Grade 08: French

In this unit, 'Past and future in simple form', you learn to talk about past and future. 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 'Past and future in simple form' 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: talk about past and future, 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, The passé composé talks about finished actions. Form: avoir in the present plus the past participle. J'ai mangé [I ate], tu as fini [you finished], nous avons joué [we played]. Hier, j'ai joué au foot. [Yesterday I played football.]
2. Step 2, Some verbs use être: aller, arriver, partir, venir, entrer. Je suis allé au marché. [I went to the market, a boy.] Elle est arrivée à huit heures. [She arrived at eight.] With être the participle agrees: allé, allée, allés, allées.
3. Step 3, The near future uses aller plus the infinitive. Je vais manger. [I am going to eat.] Nous allons jouer demain. [We are going to play tomorrow.] The simple future adds endings to the infinitive: je mangerai, tu finiras, nous jouerons. [I will eat, you will finish, we will play.]
4. Step 4, Dialogue. Élève A : Qu'est-ce que tu as fait hier ? [What did you do yesterday?] Élève B : J'ai regardé un film. [I watched a film.] Élève A : Et demain ? [And tomorrow?] Élève B : Demain, je jouerai au tennis. [Tomorrow I will play tennis.]
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A student says j'ai allé. Correction: je suis allé, because aller takes être. Another says je vais mangé. Correction: je vais manger, with the infinitive. A third says elle est allé; correction: elle est allée.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write yesterday, now and tomorrow with finir. Model answer: Hier, j'ai fini mes devoirs. Aujourd'hui, je finis mon livre. Demain, je finirai mon projet. [Yesterday I finished my homework. Today I finish my book. Tomorrow I will finish my project.]

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. Talk about past and future: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Daily routine', you learn to describe a day. 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 'Daily routine' 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: describe a day, 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 pronominal verbs for the morning. je me réveille [I wake up], je me lève [I get up], je me lave [I wash], je m'habille [I get dressed]. The me stays before the verb. Say: Je me réveille à sept heures. [I wake up at seven.]
2. Step 2, Add other routine verbs. Je prends le petit déjeuner. [I have breakfast.] Je vais à l'école à huit heures et demie. [I go to school at half past eight.] Je mange à midi. [I eat at noon.] Je rentre à la maison à cinq heures. [I go home at five.]
3. Step 3, Write the evening. Je fais mes devoirs. [I do my homework.] Je dîne avec ma famille. [I have dinner with my family.] Je me couche à neuf heures. [I go to bed at nine.] Use d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin for order.
4. Step 4, Connect in a short paragraph. D'abord, je me réveille à sept heures. Ensuite, je prends le petit déjeuner. Puis je vais à l'école. Enfin, le soir, je me couche tôt. [First I wake up at seven. Then I have breakfast. Then I go to school. Finally in the evening I go to bed early.]
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A student says je réveille à sept heure. Correction: je me réveille à sept heures. Another writes tu te lèves with je: je te lève; correction: je me lève. Also keep the s on heures when the number is more than one.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write four sentences about your day with times. Model answer: Je me lève à sept heures. Je vais à l'école à huit heures. Je rentre à quatre heures. Je me couche à dix heures. [I get up at seven. I go to school at eight. I come home at four. I go to bed at ten.]

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. Describe a day: 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 a longer 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 a longer 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, Predict before listening. The title is On organise samedi [Planning Saturday]. Expect times, activities and a decision. Draw a three-column table: Qui [who], Quand [when], Quoi [what]. Decide to listen twice: once for the gist, once for the details.
2. Step 2, Listen for the gist. Read aloud: Léa : Tu es libre samedi ? Tom : Le matin, j'ai un cours de guitare jusqu'à onze heures, mais l'après-midi, je suis libre. Léa : On pourrait aller au cinéma à quinze heures trente. Tom : Bonne idée ! Le film dure combien de temps ? Léa : Une heure quarante. Tom : Alors on sort à dix-sept heures dix. On mange une crêpe après ? Léa : D'accord ! Gist: two friends plan an outing.
3. Step 3, Fill the table on the second listening. Qui : Léa and Tom. Quand : samedi, 15 h 30 (quinze heures trente). Quoi : cinéma, then une crêpe [a pancake]. Also note Tom's guitar lesson until 11 h (onze heures) and that the film lasts 1 h 40.
4. Step 4, Check an inference with a calculation. 15 h 30 plus 1 h 40 equals 17 h 10. Tom says dix-sept heures dix, which is correct. When a speaker gives a start time and a length, work out the end time yourself and compare with what you hear.
5. Step 5, Fix common slips. French often uses the 24-hour clock in speech: quinze heures trente is 3.30 p.m. Do not confuse quinze [15] with quarante [40] or dix-sept [17] with dix-huit [18]. Un quart d'heure [quarter of an hour] is different from quatorze heures [2 p.m.].
6. Step 6, Your turn: hear Le cours commence à neuf heures quarante-cinq et dure une heure trente. À quelle heure finit-il ? Answer: 9 h 45 plus 1 h 30 is 11 h 15, so il finit à onze heures quinze. [It ends at 11.15.]

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 a longer 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 present. 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: present, 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, Pick a topic and a plan. Topic: mon quartier [my neighbourhood]. Plan: introduce, location, what there is, what I like, conclude. A one-minute talk for a language learner at a careful pace is about 60 to 80 words, so about eight to ten short sentences.
2. Step 2, Build the introduction and location. Bonjour à tous. Je vais vous présenter mon quartier. [Hello everyone. I am going to present my neighbourhood.] D'abord, il est situé près d'un grand parc. [First, it is near a big park.] Je vais plus infinitive is the near future.
3. Step 3, Add the middle and the opinion. Ensuite, il y a une bibliothèque, un petit marché et deux écoles. [Then there is a library, a small market and two schools.] Enfin, ce que j'aime, c'est le calme et mes amis. [Finally, what I like is the calm and my friends.]
4. Step 4, Close and deliver. Pour conclure, mon quartier est petit mais agréable. Merci de m'écouter. [To conclude, my neighbourhood is small but pleasant. Thank you for listening.] Use cue cards with one keyword each, look at the audience, and pause for a breath after each sequence word.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child says Je vais présente. Correction: Je vais présenter, because after aller we use the infinitive. Another says il y a un bibliothèque. Correction: une bibliothèque, because it is feminine. Another reads every word; use keywords instead.
6. Step 6, Your turn: present your school in five sentences. Model answer: Bonjour à tous. Je vais vous présenter mon école. D'abord, elle est près de ma maison. Ensuite, il y a une grande cour et un gymnase. Pour conclure, j'aime mon école parce que mes amis sont là. Merci !

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. Present: 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 08 French is at this level. Its units include Past and future in simple form; Daily routine; 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.