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French Phonics Collection�

SSC [y]

Artwork by: Chloé Motard

Date updated: 30/08/2022

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SSC [y]

phonétique

Introduction

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y

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To introduce SSC [y]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [y] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”y” 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 over ‘there’].�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 [y] sound, pronouncing ”y” and, if using, doing the gesture.

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

y [36]

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

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y

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y

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y

système

style

physique

rythme

analyser

[to analyse]

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 2 minutes

Aim: To introduce SSC [y]

Procedure:

1. Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [y] and then the source word again ‘y’ (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): �système [289]; style [1999] physique [1146]; analyser [1209]; rythme [1662]�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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y

système

style

physique

rythme

analyser

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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y

système

style

physique

rythme

analyser

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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[y] en anglais vs français

English	French
Syrian	syrien
anonymous	anonyme
system	système
Pythagoras	Pythagore
myth	mythe
cycling	cyclisme

écouter / parler

A

B

C

D

E

F

English [y] in the middle of a word sounds like ‘ih’.

French [y] sounds like SSC [i].

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

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y

système

style

physique

rythme

analyser

[to analyse]

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [y]

Procedure:

1. Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [y] and then the source word again ‘y’ (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): �système [289]; style [1999] physique [1146]; analyser [1209]; rythme [1662]�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Phonétique

lire / parler

60

secondes

0

DÉBUT

Dis les mots. Make sure to use your knowledge of French SSCs and not your knowledge of English!

typhon

cycle

mystère

analyser

cynique

hypothèse

typique

dynamique

python

rythme

recycler

psychologie

[to analyse]

[mystery]

[hypothesis]

[cynical]

[typical]

[typhoon]

[psychology]

[vibrant]

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Oral production of unknown words containing SSC [y].

Procedure:

1. Split students into pairs.

2. Click début to start the timer. NB: at higher levels, the timer can be set to a shorter time. To do this, click on ‘animations’ and then the orange timer bar. Adjust the number of seconds in ‘duration’.

3. Speaking student tries to pronounce all words accurately within a minute.

4. Listening student checks pronunciation. If they hear an English pronunciation of [y], they ask their partner to repeat the word correctly three times before proceeding.

5. When timer finishes, swap so other person speaks.

6. The winner is the student who pronounced the most words correctly within a given time.

7. Check pronunciation by clicking on words to hear them said by a native speaker. Students repeat.

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in French): �cycle [2462], mystère [2777], analyser [1209], cynique [3547], hypothèse [1669], typique [4178], dynamique [2078], psychologie [4836], python [>5000], recycler [>5000], rythme [1662], typhon [>5000]

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

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SSC [y]

phonétique

Consolidation [1]

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y

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [y]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [y] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”y” 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 over ‘there’].�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 [y] sound, pronouncing ”y” and, if using, doing the gesture.

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

y [36]

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

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oy

envoyer

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [oy]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [oy] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”envoyer” 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 [sending a letter].�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 [oy] sound, pronouncing ”envoyer” and, if using, doing the gesture.

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

enyoyer [526]

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

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Phonétique

Q	mot	[oy]	[y]
	joyau [jewel]
	cycliste [cyclist]
	symbole [symbol]
	voyelle [vowel]
	lycée [sixth form]
	gymnase [gym]
	incroyable [incredible]
	moyen [average]

écouter / écrire

Écoute. C’est [oy] ou [y] ?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

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y

système

style

physique

rythme

analyser

[to analyse]

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [y]

Procedure:

1. Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [y] and then the source word again ‘y’ (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): �système [289]; style [1999] physique [1146]; analyser [1209]; rythme [1662]�Source: Londsale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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Des virelangues !

Le samoyède syrien aime aboyer sur le python royal.

[The Syrian Samoyed likes to bark at the royal python.]

écouter / parler

Sylvie la cycliste joyeuse voyage à Chypre.

[Sylvie the joyful cyclist travels to Cyprus.]

Timing: 4 minutes (slide 1/2)

Aim: practising oral production of SSCs [oy], [y]

Procedure:

Click on play button to hear a tongue twister. Students repeat as many times a necessary.
If students feel confident, they should speed up – compete to see who can pronounce it the fastest

Transcript:

Le samoyède syrien aime aboyer au python royal.

Sylvie la cycliste joyeuse voyage en Chypre.

Word frequency of unknown words used (1 is the most frequent word in French):

samoyède [>5000], aboyer [>5000], Chypre [>5000]

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

syrien [4453], python [>5000], royal [2290], cycliste [>5000] , joyeux [3987]

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

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Des virelangues !

Le lycéen flamboyant aime le rythme de l’hymne calypso.

[The flamboyant sixth-former likes the rhythm of the calypso carol.]

écouter / parler

Le voyou moyen doit nettoyer les pylônes du royaume.

[The average hooligan has to clean the pylons of the kingdom.]

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SSC [y]

phonétique

Consolidation [2]

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y

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [y]

Procedure:�1. Present the letter(s) and say the [y] sound first, on its own. Students repeat it with you.�2. Bring up the word ”y” 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 over ‘there’].�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 [y] sound, pronouncing ”y” and, if using, doing the gesture.

