Describing People Further

Overview

Students build on previous learning about describing friends and family with adjectives. They learn to express likes, dislikes, hobbies and pastimes in French, then compose and recite a short profile using accurate verbs, articles, contractions and adjective agreement.

Learning intentions

• WALT use verbs and phrases to express preferences and activities.
• WALT select accurate articles and contractions with activities.
• WALT combine physical or personality descriptions with likes, dislikes and hobbies.
• WALT compose and present a short spoken and written profile for a familiar audience.

Success criteria

• I can use aimer, adorer, préférer, détester and ne pas aimer in a sentence.
• I can use jouer à/de, faire de, écouter, regarder and lire accurately.
• I can use articles and contractions such as au, à la, aux, du, de la and des.
• I can write and recite at least five connected sentences about a friend or family member.

Curriculum links

• Interacting: exchanging information and opinions in familiar contexts using culturally appropriate language.
• Creating texts: composing a spoken and written profile for a familiar communicative purpose, using appropriate linguistic structures and audience awareness.
• Understanding texts: interpreting model sentences and identifying meaning, grammatical patterns and opinions.
• Students use language systems, gesture and repair strategies to negotiate meaning during pair interaction.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and retrieval. Open with the visual hook and retrieval prompts and display a fictional teenager’s profile containing one adjective and one hobby. Students silently identify what they already understand, then share one previously learned adjective and predict the person’s interests.

2. 5–14 min · Teacher modelling. Use the vocabulary and model sentence slides to introduce or revise the following language:

• J’aime / J’adore / Je préfère / Je déteste / Je n’aime pas…
• jouer au football, jouer à la guitare, jouer aux jeux vidéo
• faire du vélo, faire de la natation, faire de la danse
• écouter de la musique, regarder des films, lire des livres Model and rehearse: Ma sœur est sportive et créative. Elle adore faire du vélo, mais elle n’aime pas regarder le sport. Explain that aimer, adorer, préférer, détester and ne pas aimer are followed by an infinitive when describing an activity: J’aime lire. Highlight au = à + le, aux = à + les, du = de + le, and des = de + les. Contrast jouer au football, jouer à la guitare, jouer aux jeux vidéo, faire du vélo, faire de la danse and faire des activités. Students repeat, then identify the verb, article and activity in each model.

3. 14–22 min · Guided accuracy practice. Distribute the hobbies, grammar and profile-building worksheet. Complete the first three items together: students match preference verbs to meanings, select the correct article or contraction, and reorder words into a sentence. Students complete the remaining items independently, including adjective agreement in sentences such as Mon frère est amusant et sportif and Ma cousine est amusante et sportive. Check answers through targeted questioning: “Why is it sportive?” and “Why do we say du vélo?”

4. 22–31 min · Pair speaking carousel. Display the pair-speaking instructions and sentence stems. In pairs, Student A chooses a friend or family member and says two sentences; Student B asks Qu’est-ce qu’il/elle aime faire? and responds with one follow-up question, such as Est-ce qu’il/elle aime écouter de la musique? Partners swap roles, then repeat with a different person. Students may use the worksheet word bank but should avoid reading every sentence. The teacher circulates, noting accurate verb forms, pronunciation, article use and willingness to negotiate meaning. Pause once to model a useful repair phrase: Pardon, tu peux répéter?

5. 31–41 min · Compose and recite. Students draft a five- to seven-sentence profile on the worksheet. It must include the person’s relationship and name, two adjectives with correct agreement, two preferences, two hobbies or pastimes, and one contrast using mais. Example: Voici mon cousin Lucas. Il est drôle et patient. Il adore jouer aux jeux vidéo. Il préfère écouter de la musique. Il n’aime pas faire du vélo, mais il aime lire des bandes dessinées. Students practise reading aloud to a partner, who checks the success criteria. Invite several volunteers to recite, or hear presentations in pairs while the teacher samples individuals.

6. 41–45 min · Review and exit check. Use the plenary and exit-check slide. Students write three quick responses: one sentence with j’aime + infinitive, one with jouer or faire and a correct contraction, and one sentence describing a person with an agreeing adjective. Students hold up fingers from one to three to indicate confidence, then submit the worksheet or read one response to the teacher.

Resources

• the complete French profile lesson deck
• the hobbies, grammar and profile-building worksheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or interactive display
• Exercise books and pens
• Optional vocabulary cards or mini whiteboards
• Teacher observation checklist

Assessment

• During modelling and guided practice, check students’ understanding of infinitives, contractions and adjective agreement through mini-whiteboard responses and targeted questions.
• During pair speaking, record brief observations of accurate language, pronunciation, turn-taking and use of repair phrases.
• Assess the written and spoken profile against the success criteria; use the exit check to identify one grammar point for the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Provide a colour-coded sentence builder, illustrated vocabulary bank, pronunciation support and gap-fill starters for students requiring additional support: Il/Elle est…, Il/Elle aime…, Il/Elle n’aime pas….
• Allow students to rehearse with a partner, record their profile, or present privately to the teacher. Pair students strategically and provide extra processing time for EAL/D, literacy and communication needs.
• Challenge advanced learners to include three different preference verbs, a negative and a comparison using mais or parce que. They can ask and answer an unscripted follow-up question and explain why an article or contraction is required.
• For students needing extension in cultural communication, encourage appropriate use of Voici… and polite listening behaviours when introducing another person.