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Knowledge & Skills

The Knowledge and Skills overviews show the specific language content students will learn in each unit of study throughout the year. These documents outline both the substantive knowledge (vocabulary, grammar, and cultural information) and the disciplinary skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) that students will develop. Each unit is broken down to clearly identify what students need to know and what they should be able to do upon completion. Through the systematic development of both knowledge and skills, students build linguistic competence, cultural awareness, and communicative confidence appropriate to their stage of learning.

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Holidays 

Unit Progress Criteria
Knowledge Skills

Vocabulary
 Holiday destinations:
  au bord de la mer, à la montagne, en Espagne, aux États-Unis, au Maroc
 Holiday activities (perfect tense):
  J’ai joué, J’ai mangé, J’ai nagé, J’ai regardé, J’ai fait, J’ai vu, J’ai pris, J’ai bu
 Opinions:
  C’était trop marrant, assez intéressant, complètement nul, vraiment génial
 Transport:  en avion, en train, en bateau, en voiture
 Sequencers: d’abord, puis, ensuite, finalement
 Negative phrases:  Je n’ai pas…, On n’est pas allé(e)s…, parce que c’était…
 Asking questions: Tu as… ? Où? Avec qui? Comment? Qu’est-ce que…?

Grammar
 The verbs avoir and être (present tense)
 Perfect tense (past tense) with: avoir (J’ai joué)
   être (Je suis allé(e)) — remember to agree with gender!
   Irregular past participles: vu, pris, fait, bu, lu
 Negatives in the perfect tense:  Je n’ai pas + past participle
 Using sequencers: d’abord, puis, ensuite…
 Asking questions in the perfect tense
 Saying ‘to/in’ a country: en, au, à, aux

Phonics Focus
 Liaisons: nous avons, je suis allé
 Nasal sounds: en, an, on, ain (en vacances, montagne, avion, train)
 é / ai sounds: J’ai joué, nagé
 gn sound: montagne
 qu: Qu’est-ce que
 u: bu, vu
 ou: beaucoup, tous
 Silent final consonants: photos
 Soft g: nagé

Listening
 Understand and pick out key words or opinions about holidays.
 Understand when people talk about where they went and what they did.
 Recognise the perfect tense and opinions like c’était / ce n’était pas.
 Transcribe words or short sentences with increasing accuracy.
 Identify key points and details about past holidays.

Speaking
 Say where you went, how you travelled, and what you did.
 Give your opinion about your holiday using c’était / ce n’était pas.
 Use regular and irregular verbs in the perfect tense.
 Ask and answer simple questions about holidays.

Reading
 Read short texts about holidays, transport and activities.
 Pick out important information from reading passages.
 Translate short sentences about holidays from French into English.
 Recognise and infer meaning from context and cognates.

Writing
 Write sentences about where you went and what you did.
 Give opinions with reasons using parce que / car.
 Translate simple sentences about holidays from English into French.
 Use time phrases and c’était / ce n’était pas with adjectives.

Cultural Capital
School holidays in French-speaking countries
 Popular theme parks: Parc Astérix, Futuroscope
 Le tour du monde en quatre-vingt jours by Jules Verne (Phileas Fogg’s travels)
 Francophone destinations (e.g. Vanuatu)

J’adore le fêtes 

Unit Progress Criteria
Knowledge Skills

Vocabulary
Festivals & Celebrations: Noël, mon anniversaire, Pâques, l’Aïd, le Nouvel An, la fête de la musique, carnaval
Opinions & Reasons: j’adore, j’aime (beaucoup), je préfère, je n’aime pas (tellement), parce que c’est (trop)…
Activities: danser, chanter, manger, choisir des cadeaux, rendre visite à…
Market & Food: un melon, du fromage, du jambon, de la salade
Quantities: 200 grammes de…, un kilo de…, un morceau de…
Transactional Phrases: Vous désirez? Je voudrais…, s’il vous plaît. Et avec ça? 
Describing Photos: Il y a…, ils/elles, dansent, portent des vêtements…
Future Plans: Je vais…, On va…, visiter, acheter, goûter, manger, passer
Time Phrases: Le 3 décembre, demain, l’année prochaine, en ce moment
New Year’s Resolutions: Je finis…, je n’aide pas…, je vais être…, je vais faire…

Grammar
Present tense of –er, –ir, –re verbs
Perfect tense (J’ai + past participle, Je suis allé(e))
Irregular past participles: vu, pris, fait, bu
Negatives in perfect tense: Je n’ai pas…
de after quantities
Partitive article: du, de la, des
Near future tense: aller + infinitive
Questions in near future tense: Où est-ce que…? Quand…? 
Using present and near future tenses together

Phonics 
Silent final consonants: marrant, tout, cadeaux, elles marchent
-ent ending silent: elles dansent
eu, œu, eau sounds: euros, œufs, morceau
Closed o: kilo
Soft c: morceau
Nasal sounds: em, en, an, on, in, ain (décembre, maison)
 s-liaison: je vais aller

Listening
 Understand and pick out key words or opinions about festivals and food.
 Understand when people talk about celebrations and what they eat.
 Recognise quantities, partitive articles, and opinions.
 Transcribe words or short sentences with increasing accuracy.
 Identify key points and details about food and festivals.

Speaking
 Say what you like and don’t like about festivals and food.
 Give your opinion about food and traditions.
 Use vouloir to ask for things politely.
 Ask and answer simple questions about food and festivals.

Reading
 Read short texts about festivals, food and markets.
 Pick out important information from reading passages.
 Translate short sentences about food and celebrations from French into English.
 Recognise and infer meaning from context and cognates.

Writing
 Write sentences about festivals and what you like to eat.
 Give opinions with reasons using parce que / car.
 Translate simple sentences about festivals and food from English into French.
 Use vouloir and the near future tense.
and c’était / ce n’était pas with adjectives.

