Basic French Greetings

Overview

This 30-minute session is the first of 16 in the "French Foundations for Beginners" unit, designed for a one-on-one Year 7 student. It aims to introduce core French greetings and farewells, laying a foundation for oral communication skills as specified in the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in England.

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National Curriculum Links

• Key Stage 3 MFL Programme of Study:
  • Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
  • Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others
• Subject aims:
  • Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation
  • Introduce vocabulary and grammar structures within meaningful contexts

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Learning Objectives

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

• Recognise and pronounce basic French greetings and farewells: Bonjour, Au revoir, Merci
• Use pronunciation rules typical for beginner French learners
• Engage in a simple role-play greeting conversation with correct intonation and social conventions
• Understand the cultural context of greetings in French-speaking countries

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Resources Needed

• Flashcards with greetings/farewells and phonetic transcriptions
• Audio recordings of native speakers saying each phrase
• Printable dialogue script for role-play
• Whiteboard or notebook for notes
• Reward stickers or positive reinforcement tool

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Lesson Structure

1. Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Activity: Quick discussion on greetings in English around the world
• Prompt: “How do people say hello and goodbye in different languages you know?”
• This activates prior knowledge and sets cultural context, meeting curriculum goal of intercultural awareness.

2. Introduction to New Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Use flashcards displaying Bonjour, Au revoir, Merci with phonetic spelling:
  • Bonjour [bawn-zhoor]
  • Au revoir [oh ruh-vwar]
  • Merci [mehr-see]
• Play each greeting from audio recordings 2-3 times
• Model accurate pronunciation; encourage the student to repeat chorally and individually
• Discuss when and how each phrase is used (formal/informal distinctions)

3. Pronunciation Practice Game (5 minutes)

• Activity: Use a mini “Pronunciation Challenge”
• Say each phrase faster with variations in intonation; the student echoes them back
• Introduce a “spot the difference” element where student identifies correct vs. incorrect pronunciation samples (teacher provides exaggerated incorrect versions)

4. Role-play Dialogue (7 minutes)

• Provide a simple scripted dialogue incorporating greetings and farewells.
  Example:
  • Teacher: Bonjour! (Student responds)
  • Student: Bonjour!
  • Teacher: Merci, comment ça va? (How are you?)
  • Student: Ça va bien, merci. Au revoir!
  • Teacher: Au revoir!
• Switch roles to give the student both parts
• Encourage realistic intonation and eye contact

5. Review and Assessment (3 minutes)

• Quick verbal quiz: Teacher asks “How do you say ‘hello’ in French?” and “How do you say ‘thank you’?”
• Student responds aloud
• Provide constructive feedback, praise effort, and highlight progress with positive reinforcement

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Assessment

• Formative, through:
  • Oral repetition accuracy
  • Role-play participation
  • Verbal quiz responses
• No formal written assessment this lesson, in line with Early KS3 MFL standards focusing on oral communication

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• For the individual learner, tailor pace to their confidence: slow repetition or quick challenge as needed
• Use visual aids (flashcards) and audio to support various learning styles
• Culturally responsive language examples to encourage curiosity about French-speaking countries

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Extension Ideas

• Encourage student to learn and use one additional greeting or compliment before next lesson (e.g. Salut or Merci beaucoup)
• Record their role-play to self-assess pronunciation

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Reflection for Teacher

• Note student’s ease with pronunciation and confidence in speaking to adjust future lessons of the unit
• Monitor engagement with audio materials for auditory learning support

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This lesson plan blends structured curriculum adherence with interactive, personalised learning techniques, positioning the student for confident language acquisition from the very first session.