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

y [36]

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

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y

système

style

physique

rythme

analyser

[to analyse]

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Rachel Hawkes

Timing: 1 minute

Aim: To consolidate SSC [y]

Procedure:

1. Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [y] and then the source word again ‘y’ (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): �système [289]; style [1999] physique [1146]; analyser [1209]; rythme [1662]�Source: Lonsdale, D., & Le Bras, Y. (2009). A Frequency Dictionary of French: Core vocabulary for learners London: Routledge.

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[y] et [i]

What do you notice about these words?

écouter

SSC [y] is the same sound as SSC [i], which you already know.

SSC [y] is often found in cognate words (words which look like English or another language).

mite

[moth]

mythe

[myth]

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[y] et [i]

60

secondes

0

DÉBUT

Attention ! Some words look like English.

Use your French SSC knowledge to pronounce them correctly.

type

cycle

mystère

analyser

cynique

hypothèse

typique

bijou

tisser

mérite

tragique

cultiver

prime

fragile

héritage

[to grow]

[to analyse]

[to weave]

[mystery]

[tragic]

[jewel]

[bonus]

[hypothesis]

[cynical]

[merit]

[typical]

parler

Timing: 3 minutes

Aim: To practise pronunciation of SSCs [y] and [i] in individual words.

Procedure:

1. Split students into pairs.

2. Click début to start the timer

3. Students take it in turns try to pronounce as many words accurately as possible

4. The listening partner checks pronunciation and tallies the total number of words pronounced correctly within 30 seconds. If a student pronounces [i] or [y] the ‘English’ way, they must repeat it three times before scoring the point and continuing.

5. When timer finishes, swap roles.

6. Students tally up the total number of words said correctly. The student who has said the greatest number of words is the winner.

7. Go through all the words together as a class to confirm pronunciation (click on words to hear them pronounced by a native speaker, students repeat.)

Word frequency of unknown words (1 is the most frequent word in French): �bijou [4301], tisser [4320], prime [2094]

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

Word frequency of cognate words (1 is the most frequent word in French): �type [440], cycle [2462], mystère [2777], analyser [1209], cynique [3547], hypothèse [1669], typique [4178], mérite [2035], tragique [2042], cultiver [2061], fragile [2107], héritage [2193]

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

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Des virelangues

lire / parler

Lily lit typiquement un livre

dans son lit.

Lily typically reads a book in bed.

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Des virelangues

lire / parler

Si six scies scient six cyprès,

six cents scies scient six cent cyprès.

If six saws saw six cypresses, six hundred saws saw six hundred cypresses

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Phonétique

Q	mot	en anglais	[oy]	[y]
	joyau	[jewel]
	c y cliste	[cyclist]
	r y thme	[rhythm]
	voyelle	[vowel]
	l y cée	[sixth form]
	g y mnase	[gymnasium]
	incroyable	[incredible]
	citoyen	[citizen]

Écoute. Les mots ont-ils la SSC [oy] ou [y] ?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

_

Notice that all the words containing [y] are cognates (look like English).

écouter

Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: Aural recognition of SSCs [oy] and [y] in single words; connecting SSC [y] with cognate words

Procedure:

1. Click to play the audio.

2. Students tick whether they hear [oy] or [y].

3. Click to reveal the answers.

4. Note that it is the near-cognates that contain SSC [y].

Transcript:

1. joyau

2. cycliste

3 rythme

4. voyelle

5. lycée

6. gymnase

7. incroyable

8. citoyen

Word frequency of unknown words used (1 is the most frequent word in French):

joyau [>5000], voyelle [>5000], incroyable [2231], citoyen [1081]

Word frequency of near-cognates used (1 is the most frequent word in French):�rythme [1662], cycliste [>5000], mystère [2777], gymnase [>5000],

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

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Des virelangues !

Le samoyède syrien aime aboyer sur le python royal.

[The Syrian Samoyed likes to bark at the royal python.]

écouter / parler

Sylvie la cycliste joyeuse voyage à Chypre.

[Sylvie the joyful cyclist travels to Cyprus.]

Timing: 4 minutes. This is slide 1/2.

Aim: oral production of SSCs [oy] and [y] in longer contexts; fluency production

Procedure:

1. Click on play button to hear a tongue twister said aloud by a native speaker. Students read along.

2. Students repeat as many times a necessary.

3. If students feel confident, they can try to speed up – compete to see who can say a correct the sentence correctly fastest.

Transcript:

Le samoyède syrien aime aboyer au python royal.

Sylvie la cycliste joyeuse voyage en Chypre.

Word frequency of unknown words used (1 is the most frequent word in French):

samoyède [>5000], aboyer [>5000], Chypre [>5000]

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

syrien [4453], python [>5000], royal [2290], cycliste [>5000] , joyeux [3987]

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

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Des virelangues !

Le lycéen flamboyant aime le rythme de l’hymne calypso.

[The flamboyant sixth-former likes the rhythm of the calypso carol.]

écouter / parler

Le voyou moyen doit nettoyer les pylônes du royaume.

[The average hooligan has to clean the pylons of the kingdom.]