Writing Passé Composé

Overview

This 50-minute lesson is Lesson 6 of 9 in the unit "Mastering the Passé Composé." Year 10 students will develop their ability to write short paragraphs narrating holiday activities using passé composé and adverbs in French. The lesson aligns specifically with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, focusing on language learning objectives and literacy skills development suitable for this age group. The approach is inclusive, scaffolded, and engages students in writing processes that encourage planning, drafting, revising, and presenting their work.

Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Languages (French)

Level: Year 10 (Secondary school)

Relevant NZ Curriculum Refresh Dimensions:

• Communicating: Understand and use language features, structures, and vocabulary appropriate for narrating past events.
• Language Knowledge: Demonstrate understanding of grammatical structures, such as passé composé and adverbs, in written communication.
• Literacy: Develop writing skills with a focus on narrative coherence, sentence structure, punctuation, and vocabulary use appropriate for the learning phase.
• Competencies: Thinking (planning and revising writing), Using Language, Symbols, and Texts (effective use of French grammatical forms), Relating to Others (peer feedback).

Reference: Te Mātaiaho English language strands and learning progressions adapted to language learning contexts

Learning Objectives

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

1. Compose short, coherent paragraphs writing about past holiday activities using passé composé.
2. Incorporate appropriate adverbs to add detail and narrative fluency.
3. Apply correct sentence structure, punctuation, and verb agreement in passé composé.
4. Use writing processes including planning, drafting, and self-review/editing.
5. Demonstrate awareness of audience and purpose in their writing.

Resources Needed

• Whiteboard/interactive board
• Handouts with a sample paragraph/model text using passé composé and adverbs
• Writing templates or graphic organisers for planning
• Dictionaries or digital language apps (optional)
• Rubric for peer and self-assessment
• Projector/video for visual examples (optional)

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Detailed Lesson Structure

1. Engagement & Recap (5 minutes)

• Briefly review passé composé form (auxiliary verb + past participle) and common adverbs for narration (e.g., hier, ensuite, soudainement, toujours).
• Use a quick oral quiz or "think-pair-share" asking students to recall key passé composé verbs and adverbs from previous lessons.
• Display and discuss a short model paragraph narrating holiday activities that includes passé composé and adverbs.

2. Explicit Teaching and Modelling (10 minutes)

• Teacher annotates the model paragraph, highlighting passé composé verb forms and adverbs, explaining their function in the narrative.
• Model writing a sentence aloud from a holiday activity prompt, incorporating passé composé and an adverb, demonstrating planning, writing, and self-checking steps.
• Emphasise sentence structure and coherence (linking adverbs help sequence events).
• Encourage students to consider audience — clarity for a classmate unfamiliar with the holiday.

3. Guided Practice: Planning (10 minutes)

• Provide students with a graphic organiser to plan three sentences about their recent holiday or a holiday story you provide.
• Students make brief notes/key words and decide which passé composé verbs and adverbs to include.
• Circulate to support vocabulary choices and verb conjugations, offering scaffolding as needed.

4. Independent Writing (15 minutes)

• Students write a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) narrating their holiday activities using passé composé and adverbs.
• Encourage neat handwriting or typed work, focusing on sentence completeness, varied adverb use, and verb agreement.
• Prompt students to pausing periodically to reread and check their sentences for sense and grammar.

5. Peer Feedback and Reflection (7 minutes)

• In pairs, students exchange their paragraphs and use a simple rubric to provide constructive feedback focused on:
  • Correct usage of passé composé
  • Variety and placement of adverbs
  • Sentence clarity and punctuation
• Students reflect on feedback and set a personal goal for the next writing task.

6. Plenary (3 minutes)

• Invite 2–3 volunteers to read their paragraphs aloud to the class.
• Highlight effective use of passé composé and adverbs, praising content and structure.
• Summarise key learning from the lesson.
• Remind students that this writing practice builds towards their unit assessment in Lesson 9.

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Assessment

• Formative Assessment: Observation of student participation during planning and writing activities, verbal responses during discussion, and peer feedback quality.
• Written Work: Evaluate paragraphs for correct application of passé composé, use of adverbs, sentence structure, punctuation, and overall coherence based on a rubric aligned with curriculum writing standards for Year 10 languages.
• Self-Assessment: Students identify one strength and one area for improvement in their writing.

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Teaching Considerations

• Scaffold support for students who need reinforcement with passé composé formation or vocabulary.
• Use digital tools for vocabulary support where appropriate, reinforcing handwriting for spelling retention as per Te Mātaiaho recommendations.
• Differentiate tasks: For advanced learners, prompt sentence expansion or inclusion of adjectives; for others, allow writing simpler phrases with verb support.
• Connect learning to real-life contexts by encouraging authentic expression about their own holidays or cultural experiences.
• Promote a safe and supportive environment for language risk-taking and peer collaboration.

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This detailed plan supports Year 10 students to master writing narratives in passé composé incorporating adverbs, closely following the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh guidance on language learning, writing processes, and inclusive teaching strategies .