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Asking and answering questions�

Verbs like prendre and dire in the present tense (je, tu, il/elle)

SSC [ain/in] revisited

Y7 French

Term 3.1 - Week 1 - Lesson 49

Stephen Owen / Kirsten Somerville / Natalie Finlayson

Artwork by: Chloé Motard

Date updated: 31/08/21

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

Learning outcomes (lesson 1):

Revisiting SSC [ain / in]

Consolidating first, second and third person singular forms of verbs like prendre and dire in the present tense

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

7.3.1.1 (introduce) apprendre [327], comprendre [95], dire [37], dis [37], dit [37], prend [43], prendre [43], prends [43], erreur [612], vérité [907], facile [822]

7.2.2.3 (revisit) tuer [591], affaires [170], fils [735], guerre [266], mère [645], père [569], vie [132], naturel [760], naturelle [760], heureux [764], heureuse [764], absolument [1009], contre [121]

7.2.1.2 (revisit) êtes [5], sommes [5], sont [5], frère [1043], parent [546], sœur [1558], jeune [152], grand² [59], ouvert [897], petit² [138], sage [2643], strict [1859]

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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ain/in

train

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [ain/in]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [ain/in] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”train” 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 move both arms simultaneously forwards and back in a circular motion, simulating the motion of train wheel connecting rods.

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 [ain/in] sound, pronouncing ”train” and, if using, doing the gesture.

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

train [232].�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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ain/in

train

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ain/in

train

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ain/in

train

fin

[end]

vingt

maintenant

[now]

matin

main

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 2 minutes

Aim: To consolidate SSC [ain/in]

Procedure:

1. Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [ain/in] and then the source word again ‘train’ (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): �fin [111]; matin [442] vingt[1273]; maintenant [192]; main [418]; train [232].�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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ain/in

train

fin

vingt

maintenant

matin

main

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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ain/in

train

fin

vingt

maintenant

matin

main

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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Phonétique

(a)in	a
		C a n a d a	Canada
		a méric ain	American
		gr ain	grain
		s ain t	saint
			case
		a ssez	enough
		qu in ze	fifteen
		enf in	finally
		ain si	like this
		a f in de	in order to

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Attention!

Some words contain both sounds.

c a s

en anglais?

Écoute. C’est “(a)in” ou “a” ? �Cochep.

Phonétique

écouter

_

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Oral recognition of SSC [ain/in] in contrast with SSC [a].

Procedure:

Students listen to the audio and identify which SSC(s) each word contains. The words are shown with the SSC removed, to focus attention on this part of the word.
When checking each answer, the tick(s) appear(s) first, followed by the French spelling (to reinforce the different spellings of this SSC), and finally the English translation.
Items 1-4 are cognates, which sound progressively less similar to the English pronunciation (including the SFC in item 4). Items 5-10 consist of high-frequency vocabulary which is not included in the Y7 SOW.

Transcript:

Canada
américain
grain
saint
cas
assez
quinze
enfin
ainsi
afin de

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French): �américain [374], Canada [N/A], cas [137], grain [3323], saint [1702], afin de [404 (afin), 2 (de)], ainsi [98], assez [321], enfin [349], quinze [1472]�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Phonétique

certain

prince

africain

humain

Phonétique

parler

industrie

urbain

principal

insecte

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 2 minutes

Aim: spoken production of SSC [ain/in]. To “un-learn” English pronunciation.

Procedure:

This activity practises production of the target SSC [ain/in] using cognates in order to “un-learn” the English pronunciation.
Students take turns trying to say all the words in 30 seconds, and listening to their partner’s pronunciation. If a student pronounces the SSC the ‘English’ way, they must start again! Teachers will need to time this.
The student who says the most words in thirty seconds, or completes the task in the quickest time, is the winner.
Click on the words to check pronunciation. Students repeat.

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French): �africain [2289], insecte [>5000], certain [110], humain [286], urbain [2215], industrie [692], principal [458], prince [2610]�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Vocabulaire

Oui, c’est vrai ! Je regarde des vidéos et je � prends des notes. Mon cousin Abdel étudie l’anglais. Il dit qu’il fait ça à l’université. Il aime le rap, et il aime � dire les mots comme un rappeur américain. C’est drôle !

lire

dire

dis

dit

prendre

prends

prend

erreurs

vérité

facile

apprendre

comprendre

Complète la conversation de Léa et Amir :

Tu aimes apprendre l’anglaise à l’école, Amir ?

