Films pour enfants

Discovery of autumn

Question the world — 6-11 years old

Educational activity around the short film Automne

Expected end of activities

Identify the cyclical rhythms of time.

Identify types of spatial organization, the components of a landscape and a natural environment.

Automne

Automne © LISAA

TitleAutomne

ThemeSeasons

Genre & keywordsNarrative, seasons

Age (for film)3-11 years

Duration06 min 52 s

DirectorY. Austin & M. Briand & C. Fauchie & L. Flatz & H. Letourneur & M. Saunier

MusicNicolas-Marie Santonja

ProductionLISAA (France, 2016)

Educational activities

Discover and identify a season and its characteristics: Autumn.

Finding your way in time is not easy for young children. This notion seems inaccessible to them. It is therefore important to start from concrete and visible elements to arouse their curiosity and broaden their knowledge of this very abstract notion. To do this, it is interesting to start from their daily life and elements that resonate with them. The seasons which return at a defined rhythm, which follow one another and which are not alike are evocative supports which give young children visual cues allowing them to see and understand the passage of time.

“In the seasonal workshop, Monsieur Champignon makes autumn, his favorite season. Will it end in time for winter to take hold? »

Thanks to this short film, students will be able to discover a particular season which marks their return to class each year: autumn. Its natural characteristics, observable by all, are presented in a poetic way through an anthropomorphic mushroom acting on the Earth like a sculptor shaping his work.

Activity steps

1- Watching the film in its entirety

2- Collection of reactions and questioning from students if necessary

  • Where does the short film take place? In a library (bring the name “Atelier des saison”)
  • Who is the main character? It's a Mushroom. (bring the name “Monsieur Mushroom”). Present the character card as a reference image.
  • What is his job/activity? He takes care of a planet / a globe... Present the clock map to the students.
  • What is this ? a clock Encourage the students to push their thinking further by questioning them about its hand, its colors, the 4 parts... If necessary, explain that it is a seasonal clock. 6-9 years old: Have people guess which season each color corresponds to.
  • Why does Mr. Mushroom regularly look at this clock? because he has to be on time / make way for the next season, winter... Make the connection with the character arriving at the end of the short film.

3- Research Suggest that the students carry out a second viewing where they will have to concentrate on different elements (divide the students into groups of observers, each group taking charge of a single theme):

  • Mister Mushroom's actions on the planet.
  • The effects of the actions of the planet.
  • The appearance of the clock.

4- Sharing Using the different cards of the elements of the story to handle and/or display on the board, display the actions of Mr. Mushroom in chronological order. Associate below each act the effect

produced on Earth. Place the 3 clocks in the right place on the chronological sequence of actions (answer key provided).

5- Possible application Exercise sheet using sequential images to put in order to keep track of the different characteristics of autumn.

Print the materials for this activity...

  • Imagine the elements of autumn and the actions of Mr. Mushroom to provoke them.
  • Flashcards of characters, elements of autumn and the clock.
  • Activity “Sequential images of the elements of autumn”.

Possible extensions

  • Take photos, a film where students can play the role of Summer, Winter and/or Spring around the class globe using a technique of their choice: stop motion, handheld camera, etc.

Activity sheet written by: Maîtresse Aurel. Discover Mistress Aurel's blog...

Discovery of autumn. PxHere, CC0
Discovery of autumn. PxHere, CC0