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Comparing how people do things�

comparative forms of adverbs

meilleur(e) vs mieux

SSC [um/un] revisited

Y8 French

Term 3.1 - Week 2 - Lesson 51

Catherine Salkeld / Stephen Owen / Catherine Morris Artwork by: Chloé Motard

Date updated: 25/06/21

Artwork by Chloé Motard. All additional pictures selected are available under a Creative Commons license, no attribution required.

Native teacher feedback provided by Sarah Brichory.

Learning outcomes (lesson 1):

Revisit SSC [um/un]

Introduction of comparative forms of adverbs

Introduction of irregular comparative adverb mieux and contrast with adjective meilleur(e)

�Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French):

8.3.1.2 (introduce) décision [370], soin [1109], dur [1029], facilement [1194], lentement [2637], mal¹ [277], mieux [217], vite [711]

8.2.2.2 (revisit) finir [583], nourrir [1261], chat [3138], dimanche [1235], heure [99], jeudi [1112], lundi [1091], mardi [1044], mercredi [1168], minute [375], vendredi [1086]

8.1.2.6 (revisit) carte¹ [955], côté [123], foot(ball) [2602], guitare [>5000], instrument [1650], pétanque [>5000] piano [4967], droit [1293], gauche [607], loin [341], près [225]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

The frequency rankings for words that occur in this PowerPoint which have been previously introduced in NCELP resources are given in the NCELP SOW and in the resources that first introduced and formally re-visited those words.

For any other words that occur incidentally in this PowerPoint, frequency rankings will be provided in the notes field wherever possible.

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um/un

un

1

Timing: 2 minutes for two SSC slides

Aim: To consolidate SSC [um/un]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [um/un] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”un” on its own, say it, students repeat it, so that they have the opportunity to focus all of their attention on the connection between the written word and its sound.

3. A possible gesture for this would be to hold up one finger.�4. Roll back the animations and work through 1-3 again, but this time, dropping your voice completely to listen carefully to the students saying the [um/ un] sound, pronouncing ”un” and, if using, doing the gesture.

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French):

un [3]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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um/un

un

lundi

aucun

chacun

parfum

commun

[none]

[each]

[common]

1

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Aim: To consolidate SSC [um/un]

Procedure:

Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [um/un] and then the source word again ‘un’ (with gesture, if using).�Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.�The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.�

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French): �un [3]; aucun [63] chacun [323]; commun [780]; lundi [1091]; parfum [4477].�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Nasal or oral vowels?

	nasal	oral + m/n
lunette [glasses]
humble
unique
commun [common]
fortune
union
opportun [timely]
légumes [vegetables]

1

2

3

4

5

7

écouter

8

nasal vowel

[um/un]

oral vowel

[u] + m/n

Remember!

[um/un] are nasal sounds before a consonant or at the end of a word, and oral sounds before a vowel.

6

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Aural recognition of nasal [um/un] and oral [u] vowels in unknown words.

Procedure:

1. Practice saying SSCs [um/un] and [u] aloud, in isolation. Students should notice a vibration in the nose when they produce the nasal sounds, but not when they produce the oral sounds.

2. Click the numbers to play the audio.

3. Students write 1-10 and decide if the letters in bold represent a nasal or non-nasal vowel sound.

4. Click to reveal the answers.

5. Click to bring up the reminder.

6. Click to hear the words again. Students repeat.

Transcript:

1. lunette

2. humble

3. unique

4. commun

5. fortune

6. union

7. opportun

8. légumes

Word frequency of unknown words used (1 is the most frequent word in French): �lunette [4207], commun [780], opportun [4485], légume [3117]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

Word frequency of cognates used (1 is the most frequent word in French): �humble [4680], unique [402], fortune [2371], union [729]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Vocabulaire

	en français	en anglais
	Nous prenons lentement une bonne décision.	We are slowly making a good decision.
	Mes frères prennent mieux soin du chien que mes sœurs.	My brothers take better care of the dog than my sisters.
	Si vous prenez le train, vous allez facilement arriver.	If you take the train, you will arrive easily.
	Je préfère travailler dur à travailler vite et mal.	I prefer to work hard than to work quickly and badly.

