Mastering the Passé Composé

Curriculum Reference

Key Stage 2 (Year 6) - Modern Foreign Languages (French)
Students are expected to understand basic grammar, including verb conjugation, and use them in context to communicate effectively.

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Lesson Overview

Duration: 40 minutes
Class Size: 30 students

Lesson Objective

To understand and use the passé composé with "être" and "avoir" effectively in sentences.

Success Criteria

1. Students can identify the auxiliary verbs "être" and "avoir" in sentences.
2. Students can conjugate regular verbs in the passé composé using the correct auxiliary verb.
3. Students can form sentences using the passé composé with both "être" and "avoir".
4. Students engage with various activities to solidify their understanding of the passé composé.

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Activity: Verb Detective

• Description: Distribute a simple French text excerpt. In pairs, students identify verbs that use "être" or "avoir" as auxiliaries in the passé composé.
• Purpose: This will help students to visually recognise and understand the use of auxiliaries in past tense.
• Materials: Photocopied text excerpts (simple past narratives).

Teaching Input (10 minutes)

• Explain the function of auxiliary verbs in forming the passé composé.
• Use a timeline on the board to illustrate past events and clarify the difference between verbs conjugated with "avoir" and "être."
• Use examples like "J'ai mangé" and "Je suis allé(e)"

Probing Questions

• Quand utilisons-nous "être" comme auxiliaire ?
  (When do we use "être" as an auxiliary?)

• Quels types de verbes utilisent "avoir" dans le passé composé ?
  (What types of verbs use "avoir" in the passé composé?)

• Peux-tu donner un exemple de phrase où "être" est utilisé comme auxiliaire ?
  (Can you give an example of a sentence where "être" is used as an auxiliary?)

• Comment savons-nous quel auxiliaire utiliser avec un verbe ?
  (How do we know which auxiliary to use with a verb?)

• Quel est l'accord des participes passés avec "être" ?
  (What is the agreement of past participles with "être"?)

Main Activity (20 minutes)

Differentiated Tasks

1. Foundation: Matching Game

   • Task: Match verbs with their correct auxiliary verbs ("être" or "avoir").
   • Purpose: Reinforces understanding of which verbs use which auxiliaries.

2. Emerging: Sentence Building

   • Task: Provide scrambled sentences for students to reorder using passé composé.
   • Purpose: Focuses on structure and agreement.

3. Developing: Story Sequencing

   • Task: Sequence a short paragraph in the passé composé.
   • Purpose: Aids understanding of narrative structure and context.

4. Secure: Text Transform

   • Task: Transform a present tense narrative into the passé composé.
   • Purpose: Practices tense transformation and deeper grammatical understanding.

5. Advanced: Creative Writing

   • Task: Write a short paragraph about their weekend using passé composé.
   • Purpose: Encourages students to use learned skills creatively.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Activity: Collaborative Quiz

• Description: Quickfire round where teacher reads out sentences in English, students race to translate and identify if "être" or "avoir" should be used.
• Purpose: Reinforcement and quick assessment of understanding.

Extension Task

• Create a poster: If students finish early, they can start designing a poster that visually shows the difference between the use of "être" and "avoir" in the passé composé for display in the classroom.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Pre-prepared text excerpts
• Handouts for differentiated tasks
• Craft materials for the poster

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Evaluation and Feedback

• Assess understanding through plenary quiz and written outputs.
• Collect feedback on the lesson to understand student perceptions and areas for improvement.

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This lesson plan, tailored to UK educational standards, aims to promote engagement and a deep understanding of the passé composé, ensuring students are equipped to use this essential tense in communication.