Research a Rare Object
French Language Learners– Inspired by Carmen Sandiego™ Episode 8, kids research the Black on Magenta stamp and present their findings to the class.
What Do YOU Know?
In Episode 8, Carmen learns about the Black on Magenta stamp. Kids look up facts about the rare stamp and present them to the class.
Activity Instructions
Kids look up facts about the Black on Magenta stamp in French.
Estimated time: 15-20 minutes
Materials needed: Writing supplies, and Internet access
The stolen object in Episode 8 is the rare one-cent Black on Magenta stamp. This postage stamp from British Guiana was only printed in limited numbers in the mid-19th century. It is considered one of the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world. Kids research facts about the stamp and report their findings to the class.
- Have kids work in pairs to find out as many facts as possible about the stamp, using French websites if possible. (You might tell them to use a search engine in French and type “timbre one cent magenta” to search the topic.)
- Have them prepare questions in French based on the facts they find during their research. They may use a bilingual dictionary when necessary.
- Have kids pair up to ask each other questions they prepared and compete for the highest number of correct answers. When kids don’t know the answer, they say “je ne sais pas” and their teammate provides it.