écouter

_________

___________

_____________

__

1

2

3

4

_________

______

__

____

_______

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Oral recognition of new vocabulary at sentence level. �NB: a more complex version of this activity, in which students are asked to recognise and transcribe full sentences, is found on the next slide.�

Procedure:

Click numbers to hear phrases in French.
If students want more of a challenge, have them turn away from the board and transcribe the full sentence rather than just the gaps
Students transcribe the missing words and translate orally into English.
Click to reveal French and then English for each sentence.

Transcript:

1. Nous prenons lentement une bonne décision.

2. Mes frères prennent mieux soin du chien que mes sœurs.

3. Si vous prenez le train, vous allez facilement arriver.

4. Je préfère travailler dur à travailler vite et mal.

Word frequency of cognates used (1 is the most frequent word in French): �pizza [>5000]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Vocabulaire

	en français	en anglais
	Nous prenons lentement une bonne décision.	We are slowly making a good decision.
	Mes frères prennent mieux soin du chien que mes sœurs.	My brothers take better care of the dog than my sisters.
	Si vous prenez le train, vous allez facilement arriver.	If you take the train you will arrive easily.
	Je préfère travailler dur à travailler vite et mal.	I prefer to work hard than to work quickly and badly.

écouter

1

2

3

4

Timing: 8 minutes

NB: a less complex version of this activity, in which students are asked to recognise and transcribe target words only, is found on the previous slide.

Aim: Oral recognition of new vocabulary at sentence level.

Procedure:

1. Click numbers to hear phrases in French.

2. Students transcribe the sentences and translate into English.

3. Click to reveal French and then English for each sentence.

Transcript:

1. Nous prenons lentement une bonne décision.

2. Mes frères prennent mieux soin du chien que mes sœurs.

3. Si vous prenez le train, vous allez facilement arriver.

4. Je préfère travailler dur à travailler vite et mal.

Word frequency of cognates used (1 is the most frequent word in French): �pizza [>5000]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Les adverbes

grammaire

Adverbs describe verbs. They tell us when, where and how things happen.

Here are some adverbs you already know:

lentement vite facilement souvent

slowly quickly easily often

Add plus (more) or moins (less) before adverbs to compare how things happen:

Amir apprend vite, mais Océane apprend plus vite.

Amir learns quickly, but Océane learns more quickly.

Océane lit souvent, et Amir lit moins souvent.

Océane reads often, and Amir reads less often.

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C’est quel enfant ?

lire

1	Léa marche vite, et Océane marche plus vite.	Who walks more quickly?
2	Amir lit lentement, et Noura lit plus lentement.	Who reads less slowly?
3	Sophie pense vite, et Léa pense plus vite.	Who thinks less quickly?
4	Amir voyage souvent, et Abdel voyage plus souvent.	Who travels more often?
5	Sophie apprend facilement, et Léa apprend moins facilement.	Who learns less easily?
6	Océane étudie souvent, et Amir étudie moins souvent.	Who studies less often?
7	Abdel écrit vite, et Amir écrit moins vite.	Who writes more quickly?
8	Noura joue souvent, et Amir joue moins souvent.	Who plays more often?

Romain décrit* les enfants. Que dit-il ? Lis les phrases et réponds aux questions.

Océane

Amir

Sophie

Abdel

Léa

Amir

Abdel

Noura

décrire* = to describe

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C’est qui / quoi ?

écouter

Who learns languages more easily?	Amir	Abdel
Who reads more quickly?	Léa	Sophie
Who speaks less slowly?	Amandine	Noura
What travels less quickly?	the car	the train
Who passes exams more easily?	Léa	Sophie
What eats more quickly?	the dog	the cat
Who works less slowly?	Noura	Amir
Who understands English less easily?	Abdel	Amir

Aurélie décrit* sa famille et ses affaires. �Que dit-elle ? Écoute et réponds aux questions.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

décrire* = to describe

Timing: 7 minutes

Aim: Aural recognition of comparative forms of adverb and connecting these with meaning.

