I am a native speaker of French, currently based in India. I am an IGCSE and IB French teacher and I have been teaching for 15 years. I am also Head of Secondary at my school and a former IBDP Coordinator.
I am a co-author of the IBDP Kognity French B textbook and a senior IBDP examiner.
I am a native speaker of French, currently based in India. I am an IGCSE and IB French teacher and I have been teaching for 15 years. I am also Head of Secondary at my school and a former IBDP Coordinator.
I am a co-author of the IBDP Kognity French B textbook and a senior IBDP examiner.
I created this resource for 3 of my year 10s who are much more advanced than the rest of the class. It is designed so that students can work independently and introduces new vocabulary and grammar, but also includes a reading comprehension task and some opportunities for speaking. This should represent about 7 or 8 hours of work for a student, providing they take the time to learn the vocabulary, take notes and practise the grammar. This is also ideal to set as cover and it can be given to students up to year 12 as thorough revision. I have also included an answer sheet for all the activities.
These revision booklets cover the following IGCSE topics:
- Myself and my family
- Hobbies and free time
- My life at school
- My home and my area
They contain vocabulary and grammar revision exercises, as well as IGCSE paper practice exercises, modelled on the exam papers. I have also created listening exercises (link is on the documents) using authentic recordings.
Each booklet should take 2 - 3 hours to complete and can be used as homework, directed revision or cover work.
This booklet covers:
- Parts of the body
- Illnesses and injuries
- Food and drinks
- Healthy eating
- Smoking and addictions
- The partitive article
- Past tense of reflexive verbs
- The present participle/The gerund
- The pronoun 'en'
- The subjunctive in context
- Modal verbs and modal expressions
I have created this booklets for 3 of my year 10 students who are working at an advanced level. It covers advanced vocabulary and grammar and includes reading and writing exercises. It is designed so that students can work independently, with limited teacher support. It can also be used for IB/AS level or as cover work.
PowerPoint presentation to revise the future with aller + infinitive, along with taking about your plans after you finish GCSE.
Reading activities as well as grammar exercises.
Each pupil has a card. Pupils should move around the classroom and describe their card to other pupils, until they find a person who has an identical card. This activity is great to get the kids talking, and it also develops their listening skills. They are also usually very excited when they have found their partner! This particular acitivity is related to daily routine, but can be adapted for virtually any topic and any class. Great game!
Lesson for advance pupils on how to use a bilingual dictionary (my class uses Robert and Collins). Especially relevant with the new IB curriculum when pupils are expected to produce a piece of coursework in class, for which they are allowed to use a dictionary.
Crossword puzzle to introduce/revise environmental issues (deforestation, greenhouse gases, acid rains, etc.). Students are given a definition of the issue and have to find the corresponding word.
I used it with my Year 13 (Standard Level) at the beginning of my unit on the effect of man on the environment.
While the words are reasonably straightforward, the definitions are a little harder.
It could also be used with an advanced IGCSE group, or an IB ab initio group.
This resource is based on Paper 1 for French B SL/HL. The questions are modelled on the exam, so it can be used either as a practice in class or for a mock exam. I have included the markscheme at the end.
This article from L'Express is a comparison between the food habits in the US and in France.
I created this workbook when I studied L'Étranger with my Year 13 French B Higher Level class.
The aim of this workbook is to provide a variety of activities to help students understand the novel, the style and philosophy of its author.
There are comprehension exercises, writing tasks, grammar activities (use of tenses in the novel) and one interactive oral activity.
It is geared towards French B Higher Level students, but could easily be used for A-level students.
Working through this workbook would take 3 to 4 weeks.
This resource booklet is perfect for students to conduct revision just before the exam. This booklet is designed for students to be able to work independently, but could also be used as cover work or directed revisions.
It contains:
- vocabulary exercises (furniture, rooms in the house, places in town and directions)
- 2 grammar reminders and tasks (prepositions & the preposition 'à')
- 1 listening exercise, modelled, as far as possible, on the IGCSE listening paper, but with authentic recordings (link to the recordings is on the sheet itself)
- 2 reading exercise, modelled exactly on Paper 2 (Section 1 - vocabulary tasks)
- 2 writing task, modelled exactly on Paper 4 (one from Section 1 and 2 from Section 2)
- a series of questions with model answers for students to practise the speaking exam.
I created this resource for my Year 12 ab initio class, after we learnt to tell the time in French.
The purpose of this activity is to get students used to recognising simple sentences/words in a text spoken at normal speed, as well as revising key vocabulary linked to activities and daily life. The video clip also helps students associate words with visuals.
At the end, there is a creative activity aimed at getting students to use the time in French, as well as what they learnt in the song, to produce a piece of creative writing.
Grand Corps Malade is a famous French slammer (slam is spoken poetry with music) and his diction is very clear, making his songs ideal to work on with students. My students really loved this song and went on to downloading it for themselves later on.
It could also be used with a GCSE/MYP group.
