Exiled Réunion Islanders: A Historic Financial Compensation ⚖️
Between 1962 and 1984, more than 2,000 children were taken from the island of Réunion and sent to mainland France, far from their family. In January 2026, the French Parliament finally voted a law to compensate them. A true story, a strong text, and a complete B1-B2 session around it.
The worksheet follows a real press article: students read, identify the facts and the testimonies, work on the vocabulary of injustice and reparation, transform the tenses, answer a DELF-style multiple choice, and then give their opinion. Honestly, it is the kind of document that makes students think, and speak. The text alone is free for everybody.
The text, the five exercises and the answer key
✨ What students practise
First, the reading: a two-page article, dense and documented, with dates, actors and testimonies, like a real DELF B1-B2 document. Then the vocabulary: exil forcé, préjudice, dédommager, allocation… the words of injustice and reparation, matched with their definitions.
After that, the grammar: choose the right tense (passé composé, imparfait, futur), and rewrite a whole passage in the present. And finally, the expression: a DELF-style multiple choice with credible traps, written answers with quotes, and an opinion task: can official recognition and money repair a childhood injustice? A big question, and the students always have something to say.
Read the press article: the scandal, the law, the testimonies.
Match the vocabulary of injustice and reparation with the definitions.
Choose the tenses, rewrite in the present, answer the DELF-style questions.
Give your opinion: can money and recognition repair a broken childhood?
🕯️ The story, in short
A quick timeline, to give the context before the reading:
More than 2,000 children are taken from Réunion and sent to rural departments of mainland France.
Jean-Jacques Martial sues the State: the scandal becomes public.
The National Assembly recognizes the moral responsibility of the State.
A law is voted unanimously: a financial compensation for the exiled children.
📚 What the worksheet contains
One press article, five exercises, one answer key:
Two pages inspired by real press articles: the scandal, the law, the testimonies of Marie-Germaine Périgogne and Jean-Philippe Jean-Marie.
Vocabulary definitions, tenses, reading comprehension (multiple choice + written answers), rewriting, and oral and written expression.
All the answers, with explanations for the tenses and a model answer for the DELF writing task.
💬 The words of the text
The main vocabulary of the article, with the English equivalent:
🎁 The free version: the text
The complete press article, without the exercises. A good way to discover the document, and to prepare the reading with your class before going further.
🎁 Free PDF – the text only
The two-page article, ready to print, free for everyone.
🔓 Want the exercises and the answer key?
Become a Premium member to unlock the complete worksheet and the editable DOCX.
💎 The complete worksheet (Premium)
The text and the five exercises, with the answer key and a model answer for the writing task. The DOCX lets you adapt the questions or the text to your group.
Preview: the text, the exercises and the answer key
🎯 Recommended level, and the next steps
❓ Frequently asked questions
📚 What level is this worksheet for?
Mainly B1-B2, with a DELF orientation: press article, multiple choice with traps, written answers with quotes, and an opinion task.
🗂️ What does the worksheet contain?
A two-page press article and five exercises: vocabulary definitions, tenses, reading comprehension, rewriting, and oral and written expression, with the answer key.
🕯️ What is the story about?
About the 2,000 children taken from Réunion and sent to mainland France between 1962 and 1984, and the law voted in 2026 to compensate them.
🎁 Which version is free?
The text-only PDF is free for everybody. The complete worksheet with the exercises and the DOCX are reserved for Premium members.
✅ Is there an answer key?
Yes, with explanations for the tenses and a model answer for the DELF writing task.