Procedure:

1. Click on the buttons to play audio, allowing time to read the question before listening to each sentence. Students will have to read very carefully, because the comparative form used in the question is not always the same as that used in the statement (i.e. the English question may ask about less + adverb while the French sentence uses the construction is plus + adverb).

2. Students choose the correct name to answer the question.

3. Click to reveal answers.

Transcript:

1. Amir apprend les langues facilement, et Abdel apprend les langues plus facilement.

2. Léa lit vite, et Sophie lit plus vite.

3. Amandine parle lentement, et Noura parle plus lentement.

4. La voiture voyage vite, et le train voyage plus vite.

5. Léa réussit les examens facilement, et Sophie réussit les examens plus facilement.

6. Le chat mange vite, et le chien mange plus vite.

7. Noura travaille lentement, et Amir travaille plus lentement.

8. Amir comprend l’anglais facilement, et Abdel comprend l’anglais plus facilement.

Word frequency of unknown words used (1 is the most frequent word in French): �décrire [1176]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Meilleur(e) ou mieux ?

As you know, adjectives describe nouns (what something is like):

Cette musique est bonne. Cette musique est meilleure.

This music is good. This music is better.

Bien and mieux are the adverbial forms of bon and meilleur.

Adverbs describe verbs (how something is done/happens):

Je joue bien aux cartes. Tu joues mieux aux cartes.

I play cards well. You play cards better.

grammaire

Meilleur is the comparative form of bon.

Mieux is the comparative form of bien.

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Saying ‘better’

grammaire

Use bon and meilleur(e) to describe nouns. Use bien and mieux to describe verbs.

		this cheese (is)	she sings	could be either
1.	This cheese is better.
2.	She sings better.
3.	Elle chante mieux.
4.	Ce fromage est meilleur.

Exception: General opinions with ‘c’est’ are normally followed by bien/mieux:

Le jazz, c'est bien, mais le classique, c'est mieux. Jazz is good, but classical is better.

__________

_______

_________

The English word ‘better’ can be an adjective or an adverb – you cannot tell from it whether a noun or verb is being described. The French translation ‘mieux’ or ‘meilleur’ gives us this information.

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Adjectif ou adverbe ?

lire

1. Qui prend des notes, Sara ou Sandrine ?

- Sandrine prend des notes parce que son ordinateur est / elle écrit meilleur.

2. Tu veux chanter ?

- Non, tu peux chanter. Ta voix* est / tu chantes meilleure.

3. Tu préfères quel footballeur ?

- Je préfère Messi parce qu’il joue / il est mieux.

4. Tu prends le bus ou le train ?

- Je prends le train puisqu’il est / il voyage meilleur.

5. Il choisit l’histoire ou les maths ?

- Il choisit l’histoire. Il travaille / la professeure est mieux dans cette classe.

Choisis les mots corrects!

Réponses:

*la voix = voice

!!!

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Meilleur(e) ou mieux ?

écrire

Comment dit-on ‘better’? Écris mieux ou meilleur(e).

J’aime le pain français, mais ce pain anglais est __________.
Il parle bien italien, mais tu parles __________ italien.
En général, il ne réussit pas les examens, mais il étudie __________ maintenant.
Normalement, je préfère le café, mais ce thé est __________.
Tu as plus de livres en anglais parce que tu comprends __________ la langue.
J’aime le film, mais le livre est __________.
On voyage avec Coralie parce qu’elle a une __________ voiture.
Tu apprends plus parce que tu écoutes __________ la professeure.

meilleur

u

tu

Timing: 2 minutes for two SSC slides

Aim: To consolidate SSC [u]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [u] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”tu” on its own, say it, students repeat it, so that they have the opportunity to focus all of their attention on the connection between the written word and its sound.

3. A possible gesture for this would be to point to someone else as though addressing him/her ‘you’.�4. Roll back the animations and work through 1-3 again, but this time, dropping your voice completely to listen carefully to the students saying the [u] sound, pronouncing ”tu” and, if using, doing the gesture.

