Year 5
French
Curriculum Outline
In Year 5, pupils develop their French language skills through listening, speaking reading and
writing. In the past in Year 5, particular emphasis was given to communicating in French as
much as possible through listening and speaking. However, having started learning French in
the Lower School, all pupils will be introduced to reading and writing fairly quickly, as well as
continuing to develop their listening and speaking skills. Pupils are given many
opportunities to practise their language skills through a variety of fun, communicative
activities, such as games, songs, pair work, group activities and ICT usage.
Pupils’ literacy is developed by learning about grammatical features of French, such as the
gender of nouns, and how to use a bilingual dictionary properly. The children also develop a
growing understanding of the Francophone world and French pronunciation by studying
cultural aspects and phonemes respectively.
Children’s learning is at the forefront of every lesson and teaching children how to learn is
actively taught. We look at strategies to help children learn, such as colour-coding, using
rhyme, quizzes, mind maps, games and mnemonics as well as encouraging children to
evaluate their work and understanding.
At Parkfields Middle School, teachers use a variety of resources to make learning as
motivating and engaging as possible. Resources consist of powerpoint presentations, ICT
resources, props, games, songs, teacher-made activities and we also use the Wakefield
Scheme of work as a basis for the work we do.
Course Outline for Year 5:
In Year 5, having already learned the basics, such as being able to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’,
French numbers, alphabet, etc. We review these in new topics in order for progression to
take place in later years. Topics are revisited throughout the course to ensure secure
understanding
Bienvenue (Welcome)
By the end of Year 5, pupils will have studied the topics below:
 Saying your name, e.g. ‘Je m’appelle Max.’
 Asking someone his/her name
 Greeting people and ask how they are
 Saying the French alphabet off by heart
 Spelling words out using the French alphabet
 Classroom instructions
 Classroom equipment
 Looking up words in a bilingual dictionary
 French numbers from 1-31
 Months of the year
 Days of the week
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Asking someone his/her age and when his/her birthday is
Saying your age and when your birthday is
Talking about family members
Places in town
Asking for simple directions
Simple opinions
Key festivals and how they are celebrated in French - speaking countries
The verb ‘avoir = to have’
Matching sounds and spelling patterns
Weather phrases
Geography of France – towns, rivers, mountains, regions, départements, seas,
countries
Key Language:
 Numbers from 1-31
 Learning nouns, such as: un stylo = a pen, une trousse = a pencil case
 Indefinte nouns (‘un = a’, an and ‘une = a, an’)
 Definite nouns (le, la = the)
 Key verbs – ‘avoir’ and ‘être’
 Key classroom instructions
Related Weblinks: (Pupils are provided with the necessary usernames and passwords at
the beginning of the year)
www.linguascope.com
Linguascope is a fantastic site which includes a variety of fun activities in Key Stages 2, 3 and
4.
The French page on the Learning Platform – Parkfields French.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryfrench/
An effective site for Key Stage 2 pupils - it contains a wide selection of activities.
Enrichment Outlines (Please note that these are subject to change):
 The Importance of Learning Languages with information about France and links
between English and French
 An Alphabet word mat on nouns
 Research about a famous French character (Tintin, Asterix)
 Reading and Comprehension with writing based on the model
 End of Year Assessment
Extra – Curricular Opportunities:
 French Club
 French competitions
 Weblinks (shown above)
 European Languages Day
 French Theatre production
 Filming techniques to develop language
 Christmas Concert Performance, in French
‘THE BIG PICTURE’
The French course at Parkfields Middle School reflects the new National Curriculum, which
is more skills-based than in previous years, in the following ways:
Skill Area - Communication: At Parkfields, our approach to language teaching is largely
communicative. Pupils participate during whole-class and pupil-led activities for which
effective communication and positive relationships among both pupils and teachers are
paramount. To encourage effective communication skills, pupils are regularly engaged in
speaking activities, such as pair work, group work, surveys as well as listening, reading and
writing. Pupils learn to adapt their speaking and writing styles to a range of audiences and
purposes, such as diary writing, letters and postcards.
Skill Area - Application of Number: Numbers is an area which is revisited several times
during the children’s four years at Parkfields. In French, teaching numbers is performed in a
variety of ways. In Year 5, numbers are taught through kinaesthetic actions and in Year 6, 7
and 8, the French department takes a cross-curricular approach to teaching numbers by
using mathematical sequences and sums which is then used to support real-life applications,
such as telling the time; providing telephone numbers; purchasing items in a shop; and
giving out information on historical dates.
Skill Area - Information Technology: At Parkfields, a variety of ICT tools are used, such as
the interactive board, video footage, websites as well as individual pupil ICT usage in our
computer suites. ICT helps pupils learn modern foreign languages by giving them access to
sources of authentic information, both spoken and written. ICT also supports pupils’
understanding of grammar and improves their comprehension skills.
Skill Area - Independent Enquiry: Pupils are taught to develop their independence in
learning and using the target language. In lessons, teachers develop pupils’ ability to
interpret meaning for themselves by encouraging children to use context and other clues to
interpret meaning (for example, by identifying the grammatical function of unfamiliar words
or similarities with words they know). Our learners are also taught how to use dictionaries
and other reference materials appropriately and effectively.
Skill Area - Creative Thinking: Creative thinking skills are developed in a variety of ways.
Pupils are encouraged to explore ideas and use models to created original pieces of work,
for example: composing an additional verse for a song sung in class; writing letters, diaries,
postcards, cartoon strips, word pyramids; designing grammar posters; inventing dialogues,
etc.
Skill Area - Reflective Learning: Pupils monitor their progress through ‘traffic lighting’ their
work and recording their National Curriculum levels in the skills of speaking, listening,
reading and writing. Time is also given to pupils to complete challenges/targets set by their
teachers to improve or practise an area of work studied, such as spelling. Sometimes, pupils
will review what they have learned in their exercise books by way of a short written
explanation in English. Also, pupils do verbally feedback to their teachers on how well they
have fulfilled the success criteria for the lesson and this informs future lessons – they are
encouraged to understand how they best learn. Furthermore, children are also encouraged
to be ‘critical friends’ and will peer assess their classmates in order to ensure that everyone
benefits from constructive feedback in order to progress and improve further.
Skill Area - Team Working and Effective Participation: Effective team working and
participation are essential in language learning. Pupils are expected to listen carefully to
one another as well as the teacher. In lessons, children must learn to work with different
classmates; initiate conversation; form positive relationships; and reach agreed solutions,
where applicable.
Skill Area - Self-management: Children are expected to take responsibility, for example:
bringing basic equipment to school, following the schools behaviour policy. Pupils are also
given guidelines and foci to support their self-management and are encouraged to make a
commitment to monitoring their own progress and to make corrections during selfassessment. Written prompts, such as the school’s behaviour policy and the lesson
objectives and conditions for success are visible within the classrooms. Teachers also
encourage pupils to work to time limits, particularly important in examination conditions
and the future world of work. The school’s pupil planner is also essential in supporting
pupils’ self-management and organisational skills.