This autumn half-term,
I worked closely with the primary languages co-ordinator in one of the primary
schools where I teach French in order to organise a French afternoon. Such an event (a French day/a special week or
term of activities related to France) can be a great way to fire up children’s
passion for language learning and their curiosity about the French language and
culture.
There are a
multitude of reasons for creating time in the busy school calendar to run a
French day. Not only does it give you
the opportunity to explore aspects of French language and culture in more
detail, but it also provides many exciting ways for children to learn together,
cross-phase and even cross-school if you collaborate with your feeder high
school. A French week is also a brilliant way to bring together the whole
community: children and adults in the school, parents, governors, local
businesses, the local press and social media.
There are all
kinds of engaging activities that could be organised for a French day. Here are a few ideas to help you start
planning, ensuring that the whole school is involved and that spoken French is
encouraged both in and out of the classroom.
1. Decorate
the whole school in the French colours (blue, white, red)!
Purchase some French
flags and plenty of French flag bunting:
You could also
involve the children by making your own French themed bunting:
Balloons could
also be used to decorate the school.
Place French signs
around the school building:
Label
equipment in French:
Purchase some French
posters:
Print off some
French display resources:
You could even
invest in some outdoor French vocabulary playground signs:
2. Dress
in the French colours!
Pupils and
staff could be invited to replace their school uniform with items of blue,
white and red clothing!
You might also
consider allowing face paint and colour hairspray or wigs.
Alternatively,
pupils could be invited to dress up as a French monument or a fictional Francophone
character (Le Petit Prince, Tintin, Astérix,
Madeline, Babar, a character from Les
Misérables such as Gavroche or a sans-culotte etc, a fairy tale character
from one of Charles Perrault’s Mother
Goose Tales http://www.perraultfairytales.com/en/bio
) or a significant person in French history (Napoleon Bonaparte, Marie Antoinette, Coco Chanel, Saint Bernadette,
Zinedine Zidane, Joan of Arc, Claude Monet, Claude Debussy etc…). This offers lots of options, it is a great
conversation starter and pupils could be asked to bring in an interesting fact
about their character and dates they were alive. Each class could even get into order with
their dates of birth and do a catwalk with the host briefly interviewing them
by asking who they are and why they are famous! A prize could be awarded for the most
original costume.
Prizes can be
purchased here:
3. Hold
a traditional French dance workshop or book a performance with a visiting French
theatre company!
You might like
to book a company such as French dance for schools to run traditional French
folk dance workshops:
Alternatively,
you could book a touring French theatre group for a special performance.
Here are some useful links:
4. French food tasting sessions!
A French day
is a great way for pupils to discover the delights of French cuisine and there
are lots of ways in which this can be embraced!
Transform your
school hall into a French cafe.
Decorate with
French flag bunting. Use blue, white and
red tablecloths, plates, cups, napkins and French flag table toppers.
Play
traditional French cafe accordion music in the background. Have a slideshow showcasing primary French
work as a backdrop or broadcast the Tour de France live if your event is being held
in July. Invite past pupils or language
ambassadors from your feeder high school to play the role of waiters and
waitresses as a transition activity. It’s
very effective if children are greeted in French as they arrive in the cafe and
see each other having a go at using French. Parents could be invited in for an hour after
the school run and be served croissants and coffee. Organise a rota and invite a class at a time into
the cafe and encourage the pupils to sit down and order a croissant and hot
chocolate or fresh orange juice from a menu in French. Alternatively, encourage pupils to queue up and
sample a smaller amount of a wider range of French pastries: croissants, pains au chocolat, brioches,
pains aux raisins etc. Tip: It might be worth approaching local
supermarkets to ask them to contribute some French food to help subsidise the
cost. Pupils could return to class after
their food tasting session and complete a simple tick list to express their
opinions about the food tried or carry out a class survey and present their findings
as a tally chart.
