Give students a humorous intermediate French reading comprehension short story in two differentiated versions: one written in the present tense and one written in the past tense using the passé composé and imparfait. Joe & the Talking Sandwich includes two-page readings, 27 comprehension questions in English, an answer key, print and Google formats, and several follow-up activities.

ABOUT THE STORY

Joe is a high-school student who brings his lunch to school. Usually, that is not a problem—but today his sandwich is talking to him.

The sandwich gets Joe in trouble with his teachers and the bus driver. Worst of all, it begs Joe not to eat it at lunchtime. What will Joe do with a lunch that does not want to be eaten?

ONE STORY—TWO TENSE VERSIONS

The present-tense version provides a more accessible option for students who are still developing their reading skills.

The past-tense version gives students contextualized practice reading the passé composé and imparfait.

Use the versions to:

• Differentiate within one class
• Compare present- and past-tense narration
• Revisit the same story later in the course
• Support students at different proficiency levels
• Provide additional reading practice without introducing a new plot

THE PRINTABLE RESOURCE INCLUDES

• Two-page French short story in the present tense
• Two-page French short story in the past tense
• 27 comprehension questions in English
• Illustrate-the-story activity
• Main-idea and summary activity
• Infographic about sandwiches
• Authentic-materials activity using a sandwich menu
• Answer key
• Resource page with related video and website links

THE DIGITAL GOOGLE RESOURCE INCLUDES

• Complete French story in the present tense
• Complete French story in the past tense
• 27 comprehension questions in English
• Authentic-materials sandwich-menu activity
• Sandwich infographic
• Answer key
• Resource pages with related video and website links

USE THIS RESOURCE FOR

• Intermediate French reading comprehension
• French 2 or French 3 reading
• Present-tense review
• Passé composé and imparfait practice
• Differentiated reading
• Guided or independent work
• Free voluntary reading
• Story sequencing and retelling
• Main-idea and summary practice
• Sub plans
• Homework
• Early-finisher work

Help students build confidence reading connected French while enjoying the strange problem of a sandwich that refuses to become lunch.

Click HERE to join my mailing list and get a free article about adapting a textbook to CI!