Teach-Primary-Issue-20.1

Explain that in French, nouns are either masculine or feminine and that the definite article changes accordingly, with le denoting masculine nouns and la denoting feminine ones. Using mini flashcards of fruit names, ask pupils to sort the cards into two groups: masculine or feminine. Pupils will soon identify a third group – words beginning with l’ . Allow a short discussion on this and guide pupils to notice that these nouns all begin with vowels. Clarify that this does not mean they are neutral; they are still either masculine or feminine, but the article becomes l’ to make pronunciation smoother. Point out that many – though not all – nouns ending in e are feminine. Give pupils time to reorganise their cards according to this rule. Because consonant endings are less predictable, simply inform pupils that l’ananas and l’avocat are masculine, then allow them to adjust their groupings again. Next, play Le jeu du mémoire (pairs). Pupils shuffle their card sets, place them face-down, and take turns turning over two cards to match each fruit picture to its written form. Then play La fleur (Flower power). Draw blanks on the board to represent a fruit’s name and invite pupils to guess letters – either in English or the target language – to work out the word. Encourage them to use the article ( le , la , or l’ ) as an important clue to narrow down possibilities. Finish with a short dictation: say a fruit word aloud while pupils write it on their whiteboards, to reinforce listening, spelling, and article recognition. Assessment Listen in for pronunciation errors during pairs and use ‘show me’ boards during the dictation activity to check spellings. WEEK 3 Learning objective l To give simple opinions orally in French Review last week’s learning and then introduce pupils to the vocabulary they will need to give opinions: j’adore (I love); j’aime (I like); ne n’aime pas (I don’t like) and je détéste (I hate). Draw pupils’ attention to cognates (words that look or sound similar in two different languages) and encourage them to draw links between the French and words such as ‘adore’ and ‘detest’ in English. Pupils who speak languages other than English may be able to identify additional cognates, so don’t forget to give opportunities to discuss this too. Practise this new vocabulary several times using thumbs up high for j’adore ; a thumbs up at chest height for j’aime; a thumbs down at chest height for je n’aime pas and, finally, a low thumbs down for je détéste . Explain to pupils that they are going to be trying the fruits that they have learned about in previous lessons and introduce the opinions frame. Allow children time to taste each fruit individually, naming it in French before eating and recording their likes and dislikes. Once completed, ask pupils to share some of their opinions in French, using the opinions frame to guide them. Finally, introduce La Bataille (Battleships) and model how placing a cross in a particular box allows pupils to form an opinion by reading across columns and down rows. Allow pupils time to record their own crosses on the grid before taking turns to guess the location of their partner’s crosses aloud, using the opinion phrases. Pupils respond with oui (yes) or non (no) to indicate whether their partner’s guess is correct. Assessment Check for pronunciation of opinion vocabulary. Can pupils identify cognates for words such as détéste and j’adore ? WEEK 4 Learning objective l To recognise, say and spell the names of colours in French Introduce pupils to a small range of colours: rouge (red), orange (orange), jaune (yellow), violet (purple), and vert (green). Spend time highlighting some of the trickier letter combinations that sound different in French than in English, for example the ou in rouge , the an in orange , or the au in jaune . Building on previous learning, ask pupils to identify any silent letters at the ends of words and encourage discussion of the silent t , which was taught with the names of fruits. Explain that the letter e at the end of French words is also silent, and use echo reading to model correct pronunciation several times. Use colour flashcards to play Montrez-moi (Showme). Pupils work in pairs with the flashcards laid out face-up between them. The teacher calls out “montrez-moi…” followed by a colour, and pupils locate and hold up the correct card as quickly as possible. The activity allows pupils to hear the vocabulary modelled multiple times and supports rapid recognition and pronunciation. Next, practise orally through Cinq en ligne (Five in a row). Pupils aim to create a line of five colours – vertically, horizontally, or diagonally – by correctly naming colours in French. On their turn, children point to a coloured square on the grid, say the colour and, if pronounced correctly, write their initial in the box to claim it. In addition F EATURE S P L ANN I NG www.teachwire.net | 21