Oui ! J’aime comprendre la musique anglaise.

Mais c’est une langue difficile ! Je fais souvent des erreurs en classe.

Avec YouTube, c’est facile !

Tu dis la verité … ?

Ah! Il aime prendre une activité qu’il fait normalement et faire ça en anglais – c’est intelligent !

Abdel est comme ça : il prend un problème et il trouve une solution.

Vocabulaire

lire

___________

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Written comprehension of words in this week’s vocabulary set

Procedure:

This slide practises the vocabulary introduced this week, requiring students to pay attention to meaning and form in context. It also incorporates two intonation questions, which will be returned to when introducing subject-verb inversion.
Students write the missing words in order. The conversation can then be translated into English (a suggested translation follows on the next slide).

Frequency rankings of cognates used (1 is the most frequent word in French):

compléter [2034], conversation [1747], musique [1139], vidéo [2611], note [1161], cousin [3387], rap [>5000], rappeur [>5000], américain [374]

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

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Vocabulaire

Do you like learning English at school, Amir?

Yes! I like understanding English music.

But it’s a difficult language! I often make mistakes in class.

With YouTube, it’s easy!

Are you telling the truth…?

Abdel is like that: he takes a problem and he finds a solution.

Voici la conversation en anglais :

Vocabulaire

lire

Yes, it’s true! I watch videos and I take notes. My cousin Abdel studies English. He says he does that at university. He likes rap, and he likes saying words like an American rapper. It’s funny!

Ah! He likes to take an activity he normally does and do it in English – that’s intelligent!

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dire

[to say/tell | saying/telling]

dit

[says/tells | is saying/telling]

Timing: 3 minutes (for six slides)

Aim: to introduce the verb dire more explicitly. Dire is one of the 25 most frequently used verbs in French. All 25 most frequent verbs will be introduced early on using the same format. Both long form (infinitive) and short form (3^rd person singular) are introduced in order to familiarise students with various forms of the same verb.

Procedure

Bring up the word dire on its own, say it, students repeat it, and remind them of the phonics.
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Students have had explicit teaching that the present tense in French communicates two different present tense meanings in English. This reinforces that learning. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form, reminding students that French only has one form and does not have a direct equivalent of the grammar for ‘is + ing’, the continuous form (as covered in previous weeks).
Bring up the picture, and, if using gestures, a possible gesture would be [to put your hand up to your mouth to mime telling someone something].
Then bring up the English translations. Emphasise the two meanings for the infinitive.
Bring up the short form dit, say it, students repeat it.
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form.

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dire

[to say/tell | saying/telling]

dit

[says/tells | is saying/telling]

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dit

[says/tells | is saying/telling]

Il dit la vérité.

[He tells | is telling the truth.]

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dire

[to say/tell | saying/telling]

Il n’aime pas dire la vérité.

[He doesn’t like to tell | telling the truth.]

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dit

[says/tells | is saying/telling]

Il la vérité.

dit

[He tells | is telling the truth.]

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dire

[to say/tell | saying/telling]

Il n’aime pas la vérité.

dire

[He doesn’t like to tell | telling the truth.]

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The verb ‘dire’ – to say

she says / she is saying

he says / he is saying

These verb forms all sound the same!

The –s on the je and tu forms is a �silent final consonant (SFC)

This is the pattern of endings for the first, second and third person singular forms of dire:

je dis

I say / I am saying

il dit

elle dit

tu dis

you say / you are saying

The verb ‘dire’ – to say

grammaire

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Using the verb ‘dire’

In English, we can’t use the verbs ‘say’ or ‘tell’ on their own in a sentence.

You have to say something or tell something.

In French, the verb dire works in the same way:

She says the sentence.

She tells the truth.

We call these words the object: they ‘receive’ the action of the verb.

Elle dit la phrase.

Elle dit la vérité.

Some verbs can be used on their own in a sentence.

