At the Emmanuel Maffre-Baugé college in Paulhan, Hérault, 5th-grade students worked on an educational project led by teacher Claire Pavy, focusing on the figure of the witch through the character of Morgane from Claudine Glot's children's novel Il était une fée... Morgane. The project involved collaboration with illustrator Eric Hübsch, who conducted six sessions, each lasting two hours. During these sessions, students first engaged with Hübsch's creation of two small alien characters, reproducing and animating them on three panels of a comic book. They then drew their interpretations of the main characters from the novel, and Hübsch used these drawings to finalize the characters' features, such as Morgane being tall with large ears and Merlin being old and bearded. The students then animated these characters, focusing on expressions and movements, before inventing settings and drawing scenes they selected. The teacher compiled the text and drawings to create a final booklet for the students.
The project involved a diverse group of students, including those accompanied by AESH (support assistants for students with disabilities), several with behavioral issues, and some who were typically quiet. The teacher noted that the project helped unite the group and motivated students with a concrete goal, allowing them to develop their imagination and take pride in creating a finished product. Students also showed increased punctuality, respect, and support for one another, with some discovering new talents, such as a silent girl who became an outstanding drawer and a usually disruptive student who made significant progress.
The project also aimed to raise awareness about the evolution of female representations in literature. The fairy Morgane, originally a benevolent figure in Arthurian legend, was gradually transformed into a witch and a diabolical character over centuries, reflecting societal changes and the influence of Christianity. The students explored this evolution in the context of gender equality, imagining a trial for Morgane, with most concluding she was not guilty of the fall of the kingdom of Brittany.
The students' digital book was compiled from their work, and an image of the first panel was included in the article "Il était une fois la fée Morgane au collège," which first appeared on Le Café pédagogique.
French Students Explore Evolution of Female Figures Through Creative Project on Fairy Morgane
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