing skin (page 2).

Modeled creative writing — students fill in a structural frame mirroring the poem's repeated 'Quand je…' pattern to address their own poem to a chosen person about their own identity (page 3).