Embedding French in the Primary Curriculum

Embedding French in the Primary Curriculum

A Brain Gym Activity – the Alphabet in French

Teacher’s Notes:

Learning Objective for Brain Gym: This is intended as a Brain Gym activity at the start of the day.

Learning Objective for French: To revise the alphabet and the words for left, right and both in French.

Resources: Put the alphabet on a power-point slide. Above each letter write either D (main droite), G (main gauche) or DG (les deux mains). It may be easier if the alphabet is broken down into groups of letters on separate slides (see below) .

Explanation of the activity:Depending on the class the teacher may like to revise left and right. (Please remember it may be better to demonstrate left and right with your back to the children!). The teacher might prefer to read the alphabet to the children first. They should then repeat the alphabet.

Step 1 : divide the class into two teams; one child from each team comes to the front; the teacher says a letter and the first child to touch that letter gets a point for his/her team.

Step 2 : the teacher gives instructions so that pupils practise raising left hand or , right hand or both eg levez la main droite, levez la main gauche, levez les deux mains

Step 3 : the teacher says: Jacques a dit levez la main droite and the children obey the instruction but if the teacher just says: levez la main droite, the children do not obey the instruction (i.e. like the game ‘Simon says’)

Step 4 : (see video) the children face the board with the alphabet and letters written above; the children say the alphabet slowly and raise their hands according to the letters written above.

Teacher’s script (generic) / Translation into English
Step 1
Maintenant un peu de révision / Now a little revision
L’alphabet / The alphabet
Répétez les lettres / Repeat the letters
Nous allons faire un jeu / We’re going to play a game
La première personne qui touche la lettre / The first person who touches the letter
Gagne un point / Wins a point
Nous avons deux équipes / We have two teams
Step 2 & 3
Levez la main droite / Raise your right hand
Levez la main gauche / Raise your left hand
Levez les deux mains / Raise both hands
On va jouer «Jacques a dit» / We’re going to play Simon says
Step 4
Maintenant répétez les lettres et en même temps levez les mains / Now repeat the letters and at the same time raise your hands