I have nearly 30 years teaching experience in a variety of secondary schools. I am currently a senior examiner for GCSE French writing, and many of my resources concentrate on developing exam skills, while still providing engaging activities. They are designed to develop the key skills needed for the new exam format throughout KS3 and 4.
I have nearly 30 years teaching experience in a variety of secondary schools. I am currently a senior examiner for GCSE French writing, and many of my resources concentrate on developing exam skills, while still providing engaging activities. They are designed to develop the key skills needed for the new exam format throughout KS3 and 4.
A GCSE resource, designed to help students avoid the usual exam ‘traps’ that come up in the reading and listening papers. Contains synonyms, positive and negative opinion phrases, time expressions, negatives, question words and lists of ‘faux amis’ and other tricky vocab, with hints and tips for the exam.
A valuable tool for practising phonics and dictation skills, ahead of the new specifications. This resource contains 4 sections. The first section is a grid containing common French phonics and their graphemes, with several examples of words which contain them. This can be printed and laminated for classroom display use. There is also a one page version that can be copied and stuck in students books.
There is a ‘mini dictees’ version, with 2 or 3 short sentences to be completed as dictations, focusing on one phonic at a time. This then progresses to ‘midi-dictees’ which have longer translation exercises encompassing 3 or 4 of the phonics together.
Finally, there is a 20 question choose the correct spelling exercise.
A powerpoint talking through how to get really good marks on the Foundation Question 3, translation task, giving an examiner’s insights and pointers to help the range of foundation students. There is a hyperlink on the front cover to a Loom video animation of the powerpoint, which will also help students if they are working at home. There are examples of potential answers for the students to mark as you go through the powerpoint, with explanations as to how that mark has been awarded, and finally questions for the students to tackle themselves. The powerpoint/video can be paused for students to make notes of any useful vocabulary and exam tips.
Also available in Spanish.
A worksheet for GCSE students to enhance their translation skills on the topic of Self, family and friends… A variety of exercises, from individual sentences with a particular grammar focus, and passages for translation French-English and vice versa. Where appropriate there are hints and reminders. There is also an accompanying answer sheet, which may be useful for students to check their own work, especially if working remotely. There are similar worksheets for different GCSE topics. A value bundle is available.
A complete unit of work. A colourful and easy to follow 18 page booklet designed to roughly follow and complement Studio 3 Module 5, ‘Moi dans le monde’. The resources are based on, but are different from those in the textbook. Contains a variety of exercises on the subject of rights, priorities, shopping habits and happiness. Includes vocabulary building, grammar, translation skills, reading comprehension, a 90 word writing task, picture questions, conversation questions and extension activities. A look at the contents page on the preview will give you an idea. The tasks range from straightforward to challenging. There are more than enough tasks to keep even the keenest students busy. There are opportunities built in to some of the main tasks to give student and teacher feedback. Ideal for home learning, and for students who have limited IT access, as paper copies could be made. Individual exercises could be given as homeworks. Covers material from both ‘Vert’ and ‘Rouge’ textbooks, providing a bridge for intermediate students.
A 12 page booklet designed to supplement Studio 2 Module 2, giving KS3 students practice in the writing and translation skills eventually required for GCSE , and to extend more able students. Can be used as a workbook for the students, classroom activities or homework sheets. There are also conversation questions to prepare for speaking. There are teacher feedback checklists and spaces for students to redraft their work.
A 26 slide Powerpoint which goes through telling the time step by step. It uses both ‘Il est…’ and ‘A…’. There are detailed explanations and exercises with answers. The Powerpoint takes a systematic approach, building up from whole hours, adding halves and quarters, and then minutes past and to. Useful revision of telling the time in any suitable topic area, but the exercises focus on school timetables and arranging to go out, which could be easily adapted. Could accompany Studio 1 ‘Mon college’ and Studio 2 ‘une semaine a Paris’, for example. Extra slides could be added to tailor to the context.
A versatile, colourful and easy to follow 33 page booklet designed to roughly follow Studio 4 Module 4, ‘Chez moi, chez toi’. Contains a variety of exercises on the subject of homes, rooms, food and quantities, and festivities. Also has grammar focus on il faut, boire and prendre, and using 3 tenses. There are vocabulary building exercises, grammar, translation skills, reading comprehension, a 90/150 word writing task, speaking task questions, picture questions and extension activities. A look at the contents page on the preview will give you an idea. The tasks range from straightforward to challenging. There are more than enough tasks to keep even the keenest students busy. There are opportunities built in to some of the main tasks to give student and teacher feedback. Ideal for home learning, and for students who have limited IT access, as paper copies could be made. Individual exercises could be given as homeworks. Covers material from both ‘Vert’ and ‘Rouge’ textbooks.
