Ysgol Clywedog Wrexham 11 - 16 comprehensive mixed catchment; large proportion of pupils come from socially deprived areas y7 taught in mixed ability form groups y8 + y9 set according to ability

What do we do in y7? classroom items / family / animals nouns classroom items / family / animals adjectives colours / size / character verbs avoir / être habiter (  -ER verb pattern) prepositions en / à / dans sur / sous / devant / derrière il y a… Previous scheme of work based on content of text-book (Expo1) Following introduction of new National Curriculum, scheme of work revised to focus more on skills and structures. The content has not changed significantly; we are still using the same resources, but with a different approach / emphasis.

Some pupils also manage… By Easter of y7 pupils do an extended writing task for assessment Most pupils achieve level 4 Some pupils achieve level 5 “j’aime” / “je déteste” relative pronoun “qui” conjunctions “et” / “mais” negative structures “il n’y a pas de…” “je n’ai pas de …” Before pupils attempt the extended writing task, they are given a test on everything we have covered to do with “habiter” The aim of the test is to remind pupils of the structures they will need to use in their writing task. Copies of the test (both original printed sheet and powerpoint version) are included in the resource pack on the USB stick

Writing task completed by boy on SEN register. His assessment of himself before doing this task: “I can’t do paragraphs”

Writing task completed by more able pupil (boy) Apart from variety of sentence structures, including some extended sentences, there is also evidence of an ability to adapt material that he has acquired incidentally from other tasks: “Je partage…”

Identify verb as key element Where do we start? What is a sentence? Definition Parts of speech Identify verb as key element In Wrexham, no formal MFL provision at KS2; we have to assume no prior knowledge of French when pupils arrive in y7. Discussion of basic sentence structure + key parts of speech provides a link back to familiar ground from primary school and basic English/Welsh (first language) literacy skills. We allow one whole lesson just to discuss what a sentence is and to come up with a description/definition (this includes recognising / demonstrating the importance of the verb) We then take a second lesson to revise the different parts of speech.

The verb is the key!! Bugs Bunny a carrot eats For this to work you need to use an animate noun (cartoon characters are ideal) and an inanimate noun. Write the nouns on the board, but leave out the verb. Ask the pupils to imagine a picture for each noun (imagine they are famous cartoonists about to create a new animation) Introduce a verb: their 2 separate pictures are now linked Change the verb: the “animated” picture changes Mini-plenary: it is the verb that brings the 2 separate pictures together and makes them come to life.

The verb is the key!! A carrot Bugs Bunny eats Demonstration that “making sense” is not always the same as “being sensible”!

Plenary at end of lesson on “What is a sentence?” Definition : bullet points which Sum up each stage of the discussion Use words / phrases that the pupils have used in the course of the discussion (“tweaked” where necessary to make sure that they go away with the right message!)

Mind-maps showing pupils’ contributions to discussions on parts of speech: ask pupils to suggest different types of words which might be used in a sentence ask them to explain “what job” each type of word does in the sentence. ask them to suggest examples

Working with texts Introduce texts as soon as possible Give the pupils a chance to feel they are dealing with “real” language Don’t worry about giving them a challenge! Pupils enjoy exploring new ideas

Bonjour, comment t'appelles-tu? Je m'appelle Paul. Comment t'appelles-tu? Je m'appelle Marianne. Ça va, Paul? Ça va bien, merci. Et toi, Marianne, ça va? Bof! Pas mal. Au revoir. used early in y7 (as soon as they have learnt basic greetings) pupils sort conversation into correct order identify which words could be changed pupils make up own conversation

Bonjour. Je m'appelle Céline Bonjour! Je m'appelle Céline. J'ai quatorze ans et mon anniversaire est le douze mai. J'ai un frère qui s'appelle Marc. Il a neuf ans. Son anniversaire est le vingt-trois juillet. J'aime les animaux. À la maison j'ai un hamster, une tortue et deux chats. J'adore la nature: au collège mes matières préférées sont la géographie et les sciences. Used soon after October ½ term – ie after about 7-8 weeks of French Gap-fill task “Stick-in”: text analysis task Pupils annotate text on board + share ideas Discuss content + how to use text as a model Writing task

Pupils make notes around text on anything they have understood or think is useful.