The verb ‘speak’ makes sense without an object:

Il parle.

He is speaking.

Verbs that need an object are called transitive (vt).

Verbs that don’t need an object are called intransitive (vi).

Using verb ‘dire’

grammaire

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‘Dire’ ou ‘parler’ ?

1)	Elle un mot en français.	parle	5)	Il souvent.	parle
		dit			dit
2)	Il quoi ?	parle	6)	Mariam à Sébastien.	parle
		dit			dit
3)	Émilie en anglais.	parle	7)	André rarement merci.	parle
		dit			dit
4)	Claude bonjour à Louise.	parle	8)	Elle à qui ?	parle
		dit			dit

Écris 1-8 et le verbe correct.

Remember!

‘Dire’ needs an object.

‘Parler’ does not.

‘dire’ ou ‘parler’ ?

lire

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prendre

[to take | taking]

prend

[takes | is taking]

Timing: 3 minutes

Aim: to introduce the verb prendre more explicitly. Prendre is one of the 25 most frequently used verbs in French. All 25 most frequent verbs will be introduced early on using the same format. Both long form (infinitive) and short form (3^rd person singular) are introduced in order to familiarise students with various forms of the same verb.

Procedure

Bring up the word prendre on its own, say it, students repeat it, and remind them of the phonics.
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Students have had explicit teaching that the present tense in French communicates two different present tense meanings in English. This reinforces that learning. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form, reminding students that French only has one form and does not have a direct equivalent of the grammar for ‘is + ing’, the continuous form (as covered in previous weeks).
Bring up the picture, and, if using gestures, a possible gesture would be [to mime taking a photo].
Then bring up the English translations. Emphasise the two meanings for the infinitive.
Bring up the short form [prend], say it, students repeat it
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form.

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prendre

[to take | taking]

prend

[takes | is taking]

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prend

[takes| is taking]

Chantal prend le train.

[Chantal takes | is taking the train.]

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prendre

[to take| taking]

Chantal aime prendre le train.

[Chantal likes to take | taking the train.]

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prend

[takes| is taking]

Chantal le train.

prend

[Chantal takes | is taking the train.]

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prendre

[to take| taking]

Chantal aime le train.

prendre

[Chantal likes to take | taking the train.]

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The verb ‘prendre’ – to take

We have seen how to form the third person singular of prendre:

je prends

I take / I am taking

il prend

she takes / she is taking

he takes / he is taking

elle prend

tu prends

you take / you are taking

The first and second person singular forms just add -s:

These verb forms all sound the same!

The –s on the je and tu forms is a �silent final consonant (SFC)

The verb ‘prendre’ - to take

grammaire

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The verb ‘apprendre’ – to learn

The pattern is the same for apprendre – just add the prefix app-:

j’apprends

I learn / I am learning

il apprend

she learns / she is learning

he learns / he is learning

elle apprend

tu apprends

you learn / you are learning

These verb forms all sound the same!

The –s on the je and tu forms is a �silent final consonant (SFC)

The verb ‘apprendre’ - to learn

grammaire

Before the vowel (a), �je becomes j’

(like in ‘j’aime’)

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The verb ‘comprendre’ – to understand

... and also for comprendre – just add the prefix com-:

je comprends

I understand / I am understanding

il comprend

she understands / she is understanding

he understands / he is understanding

elle comprend

tu comprends

you understand / you are understanding

grammaire

These verb forms all sound the same!

The –s on the je and tu forms is a �silent final consonant (SFC)

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C’est qui ?

Écris 1-8 et je/tu ou il/elle. C’est quoi en anglais?

	je/ tu	il/ elle
1
2
3
4

	je/ tu	il/ elle
5
6
7
8

prend le train pour l’hôtel.

dit la solution.

comprends la question.

apprends le français à l’université.

apprend l’anglais aux États-Unis.

dis la vérité.

prends le déjeuner dehors.

comprend la réponse.

C’est qui ?

lire

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Written recognition of the singular forms of dire, prendre, apprendre and comprendre and connecting these with meaning.