A 23 page workbook designed to roughly follow Viva 3 Verde Module 4, ‘Jovenes en accion’. Contains a variety of exercises on the subject of nationality, children’s rights,recycling etc., including vocabulary building, translation skills, grammar focus on looking up verbs in a dictionary, reading comprehension, a 90 word writing task, picture questions and speaking exam questions. The tasks range from straightforward to challenging. The activities and texts are different from those in the textbook, although similar, so it is useful as a supplementary resource. There are opportunities built in to the tasks to give student and teacher feedback. Ideal for home learning, and for students who have limited IT access, as paper copies could be made.
A 20 page booklet designed to roughly follow Viva 1 Module 4, ‘Mi familia y mis amigos’. Contains a variety of exercises on the subject of family and where you live, including vocabulary building, translation skills, Simpson’s family tree, reading comprehension, a 90 word writing task, picture question and extension activities. The tasks range from straightforward to challenging. There are more than enough tasks to keep even the keenest students busy. There are opportunities built in to the tasks to give student and teacher feedback. Ideal for home learning, and for students who have limited IT access, as paper copies could be made.
3 page worksheet, with a colourful European map to label, and exercises to practice au/en/aux. There are simple gap fill exercises, and more complex translation exercises. Useful as an introduction to Studio 3 Module 4 Holidays, or as revision for GCSE.
A workbook focusing on the skills required for the new GCSE, providing students with practice from the outset. Each booklet contains translations, role play, picture card, writing tasks , with opportunities for feedback and improvement on work throughout. There are powerpoints with the translation answers for most modules. Can also be useful for GCSE revision.
A colourful 34 page workbook designed to roughly follow studio 1 module 5 Partez! This booklet is designed for lower ability students. Contains a variety of exercises on the subject of holiday destinations, holiday activities, eating in a cafe, dream vacations etc., including vocabulary matching, translation, reading comprehension, wordsearches and a research project. There are also simplfied assessment materials - reading, writing, picture questions and speaking questions. The tasks are straightforward, with clear explanations and instructions in English. The activities and texts are different from those in the textbook, although in the same vein. Ideal for lower ability groups and individual students. The tasks are designed so that a non specialist learning suppport staff would be able to effectively help students. Also useful for home learning, homework tasks and for students who have limited IT access.
Also available is a ‘standard’ version of this booklet for more able students.
A colourful 28 page booklet designed to complement Studio 2, ‘La France a du talent’. Contains a variety of exercises on the subject of talent contest, including vocabulary building, grammar skills, translation skills, reading comprehension, a 90 word writing task, picture questions and extension activities. The tasks range from straightforward to challenging. Looking at the contents page in the preview will give you an idea. While the tasks are different from the text book, they are in the same vein, so the students are familiar with the format. Task explanations are in English - so there is no question of students not understanding the tasks! There are more than enough tasks to keep even the keenest students busy. There are opportunities built in to the tasks to give student and teacher feedback. Ideal for home learning, isolating students, or dip into for homework tasks. Also has links to video clips on You Tube which students might enjoy writing commentaries on.
A collection of 30 GCSE French Foundation role plays, covering a variety of topics. In the style of AQA role play. There are suggested follow on questions included.
A 14 page booklet designed to supplement Studio 2 Module 1, giving KS3 students practice in the skills eventually required for GCSE , and to extend more able students. There is also a section on future tense added as this is not covered in the textbook. Can be used as a workbook for the students, classroom activities or homework sheets. There are also conversation questions to prepare for speaking. A vocab page is also included. There are teacher checklists and spaces for students to redraft their work.
A worksheet for GCSE students to enhance their translation skills on the topic of Customs and Festivals. A variety of exercises, from individual sentences with a particular grammar focus, and passages for translation Spanish-English and vice versa. Where appropriate there are hints and reminders. There is also an accompanying answer sheet, which may be useful for students to check their own work, especially if working remotely. There are similar worksheets for different GCSE topics.
A foundation level role-play practice card. The card displays both the candidate’s and the teacher’s role. The top text box can be flipped to make a tent- fold card suitable for pairwork in class. The card contains a hyperlink to a LOOM video where I talk through the task, explaining what is expected in each bullet point, giving sample answers. I then run through the task giving the teacher’s role, leaving pauses for students to say their own answers out loud. I believe it facilitates speaking work/exam practice with remote learning in place. This is offered as a free sample - if you like it there is a full collection of 9 roleplays available.
Key vocab from the AQA French GCSE Higher paper, question by question. Focusing on unfamiliar vocab, faux amis, words with more than one meaning etc. Notes drawing attention to ‘traps’, similarities with English etc. Offered free as omitted from AQA vocabulary from exam papers.