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French):

tu [112]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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u

tu

Salut !

amusant

sur

[on]

vue

utiliser

[to use]

Aim: To consolidate SSC [u]

Procedure:

1. Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [u] and then the source word again ‘tu’ (with gesture, if using).�2. Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.

�The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.�

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French): �tu [112]; salut ! [2205] vue [191]; sur [16]; amusant [4695]; utiliser [345].�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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[um], [un]

Normally, SSCs [um] and [un] are nasal vowels.

However, [um] and [un] sound different before a vowel.

Can you think of any examples in words you already know?

before a consonant/end of word: before a vowel:

un absolument

chacun numéro

lundi université

instrument

(instrument)

(university)

(absolutely)

(one)

(number)

écouter / écrire

These sounds are nasal vowels [um], [un].

These sounds are oral vowels [u]�+ m / n.

(everyone)

(Monday)

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[nasal] ou [u] ?

Lis les mots et décide si c’est une voyelle nasale ou une voyelle orale.

Puis, dis les mots !

		[nasal]	[u]
	lumière [light]
	punir [to punish]
	jungle
j	humour
	emprunter [to borrow]
	aluminium
h	humaine
	quelqu’un [someone]

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

lire / parler

nasal vowel

[um/un]

oral vowel

[u]

5

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: applying awareness of the pronunciation rules governing SSCs [um/un] and [u] to the oral production of words containing these letter combinations.

Procedure

1. Students read the words and decide based on the presence of absence of a vowel after letter ‘m’ or ‘n’ whether a nasal pronunciation is needed or not..

2. Click to check.

3. Now, students are challenged to pronounce the words correctly. Students should work in pairs and monitor each other for this.

4. Students try to say the words out loud. Teacher corrects.

5. Click the numbers to hear pronunciation

Transcript:

1. lumière

2. punir

3. jungle

4. humour

5. emprunter

6. aluminium

7. humaine

8. quelqu’un

Word frequency of unknown words (1 is the most frequent word in French): �lumière [1059], punir [2149], emprunter [1123], quelqu’un [772]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

Word frequency of near-cognates used in task instructions (1 is the most frequent word in French): �décider [165], voyelle [>5000], nasal [>5000], oral [4114], jungle [4891], humour [3950], aluminium [>5000] humain [286]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Une langue difficile

lire / écrire

Salut Abdel! C’est _______1_______ difficile. L’allemand, c’est ________2_______, mais tu apprends ________3_______. Je parle anglais assez bien, mais tu parles ________4_______. Parfois je travaille ________5_______ et j’étudie ________6_______, mais tu étudies avec ________7_______. Tu peux comprendre ________8_______ une nouvelle langue.

- Léa

Abdel pense à apprendre l’allemand. Léa écrit un message pour décrire ses expériences avec la langue. Remplis les blancs.

a decision

care

hard

easily

better

slowly

badly

quickly

une décision

dur

facilement

mieux

lentement

mal

soin

vite

Can you think of any other words that could fill the gaps?

Could any of the words make sense in more than one place?

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Comparing adjectives

grammaire

Remember, the three ways to compare two things/people are:

plus ... que more ... than

moins ... que less ... than

aussi ... que as ... as

For example:

La ville est plus grande que le village.

The town is bigger [more big] than the village.

Le village est moins grand que la ville.

The village is less big than the town.

Le village est aussi grand que la ville.

The village is as big as the town.

Remember!

The comparative forms of bon (good) and mauvais (bad) are meilleur (better) and pire (worse).

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Comparing adverbs

grammaire

We can compare adverbs in the same way:

Léa travaille plus vite qu’Amir.

Léa works quicker [more quickly] than Amir.

Amir travaille moins vite que Léa.

Amir works less quickly than Léa.

Léa travaille aussi vite que Noura.

Léa works as quickly as Noura.

The comparative form of bien (well) is mieux (better):

Il chante mieux que son ami.

He sings better than his friend

Mal (badly) does not have a special form.

Il chante plus mal que son ami.

He sings worse than his friend.

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Qui est Pauline ?

écouter

A

B

C

1

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Qui est Jacques ?

écouter

A

B

C

2

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Qui est Denise ?

écouter

Bonjour

A

B

C

3

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Qui est Paul ?