Cultural Capital
Key French-speaking world festivals: 
Popular market food items in France
Regional dishes: salade niçoise, pain d’épices, choucroute
Christmas markets in Alsace
La fête des Rois (Epiphany and galette des Rois tradition)
Famous French regions (Alsace, Guadeloupe, Nice)
 

In town, and invitations
 

Unit Progress Criteria
Knowledge Skills

Vocabulary  
   - Places in town: Il y a… Il n’y a pas de… 
   - Opinions about the town:    À mon avis/ Je pense que c’est… 
     - Adjectives to describe towns (e.g., joli,, génial).
   - Activities and locations (e.g., je vais à la piscine).  
   - Future plans vocabulary (e.g., je vais visiter la tour Eiffel).  
     - Inviting someone out (e.g., Tu veux aller… ?, 
     - Making excuses for not going out (e.g., Non, je n’ai pas envie, C’est ennuyeux).
     - Key phrases for ordering (e.g., Je voudrais…, Un café, s’il vous plaît).
   - Numbers and Prices

Grammar:
   - Use of il y a / il n’y a pas de to describe what is and is not in town.
   - Present tense verbs: aller, vouloir, and regular verbs.  
   - The near future tense: aller + infinitive.  
Using je voudrais + partitive article to make polite requests (e.g., Je voudrais une limonade - I would like a lemonade).
Question formation (e.g., C’est combien? - How much does it cost?).
Using qualifiers (très, un peu, trop) and sequencers (d’abord, ensuite).  
Forms of vouloir (je veux, tu veux, il/elle/on veut, Tu veux aller au cinéma ?).).

Phonics:
Emphasis on r sounds in polite phrases like je voudrais.
Pronunciation of higher numbers 
Pronunciation of ill in words like ville.
Differences between the ai/ez sound (e.g., allez vs. j’ai).
Liaison practices: nous allons, tu veux aller.  
Pronunciation of vowel clusters: é (mosquée), au (château), oi (froid).  

Cultural Capital
Monuments of Paris
Knowledge of Paris

Listening
 Understand and pick out key words or opinions about towns or opinions about going out and cafés.
 Understand when people talk about what there is in their town/making plans
 Recognise il y a / il n’y a pas de and aller in the present tense.
 Recognise vouloir and phrases for accepting/refusing invitations.
Transcribe words or short sentences with increasing accuracy.
 Identify key points and details about towns making plans and ordering food.

Speaking
 Say what there is in your town and what you like or don’t like.
 Say what you want to do using vouloir.
Give your opinion about your town/ different activities.
 Use il y a / il n’y a pas de and aller in the present tense.
 Ask and answer simple questions about towns and places to go.
Use transactional language in a café.
 Ask and answer simple questions about going out.

Reading
 Read short texts about towns, shops and places to go, invitations and at a café.
 Pick out important information from reading passages.
 Translate short sentences about towns from French into English.
 Recognise and infer meaning from context and cognates.

Writing

 Write sentences about what there is in your town, making plans and ordering food.
 Give opinions with reasons using parce que / car.
 Translate simple sentences about towns from English into French.
 Use il y a, aller, and opinions.
 Use vouloir and transactional language.

Conversations 

Unit Progress Criteria
Knowledge Skills

Vocabulary
Film-specific & topic-related words:
 un chat / une fille / un homme / la nuit / la lune /  un voleur / la bande annonce /  l’affiche 
 les monuments de Paris :   la Tour Eiffel/   Notre-Dame /   Les gargouilles (
Opinions: drôle  triste émouvant  effrayant  mystérieux passionnant 

Grammar
 Present tense verbs:   être /   avoir /   aller 
   regular -er verbs (regarder, aimer, préférer)
 Adjectival agreement:  Zoé est triste   : Nico est courageux
 Negatives:  Il n’y a pas de …Je n’aime pas …
 Giving opinions with reasons:   J’aime le film parce que c’est …
   Mon personnage préféré est … car il est …
 Comparatives (introduced through poster comparison):
   Je préfère … parce que  C’est plus intéressant que …
 Question words:   Où? (Where?)   Qui? (Who?)   Qu’est-ce que? (What?)

Phonics
 ‘eu’ in peur, heure
 ‘an’/‘en’ nasal sounds in bande, annonce, grand
 Silent final consonants in chat, affiche, petit
 ‘é’ sound in préféré, Zoé, musée

Cultural Capital
Key cultural knowledge covered:
 French cinema and film poster conventions (differences between English and French posters)
 Paris landmarks: Tour Eiffel, Notre-Dame, gargoyles, the zoo
 Typical French names and how they reflect character stereotypes in films
 Understanding of classic Parisian imagery (monuments, rooftops)
 Role of the police in French society (Jeanne as a female police officer)
 French animation style

Listening
 Identify key points and details about the film and characters.
Understand and pick out key words when watching the film
 Be able to summarise parts of the film
Understand and pick out key words or opinions about films.
 Understand when people describe characters and stories.
 Recognise past tense opinions with c’était / ce n’était pas.
 Transcribe words or short sentences with increasing accuracy.

Speaking
Say what you thought about the film using c’était / ce n’était pas.
 Give your opinion about characters and storylines.
 Use adjectives to describe people and things.
 Ask and answer simple questions about films and characters.

Reading
Read short texts, posters and film reviews.
 Pick out important information from reading passages.
 Translate short sentences about films from French into English.
 Recognise and infer meaning from context and cognates.

Writing
 Write sentences describing characters and your opinion about the film.
 Give opinions with reasons using parce que / car.
 Translate simple sentences about films from English into French.
 Use past tense opinions and adjectives.