At the zoo: 'il, elle' (it) and adjective agreement
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can form sentences describing zoo animals in French, using singular adjective agreement.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The SSC (sound-symbol correspondence) [ien] is pronounced as in the word 'chien'.
- In French all nouns are either masculine or feminine. This is grammatical gender. It is not the same as male or female.
- In English, we refer to pets as ‘he’ or ‘she’ but we use ‘it’ to refer to animals in general.
- In French, we use il (he) and elle (she) to mean it. We use il and elle to refer both to pets and to animals in general.
- Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe in French. Regular adjectives add an -e in the feminine form.
Keywords
Ien - pronounced as in 'chien'
Il - French pronoun meaning he or it
Elle - French pronoun meaning she or it
Grammatical gender - all French nouns have a grammatical gender - they are either masculine or feminine
Adjective agreement - the matching of an adjective and noun in gender and number: une tortue lente
Common misconception
Animals are referred to as 'it' in French, as they are in English: 'look at the tortoise, it is green'.
As all nouns have a gender in French, animals are referred to using 'il' and 'elle', depending on the gender of the noun (not the gender of the animal). Animals are therefore referred to using 'il' and 'elle': 'regarde la tortue, elle est verte'.
Teacher tip
Research the 'scorpion languedocien' in more detail with your class. Ask pupils to prepare a short presentation about the scorpion, or an animal of their choice, from the lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means 'painful'?
Q2.Match the French to the English.
penguin
scorpion
dog
dolphin
baboon
shark
Q3.'La souris, elle est trop __________ pour moi.' Which words can complete this sentence.
Q4.Order the words to say 'the snake is found in the north of Spain'.
Q5.'The rabbit, it is white.' Translate this sentence into English.
Q6.'I watch the tall giraffe.' Translate this sentence into French.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which words could be used to describe 'une girafe'?
Q2.Match the French to the English.
monkey
tortoise
bear
tiger
mouse
lion
Q3.'Et le tigre, il est trop__________ pour moi.' Which words can complete this sentence?
Q4.Order the words to say 'This is my cat Peter. He is calm'.
Q5.'The tortoise is too slow.' Translate this sentence into English.
Q6.'Look at the nasty snake.' Translate this sentence into French.
To help you plan your 4 French lesson on: At the zoo: 'il, elle' (it) and adjective agreement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 French lesson on: At the zoo: 'il, elle' (it) and adjective agreement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 French lessons from the People, places, things: adjective agreement, subject pronouns 'it' unit, dive into the full primary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.