Independent
language consultant, Sue Cave, has some practical ideas for organising a French
breakfast here:
Talk about
different French foods specialities from different regions.
Make pancakes
(crêpes) with a variety of toppings.
Organise a French cheese tasting session (Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Boursin, Pont l’Évêque, Tomme de Savoie, Chèvre
etc…) Provide
baguettes to serve with the cheese and offer red wine to parents. Display a map of France showing which region
each cheese originates from. Encourage
pupils to express their opinions about each cheese in French (“C’est bon” etc…)
Ask a chef
from a local French cafe/restaurant to make a French food demonstration of
various specialities.
School
lunchtime. Ask the catering staff to
offer a simple French dish and/or translate the menu into French. Hearing the lunchtime staff greet children
with a “Bonjour” or “Salut” will create a lovely atmosphere
in the school canteen along with “Voilà -
bon appétit!” (“There you are – enjoy your meal!”), and even more so if
children are encouraged to order in French and to use their manners in French “s’il vous plaît” and “merci” when speaking to adults and each
other.
International
Evening. Getting parents involved with a
French international evening can also be a real highlight. Invite them for a
celebration of language and culture and encourage parents to bring in dishes
from French-speaking countries. Children can help to decorate the hall with
their French themed art and craft work and also provide the entertainment by
the school choir singing in French or the school orchestra performing French
pieces of music!
5. Teaching ideas across the curriculum!
Before your
French themed event, bring all school staff together for a meeting where you
learn some useful phrases and share activity ideas as well as possibly sampling
some French cheese and wine. This is a great way of getting everyone on board
well in advance.
Here are some ideas
for activities related to France for primary teachers to do with their class.
Each teacher could plan their own activities for their pupils, or
alternatively, subject co-ordinators could plan sessions specific to their
specialist area for all phases (EYFS, KS1, LKS2, UKS2).
Literacy
Research a
famous French people. Can you create a
biography about one of them?
Imagine that
you could interview a French person. Make a list of questions that you would
like to ask them.
Read some of Charles Perrault’s Mother Goose Tales:
Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss In Boots, Cinderella etc… Perform a short play.
Research
famous French authors. Read an extract
from an English translation of Antoine de
Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince, Victor
Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Jules
Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days.
Watch a clip of the film.
Drama: Learn
about Marcel Marceau and the
techniques behind silent drama and mime.
Perform a mime piece to an audience.
Create a French-inspired
reading corner. Turn your reading area
into a corner of France. Use blue, white and red drapes, pictures of France and
cushions to make it cosy and create an eye-catching display of French picture
books and comics to read. Put up a
pinboard for ‘J’adore/J’aime/Je n’aime
pas/Je déteste…’ book review cards, so that children can recommend their
favourite reads to their classmates. You
might want to provide language prompts to help them express opinions (car c’est amusant / intéressant / passionant
/ effrayant etc.).
Organise a
reading rota, where older children visit younger classes to share their
favourite French stories.
Write a recipe
for a French meal.
Write a letter
to a French pen friend, or an email to an e-pal.
Numeracy
Revise
counting to 10 / 100 (or more) and then play “Loto” (French bingo). Prepare
different Loto cards that are suitable
for different year groups. The winner
can receive a little prize (chocolate Euro coins, French sweets, a French
pencil etc…) after the cards are checked.
Find out about
the currency used in France. How is it different to the currency used where you
live? Make some Euros and spend them in
the French cafe.
Science
Research a
famous French scientist or inventor (Louis
Pasteur, Marie Curie, Montgolfier brothers).
The Senses: Learn
more about the French way of life by experiencing a variety of smells associated
with France from garlic to lavender.
Include some famous French perfumes.
Plan a menu for
a French meal. Could you cook/eat some of the items on your menu?
Research wildlife
that can be found in France.
ICT
If you haven’t
already done so, why not set up a link with a school in France or another Francophone
country and use your French day as a platform to launch the partnership? There
are lots of ways of finding a partner school.
