Choose exam board for KS4 Computer Science (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 English
Choose exam board for KS4 French
Choose exam board for KS4 Geography
Choose exam board for KS4 German
Choose exam board for KS4 History
Choose tier for KS4 Maths
Choose exam board for KS4 Music
Choose exam board for KS4 Physical education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Religious education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Spanish

      Astronauts and French cuisine: extended reading

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can apply my knowledge of vocabulary and grammar to understand an extended text.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The French [o] sound can be open like in 'porte' or closed like in 'photo'.
      2. If the [o] is the final sound, is followed by a 'z' sound, or has a circumflex [ô], it is closed.
      3. Before reading an extended text, it is important to learn key vocabulary.
      4. Predicting the themes and key ideas of the text is also a useful strategy to help understanding.
      5. Applying vocabualry and grammar knowledge to understand the order of events is essential.

      Keywords

      • Open [o] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [o] in ‘porte’ which means ‘door’

      • Closed [o/ô] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [o/ô] in 'photo' which means 'photo'

      Common misconception

      The [o] sound in French is only pronounced one way.

      The [o] sound in French can be open, like the [o] in 'porte' and 'd'accord' or closed like the [o] in 'radio' or 'dos'.

      Teacher tip

      The extended text in this lesson features information about typical dishes served on Christmas Eve and how this would be adapted to the environment on the International Space Station. These are themes that you may wish to look into in more detail with your students.

      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

      Loading...

      Some of our videos, including non-English language videos, do not have captions.

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:savoir,to know how to, knowing how to

      to know how to, knowing how to

      Correct Answer:je sais,I know how to

      I know how to

      Correct Answer:on sait,you (in general) know how to

      you (in general) know how to

      Correct Answer:pouvoir,to be able to, can

      to be able to, can

      Correct Answer:je peux,I can

      I can

      Correct Answer:on peut,you (in general) can

      you (in general) can

      Q2.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:porte (f),door

      door

      Correct Answer:école (f),school

      school

      Correct Answer:poste (f),post office

      post office

      Correct Answer:contrôle (m),test, exam

      test, exam

      Correct Answer:mot (m),word

      word

      Correct Answer:hôpital (m),hospital

      hospital

      Q3.
      Order the months from earliest to latest.

      1 - janvier
      2 - février
      3 - mai
      4 - juin
      5 - juillet
      6 - novembre
      7 - décembre

      Q4.
      Which number is the largest?

      dix-sept
      Correct answer: vingt-deux
      vingt
      deux
      treize

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'Qui sont-ils ?'

      Correct Answer: Who are they?

      Q6.
      Write in French: 'He celebrates his birthday'.

      Correct Answer: Il célèbre son anniversaire.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      The French sound [o] is closed when it ...

      is the first sound
      Correct answer: is the final sound
      Correct answer: is followed by a 'z' sound
      is followed by a 't'
      Correct answer: has a circumflex accent

      Q2.
      Which words in French have an open [o] sound?

      hospital
      Correct answer: school
      Correct answer: to sleep, sleeping
      word
      back

      Q3.
      What does 'le réveillon' mean?

      Correct answer: Christmas Eve
      Christmas Day
      Boxing Day
      Correct answer: New Year's Eve
      New Year's Day

      Q4.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:espace (f),space

      space

      Correct Answer:gout (m),taste

      taste

      Correct Answer:langue (f),language, tongue

      language, tongue

      Correct Answer:plat (m),dish

      dish

      Correct Answer:recette (f),recipe

      recipe

      Correct Answer:repas (m),meal

      meal

      Q5.
      Order the words to say: 'You can celebrate Christmas in space'.

      1 - on
      2 - peut
      3 - célébrer
      4 - Noël
      5 - dans
      6 - l'
      7 - espace

      Q6.
      Write in French: 'I eat and then I sleep'.

      Correct Answer: Je mange et puis je dors.

      To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: Astronauts and French cuisine: extended reading, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...