Procedure:

In this reading task, students use the form of the verb in each sentence to work out the subject pronoun in each case – je/tu or il/elle - noting the correct pronouns in their books.
The answers are animated upon successive mouse clicks.
The possible translations (given the two persons possible for the form with/without –s, and present continuous versus simple present alternatives) would require too much space to display here. �Students should first discuss these in pairs, orally and then feed back to the teacher.
Remind students to think about whether they wish to use the present simple or continuous forms.
Do the first question together to make clear that there are usually four possible translations for each question, i.e., �She takes the train.�He takes the train.�She is taking the train.�He is taking the train.

�N.B. The idiomatic use of prendre with meals will come up as students try to translate it. Ensure that all are clear about the meaning and that it can apply to all meals. (Any students who read widely or have watched a period drama such as Downton Abbey may have heard ‘take’ used with meals, e.g. ‘We’ll take lunch in the garden today…’ tell students that whilst it is more common for us to use ‘have’ with meals these days, ‘take’ is still possible, if a little antiquated! Tell students that in French they can’t use ‘avoir’ in place of ‘prendre’.)��N.B. Since the form of the verb for all three persons (singular) sounds the same, no listening activity is possible to practise distinguishing between these verb forms. Point this out to students.

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Écris en français !

Write these sentences in French:

1. He says that it’s open on Saturdays.

2. She is having (taking) lunch at the hotel.

4. He understands business.

3. You understand the answer.

5. I am learning English in the USA.

6. You learn French at university.

Il dit que c’est ouvert le samedi.

Elle prend le déjeuner à l’hôtel.

Tu comprends la réponse.

Il comprend les affaires.

J’apprends l’anglais aux États-Unis.

Tu apprends le français à l’université.

7. He is taking the train at the airport.

8. You say “thank you” to the man.

Il prend le train à l’aéroport.

Tu dis « merci » à l’homme.

.

Écris en français !

écrire

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Asking and answering questions�

Verbs like prendre and dire in the present tense (je, tu, il/elle)

Inversion questions

Y7 French

Term 3.1 - Week 1 - Lesson 50

Stephen Owen / Kirsten Somerville / Natalie Finlayson

Artwork by: Chloé Motard

Date updated: 09/07/21

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

Learning outcomes (lesson 2):

Consolidating first, second and third person singular forms of verbs like prendre and dire in the present tense.

Introducing questions with subject-verb inversion

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

7.3.1.1 (introduce) apprendre [327], comprendre [95], dire [37], dis [37], dit [37], prend [43], prendre [43], prends [43], erreur [612], vérité [907], facile [822]

7.2.2.3 (revisit) tuer [591], affaires [170], fils [735], guerre [266], mère [645], père [569], vie [132], naturel [760], naturelle [760], heureux [764], heureuse [764], absolument [1009], contre [121]

7.2.1.2 (revisit) 7.2.1.2 (revisit) êtes [5], sommes [5], sont [5], frère [1043], parent [546], sœur [1558], jeune [152], grand² [59], ouvert [897], petit² [138], sage [2643], strict [1859]

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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C’est quoi ?

tuer

affaires

le fils

la guerre

la mère

le père

la vie

naturel

heureux

absolument

contre

le frère

les parents

la sœur

jeune

grand

ouvert

petit

sage

strict

C’est quoi ?

écouter / parler

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 8 minutes (5 slides)

Aim: Combined phonics and vocabulary practice. Aural comprehension and production of this week’s revisited vocabulary items, and SSCs [ain/in] and [a].

Procedure:

Prin copies of the role cards on slides 34-35 (we recommend coosing printer settings of 6 slides per page).
Partners take turns to read aloud clues in French and choose the correct word from the board. For a more scaffolded variation, the first stage could be run as a dictation, with the listening partner writing down the clue for reference before choosing a word.
This slide displays the revisited sets in full: only six vocabulary items are tested here; the rest are included in other activities throughout the sequence. The clues contain cognates (including those from the phonetics exercises in lesson 1), previously taught vocabulary, and examples of SSCs [ain/in] and [a] highlighted in bold and orange for reference.
Clarify meaning of all words on the board.

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C’est quoi ?

Partenaire A

1

2

3

Prendre la vie d’un être humain ou animal.

La nature est responsable pour ça.

Vaste, comme le monde.

