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      Practice with French vowels and verbs for the classroom

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can recognise and understand four important verbs for the classroom.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The French vowels [a], [e], [i], [o] and [u] can be practised by listening and distinguishing between the five sounds.
      2. Knowledge of French sound-spelling correspondences can be strengthened by reading aloud short sentences.
      3. Four important verbs to recognise and understand in the classroom are 'écouter', 'parler', 'lire', 'écrire'.

      Keywords

      • [o] - pronounced as in 'moto'

      • [u] - pronounced as in 'univers'

      • Verb - a word that communicates actions or states

      Common misconception

      You read French in the same way as you read English.

      French is pronounced, and therefore read, differently than English. This can be seen with the five vowel sounds which are pronounced and read differently in French and English.

      Teacher tip

      Playing a previously learnt song at the beginning of the lesson is a great way to help pupils settle swiftly into a language lesson, encourage participation and motivation by joining in straight from the start and tune in to the sounds of the new language.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of these countries is France?

      An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz

      Q2.
      What is the French word for this?

      An image in a quiz
      midi
      cheval
      Correct answer: banane

      Q3.
      What is the French word for this?

      An image in a quiz
      banane
      Correct answer: midi
      cheval

      Q4.
      What is the French word for this?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: cheval
      banane
      midi

      Q5.
      Match these French words to their English translations.

      Correct Answer:moto,motorbike
      Correct Answer:univers,universe
      Correct Answer:publique,public
      Correct Answer:nature,nature
      Correct Answer:culture,culture
      Correct Answer:adulte,adult

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Complete the following line of this song: '[e], [e], [e] [e] [e] __________.'

      papa va à la cabane
      Correct answer: le cheval y va aussi
      on y va à midi
      la moto est perdue

      Q2.
      Complete the following line of this song: [o], [o], [u] [u] [u] __________.

      papa va à la cabane
      le cheval y va aussi
      on y va à midi
      Correct answer: la moto est perdue

      Q3.
      What vowel sounds are in the word 'cheval'?

      Correct answer: [a]
      Correct answer: [e]
      [i]
      [o]
      [u]

      Q4.
      Match each verb to its English meaning.

      Correct Answer:écouter,to listen
      Correct Answer:parler,to speak
      Correct Answer:lire,to read
      Correct Answer:écrire,to write

      Q5.
      Match each French instruction to its English meaning.

      Correct Answer:Écoute !,Listen!
      Correct Answer:Parle !,Speak!
      Correct Answer:Lis !,Read!
      Correct Answer:Écris !,Write!

      Q6.
      How do you say 'Read!' in French?

      Correct Answer: Lis !, Lis, 'Lis !', Lis!, 'Lis!'

      To help you plan your 3 French lesson on: Practice with French vowels and verbs for the classroom, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...