Easter: extended writing assessment J’habite une maison. J’habite dans une ville au bord de la mer. Dans ma maison, il y a deux étages. Au rez-de-chaussée il y a le salon et la cuisine. Au premier étage il y a trois chambres. Dans ma chambre il y a un lit, une armoire et une table J’habite une jolie petite maison dans une ville au bord de la mer en Tunisie. Derrière ma maison il y a un jardin avec des fleurs et des arbres. J’habite avec mes parents et mon frère. J’aime ma maison. Au rez-de-chaussée il y a la grande cuisine. Il y a aussi un petit salon, où on regarde la télévision. Au premier étage, il y a la grande chambre de mes parents et la chambre de mon frère. Ma pièce favorite est ma chambre. J’adore ma chambre. Elle est confortable et assez grande. Dans ma chambre j’ai un lit, une armoire et une petite table. J’ai aussi un ordinateur bleu. Sur les murs il y a des posters de football. Easter: extended writing assessment In pairs: highlight features on R side which make it better than L side Class discussion: key elements in sentence success criteria Peer assessment: evaluate rough drafts (homework task) Prepare redraft

Games to promote literacy Good for developing oracy skills Remember: If you can say it, you can also write it!!

Battleships: reinforces verb pattern and basic sentence structure. Pupils follow up with writing any 5 sentences from the grid, then challenged to extend each sentence by adding different bits of information…. Who can produce the longest sentence?!

Mastermind encourages sentence-building J’habite Mon frère habite Nous habitons Mes copains habitent dans un village dans une ville dans une grande ville à la campagne à la montagne au bord de la mer en France en Angleterre au Pays de Galles aux Etats-Unis Mastermind encourages sentence-building Colour coding is good for helping pupils to identify phrases as “chunks” of meaning which can be used like jigsaw pieces to build up a sentence. Class activity: teacher makes up sentence for pupils to find out. The only feedback they get is “(x) choses correctes” Repeat as paired / small group activity Write different sentences using grid as scaffold Plenary: discuss different “building blocks” used to make up sentences Challenge: Who can make the longest sentence? (1 point for each “building block” of information they can use) Remind them about adjectives: every adjective they can add is 1 more piece of information and also counts for 1 point. J’habite Mon copain habite Mes cousins habitent un appartement une maison une ferme un château dans un village dans une ville dans une grande ville à la campagne à la montagne au bord de la mer

Starters and Plenaries Finish the sentence “J’ai…” / “Je suis…” / “J’habite…” How many different ways could you finish the sentence? Unscramble the sentence Put words in an appropriate order so they make sense There may be more than 1 possibility! Correct the mistakes Good as a timed challenge Match-up Good for low ability or for introducing new vocabulary / structures Dictionary: find (x) words to do with…

Starters and Plenaries How confident are you? Thumbs up / thumbs down (“good , bad or goofy?”) What do you think you need to learn next/ revise for this to get easier? Especially good to use after a learning homework was set which pupils patently haven’t done! “If you are feeling confident, then…; if you are still not very confident then…” Set minimum expectation but invite pupils to push themselves The examples of pupils’ work in slides 4 + 5 are evidence that pupils will push themselves, especially if it is presented to them as a challenge.

What about Grammar? Pupils use investigation to understand rules Thinking skills: “What do you notice / think about...?” “How could you explain these patterns?” Pupils reflect on and explain ideas; use grammar note to recap / sum up what they have noticed Note-taking becomes a plenary / mini-plenary at end of task, not the main focus of the lesson

Some key things to remember Give pupils time to explore and think Ask open questions Dictionary skills are essential take time to teach them properly, so that pupils know how to use all the information available!! Using English/Welsh is OK! Start simple and grow: milk your resources! Dictionary skills: it is worth giving a whole lesson over to practising dictionary skills from time to time. An example of a dictionary skills activity is included in the resource pack on the USB stick.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me: Clare Temple Ysgol Clywedog, Wrexham LL13 7UB clare.temple@clywedog.wrexham.sch.uk