Grade 06: French

In this unit, 'Reading comprehension', you learn to answer questions. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Reading comprehension' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: answer questions, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Skim the text for the main idea. Samedi, Amir et sa sœur Lina vont au marché avec leur grand-père. Ils achètent des tomates, du fromage et une baguette. Il pleut, alors ils rentrent vite à la maison. L'après-midi, ils font un gâteau au chocolat. Main idea: a Saturday outing and baking at home.
2. Step 2, Read for details and gloss new words. ils vont [they go], ils achètent [they buy], il pleut [it is raining], alors [so], rentrer [to go back home], l'après-midi [in the afternoon], un gâteau [a cake]. Underline the verbs, because question answers usually depend on them.
3. Step 3, Identify what each question word asks for. Qui ? [Who?] gives a person. Où ? [Where?] gives a place. Quand ? [When?] gives a time. Pourquoi ? [Why?] needs parce que [because]. Combien ? [How many?] needs a number. Read the question before you hunt in the text.
4. Step 4, Find the evidence and write the answer. Où vont-ils samedi ? [Where do they go on Saturday?] Evidence: vont au marché. Answer: Ils vont au marché avec leur grand-père. [They go to the market with their grandfather.] Reuse words from the question and the text, changing only what is needed.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child answers Pourquoi rentrent-ils vite ? with Il pleut. Better: Ils rentrent vite parce qu'il pleut. Another answers Ils achètent du fromage et pain. Correction: du fromage et une baguette, as in the text. Always check the text before you copy.
6. Step 6, Your turn: answer Que font-ils l'après-midi ? [What do they do in the afternoon?] Answer: Ils font un gâteau au chocolat. [They make a chocolate cake.]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Answer questions: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Writing practice', you learn to write a paragraph. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Writing practice' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: write a paragraph, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Begin with a topic sentence that names the subject. Le samedi, je me lève à huit heures. [On Saturdays I get up at eight.] Note je me lève, not je lève, because se lever is a reflexive verb. Every other sentence in the paragraph will support this opening.
2. Step 2, Add sequence words. d'abord [first], ensuite [then], puis [next], enfin [finally]. D'abord, je prends le petit déjeuner. [First, I have breakfast.] Ensuite, je joue au foot avec mes amis. [Then I play football with my friends.] Use a comma after each sequence word.
3. Step 3, Write the middle and the end. Puis, je fais mes devoirs. [Next, I do my homework.] Enfin, le soir, je regarde un film avec ma famille. [Finally, in the evening, I watch a film with my family.] That gives five sentences, a good length for a paragraph.
4. Step 4, Check the paragraph. Verbs in the present: je me lève, je prends, je joue, je fais, je regarde. Accents: lève, déjeuner, à. Check that every sentence begins with a capital and ends with a full stop. Read aloud and fix anything that sounds odd.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child writes Je joue le foot. Correction: Je joue au foot, because jouer takes à before a sport. Another writes je lève à huit heures. Correction: je me lève à huit heures. Another writes Je fait mes devoirs. Correction: Je fais.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write four or five sentences about your Sunday with sequence words. Model answer: Le dimanche, je dors un peu plus. D'abord, je mange avec mes parents. Ensuite, je lis un livre. Puis, je joue avec mon frère. Enfin, je prépare mon sac.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Write a paragraph: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Listening practice', you learn to follow dialogue. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Listening practice' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: follow dialogue, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Prepare to listen. The title is Pour aller à la gare [Getting to the station]. Predict words: tout droit [straight on], à gauche [on the left], à droite [on the right], la rue [street], mètres [metres]. Draw a small blank map with the start point marked.
2. Step 2, Listen for the gist. Read aloud: Excusez-moi, où est la gare, s'il vous plaît ? Allez tout droit jusqu'au feu rouge, puis tournez à gauche. Ensuite, prenez la deuxième rue à droite. La gare est en face de la poste. C'est loin ? Non, c'est à cinq cents mètres. Gist: someone asks the way to the station.
3. Step 3, Listen again and draw the route. Straight to the red light [le feu rouge], left, then the second street on the right. The station is opposite [en face de] the post office [la poste]. Mark each step with an arrow as you hear it.
4. Step 4, Check the numbers and the detail. cinq cents mètres is 500 m. At about 5 km per hour, 500 m takes six minutes, so a walk à pied [on foot] is reasonable. Compare your map with a partner's and listen again where they differ.
5. Step 5, Fix common slips. À gauche [left] and à droite [right] are easy to swap, so write G and D. Tout droit means straight on, not to the right. Cent [100] and cinq cents [500] differ by cinq, so listen for it. Say them aloud.
6. Step 6, Your turn: hear Allez tout droit, puis tournez à droite. La bibliothèque est à côté de la pharmacie, à trois cents mètres. Where is it and how far? Answer: It is next to the pharmacy, after turning right, 300 metres away.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Follow dialogue: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Speaking practice', you learn to hold a short conversation. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Speaking practice' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: hold a short conversation, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Learn greetings and first questions. Salut ! Comment tu t'appelles ? [Hi! What is your name?] Tu as quel âge ? [How old are you?] Tu habites où ? [Where do you live?] Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire ? [What do you like to do?] Practise each with a partner, turn by turn.
2. Step 2, Answer in a full sentence and return the question. Je m'appelle Yara. Et toi ? [My name is Yara. And you?] J'ai onze ans. Et toi ? [I am eleven. And you?] Et toi ? keeps the conversation going and gives you time to think.
3. Step 3, Act out a conversation. Paul : Tu habites où ? [Where do you live?] Yara : J'habite près du parc. [I live near the park.] Paul : Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire ? Yara : J'aime nager et lire. Et toi ? Paul : J'adore le foot ! Yara : Super ! [Great!]
4. Step 4, Add small words to sound natural. Euh [Um], alors [so], bien sûr [of course], d'accord [OK], pardon ? [Sorry?]. If you do not hear, say Tu peux répéter, s'il te plaît ? [Can you repeat, please?] Use one of these in every conversation.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child says Je habite près du parc. Correction: J'habite, with elision before the h. Another says Tu habites quoi ? Correction: Tu habites où ?
6. Step 6, Your turn: have a six-line conversation about hobbies with a partner. Model answer: Salut ! Tu aimes faire quoi ? J'aime dessiner. Et toi ? Moi, j'aime jouer au basket. Super ! On joue samedi ? D'accord ! [Hi! What do you like to do? I like drawing. And you? I like playing basketball. Great! Shall we play on Saturday? OK!]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Hold a short conversation: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

