Using Avoir Passé Composé

Context

This is lesson 2 of 9 in the unit "Mastering the Passé Composé" aimed at Year 10 New Zealand students studying a language (French). The lesson focuses on using the auxiliary verb avoir to form the passé composé for completed past actions. The lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, emphasizing manageable explicit teaching steps, building on prior learning, engagement, and practical application, as recommended in the curriculum's language learning approach.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 50-minute lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand and correctly use the auxiliary verb avoir in the passé composé tense to describe completed past actions.
• Form passé composé sentences with common regular and irregular verbs that use avoir.
• Demonstrate the ability to conjugate verbs in passé composé with avoir in oral and written exercises.
• Apply their learning in meaningful contexts, aligning with communication competencies.

Curriculum Links

• Learning Area: Learning Languages (French)
• Achievement Objective: Communicate personal information and experiences orally and in writing in French using a range of verb tenses including passé composé with avoir.
• Key Competencies: Communicating; Managing self; Relating to others.
• Curriculum Expectations: Use structured literacy approaches, scaffold learning with manageable steps, use explicit teaching with active engagement, provide immediate feedback, and enable repeated practice to build mastery and confidence .

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Lesson Structure (50 minutes)

Time	Activity	Details and Purpose
0–5 mins	Introduction & Recap	Briefly review Lesson 1 (introduction to passé composé). Introduce the focus on avoir as an auxiliary verb for expressing completed past actions. Use a simple visual timeline showing past events.
5–15 mins	Explicit Teaching & Modelling	Explain the use of avoir as an auxiliary in passé composé with example verbs (e.g., manger, finir, prendre). Use think-aloud modelling for conjugation steps: present avoir, past participle formation, agreement rules. Show examples on whiteboard/slides.
15–25 mins	Guided Practice	Provide structured exercises (oral and written) where students conjugate verbs with avoir in passé composé. Use choral repetition and pair work (think-pair-share) to engage all students. Teachers circulate to offer immediate feedback and scaffolding. Use gamified quiz or interactive poll app to make it engaging.
25–35 mins	Application Activity	Students write 4–5 sentences about their own recent past activities using avoir passé composé (e.g., J’ai mangé, Tu as parlé). Share in small groups to provide peer feedback, focusing on accurate use of avoir and past participle agreement.
35–45 mins	Listening & Comprehension	Play an audio passage or read aloud a short story/dialogue in the passé composé with avoir. Students identify verbs, underline auxiliary avoir and past participles, and answer comprehension questions. Model think-aloud to show inference and checking understanding strategies.
45–50 mins	Plenary & Reflection	Recap key points by asking students to share one new thing learned about avoir passé composé. Set a simple homework task: write a short diary entry describing yesterday’s activities using avoir passé composé. Reflect on what helped their understanding.

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Teaching Considerations

• Explicit Modelling: Use think-alouds to demonstrate conjugating verbs with avoir to reduce cognitive load.
• Active Engagement: Use hand gestures or applause to confirm understanding during oral repetition.
• Formative Feedback: Circulate during exercises to give immediate, positive correction and scaffold where needed.
• Inclusive Environment: Incorporate students’ prior experiences and encourage use of heritage languages where helpful for comprehension.
• Scaffolded Practice: Tasks go from guided to independent; include pair and group work for peer support.
• Use of Visuals: Timelines, charts of conjugation patterns, and colour-coded past participle endings support understanding.

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Assessment & Success Criteria

• Formative assessment through observation of student participation in oral and written exercises.
• Teacher feedback on written sentences for correct use of avoir and past participle agreement.
• Students can orally conjugate correct passé composé forms using avoir in class activities.
• Completion of homework diary entry demonstrating independent use of avoir passé composé.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers or digital presentation slides
• Handouts with verb lists and practice exercises
• Audio recording or teacher-read passage in passée composé with avoir
• Interactive quiz or polling tool (optional) for engagement
• Vocabulary and conjugation charts (visual aids)

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Follow-Up

• Lesson 3 will focus on passé composé with être, contrasting it with avoir.
• Homework diary entries submitted will inform any review or reteach required.

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This lesson plan follows the New Zealand Curriculum's focus on systematic, explicit teaching, building on prior knowledge, promoting inclusive participation, and developing language skills through balanced oral and written practice. It integrates the key competencies of communication, self-management, and relating to others, ensuring students develop confidence and fluency in expressing past completed actions in French using avoir in passé composé .