Skip to main content

Frenchteacher case study

Anne Swainston and Matthew Thomas-Peter teach French and Spanish at my former school Ripon Grammar School, a selective mixed grammar school. They have been kind enough to write about how the school currently uses the frenchteacher resources:



"We use frenchteacher.net across our whole 11-18 age range to complement our Tricolore course at KS3-4 and particularly the OUP/Kerboodle A-level courses. 

At KS3 the free powerpoints (both French and Spanish) are great for introducing new vocabulary and there are numerous imaginative, stimulating and varied worksheets which also help develop vocabulary knowledge and reinforce grammar points. At KS4 we like to use the grammar worksheets, comprehension material and, leading up to GCSE exams, we make use of the powerpoint and Word signs for revision.

We like the fact that most texts are based on authentic sources and that the material is constantly being updated. The advanced level section has a wealth of activities which complement and support the AS/A2 course, but which also cover other interesting subject areas. We use them as starting points for discussions, for aural and written comprehension, vocabulary extension and grammar reinforcement. They are also ideal for setting homework. The AS level oral booklets come in very useful during topic work and in the run-up to speaking tests in May.

We also value the material which relates to the A-level cultural topics. For example we regularly use the set of worksheets relating to Les Petits Enfants du Siècle by Christiane Rochefort.

We also make regular use of the sentences for translation at A2 level. They prepare our students well for parts of the A-level examination. Our students comment that they find them extremely useful for grammar and vocabulary revision and feel they benefit enormously from them. We shall be trying out the links for listening practice soon. 

As classroom practitioners, we enjoy reading Steve’s blog and his ideas on methodology which are always interesting and thought-provoking."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is skill acquisition theory?

For this post, I am drawing on a section from the excellent book by Rod Ellis and Natsuko Shintani called Exploring Language Pedagogy through Second Language Acquisition Research (Routledge, 2014). Skill acquisition is one of several competing theories of how we learn new languages. It’s a theory based on the idea that skilled behaviour in any area can become routinised and even automatic under certain conditions through repeated pairing of stimuli and responses. When put like that, it looks a bit like the behaviourist view of stimulus-response learning which went out of fashion from the late 1950s. Skill acquisition draws on John Anderson’s ACT theory, which he called a cognitivist stimulus-response theory. ACT stands for Adaptive Control of Thought.  ACT theory distinguishes declarative knowledge (knowledge of facts and concepts, such as the fact that adjectives agree) from procedural knowledge (knowing how to do things in certain situations, such as understand and speak a language).
Post a Comment
Read more

The 2026 GCSE subject content is published!

Two DfE documents were published today. The first was the response to the consultation about the proposed new GCSE (originally due in October 2021) and the second is the subject content document which, ultimately, is of most interest to MFL teachers in England. Here is the link  to the document.  We are talking about an exam to be done from 2026 (current Y7s). There is always a tendency for sceptical teachers to think that consultations are a bit of a sham and that the DfE will just go ahead and do what they want when it comes to exam reform. In this case, the responses to the original proposals were mixed, and most certainly hostile as far as exam boards and professional associations representing the MFL community, universities, head teachers and awarding bodies are concerned. What has emerged does reveal some significant changes which take account of a number of criticisms levelled at the proposals. As I read it, the most important changes relate to vocabulary and the issue of topics
5 comments
Read more

La retraite à 60 ans

Suite à mon post récent sur les acquis sociaux..... L'âge légal de la retraite est une chose. Je voudrais bien savoir à quel âge les gens prennent leur retraite en pratique - l'âge réel de la retraite, si vous voulez. J'ai entendu prétendre qu'il y a peu de différence à cet égard entre la France et le Royaume-Uni. Manifestation à Marseille en 2008 pour le maintien de la retraite à 60 ans © AFP/Michel Gangne Six Français sur dix sont d’accord avec le PS qui défend la retraite à 60 ans (BVA) Cécile Quéguiner Plus de la moitié des Français jugent que le gouvernement a " tort de vouloir aller vite dans la réforme " et estiment que le PS a " raison de défendre l’âge légal de départ en retraite à 60 ans ". Résultat d’un sondage BVA/Absoluce pour Les Échos et France Info , paru ce matin. Une majorité de Français (58%) estiment que la position du Parti socialiste , qui défend le maintien de l’âge légal de départ à la retraite à 60 ans,
1 comment
Read more