French - Mrs Blackett
Bienvenue and welcome to French with Madame Blackett. We have lots of fun in our French lessons here at GPS. Click on the tabs below to see just some of our fabulous learning activities!
July - Au revoir Year 6
What better way to learn about farm animals than to learn how to sing Old MacDonald in French? Year 1 are amazing at remembering the animal names. Year 3 have been learning how to describe our capital city in French and writing a postcard from a trip. Year 4 have been getting used to using a bilingual dictionary to help them write about themselves and where they live. Year 5 have become experts at telling the time in French and talking about time differences around the world. Finally, we have been saying a fond farewell to year 6 in our French lessons. They had lots of fun testing their knowledge on topics they have done since year 1 using Kahoot!. They also enjoyed a French feast of croissants, crêpes, madeleines and brioche. Bonne chance les enfants!
June - La Jour de la Francophonie
Everybody always looks forward to our annual celebration of all things French. The children were invited to dress in the colours bleu, blanc et rouge (the colours of the French flag). Each class chose a French-speaking country to use as a focus. We learned about racing cars in Monaco, school life in Haiti and an artist from Senegal. Some of the children also tried waffles from Belgium and of course, cheese from France. Our friend Nathalie Paris came into school to read stories in French and Mrs Cox delivered a music workshop based on the ‘Carnaval des Animaux’. Another cultural treat was trying out some playground games which are traditionally played in France. It was so lovely to see everyone enjoying a taste of another culture.
May - Creative Explorers in French!
To continue their preparation for secondary school, year 6 have been learning about what school is like in France. They have enjoyed discovering how children in Marseille spend their school day. Year 5 have been learning the names of major cities around the world in French. They are using vocabulary they already know to describe these cities. Year 4 have shown their creativity in a project inspired by a French song about unity and peace. They have chosen French words of their own to write in a graffiti style. Year 3 are taking a virtual tour of the capital cities of the U.K. and describing them in French. Finally, to complete their topic about animals, year 2 have made masks and introduced themselves in French. Madame Blackett is very proud of all of their hard work.
April - The Carnival of the Animals
‘The Carnival of the Animals’ by Camille Saint-Saëns is a collection of classical tunes which depict animals and this has been the focus for our French lessons in year 2. The children have enjoyed listening to the music and creating actions to go with the new words they are learning. Year 3 are learning how to say where they live in French. They are learning lots of facts about the capital cities of the U.K. Year 4 have been describing animals in their habitats. They have used an app on the iPad to create a mini book showing off their work. Year 5 are learning how to describe a town and use size adjectives to describe these places. Finally, year 6 have been describing their classroom. They are learning the names of things they use at school in French, ready for transition to their new schools.
March – Languages Festival!
Throughout March, schools across the North East of England have been taking part in the North East Festival of Languages. The theme of the festival is Express Yourself. We have enjoyed taking part in this celebration. The organisers have provided lots of opportunities to participate. Year 1 loved watching a puppet show about foods they like and dislike. They loved trying baguette and croissants. Year 3 and 4 watched another puppet show which was about animals and what they eat. They then produced their own pictures and sentences in French about animals and the food they eat. Years 5 and 6 created their own puppet shows based on animals saying which foods they like and dislike and why. They used dictionaries to find their own vocabulary to show their creativity.
February – Telling the time!
In Y5, we are learning how to tell the time in French. We have used phonic knowledge to help with pronunciation of new, tricky words. We have also been saying and writing complex sentences to talk about the time difference between cities in the UK and France. Y6 have been learning about some cultural differences between France and the UK and how we remember those who fought in World War Two. This has linked with the history work the children have been doing. Year 2 have been enjoying doing the actions to our story which has helped them to learn new words. They have particularly enjoyed dancing to the disco music in the story. Year 3 have been continuing their virtual tour of Paris, and Year 4 have been using their knowledge of French adjectives to write their own version of the story ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear’. Their work has been wonderful to see.
January - Singing, Stories and Art
The children have been learning about how French families celebrate the New Year. They loved to hear that, in France, they make as much noise as possible to ward off bad luck. In Y2, we have been learning the names of the days of the week. We have met a witch called Berthe in a story and we have produced a comic strip to describe her week. Y3 have been practising their phonic sounds with a lovely song. They have very much enjoyed learning the actions and some of them have been trying it out at home too. Y4 have been learning about nouns and how to describe them using adjectives. They have designed blue bears, red elephants and even orange sheep. Y5 are learning how to tell the time. They know that the time in France is one hour ahead of the UK. Finally, Y6 have been revisiting some of the vocabulary they learnt in Key Stage 1. It is amazing how well they have remembered the days and months. Their pronunciation has shown real progress.
December - Christmas Fun in French
At this time of year, we enjoy learning about Christmas in our French lessons. Year 1 have listened to a song about the donkey in the nativity. Cataclop is the sound the donkey’s hooves make in French. The children loved joining in with the actions. Year 3 have been practising the names of colours in French. They have used their knowledge to colour in a colour by numbers using the French names for colours. They have also remembered some names for parts of the body with a song about a reindeer. In year 4, the children have showed their creative side by designing and describing a Christmas. Year 5 became language detectives when reading a description of a Christmas tree in French. They translated the text and drew what they thought the tree looked like. Finally, year 6 were thrilled to receive their responses from their new pen pals in France. They have been writing a message to wish their friends a Merry Christmas and to tell them about some of our traditions at this time of year. Joyeux Noël!
November - Our new Friends in France
Our year 6 children are very excited. They have written letters to the children in our new partner school in Niort in the west of France. We posted the letters a little while ago and the children in Niort have received them and they have written their letters to us. We cannot wait to receive them in the post. Year 5 have been learning how to describe their homes and gardens in French. In year 4, the children have been discovering new animals and they have been trying very hard to pronounce the new words accurately. Year 3 are getting very good at using their phonic knowledge to say the names of numbers in French. They love to show off their counting skills. Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed their first taste of French. They are very pleased with themselves when they beat Madame Blackett in the Beat the Teacher game.
October - Bonjour Thierry Tricolore!
Our year 2 children have been getting to know our French friend Thierry Tricolore. They love it when he comes to visit our school. Everyone is so keen to say hello in French and tell him their name in a French sentence. Some of our children have also been asking him how he is feeling. Year 3 have been discovering some of the wonderful places to visit in Paris. They have found that singing the names to a familiar tune along with learning some actions for each one has helped them to remember the new vocabulary. Year 4 are enjoying learning the names of animals in French. They are working very hard on making sure they pronounce the new words accurately. In year 5 we have been creating mini lift the flap books which could be used by smaller children to practise counting in French. Finally, year 6 are practising asking questions and responding to them. They are building on prior knowledge to say where they are going and at what time. Madame Blackett is very impressed with their ability to do this as the French required is quite sophisticated.
September - Learning languages (& enjoying some treats!)
We have been celebrating the European Day of Languages at school. From year 2 to year 6, our children have had a taster session in a new language other than French. We have created Lego people to display our learning. Year 2 have learnt how to say hello in several languages. Year 3 have been discovering Dutch and they really enjoyed trying Belgian biscuits. Year 4 have shown an interest in Italian. They thought that the Amaretti biscuits were delicious. Year 5 have been speaking in Spanish and they loved the Churros they tasted. Finally, year 6 have been designing a German Lego figure. The Lebkuchen were a huge hit. Our children have shown such a lot of interest in learning about the culture and language of these countries which is wonderful to see.