On the slide: L1 Basic · First words and greetings

Notes: Greet someone, give your name and count to ten in French. Notes: teach Bonjour (hello) and Je m'appelle... (my name is...) with a smile and gesture; learners greet five classmates and say their own name, with no reading or writing needed yet.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Sounds, spelling and simple phrases

Notes: Pronounce common French sounds and read short phrases about family, colours and food. Notes: show that final consonants are often silent, as in petit (small); learners read ten word cards aloud, then match each to a picture.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Present tense and simple sentences

Notes: Write and say ten sentences about yourself using regular verbs and the verbs être (to be) and avoir (to have). Notes: give a gap-fill on Je suis... and J'ai...; learners complete it with their own details and swap with a partner to check agreement.

This course: Grade 06 French is at this level. Its units include Reading comprehension; Writing practice; Listening practice; Speaking practice.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Past and future in conversation

Notes: Talk about yesterday and next week using the passé composé and the near future. Notes: model J'ai mangé (I ate) and Je vais manger (I am going to eat); learners interview a partner for three minutes, then write six sentences in the past and the future.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Argument, texts and accuracy

Notes: Write a 250-word opinion piece and summarise an authentic article, using the subjunctive where needed. Notes: practise Il faut que je parte (I must leave); learners mark every verb in their draft, fix agreement errors, and defend one opinion in a spoken minute.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Literature, linguistics and style

Notes: Analyse a literary or media text for style, register and historical context, and write a critical essay in French. Notes: choose one page of prose; learners find three stylistic choices, compare them with a modern translation, and argue in 600 words which reading is stronger.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Research, translation and teaching

Notes: Plan and carry out an original piece of French-language research or translation with a documented method. Notes: choose a narrow question, such as how one word's meaning has shifted; collect twenty sources, code them, write up findings in French, and submit them for peer review.