French in the Primary School Ffrangeg yn yr Ysgol...

French in the Primary School

Copyright © Bruno Guillemin 2004 0

Ffrangeg yn yr Ysgol Gynradd Author: Bruno Guillemin

A) Aims of the course This course aims at allowing primary school teachers who have little or no French at all to deliver effectively French lessons for year 5/6. The course is made of 15 units that will allow the pupils to cover NC levels 1 to 4. The course caters for the 4 necessary skills of modern language acquisition: Listening (AT1), Speaking (AT2), Reading (AT3) and Writing (AT3). In addition to this “classical” approach, songs and games are used to increase the fun of learning as well as to re-enforce the vocabulary and structures taught.

French in the Primary School Teacher’s file


Each unit is constructed on the same template to avoid confusion or specialist’s skills. The course is to be delivered from a computer, using a projector. No whiteboard is necessary; a normal roll up screen can be used, allowing for more flexibility. B) Minimal requirements Your computer must be equipped with at least Office 2000 (Word 2000, Power Point 2000, Publisher 2000) or better. You must also have a recent version of Windows Media Player as well as a pair of speakers to hear the listening extracts. A mouse with a wheel makes life easier to go forwards and backwards through the presentations. Although the course will run if the RAM memory is at least 250 MB, the more memory you have, the quicker the animations will load. C) Content of the course

Unit 1: Introducing yourself and greeting people. Unit 2: Counting up to 20 and speaking about your birthday. Unit 3: Speaking about your brothers and sisters. Unit 4: Speaking about your pets. Unit 5: Saying and understanding where people live in Europe. Unit 6: Saying what are the nationalities of some European people. Unit 7: Ordering a drink. Unit 8: Ordering a snack. Unit 9: Describing the colour of your eyes. Unit 10: Describing the colour of your hair. Unit 11: Describing your physical appearance and the appearance of others. Unit 12: Describing your personality and the personality of others. Unit 13: Saying which sports you do (part 1). Unit 14: Saying which sport you play (part 2). Unit 15: Talking about the weather.

Although Units 1 to 15 represent a progression, it is not automatically necessary to present them in this order. Nevertheless, if you intend to present them in a different order, it is important to realise that unit 1 to 4 must be done at the beginning of the course.


Units 5 and 6 can be done after units 7 and 8 but before unit 9. Unit 9, 10, 11 and 12 are part of a series of lessons that must be delivered in the correct order, one after the other. Units 13, 14 and 15 can be done at any time. D) How to use the course From the content page, select the lesson you wish to look at.

You will then be presented with a page of characters, each one linked to a specific activity or presentation for the lesson.

Warning: Should you click by mistake on a non hyper-linked area within a PowerPoint presentation, the show would end, leaving you with a black screen and the message “end show” at the top of the page. Do not panic and click once again. Power Point will reappear. Repeat the first steps, click on Slide Show, then, select View Show, and you will be back in the animated main menu.

E) Delivering the lesson

a) The presentation 20/ 30 mn

The new vocabulary is presented with another Power Point presentation. It is recommended to have a mouse equipped with a wheel as it facilitates going backwards and forwards at will. If your mouse has no wheel, you can obtain the same result by clicking the right button and click on “previous” in the menu window to go backwards. To go forwards, click on the left button.

Start the presentation by bringing the pointer on


You can now roll the wheel one notch towards you to introduce each items of vocabulary, one after the other. The idea is to bring on the visual clue with the recorded message and to get the pupils to repeat. Start with group repetition and proceed with some individual repetition (no more than 5 per image). If the pupils need the item to be repeated, notch the wheel away from you (the image disappears) and give another notch towards you (the image and the recorded message plays again). Repeat these operations throughout the presentation.

the character. When the pointer turns into a hand, click once. The presentation will load automatically.

Pupils repeat several times after the visual clue and recorded message. Go backwards and forwards with the wheel if the message needs repeating.

You can introduce the text when you are satisfied that a good pronunciation is set to show the sound-spelling link Get them to repeat some more time to memorise the sound and the spelling

A typical presentation should last about 20/ 30 mn. b) The Role-play 5/ 7 mn

Preparation You need to print back to back the cue cards sheet, laminate it and cut the individual cards in advance for the lesson. It is recommended that you print the cards on a colour printer, as you will need them again the following year. Print as many sheets as you need, according to the number of pupils.


To access the Cue Cards Bring the pointer to the Role- Play character and click here

This will open Word and display the Cue Cards sheet.

Now the cards are ready Immediately after the presentation is over, give a card per pupil. Instruct each pupil to practice the dialogue with one partner. When both pupils are done with the dialogue (see instructions on what to say in the pupil’s book) ask them to swap their cue cards and to go and seek another partner. What is important in the role-play is to “fix” the structures in their

1. Print this page first, then reloads it in your printer…

…then proceed by printing this page at the back of page 1. Laminate the lot and cut the cards

mind. This is why each pupil must swap partners and cards at least 5 times. You may find it useful to have your lesson presentation on the screen for the pupils to peep at during the role-play. Example

Bonjour, comment tu t’appelles ? 1Je m’appelle Arnold. Comment ça va ?

