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MYLO - Joseph's French Dinners

http://www.hellomylo.com

I wrote some time ago about the MYLO Track List challenge which my Y9 class have begun to use with success.

My Y10 class today worked on a new French "challenge" called Joseph's French Dinners. I have never seen this class so absorbed for 30 minutes in a regular lesson.

The format is familiar if you have used the site before. Students work through a series of interactive tasks, some focused mainly on reading comprehension, some on listening and a few on writing. The main emphasis is on high quality listening and reading, however.

I have to compliment the writers. The exercises feature authentic language pitched well for students, in this case, aiming for grade B or thereabouts at GCSE. A* students would find the activities challenging enough, but with less recourse to the dictionary which is built into the programme.

Content is interesting, lively, very clearly presented, whilst the tasks are diverse, including sorting vocabulary into categories, matching French and English expressions, box ticking, gap filling and writing short phrases. Recordings sound clear and authentic and students can access a transcription if they wish. Each task is very clearly presented and has to be completed before you move on.

My class of 28 students (who do not automatically get their heads down to work hard at a task) worked away happily and purposefully for 30 minutes, getting through about three or four of the tasks. They reported to me that they found the tasks at the right level and interesting. We shall need another lesson or two to complete the whole thing. The language supports our controlled assessment theme of food.

Sir had to do very little apart from answering the occasional question.

I remain impressed with the MYLO material and I am pleased that it has not disappeared from the web under the coalition.

Chapeau!

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