Why is French important? 

Our French curriculum provides pupils not only with an introduction to a modern language, but also offers an insight into cultures beyond one’s own, and, in so doing, broadens both experiences and aspirations. Through the knowledge pupils gain of the language and culture of France, and French speaking nations, pupils are granted new perspectives on the world, and are encouraged to understand cultures - both one’s own, and those beyond one’s own.

Pupils are equipped with both phonetic and grammatical knowledge, and vocabulary, to be able to formulate French sentences using common, frequently used vocabulary, key phrases and basic French sentence structures. This knowledge enables pupils to be able express themselves both orally, and in writing, and, as confident users of French, to be able to share thoughts and ideas in short, reciprocal exchanges.

How is French organised? 

Phonics

Knowledge of the key features of the sound-symbol relationship.

Vocabulary

Knowledge of a bank of common, and frequently used, French words and phrases.

Grammar

Knowledge of the essential building blocks required to construct simple sentences, in spoken and written French, and the conjugation of key French verbs.

What is taught and in what order? 

Phonics

Symbol-Sound Correspondences (SSCs):

• [a], [o], [e], [i], [u]
• Silent Final Consonants (SFCs): -t, -s, -d
• Silent Final E (SFe)
• [an / en]
• Open and closed [eu]
• [ch]
• [au / eau / o / ô]
• [on]
• [ou]
• [é / et / ez / er]
• [è / ê]
• [oi]
• [(a)in]
• [ai]
• Soft [c / ç]
• [-ien]
• [qu]
• [j / soft g]
• [-tion]

Vocabulary

• Greetings
• Adjectives describing mood and character
• Days of the week
• Nouns for possessions
• Positional prepositions (‘in’, ‘on’, ‘under’)
• Verbs and nouns describing a range of activities
• Numbers 1-12
• ‘À’ meaning ‘at’, ‘in’, ‘to’
• Colour and other adjectives (to describe animals)

Grammar

• Singular and plural articles (indefinite and definite)
• Singular verbs ‘être’ and ‘avoir’ (‘il y a’s)
• Regular -er verbs
• Singular adjective agreement and position (-e, -eux / -euse)
• Regular plurals noun marking (-s)
• Intonation questions, including question words ‘quoi’, ‘où’, ‘combien’, ‘comment’ and ‘quand’

What will this include? What will I see in a lesson?  

Phonics

• Listening to a French native speaker produce single-sound correspondences, and echoing these in response (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Matching aural French sounds to print, and transcribing aural symbol-sound correspondences (Year 3)
• Reading aloud symbol-sound correspondences and phonics key words (Year 3)
• Sounding out unfamiliar parts of words, focussing on a few single-sound correspondences at a time (Year 3)
• Transcribing single-sound correspondences within single words (Years 4, 5 & 6)
• Reading aloud familiar words, following certain pronunciation rules (silent letters, accents and stress markers), and some unknown words (Years 4, 5 & 6)
• Enjoying listening to, and taking part in, simple songs and rhymes (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)

Vocabulary

• Listening to, and reading, French vocabulary describing people, places, things and actions, on both word and sentence level (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Speaking and writing sentences about people, places, things and actions, using familiar vocabulary and basic language structures (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Looking up words in an alphabetical word list (Years 4, 5 & 6)

Grammar

• Using singular and plural articles (indefinite and definite), both orally, and in writing (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Using, and conjugating, ‘être’, ‘avoir’ (‘il y a’), and regular -er verbs, to form short, simple sentences, both orally, and in writing (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Using correct adjectival agreement on a word and sentence level, both orally, and in writing (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Using regular plural noun marking (-s) (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Forming questions using question words, and expressing these with intonation (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)