The latest from frenchteacher

This is one of my regular updates to let you know what new resources I have been adding to frenchteacher.net over the last month.

Key Stage 3

A simple word ordering worksheet to practise the verb parler in the present tense. This is for near beginners and is an addition to a few others which use the same format.
A new Peppa Pig video listening worksheet for Y9 (low intermediate). You could use it with Y10 or 11. This one asks pupils to spot correct sentences then has a short drill on il ne faut pas que...
An adjective agreement crossword for near-beginners.

For intermediate level (GCSE)

Two grammar practice worksheets, one on using si clauses with the imperfect and conditional tenses, the other about using the avant de + infinitive structure. the exercises types I have used are sentence combining are translation into French. Both sheets get students to add complexity to their spoken and written language.
Two sets of four GCSE conversation questions presented in a dice board game format. Great for oral revision. These based on the AQA sub-themes.
Two sets of 100 sentences to translate into French (with answers). One set are at Foundation tier, the other Higher.

A-level

Two new "knowledge portfolios" which provide knowledge points to help students get A)4 marks in the English and welsh A level exams. I now have all three exam boards covered; AQA, Edexcel/Pearson and Eduqas/WJEC.

Comments

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).

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

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,

Language Teacher Toolkit: Steve Smith's blog

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