A lesson plan for using Short Films to teach French at Key Stage 3

2. RESOURCE: J’ATTENDRAI LE SUIVANT
Series of 3 lessons for Year 10 French class
Topic context: Personal relationships and choices (AQA GCSE)
Lesson 1 Learning Objectives:
• To revise and use vocabulary for describing characteristics and personality traits
• To revise and use vocabulary and phrases for expressing opinions
• To learn idiomatic French phrases relating to the topic of personal relationships and choices
• To use the perfect tense to describe what characters from the film have done recently

3. LESSON 1 LESSON PLAN
0-10 MINS: STARTER
Brainstorm in pairs on known vocabulary and phrases for physical
descriptions and characteristics
Collate ideas as group to create whole-class spider diagram/mind map
Resources: interactive whiteboard, large piece of sugar paper and board markers, hint cards
Differentiation: hint cards for extra support
targeted questions as teacher circulates to push most able
AfL: Activity structured as think/pair/share
Pupils use traffic lights while brainstorming to self-select whether hint card
is needed

4. 10-20 MINS: LISTENING/READING/WRITING ACTIVITY
Watch film clip for gist only.
Key questions for students to bear in mind while watching:
De quoi s’agit-il?
Qu’est-ce qui se passe?, Qu’est-ce qu’il demande?
Discuss in pairs after first viewing.
Watch film clip with gap-fill version of script.
Students fill in key vocabulary and expressions during second viewing.
Students work in pairs to look up meanings of new language for independent learning.
Whole class marking of gap-fill scripts with peer-assessment (AfL).
Differentiation: hint sheet with all phrases available for extra support
harder version of gap-fill as extra challenge for most able
Resources: J’attendrai le suivant film clip, gap-fill script worksheets, dictionaries

5. Mesdames Mesdemoiselles Messieurs, bonsoir ! Excusez-moi de vous déranger.
.. Je sais que vous êtes énormément sollicités à l’heure actuelle.. D’abord je
m’en excuse et puis.. je me présente, je m’appelle A________ et ___ ____ ans. Rassurez-
vous, je ne vais pas vous demander d’argent.. Ce qui m’amène à vous, ce soir, eh bien c’est
que j’ai lu récemment dans un magazine qu’il y avait en ______ près de 5 millions de
femmes célibataires…Où sont-elles ? … Ça fait bientôt ___ ____ _____ ____que je suis
____ _____. J’ai pas honte de le dire, mais j’en ai marre… Pour passer ses soirées devant
son micro-monde pour regarder ces programmes débiles à la télé.. c’est pas une vie…Minitel
, Internet, pour se faire poser des lapins, ça ne m’intéresse pas..
Resource: J’attendrai le suivant gap-fill script worksheet
Antoine tout seul
J’ai vingt neuf ans France trois ans et demi (fold over – differentiation)

6. 20-30 MINS: READING AND SPEAKING ACTIVITY
Match up key idiomatic expressions and meanings.
Students work independently to match up French idiomatic expressions and
English meanings using cards.
Compare answers with partner and as whole class (AfL).
Differentiation: teacher assigns expression to each pair according to level of difficulty
differentiation by outcome of role-play exercise which is open ended
Resources: match-up cards
Role play with key idiomatic expressions.
Students have two minutes to prepare a very short scene which shows how one of the key
idiomatic expressions could be used in context, then all pairs show their short interaction.
e.g. j’en ai marre Ah Maman! J’en ai marre en ce moment! J’ai trop de devoirs alors je
ne peut pas voir mes amis. C’est ridicule!

7. a. vous êtes
énormément
sollicités à
l’heure actuelle
3. you are
extremely
busy right
now
d. assurez-
vous
1. rest
assured
b. j’ai (je n’ai)
pas honte de
le dire
2. I am not
ashamed to
say
e. j’en ai marre
7. I am fed
up
f. programmes
débiles
5. moronic
programmes
g . se faire poser
des lapins
6.to be stood up c. du mal à
rencontrer
quelqu’un
4. some
trouble
meeting
someone
Reliez les expressions anglaises avec les expressions françaises
Ex: 1 d ( rest assured= assurez- vous)
Resource: Idiomatic expressions jigsaw activity

8. 30-50 MINS: WRITING ACTIVITY
Writing Facebook profiles for characters from film.
Students write Facebook profiles for one or more of the characters they have seen in the
J’attendrai le suivant film, using the Facebook profile page template.
Key language: characteristics, physical descriptions, interests and past-times.
Differentiation: spider diagram from the starter activity – students select to use if needed.
sentence starters and key vocab given on example Facebook profile sheet.
Resources: Facebook profile sheet, spider diagram created at the start of the lesson.
Writing wall posts – extension activity.
Students write wall posts for their chosen characters to show a conversation between two of
the characters/one of the characters and their friends via the wall posts.
Key language: past tense to give opinions from two sides of the story on an event.
Potential to include the idiomatic expressions learnt in previous activity.

9. 50-60 MINS: PLENARY
Ils sont comment? Vous êtes d’accord?
Teacher selects one student of each ability level to present one of their profiles.
The rest of the class state whether or not they agree with the student’s portrayal of the
character, justifying their answers.
Extending the whole-class spider diagram
While this is happening one student is in charge of adding new key vocab to the whole class
spider diagram created at the start of the lesson.
Serves as visual representation of the whole class’ new learning since the start of the lesson.
In future can be used as a resource for subsequent lessons and eventually as a revision tool.

10. LESSON 2 LESSON PLANStarter:
Game of Loopcards for whole class to revise key vocabulary and expressions from the previous
lesson – vocab taken from the spider diagram created in Lesson 1.
Grammar activity: formulating questions
Teacher explains the 3 methods of formulating questions in French; adding a question mark,
inverting the subject and verb, using est-ce que and qu’est-ce que?
Students then write questions in pairs that they would ask the characters if they met them at a
speed-dating evening. Feedback as whole class and questions used in next activity.
Speaking activity: speed dating
Students act as one of the characters or themselves if preferred, to ask and answer key questions to
a partner in a speed-dating context.
Plenary: students write one sentence to describe meeting their favourite person from the speed
dating, and to describe what they were like.
Learning objective: to use key vocabulary learnt last lesson on the topic of personal relationships and
personal characteristics to ask and answer questions in a speed-dating context.

11. LESSON 3 LESSON PLAN
Starter:
Bande dessinée cultural background and importance (Tintin, Asterix etc)
Activity 1:
Watch clip to 2.26
Predictive activity – (future and conditional 4 tenses in all so far )
Brainstorm elle va….. Elle pourrait…..
Activity 2:
Draw storyboard – bande dessinée (about ending)
Present to class, stick around the room
Plenary:
Watch film including ending
Learning objective:
Revision of tenses in context of the story