C’est quoi ?

écouter / parler

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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C’est quoi ?

Partenaire B

1

2

3

Le combat avec un pays différent.

C’est certain.

Minuscule, comme un insecte.

C’est quoi ?

écouter / parler

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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C’est quoi ?

Partenaire A

1

2

3

Prendre la vie d’un être humain ou animal.

La nature est responsable pour ça.

Vaste, comme le monde.

tuer

naturel

grand

Réponses

C’est quoi ?

écouter / parler

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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C’est quoi ?

Partenaire B

1

2

3

Le combat avec un pays différent.

C’est certain.

Minuscule, comme un insecte.

la guerre

absolument

petit

Réponses

C’est quoi ?

écouter / parler

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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apprendre

[to learn | learning]

apprend

[learns | is learning]

Timing: 3 minutes for sequence of six verbs

Aim: to introduce the verb apprendre more explicitly. Both long form (infinitive) and short form (3^rd person singular) are introduced in order to familiarise students with various forms of the same verb.

Procedure

Bring up the word apprendre on its own, say it, students repeat it, and remind them of the phonics.
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Students have had explicit teaching that the present tense in French communicates two different present tense meanings in English. This reinforces that learning. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form, reminding students that French only has one form and does not have a direct equivalent of the grammar for ‘is + ing’, the continuous form (as covered in previous weeks).
Bring up the picture, and, if using gestures, a possible gesture would be [to mime grabbing an idea from the air and putting it in your head].
Then bring up the English translations. Emphasise the two meanings for the infinitive.
Bring up the short form [apprend], say it, students repeat it
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form.

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apprendre

[to learn | learning]

apprend

[learns | is learning]

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apprend

[learns| is learning]

Elle apprend l’anglais.

[She learns | is learning English.]

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apprendre

[to learn| learning]

Elle aime apprendre l’anglais.

[She likes to learn | learning English.]

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apprend

[learns| is learning]

Elle l’anglais.

apprend

[She learns | is learning English.]

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apprendre

[to learn| learning]

Elle aime l’anglais.

apprendre

[She likes to learn | learning English.]

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comprendre

[to understand | understanding]

comprend

[understands | is understanding]

Timing: 3 minutes for sequence of six verbs

Aim: to introduce the verb comprendre more explicitly. Both long form (infinitive) and short form (3^rd person singular) are introduced in order to familiarise students with various forms of the same verb.

Procedure

Bring up the word comprendre on its own, say it, students repeat it, and remind them of the phonics.
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Students have had explicit teaching that the present tense in French communicates two different present tense meanings in English. This reinforces that learning. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form, reminding students that French only has one form and does not have a direct equivalent of the grammar for ‘is + ing’, the continuous form (as covered in previous weeks).
Bring up the picture, and, if using gestures, a possible gesture would be [to mime ‘aha’ with a thumbs up or by pointing upwards].
Then bring up the English translations. Emphasise the two meanings for the infinitive.
Bring up the short form [comprend], say it, students repeat it
Try to elicit the meaning from the students. Emphasise the two meanings for the short form.

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comprendre

[to understand | understanding]

comprend

[understands | is understanding]

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comprend

[understands| is understanding]

Fabien comprend la question.

[Fabien understands | is understanding the question.]

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comprendre

[to understand| understanding]

Elle aime comprendre les choses.

[She likes to understand | understanding things.]

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comprend

[Fabien understands | is understanding the question.]

[understands| is understanding]

Fabien la question.

comprend

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comprendre

[to understand| understanding]

Elle aime les choses.

comprendre

[She likes to understand | understanding things.]

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Asking questions – revision

Remember - we can use voice intonation to ask a question:

Tu comprends.

You understand.

Statement

Tu comprends ?

Do you understand?

Question

Remember!�The pitch of your voice rises at the end of a question. This is called intonation.

Remember!�In French, we leave a space before the question mark. This is different from English!

grammaire

Asking questions - revision

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Asking questions – subject-verb inversion

To ask a question, we can also swap the subject and the verb around:

Tu comprends.

You understand.

Statement

Comprends-tu ?

Do you understand?

Question

grammaire

Subject-verb inversion

Swapping round the subject and verb is called inversion. We add a hyphen between them.