Salut ! Je m’appelle Victoria, et toi ? 2

3

Victoria Arnold

Très bien, merci, et toi, comment ça va ? 4

Ça va mal. Au revoir 5

Au revoir

6


c) Listening 10/ 15 mn

This is the stage of the lesson when pupils are going to need a black and white print of the Pupil’s Book in order to fill in the tasks. This also should have been done in advance

To access the pupil’s book Bring the pointer to the icon of a book and click here

This will open Word and display the pupil’s book. I advice teachers to print in colour a template of the pupil’s book and to keep it safe. You will need this template to make copies for your pupils.

Let’s resume with the lesson. Remember, at this stage you have already introduced the new vocabulary with the Power Point presentation and the children have just finished with the role-play. You have now collected the cue cards, ready for next year. You have just given the pupil’s book copy to your pupils. It is now time for them to go through the listening tasks. Before you start I want to bring to your attention that all the tasks in the pupil’s book are differentiated. The first task for each skill correspond to a simple level exercise aimed for less able

Elève 1/ disgybl 1/ pupil 1 Elève 2/ disgybl 2/ pupil 2

pupils. Naturally the whole class is expected to do these tasks as well, but the more able. pupils will be more challenged by the second task. Less able pupils are welcome to attempt these tasks, the differentiation being by outcome in this case. To open the window media player go back to the main menu

To access the listening extract 1 Bring the pointer to the listening character and click here

Thisproglistencan sand will.drag


1.The Media Player will appear and the Listening extract should start playing automatically. 2. Pause and play the extracts at will by depressing these buttons

slide shows the ression of the ing extract. You lide forwards

backwards at Just click and sideways.

You should depress “pause” between each extract spoken, to give time to pupils to note down the answers. You should play all the extracts one after the other, then rewind the slide and play the extracts a second time, but this time without pausing in between. The same principle applies to Listening 2.

Play/ pause

Volume Stop


3. You may want to bring the pupil’s book on the screen while listening to the extracts to do this, follow these steps

This should load the pupil’s book

Click twice on this icon

to have both the pupil’s book and the Media Player displayed on your screen

1. Click on Windows Media Player on the tool bar at the bottom of your screen.

2. Use the media player as explained above


Important note: to return to the animated main menu, click on the cross of any programmes opened on your screen. See below. 4. Repeat the same operation to listen to listening extract 2. From the main menu, click on the phonograph icon and follow step 1 to 3 seen previously. To access the listening extract 2 Bring the pointer to the phonograph

Click here

icon and click here Now that you have been through each listening task twice and the pupils have noted down their answers, you may want to bring on the corrected version of the listening tasks on the screen.


d) Correction To bring on the corrected version of the tasks, return to the animated main menu as described previously, and click on the teacher and pupil icon.

Word will open and the correction sheet for the unit will appear.

Click here

Scroll down to reveal the answers.

e) Marking

If you wish to mark the work, you are welcome to adopt any system that suits you. Thanks to the corrected sheets you can involve the children in the marking process. I tend to award 1 mark for each correct answer for tasks that require one word answer or a number. If the answer is in French, I award 1 mark per significant word in the sentence.


I delete ½ mark per spelling mistake per word. In the case of letter writing I award a mark out of 10 for communication, a mark out of 5 for accuracy, a mark out of 5 for range of vocabulary, making up a total out of 20 for the letter.

f) Reading

All the reading tasks are in the pupil’s book. It is to the discretion of the teacher how much time he/she wants to allow for each tasks. As for the listening, the teacher can use the correction sheet on screen. Reading can be set as homework and corrected the following session.

g) Writing

All the Writing tasks are in the pupil’s book. It is to the discretion of the teacher how much time he/she wants to allow for each tasks. As for the listening and reading, the teacher can use the correction sheet on screen when appropriate or use the letter writing marking scheme (e). Writing can be set as homework and corrected the following session.

h) The Songs

There are 5 songs in this course. They are in units 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8. Each song has a karaoke version. Songs and karaoke versions can be accessed directly from the main menu of the unit. Click here

for the song with

Click here for the karaoke

The words of the song are on the last page of the unit in the pupil’s book. Bring them on the screen by opening the pupil’s book icon and follow steps 1 to 3 seen in the Listening section. In addition to the course there is a folder named “Songs and Karaoke” in which you will find the “wav” version of the songs (the version you need to burn an audio CD). Burn a CD of these songs and you will be able to play them on any CD player. Useful if you want the children to sing in a hall, you will be able to


play the CD on a PA system. You can print the song or display it on a screen to allow practice. If you sing a song at the end of a unit, it will help the children finish on a “high note” and keep a happy memory of the lesson. The words of the songs are mostly from the lesson taught and should help reinforce the vocabulary. Nevertheless, you could use the songs for singing practice during the music lesson. A good cross-curricular exercise.

i) The games

The games are found in units 5, 10 and 12. The games in unit 5 and 10 require the use of a dice and some counters. These 2 games can be played from 2 to 6 players. You must print as many colour prints (indispensable for game unit 10 on hair and eyes colour) as necessary for the number of pupils. Laminate them to keep many years. The game in unit 12 requires more preparation as you must print in colour the sheets and cards for each team. Laminate and cut out the cards for safekeeping. The games’ rules are printed with the games or are written in the pupil’s book for the given unit.

