“Emily in the vrai Paris”: when learning French becomes an escape game
12/19/2024
At IÉSEG, learning French as a foreign language (FLE) goes beyond traditional lessons. Under the initiative of Claire PHILIPPE, a FLE professor and coordinator of beginner courses in postgraduate programs, an innovative escape game titled “Emily in the vrai Paris” was created. This project, both playful and educational, was designed in collaboration with the CETI (Center for Educational and Technological Education) and perfectly embodies IÉSEG’s active pedagogy, which aims to reinforce learning through action, cooperation, and participation.
By working closely with the CETI, Claire PHILIPPE’s initial idea evolved and took shape through various exchanges, culminating in its final version: an escape game inspired by the popular series “Emily in Paris.” This immersive game became a key moment for concluding the semester.
Students were immersed in a detailed reconstruction of Emily’s room, portraying a student about to return to London for the holidays. Their mission? To find, within a 30-minute timeframe, the six letters of the keyword “sortie” (exit) to unlock the cryptex and open a locked box containing Emily’s passport so she could catch her train on time. At each stage, participants collaborated in groups, interacting with objects belonging to Emily, such as an acceptance letter to IÉSEG, a postcard, or books, to solve puzzles, with a prize awarded to the fastest team.
The “Emily Not in Paris” escape game was carefully integrated into the semester. It all began in the classroom, where students discovered Emily’s adventures through short comic strips and an online game. These activities, illustrating everyday life situations, serve as a guiding thread to explore various linguistic and cultural themes.
Over the months, the foundations are laid: grammar, vocabulary, and word associations are progressively enriched, all connected to Emily’s adventures. This learning culminates in the end-of-semester escape game, which allows students to consolidate their skills. Familiar with the context and characters by now, students must solve a series of puzzles that test their knowledge: identifying definite and indefinite articles, matching terms, or conjugating verbs in key sentences. At the end of the activity, a debriefing session with a FLE professor allows participants to revisit the puzzles and review any missing concepts. By immersing themselves in this universe, students are encouraged to communicate with each other in French, applying their linguistic skills in a concrete and creative way.