écouter

A

B

C

4

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Qui est Sandrine ?

écouter

A

B

C

5

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Qui est Alain ?

écouter

A

B

C

6

*il conduit = he drives

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Amandine et sa famille

		A	B
1	Est-ce qu’Abdel travaille plus vite …	qu’Amir	aujourd’hui
2	Léa apprend bien …	ses leçons	que Sophie
3	Amir écrit facilement ...	que Noura	en anglais
4	Noura parle plus lentement ...	en français	qu’Amir
5	Abdel joue souvent ...	qu’Amir	au foot
6	Amir prend des décisions plus facilement ...	qu’Abdel	à l’école
7	Noura lit souvent ...	à la maison	que Léa
8	Abdel voyage plus souvent ...	que Léa	le week-end

Amandine parle des membres de sa famille. Finis ses phrases. C’est A, B ou les deux?

lire

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Les comparaisons

écrire

Lucie

Michelle

Michelle lit plus vite que Lucie.

Les comparaisons

écrire

Victoire

Ariane

[dances]

Victoire danse plus vite qu’Ariane.

*danser = to dance

que -> qu’ before a vowel

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Les comparaisons

écrire

Babette

Justine

Babette marche plus lentement que Justine.

[walks]

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Les comparaisons

écrire

Adrienne

Sabine

Adrienne arrive plus lentement que Sabine.

[arrives]

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Les comparaisons

écrire

*trottiner = to jog

[jogs, slowly]

Christine

Géraldine

Christine trottine aussi lentement que Géraldine.

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Comment sont-ils?

parler / écouter

Partnenaire A: Décris les personnes (et l’animal!) dans l’ordre. Sont-ils plus ou moins travailleurs ?

Partenaire B: Écoute les descriptions et écris les noms dans l’ordre !

< sleeps less often----------------------sleeps more often>

3. Antoine

2. Abdel

1. Léa

Léa dort moins souvent qu’Antoine.

Abdel dort moins souvent que Léa.

Antoine dort plus souvent que Léa.

Timing: 7 minutes. This is slide 1/3.

Aim: Picture description task to practise oral production of comparative adverbial forms.

Procedure:

1. Use this slide (which presents a shortened version of the activity on the next two slides) to model the task. Explain to students that they are going to describe the order in which the characters lie on the scale to a partner using comparative adverbs. Their partner must write down the names in the appropriate order.

2. Starting with Léa (labelled 1), ask students to produce a sentence describing how the character relates to the others on the scale. There are several possible solutions here, e.g. Léa dort plus souvent qu’Abel and Léa dort moins souvent qu’Antoine.

3. Suggested sentences for each character appear on clicks.

4. Partner B turns away from the board. Partner A describes where everyone lies on the scale in the order, starting with the person labelled as number 1 (to stop them doing it linearly!).

5. Partner B tries to put the names in order by listening alone. When complete, s/he turns round to check.

6. Partners swap roles and do the same with the alternative version on the following slide.

Word frequency of near-cognates used in task instructions (1 is the most frequent word in French): �décrire [1176], ordre [197], description [2779]

Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Comment sont-ils?

parler / écouter

Partnenaire A: Décris les personnes (et l’animal!) dans l’ordre. Sont-ils plus ou moins travailleurs ?

Partenaire B: Écoute les descriptions et écris les noms dans l’ordre !

< works less hard----------------------------------------------- works harder>

1. Abel

2. Antoine

3. Léa

4. Apollon

5. Bilal

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Comment sont-ils?

parler

Partnenaire B: Décris les personnes (l’animal!) dans l’ordre. Marchent-ils plus ou moins vite ?

Partenaire A: Écoute les descriptions et écris les noms dans l’ordre !

1. Apollon

2. Antoine

3. Abdel

4. Léa

5. Bilal

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Devoirs

Vocabulary Learning Homework (Revisit Y8, Term 3.1, Week 2)

Quizlet link: Y8 Term 3.1 Week 2

Quizlet QR code:

In addition, revisit: Y8 Term 2.2 Week 2

Y8 Term 1.2 Week 6 