Mastering Passé Composé

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 8 students learning French and focuses on the passé composé tense. It aligns with the National Curriculum for Languages (England, Key Stage 3) and aims to develop students’ understanding of past tense formation and use in French. This active and engaging lesson utilises a variety of teaching methods to support different learning styles and encourages practical application through speaking, reading, and writing.

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National Curriculum Links

MFL Key Stage 3 - Years 7 to 9:

• Understand and manipulate language structure, including verb tenses, to enhance communication (KS3 Programme of Study)
• Understand the main points and some detail from authentic spoken and written materials (Reading and Listening)
• Develop the confidence to express opinions and ideas in spoken and written form (Speaking and Writing)
• Use grammar to create more complex sentences, including past tense forms

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Learning Objectives

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

1. Recognise and correctly form the passé composé using both avoir and être as auxiliary verbs.
2. Identify and use regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs in the passé composé.
3. Form negative sentences and questions in the passé composé.
4. Apply passé composé in speaking and writing to describe past events.

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Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Mini whiteboards and pens (for all students)
• Printed handouts with conjugation charts and sample sentences
• Authentic short texts (e.g., diary extracts) in passé composé
• Flashcards with irregular verbs and auxiliary verbs
• Audio clips of native French speakers using passé composé
• Exit ticket slips

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Starter (10 minutes)

Activity:

• Begin with a quick recap quiz on present tense forms of common verbs (noted on the whiteboard) to assess prior knowledge.
• Introduce the passé composé tense by showing two simple sentences in present and passé composé related to common verbs (e.g., Je parle → J'ai parlé).
• Use gesture and imagery to highlight the concept of "past completed actions."

Teacher Notes:
Draw on the NC’s aim to understand grammar and develop the ability to manipulate language structures meaningfully.

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2. Direct Instruction – Formation of Passé Composé (10 minutes)

Activity:

• Use conjugation charts on the whiteboard to present the use of auxiliary verbs avoir and être. Emphasise agreement rules with être verbs.
• Model pronunciation clearly.
• Highlight formation of past participles for regular verbs (-er → é, -ir → i, -re → u) and introduce common irregular past participles with flashcards.
• Demonstrate negation and question forms: Je n'ai pas mangé, As-tu fini ?

Assessment:
Q&A to check understanding, ask individual students to create sentences orally using mini whiteboards.

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3. Guided Practice – Interactive Conjugation Game (15 minutes)

Activity:

• Split class into groups of 5. Each group receives a set of verbs and sentence prompts.
• Using mini whiteboards, students write out the passé composé form quickly.
• Introduce a competitive element with rewards for accuracy and speed.
• Include tasks to transform affirmative sentences into negative and question forms.

Teacher Notes:
This activity develops confidence and reinforces grammar structures and vocabulary through peer interaction and immediate feedback—consistent with the NC focus on spoken fluency and interaction.

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4. Application – Reading and Writing (15 minutes)

Activity:

• Hand out a short diary extract or a simple story in French written in passé composé featuring regular and irregular verbs.
• In pairs, students highlight passé composé verbs and identify auxiliary verbs used.
• Follow up with a writing challenge: Students write 4–5 sentences about what they did last weekend, applying learned structures, including one negative and one question.

Differentiation:
Provide sentence starters or word banks for lower ability learners; encourage higher ability students to add adjectives or time expressions for complexity.

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5. Plenary and Assessment (10 minutes)

Activity:

• Conduct a whole-class quick-fire round: teacher says an infinitive verb, and students shout out the passé composé form and a sentence.
• Use exit tickets: Each student writes one correct sentence in passé composé (affirmative, negative, or question). Collect for formative assessment.

Assessment:
Exit ticket responses provide evidence of individual understanding and help shape next steps in learning.

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Additional Teacher Tips

• Use authentic audio wherever possible to build listening skills alongside grammar.
• Encourage students to notice patterns between verbs taking être vs avoir by asking why.
• Use colourful visuals or animations if possible to dramatise ‘past action’ concepts.
• Incorporate cultural insights (e.g., French past holidays, traditions) to contextualise language use.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visual and kinaesthetic learners: Use flashcards, conjugation charts, and physical gestures for ‘past actions.’
• Auditory learners: Emphasise listening and repeating activities, utilise French audio clips.
• Gifted learners: Challenge with irregular verbs and exceptions to rules; encourage longer, complex sentence construction.
• Students with SEND: Provide scaffolds such as verb charts, sentence starters, and pair/group work for support.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• Literacy: Sentence construction, grammar understanding, punctuation in French.
• History/Geography: When relating past tense to events or traditions in francophone cultures.

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This lesson actively develops Year 8 students' understanding and use of the passé composé, fulfilling key strands of the National Curriculum for modern foreign languages: grammar focus, comprehension, communication, and cultural knowledge—all within a well-paced, engaging, and carefully scaffolded 60-minute session.