The Global Gateway has produced a factsheet all about the best ways to
link with French-speaking schools (see ‘How to link in France’ at http://www.globalgateway.org.uk ). Setting up a videoconferencing link with your
partner school could be a great way to engage pupils as they could teach each
other songs, play language games together and organise joint cookery
masterclasses.
Make a
multimedia presentation, video guide, eBook or website about France or a
Francophone country (or a city or a region).
Use Ipad apps
such as Sock Puppets, My Talking Avatar, YAKiT kids, Tellagami, Chatterkid,
Puppet Pals etc to record short conversations or role plays and play back to
the rest of the class and share with parents on class page blogs.
Design
Technology
Use blue,
white and red plastic straws to create a model of the Eiffel Tower.
Challenge
pupils to build the Eiffel Tower using a number of different materials: paper art straws and masking tape, spaghetti
and marshmallows, jelly sweets and cocktail sticks, baguettes, recycled kitchen
rolls or lego (duplo lego for younger children).
Make the
Eiffel Tower from paper craft using a template:
Can you create
a model of another famous French landmark?
Organise an
Eiffel Tower competition and/or exhibition.
Art
Organise a
whole school project where each class learns about a different famous French
artist (Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Georges-Pierre
Seurat, Robert Delaunay, Henri Rousseau, Marc Chagall, Auguste Herbin, Françoise
Nielly, Paul Signac, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Fernand Léger). Try to create some of your own art work in a
similar style, for example, Seurat
and pointillism using cotton buds or Matisse
and cut paper collages or decoupage. You
could paint or make a collage etc… http://artprojectsforkids.org/portfolio/matisse-collage/
Create a piece
of art that is worthy of being displayed in the Louvre. Select some pieces
from each class to display in the school hall and invite parents to visit your
“art gallery” (play some classical French music in the background) or organise
a “show and tell” style celebration assembly where a pupil from each class
shows their artwork and shares an interesting fact about the French artist they
have been learning about.
Draw and
decorate a picture of the Eiffel tower or other famous French landmark.
Have your
picture taken as Mona Lisa or Napoleon.
Colour the
French flag or make a collage.
Draw a picture
of an artist's palette and label different colours in French.
Create a
shield, logo or poster that displays the French motto ‘Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité' (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity).
Music
Organise a
French singing contest – Ask past pupils to be on a judges panel and create
your own version of the X Factor, the “French Factor”!
Research
famous French musicians and singers (Claude
Debussy, Edith Piaf), and listen to some of their music. Express simple opinions in French.
Learn a few
facts about the French conductor Camille Saint-Saëns. Play
extracts from the “Carnival of the Animals”.
Challenge pupils to recognise and say the names of the animals in French
referred to in the Carnival of the animals. Can they recognise which piece of music
portrays which animal? See Unit 9,
lesson 40 http://lightbulblanguages.co.uk/resources-pr-fr-schemeofwork.htm
Learn about La fête de la musique, a music festival
that originated in France that has become an annual international event in
June.
Challenge the
school choir to learn and perform a French song.
Geography
Use a blank
outline map of France to plot the locations of French cities, towns and places
of interest.
Set a jigsaw
challenge of the map of France. Pupils
could work in groups and record the time it takes for each group to complete
the task. Make your own jigsaw by
printing off a picture of map of France.
Research your
twin town!
Plot the route
of the latest Tour de France.
Visit France
and other French-speaking countries around the world using Google Earth. You could plan and record a virtual tour of,
for example, Paris, taking children to places of interest. You might like
children to plan their own tours of a city, region or country and present them
to the class using simple language, e.g. Voici
la tour Eiffel, or Voici
Antananarivo. Antananarivo est la capitale de Madagascar.