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Asking questions – subject-verb inversion

We use inversion to form ‘do/does’ questions and ‘am/are/is’ questions.

Tu comprends.

You understand / are understanding.

Comprends-tu ?

Do you understand?

Tu apprends le français.

You learn / are learning French.

Apprends-tu le français ?

Are you learning French?

There are no question words for ‘do’ and ‘are’ in French! �

Inversion tells us these are questions.

grammaire

Subject-verb inversion

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Les parents et la professeure

Les parents de Léa parlent à la professeure.

C’est une description (D) de Léa, ou une question (Q) pour la professeure ?

		D / Q
1)	Elle dit les réponses
2)	Elle apprend l’anglais
3)	Est elle calme en classe
4)	Prend elle une règle au collège
5)	Elle a des problèmes en maths
6)	Fait elle des erreurs
7)	Comprend elle les solutions
8)	Elle trouve la géographie facile

D

Q

Léa’s parents took notes quickly and missed out the punctuation!

Pay attention to the word order.

Les parents et la professeure

lire

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Written recognition of questions and statements from word order.

Procedure:

1. In this reading activity, the punctuation is removed to focus students’ attention on the word order – prompt them to do this when setting up the task.

2. Students write 1-8 and the letter ‘Q’ or ‘D’. If time permits, they could translate the questions into English, reflecting on which ones sound better with ‘is’ or ‘does’ in English.

3. The task incorporates further revision of this week’s new vocabulary, as well as vocabulary taught in previous weeks.

Frequency rankings of cognates used (1 is the most frequent word in French):

description [2779]

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

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Un robot à la maison !

Un robot apprend comment habiter avec une famille humaine.

C’est une description (D) de la famille, ou une question (Q) pour la famille ?

D

Q

D

Q

D

Q

D

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

I haven’t learned to use intonation yet! Pay attention to the word order.

Remember! Forms of être and avoir are verbs, too!

Un robot à la maison !

écouter

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Aural recognition of questions and statements from word order.

Procedure:

This listening activity practises recognition of subject-verb inversion questions with a range of previously learned vocabulary, incorporating the sets revisited this week.
A ‘robot voice’ is used to remove any cues from intonation.
Students write 1-12 and the letter ‘Q’ or ‘D’. The English translation can be elicited when checking answers.

Transcript

Il y a deux frères.
Sont-ils sages ?
Ont-ils une sœur ?
Elle joue contre les fils.
Est-elle jeune ?
Elle parle avec les parents.
Vous êtes stricts.
Dis-tu ça à ta mère ?
Comprends-tu ton père ?
Sommes-nous amis ?
Nous avons une vie heureuse.

12. Je suis heureux ici.

Frequency rankings (1 is the most frequent word in French):

robot [>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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Parle et écris en français !

1.

Partnenaire A Task 1

2.

3.

4.

5.

apprendre – le français

être – jeune

comprendre – la question

aller – au collège

prendre – le déjeuner

Apprends-tu le français ?

Tu es jeune.

Tu vas au collège.

Comprends-tu la question ?

Prends-tu le déjeuner ?

?

Réponses:

Exemples

A: Fais-tu l’activité ?

B: oui / non (you can be truthful here!).

A: Tu fais les devoirs.

B: D’accord (‘Okay’).

Parle et écris en français !

parler / écrire

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Parle et écris en français !

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Apprends-tu le français ?

Tu es jeune.

Tu vas au collège.

Comprends-tu la question ?

Prends-tu le déjeuner ?

?

Partnenaire B Task 1

Réponses:

Do you understand the question?

Are you learning/do you learn French?

You are young.

You are going/you go to school.

Are you having/do you have lunch?

Exemples

A: Fais-tu l’activité ?

B: Oui / non (you can be truthful here!).

A: Tu fais les devoirs.

B: D’accord (‘Okay’).

Parle et écris en français !

parler / écrire

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Parle et écris en français !

1.

Partnenaire B Task 2

2.

3.

4.

5.

apprendre – l’anglais

être – sage

comprendre – le professeur

aimer – l’histoire

prendre – train

Tu apprends l’anglais.

