Grade 10: French

In this unit, 'Reading comprehension', you learn to answer in full. 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 in full, 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 and name the topic. Depuis septembre, les élèves de notre lycée participent à un projet pour réduire les déchets. Chaque classe trie le papier, le plastique et les restes de repas. Avant le projet, le lycée produisait 800 kilos de déchets par semaine. Aujourd'hui, il en produit 120 de moins, soit une baisse de 15 %. Le directeur espère atteindre 25 % de réduction avant juin, mais certains élèves pensent que ce sera difficile parce que la cantine jette encore trop de pain.
2. Step 2, Analyse the question before you search. Depuis quand le projet existe-t-il ? [Since when has the project existed?] Depuis quand asks for a starting point in time. Evidence: depuis septembre. Reuse the question's words: Le projet existe depuis septembre. [The project has existed since September.]
3. Step 3, Combine information to answer an inference question. Combien de kilos de déchets le lycée produit-il maintenant par semaine ? The text gives 800 before and 120 fewer now, so 800 - 120 = 680. Check the percentage: 120 / 800 = 0.15, which is 15 %. Answer: Le lycée produit maintenant 680 kilos de déchets par semaine.
4. Step 4, Explain a reason with evidence. Pourquoi certains élèves pensent-ils que l'objectif sera difficile ? [Why do some pupils think the target will be difficult?] Answer: Ils pensent que ce sera difficile parce que la cantine jette encore trop de pain. Quote the cause and keep ce sera as in the text.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child answers 680 kilos without a sentence. Correction: give a full sentence with a verb. Another confuses 15 % of 800 with 15 kilos. Correction: 15 % of 800 is 120. Another writes Ils produisent for the lycée; use Il produit, singular.
6. Step 6, Your turn: by how many kilos must weekly waste fall further to reach the director's 25 % target? Answer: 25 % of 800 is 200, so the target is 600 kilos; 680 - 600 = 80. Il faut encore réduire les déchets de 80 kilos par semaine.

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 in full: 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 an essay. 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 an essay, 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, Analyse the essay question and take a position. Faut-il interdire les téléphones portables au lycée ? [Should mobile phones be banned at school?] Choose a clear thesis: they should be banned during lessons but allowed at break. Write one sentence thesis, then two arguments and one counter-argument.
2. Step 2, Write an introduction in three moves. Aujourd'hui, presque tous les lycéens ont un téléphone portable. [Today nearly all pupils have a mobile.] Faut-il pour autant l'interdire en classe ? [Should it therefore be banned in class?] Nous verrons d'abord que le téléphone gêne l'apprentissage, puis qu'il reste un outil utile. [We shall see first that ... then that ...]
3. Step 3, Develop argument and example. Tout d'abord, un téléphone qui sonne distrait toute la classe. [First, a phone that rings distracts the whole class.] Par exemple, un élève qui lit ses messages ne suit plus le cours. [For example, a pupil reading messages no longer follows the lesson.] Each paragraph needs one claim and one example.
4. Step 4, Add a counter-argument and a conclusion. Cependant, le portable permet de chercher un mot dans un dictionnaire en ligne ou de prévenir ses parents. [However, it lets you look up a word or warn parents.] En conclusion, il faut que chaque élève éteigne son téléphone pendant les cours. [In conclusion, each pupil must switch off his phone in lessons.] Éteigne is subjunctive after il faut que.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child writes bien que c'est utile. Correction: bien que ce soit utile, because bien que needs the subjunctive. Another repeats et all the time; vary it with de plus, en outre, par ailleurs. Another writes je pense que ce soit utile. Correction: je pense que c'est utile, because penser que takes the indicative.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a two-sentence introduction for Faut-il porter un uniforme à l'école ? Model answer: Dans de nombreux pays, les élèves portent un uniforme. Faut-il pour autant généraliser cette règle ? [In many countries pupils wear a uniform. Should this rule be adopted everywhere?]

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 an essay: 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 summarise a 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: summarise a 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 and take notes. The title is Un job pour l'été [A summer job]. Write only keywords, not full sentences: who, wants, does, when, advice. Use abbreviations and arrows, for example Inès > job été > argent. You will have about two minutes to write after the second listening.
2. Step 2, Listen to the dialogue. Read aloud: Inès : Je cherche un petit job pour l'été. Karim : Moi, je fais du bénévolat à la bibliothèque, deux heures par semaine, le mercredi. Inès : C'est gratuit ? Karim : Oui, mais j'apprends beaucoup. Je range les livres et j'aide les enfants à lire. Inès : Je veux gagner un peu d'argent. Karim : Alors essaie le marché : le samedi, ils cherchent quelqu'un.
3. Step 3, Extract the key points. Inès : cherche un job pour l'été ; veut de l'argent. Karim : bénévole à la bibliothèque ; 2 h par semaine ; mercredi ; range les livres ; conseille le marché, le samedi. Two speakers and two ideas each is enough for a summary.
4. Step 4, Summarise in your own words. Inès cherche un job pour l'été parce qu'elle veut gagner de l'argent. Karim fait du bénévolat à la bibliothèque le mercredi et il lui conseille de chercher au marché, où l'on cherche quelqu'un le samedi. Use third person and link with parce que and et.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child copies je cherche and je fais. Correction: change to elle cherche and il fait. Another copies the dialogue word for word. Correction: use your own words and keep only the key facts, so the summary is clearly shorter than the dialogue.
6. Step 6, Your turn: summarise this dialogue. Tom : Je vais au cinéma samedi. Sara : Moi, je dois garder ma petite sœur. Tom : Viens dimanche alors ! Answer: Tom va au cinéma samedi, mais Sara doit garder sa petite sœur ; il lui propose donc de venir dimanche.

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

In this unit, 'Oral presentation', you learn to present on a topic. 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 'Oral presentation' 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 on a topic, 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, Choose a topic and plan three parts. Topic: Le métier que je voudrais faire [The job I would like to do]. Parts: introduction (who I am and the topic), development (why, studies, qualities), conclusion (summary and thanks). A two-minute talk at about 100 words per minute is roughly 200 words.
2. Step 2, Write an opening with a plan. Bonjour à tous. Aujourd'hui, je vais vous parler du métier d'ingénieur en environnement. [Today I am going to talk about the job of environmental engineer.] Je présenterai d'abord pourquoi ce métier m'intéresse, puis les études nécessaires. Announce the plan so listeners can follow.
3. Step 3, Develop each part with a reason and a detail. D'abord, ce métier m'intéresse parce que je veux protéger la nature. [First, it interests me because I want to protect nature.] Ensuite, il faut faire cinq ans d'études après le lycée, en général. [Then you need about five years of study after lycée, generally.] Vary your connectors.
4. Step 4, Use keywords and plan for questions. Write only keywords on a card: protéger, études, qualités, merci. After the talk, you may hear a question: Pourriez-vous répéter la question ? [Could you repeat the question?] Practise this and Je voudrais ajouter que... [I would like to add that...].
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A child says Je vais parler sur le métier. Correction: Je vais parler du métier, because parler de is the construction. Another says il faut que je fais. Correction: il faut que je fasse, subjunctive of faire. Another speaks too fast; pause at each full stop.
6. Step 6, Your turn: introduce your topic Un sport que j'aime and give a three-part plan in three sentences. Model answer: Bonjour à tous. Aujourd'hui, je vais vous parler du basket, un sport que j'aime. D'abord, je présenterai les règles, puis les bienfaits, enfin mon équipe.

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 on a topic: 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.

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.

This course: Grade 10 French is at this level. Its units include Reading comprehension; Writing practice; Listening practice; Oral presentation.

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.