Click here to open the game sheet to print.

j) The speaking task

The speaking task must not be seen as a test, but rather as a warm up session at the beginning of the following lesson. It allows the teacher to check if the lessons are remembered. It is useful to refresh the pupil’s memory before the build up of new vocabulary and structures. If you wish to use the speaking task presentation as a way of testing formally, say every 4 units for instance, then I recommend this marking system and this differentiated way of using the presentation.

Click here


F) Teaching methodology

Although I have already given a lot of clues on how to use the different parts of a typical lesson, I think it is important at this point to present how to deliver the lesson from beginning to end. The pupil’s book should be printed and photocopied, ready to be used by the children. Your cue cards should also be printed, preferably in colour, laminated for long keeping and cut to size. Step 1: Make sure that your computer is connected to a projector. Check that your screen or whiteboard is visible from any corner of the classroom. Make sure that your speakers are connected to the computer and the volume appropriate for the size of the classroom.

First present the visual clue. A good ability pupil should be able to remember the whole sentence. Give a mark out of 5 for the knowledge of the sentence (content). Give a mark out of 5 for the quality of the pronunciation. You have a total of 10 for each sentence uttered. Note that there is a relation between the mark awarded for content and the one awarded for pronunciation. If you give 3 for content, the maximum you can award for pronunciation is 3.

If you are dealing with a pupil for whom the visual clue is not enough, present the partial text as an aid to memory but delete 2 marks for having to show the partial text.


Step 2: If you have downloaded this course from the ngfl site, you will access the different units from your hard disk. If you have got this course on a CD Rom, you can access it directly from your CD drive. Step 3: Open the programme PowerPoint and go to “file”, then “open”. Choose the unit you intend to teach and open the folder. The PowerPoint main menu for this unit should be highlighted. Click on “open” at the bottom right hand corner of the dialogue window. Step 4: The lesson can begin. Click on “slide show”, then “view show”. The main menu of the unit is now active. Click on the icon “presentation” and follow the instruction given on page 3 and 4 of this guide. Get the children to repeat the items as a group, and then ask some to repeat individually (no more than 5 pupils at a time). Repeat this operation with the next item of vocabulary and ask another 5 to repeat individually. The total time for the presentation should not exceed 20/25 mn, or the pupils will loose concentration.

Step 5: The role-play. Give a cue card to each pupil and get him or her to practice the dialogue as shown in the pupil’s book. Make sure they swap cards after each dialogue and that they go and see another partner to start a new dialogue. The pupils should see 4 to 5 different partners. This will give them the opportunity to practice the patterns 4/5 times with 4/5 different items of vocabulary. During the time of the role-play it is a good idea to keep the vocabulary and patterns of the presentation on the screen for reference as it reinforce memorisation. The role-play should not exceed 7 mn. Step 6: The listening tasks. Access the listening extracts from the main menu as explained on page 6,7,8 and 9. The pupils should write down the answers on their pupil’s book. It is good practice to stop the recording after each extracts to give time to note down the answers. Both listening tasks should last 10 to 15mn. Step 7: Take the time to display the correction of these tasks on screen to allow the pupils to mark themselves. This will take around 5 mn. At this stage 50mn of the lesson has elapsed. This is the part of the delivery that you, as a teacher, can control. The remaining tasks of the lesson (reading and writing) will be done at a speed that will vary with the ability of the group taught. At this stage you are presented with 3 choices. a. Limit the timing for each task to no more than 5mn. This will disadvantage the

lower ability pupils. The differentiation will be by outcome. b. Make groups of differentiated ability without time limit. Completion of the task

will be the target. c. Give the work to be completed at home as homework. It will then act as a revision

task.

Step 8: If you choose to do all the tasks in class, use the correction for the pupils to mark themselves. If the tasks have been set as homework, use the correction the following lesson to check the results. Step 9: Use the Speaking task on the main menu as a warm up for your next lesson. It is a way for you to appreciate how much of the previous lesson has been retained. Step 10: Songs and games. The songs and games are part of the lessons. They help the pupils to memorise the work while having fun. The pupil’s book gives a clear idea when to use them during the lesson. Nevertheless, because of the nature of the song, with their


karaoke version, you can sing them during the music hour. The songs can be used as an extra-curricular activity for the school Eisteddfod. To conclude: As you can see, a typical lesson lasts 50mn to one hour. But there are materials in this course, which can expand the lessons to almost twice that amount. This is left to the discretion of the teacher, in accordance with the timetable of the school.

G) Last words

I hope that you will enjoy using this course and that it will give you and your pupils a chance to gain the confidence to learn more French in the future. I also hope that you and your pupils will have fun using it. I would be glad to hear any feedback on [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

French in the Primary School Ffrangeg yn yr Ysgol...

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