Un Quiz: Make
a French board game based on a route through major French cities. Children
could start at Marseille and progress to Paris where they are ultimately aiming to reach L'Arc de Triomphe. Each
correct answer means that they progress one town along the route. Questions vary according to the level of the
children undertaking this game. Have a
variety of questions about culture, spelling, vocabulary etc. The winner of
each game could get a small prize.
Alternatively, prepare a geography based quiz on a Powerpoint in the
style of the popular game show “Who wants to be a millionaire?”.
Research the
current weather in France. Record a weather
forecast.
Find some
facts about France or a Francophone country and make a fact file or create a
tour guide for people who are planning to visit France.
Plan a trip to
France. How will you travel there? What will you visit etc…
Compare the
population/area of France with other countries.
Find out the countries
that share a border with France.
History
Create a
timeline showing some of the key events in French history.
Research key
people in French history. Can you create
a biography about one of them?
Can you create
your own versions of the Stone Age cave paintings that were discovered there?
Turn your
school hallway into a Stone Age cave art display!
Learn about
the French revolution.
Alternatively,
design your own simpler version using cupcake cases.
Physical Education
Plan and carry
out your own mini 'Tour de France' cycling
competition in the school playground.
KS1 children could design their own cycling strip http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/tour-de-france
and bring in their own little bikes, tricycles or scooters. Organise a timed circuit around cones with the names
of French towns attached to them and/or pictures of famous French landmarks and
buildings to cycle past en route. The
other children could wave flags (either made in class beforehand or previously purchased) and
cheer on the teams (Allez…!) during
the semi-final and the final! The winner
could get to wear a yellow t-shirt (Le
maillot jaune!) and/or be awarded with a
medal whilst the national anthem La
Marseillaise is playing in the background!
There could be a final “lap of honour” where the winner leads the other
children waving the French flag.
Play some traditional French playground games such as La Marelle, Un, deux,
trois…soleil, Le Facteur and Jeu de l’épervier.
Example: Le facteur (the postman). Children sit in a circle, with one child (le facteur) holding a handkerchief and
walking around the outside of the circle, while the song is sung:
Le
facteur n’est pas passé
Il ne
passera jamais,
Lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi,
vendredi, samedi, dimanche.
Fermez les yeux...........Ouvrez les yeux!
At the end of the song, while the other children have their eyes closed, the postman drops a handkerchief behind someone's back. Then he or she says "ouvrez les yeux!" and all sitting children look
behind to see who's got the handkerchief. The child who has the
handkerchief jumps up and attempts to run around the outside of the circle chasing the postman to sit back
down before the postman sits in their empty place. If the postman is caught, he or she continues
for the next round. If not, the child whose place in the circle has been taken
becomes the postman. This is an enjoyable way to learn the days of the week!
Get some
skipping ropes out and teach a fun skipping rhymes like this one:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,
Violette,
Violette,
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,
Violette
à bicyclette.
Create a human
Eiffel Tower in the school gym or playground.
Religious
education
Investigate
the festivals and celebrations that take place in France.
Research the
life of a French saint (Saint Bernadette, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint
Martin of Tours, Saint Vincent de Paul etc…)
Learn a simple
prayer or a hymn in French.
Primary
Languages
Rehearse a
simple French conversation about ordering food in preparation for the visit to
the French cafe. This could be performed
and recorded.
Make a
passport using personal information in French.
Make a French
dictionary to teach younger pupils some French words.
Learn a simple
French poem and recite it. Organise a French
poetry reciting competition!
The day or
week could end with a whole school French-themed assembly, with classes
showcasing what they have been learning and with whole-school singing or
performing in French.
Pupils could
be given a certificate as a special keepsake of this cultural event.
Amusez-vous bien!
If you have
any other suggestions, please add a comment at the bottom of the page.
Merci!
A huge thank you to all members from the Languages in Primary School Facebook Group (LIPS) who have shared cross-curricular ideas, lesson planning examples and photographs showcasing activities done on various French themed days. You have inspired this blogpost! Merci beaucoup!