This pack contains 2 differentiated activities based on an article from December 2016 on gendered toys in toy magazines.
These are aimed at IB French B classes, but could also be used for A/AS-levels.
The first one is at Standard Level, the second is at Higher Level
Standard level:
Reading comprehension based on Paper 1 + vocabulary building tasks + translation (English to French and French to English)
Higher level:
Reading comprehension based on Paper 1 + vocabulary building tasks + translation (English to French and French to English) + introduction to/revision of the passive voice + practice exercises (within the context of the text)
Both these activities can be completed by a class discussion on the issues raised by the text, and by watching the ad for gender-neutral toys by the Magasins U (available on YouTube).
The whole activity should take 60 to 90 minutes.
Here's a guided worksheet to complete as you watch the movie. It focuses mainly on developing vocabulary and enhancing comprehension but can be supported by class discussion. The second worksheet is a follow-on from the booklet and gives students the opportunity to read a film review for 'Amélie', look at how to write a film review, and plan their own review.
The level of difficulty is A2/B1, accessible for students who have been learning French for 2-3 years at least.
It is a great opportunity for students to gain an insight into French culture.
Watching the movie and completing the booklet would take up to 5-6 hours. The film review worksheet would take about an hour to complete and the review can be set as an assessed task or a homework.
Takeaway homework gives student the opportunity to choose how they want to reinforce their learning and when. It puts the onus on them, rather than being an imposition from the teacher.
Hand out this menu to your class and set out clear expectations: they will hand in one homework a week, or 4 homeworks each month (as per your requirements). Students will then choose a task that will appeal most to them and enable them to focus on their own needs or develop their own strengths and creativity.
This homework menu has 3 levels of difficulty so the homework is immediately differentiated and there are 14 different tasks. The tasks are generic enough to be applied to any topic you are currently studying. A few of them give students the opportunity to do some independent learning.
This article looks at how certain French schools have started to allow students to smoke on the premises after the November terrorist attacks in Paris and the state of emergency, alleging that students would be safer smoking at school than outside.
Ideal as a preparation for French B SL Paper 1 when covering the topic of health and smoking, or looking at current affairs. It could also match the difficulty of Text A in an HL paper.
The questions are modelled exactly on the comprehension questions in the exam.
Can be used for a mock exam or an end of unit assignment. Can also be used in class.
I have included a markscheme at the end.
I have created these booklets for my year 10 students who were taking their IGCSE in French a year early, so they could work independently while I taught the rest of the class.
These booklets are designed to revise the main vocabulary, introduce extended vocabulary through a variety of exercises, revise key grammar points (main tenses, pronouns, etc) as well as introduce more advanced grammar (clauses with 'si', the subjunctive, etc). They also provide opportunities for reading and writing exercises.
These booklets can also be used as a teaching aid, revision aid or for cover work.
Each booklet takes roughly 4-5 hours to complete, if done carefully.
I have also included a speaking booklet for students to prepare for their speaking exams.
This is a comprehensive worksheet based on a text describing table manners in France.
It includes
1) vocabulary-building exercises (crockery and cutlery at a French table);
2) exercises on pronouns (what does this pronoun refer to? - typical exercise for IB French Paper 1);
3) looking at different ways to express polite advice - using the future tense, the imperative, the pronoun 'on', etc;
4) an exercise to develop an understanding of useful connectives and applying them to a summary of the text;
5) opportunities for a whole-class discussion based on what students have read and learnt from the text.
This worksheet should be covered over a series of 2 to 3 lessons and can be followed up by the following written task: write a comprehensive table manners guide for a foreigner visiting your country.
This is aimed at AS/A-level students, as well as IB French B (SL or HL) students.
I have included a correction for all the exercises.
The video is over an hour long, but I only used the introduction.
In this worksheet, there is a listening comprehension, a gap-fill activity, as well as a couple exercises on pronouns and vocabulary, which mirror the questions asked in the French B Paper 1 exam.
It is meant to practise/assess both listening and reading comprehension.
The video is authentic and the link is included at the beginning of the worksheet.
I used this song as part of my unit on relationships and love with my IB first year group (French B SL).
There is a listening activity, as well as vocabulary and comprehension exercises. I have also included a short revision task on possessive adjectives.
This song could also be used to introduce a topic on French slang.
Grand Corps Malade is always well liked by students as his music is relevant and engaging. As a slammer, his pronunciation is also very clear, making his songs very useful teaching resources.
I created this resources as an exam revision tool for my Year 10, before they sat their IGCSE.
It covers regular, irregular and reflexive verbs in the following tenses and modes:
- infinitive
- Pluperfect
- Imperfect
- Perfect
- Recent past
- Present
- Future with 'aller'
- Simple future
- Conditional
It can be given as a task to complete in class (in which case you will have to wipe it clean). I also had it printed out with answers on A3 and laminated so my students could keep it on their desks and refer back to it.
Students found it extremely clear and very useful for their revision.