Es-tu sage ?

Aimes-tu l’histoire ?

Tu comprends le professeur.

Prends-tu le train ?

?

Réponses:

Exemples

B: Fais-tu l’activité ?

A: Oui / non (you can be truthful here!).

B: Tu fais les devoirs.

A: D’accord (‘Okay’).

Parle et écris en français !

parler / écrire

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Parle et écris en français !

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Tu apprends l’anglais.

Es-tu sage ?

Aimes-tu l’histoire ?

Tu comprends le professeur.

Prends-tu le train?

Exemples

B: Fais-tu l’activité ?

A: Oui / non (you can be truthful here!).

B: Tu fais les devoirs.

A: D’accord (‘Okay’).

?

Partnenaire A Task 2

Réponses:

You understand the teacher.

You are learning/you learn English.

Are you well-behaved?

Do you like history?

Are you taking/do you take the train?

Parle et écris en français !

parler / écrire

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Écoute et parle en français !

Apprends-tu le français ?

Tu es jeune.

Tu vas au collège.

Comprends-tu la question ?

Prends-tu le déjeuner ?

Écoute les réponses de partenaire B.

Dis la question ou la description de partenaire A en français.

Tu apprends l’anglais.

Es-tu sage ?

Aimes-tu l’histoire ?

Tu comprends le professeur.

Prends-tu le train ?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

« oui » = question

« c’est vrai » = description

Exemples

B: Oui, je fais l’activité.

🡪 A: Fais-tu l’activité ?

B: C’est vrai, je fais les devoirs.

🡪 A: Tu fais les devoirs.

Écoute et parle en français !

écouter / parler

Self-study version (NB: an in-class version of this activity is provided on slides 55-58)

Timing: 10 minutes

Aim: Aural identification of the statement/question that corresponds to the answer heard

Procedure:

In this version of the task, students click to listen to the response, and say the corresponding question or statement.
Responses beginning with “oui” indicate that a question is required, while responses beginning with “c’est vrai” indicate a description.
Click the yellow boxes to view the correct question/statement.

TRANSCRIPT:

Oui, j’apprends le français,
C’est vrai, je suis jeune.
C’est vrai, je vais au collège.
Oui, je comprends la question.
Oui, je prends le déjeuner.
C’est vrai, j’apprends le français.
Oui, je suis sage.
Oui, j’aime l’histoire.
C’est vrai, je comprends le professeur.
Oui, je prends le train.

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Vrai ou faux ?

		oui / non	vrai / faux
1)	__________: tu es content(e) aujourd’hui.
2)	__________: tu as un animal.
3)	__________: tu aimes la couleur rouge.
4)	__________: tu regardes un film le week-end.
5)	__________: tu écoutes la musique rock.
6)	__________: tu chantes bien.
7)	__________: tu manges un fruit chaque jour.
8)	__________: tu marches à l’école.

Vrai ou faux ?

parler

Timing: 10 minutes

Aim: Oral production and aural comprehension of questions and answers.

Procedure:

In this speaking activity, students have to guess each others’ answers to a set of questions, then ask them the question to find out if their guess was correct.
The questions can be written out before speaking if the group would benefit from the extra support and processing time.
This could be done in several ways:

In groups (ideally of 8): students write 1-8 and the name of a different group member for each statement, and predict their answer by writing ‘oui’ / ‘non’. They then take turns to ask each other the questions, marking ‘vrai’ if their guess was correct and ‘faux’ if not. One point for each correct guess.
In pairs: students simply guess their partner’s answer to each question and ask each other the questions to check.

4. The next slide includes a more challenging version of this task, where the statements are written in the 3^rd person, so students must change the verb form as well as the word order – delete as necessary.

Frequency rankings (1 is the most frequent word in French):

musique [1139], week-end [2475], rock [4081]

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

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Vrai ou faux ?

		oui / non	vrai / faux
1)	__________ est content(e) aujourd’hui.
2)	__________ a un animal.
3)	__________ aime la couleur rouge.
4)	__________ regarde un film le week-end.
5)	__________ écoute la musique rock.
6)	__________ chante bien.
7)	__________ mange un fruit chaque jour.
8)	__________ marche à l’école.