Adverbs in Action

Year Level

Year 10 Languages (French)

Duration

50 minutes

Class Size

20 students

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Unit Context

This lesson is Lesson 5 of 9 in the unit titled "Mastering the Passé Composé". Students have begun learning the passé composé tense and are now extending their ability to sequence past events clearly and coherently. This lesson focuses on introducing and practising adverbs such as puis and après to describe sequences of past events.

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Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Languages (French)

Level: Years 9-10 (Level 5-6 of the NZ Curriculum)

Ref: The New Zealand Curriculum Refresh – Languages learning area; Te Mātaiaho English and Languages document support

• Content Learning Objectives:

  • Use accurate vocabulary and structures to communicate personal experiences and describe past events.
  • Use a variety of sentence structures, including sequencing adverbs, to clarify the time relationships in recounts and narratives.
  • Communicate in complete sentences using the passé composé, incorporating time connectives and adverbs.

• Key Competencies:

  • Using language, symbols, and texts: Apply grammatical features such as adverbs to make meaning clear when recounting past events.
  • Managing self: Develop confidence in speaking and writing in French through practice.
  • Relating to others: Collaborate with peers in partner and group work to deepen understanding and practice language use.

• Assessment expectations:

  • Produce accurate and coherent short written and spoken recounts or narratives using passé composé and sequencing adverbs.
  • Demonstrate understanding of time sequencing by correct placement and use of adverbs like puis (then) and après (afterwards).

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify and understand the function of French adverbs puis and après within sentences describing past events.
2. Construct sentences using passé composé and these adverbs to narrate sequences of past events accurately.
3. Demonstrate improved fluency and confidence in sequencing past events orally and in writing using appropriate adverbs.
4. Reflect on their use of sequencing adverbs and adjust language use to improve clarity.

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Lesson Plan

Time	Activity	Description & Resources	Pedagogical Notes
0-5 mins	Introduction and Context Setting	- Greet students; revisit quickly what passé composé is.	Quick warm-up connecting to previous lesson.
5-15 mins	Explicit Teaching: Adverbs ‘puis’ and ‘après’	- Teacher explains meaning and usage of puis and après. - Show examples on the board. - Use simple sentences describing sequences of past actions (ex: J'ai mangé, puis j'ai regardé la télé.). - Discuss placement of adverbs in sentence structure.	Use clear visual aids and sentence highlighting.
15-25 mins	Guided Practice: Sentence Construction	- Students work in pairs to create five short sentences using puis and après with passé composé verbs. - Provide sentence stems and vocabulary banks. - Teacher circulates, providing feedback and assistance.	Collaborative work supports verbal reasoning and peer learning.
25-35 mins	Interactive Activity: Past Event Sequence Storytelling	- Groups of 4 students receive a sequence of pictures or a short prompt story. - Students take turns narrating past events orally, using puis and après to link parts. - Encourage use of intonation and expressive language to engage listeners.	Supports oral language skills and narrative structure. Provide scaffolds like story maps if required.
35-45 mins	Independent Writing Task	- Students write a short paragraph (6-8 sentences) recounting a recent personal event or a fictional story using passé composé and puis, après. - Emphasise correct sequencing and clear use of adverbs. - Provide word banks and sentence prompts on handouts.	Consolidates grammatical and vocabulary knowledge.
45-50 mins	Reflection and Formative Assessment	- Quick class-sharing: invite 3-4 volunteers to read their paragraphs aloud. - Peer and teacher feedback highlighting use of sequencing adverbs. - End with a quick oral quiz: Teacher says a sequence of events, students reorder them correctly using puis or après orally.	Encourages self-regulation and self-assessment.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed sentence stems & vocabulary sheets (containing passé composé cue verbs and adverbs)
• Sets of picture/story prompts for group activity
• Student writing paper or exercise books
• Visual timetable or story map graphic organisers (optional)

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Teaching Strategies

• Model language explicitly with examples.
• Use scaffolding such as sentence stems, vocabulary lists, and visual cues.
• Provide multiple modalities (oral, visual, written) to support language learning.
• Foster a supportive environment for making and correcting mistakes.
• Encourage peer collaboration for language practice and social learning.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Observe pair and group discussions for correct language use.
• Collect written paragraphs to assess use of passé composé with sequencing adverbs.
• Provide verbal and written feedback focussing on accuracy of adverb use and sentence structure.
• Include formative questioning and oral quiz to gauge ongoing understanding.

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Further Notes for Teachers

• This lesson supports developing students’ ability to recount past events clearly—a key skill for communicating in a second language.
• The focus on puis and après supports vocabulary and grammatical precision in narratives.
• Repeat and recycle these adverbs in subsequent lessons to reinforce learning.
• Adjust intensity and supports as needed for students with varying proficiency levels.

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This lesson plan is designed to align closely with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, leveraging its emphasis on explicit teaching, scaffolding vocabulary and grammar, fostering metacognition and self-regulation, and integrating oral and written language competencies for languages learning at Year 10 level【4:0-16†Te Mataiaho English Single Page.pdf】 .