It would be easy to assume that primary school children would be unable to cope with real language presented to them by native speakers. Surely children might get totally lost and end up switching off to foreign languages all together.
In an attempt to get children switched on to French early Espresso has come up with video-rich online content that's both lively and high quality. The material is written by a former teacher and has been well thought out. Even the non-specialist language teacher will find the lesson plans, which match the QCA scheme of work, extremely useful.
There are currently six modules on the Primary French section of the Espresso site. Video clips introduce some of the language and pupils also gain a valuable insight into French culture. Expect your primary pupils to comment when they see the French pupils’ “entrées” – it’s bound to get a reaction!
After the video clips, there are a number of activities for pupils to complete at individual PCs, but which would also work via an interactive whiteboard. Variety is key – different modules have different activities, for example memory games, snap, drag-and-drop, matching activities and much more.
A spirit of competition is definitely encouraged, and pupils gain points whenever they answer correctly. They also get instant feedback via a cheer when they get a correct answer.
Teachers will appreciate the literacy and citizenship-type links – some matching activities ask pupils to find rhyming pairs, while other clips invite pupils to compare and contrast life in England with that in France. Learning Review sheets are available for each module.
The native speakers used in the recordings and on the site ensure that pupils hear correct models of pronunciation, while the activities will appeal to all pupils, whatever their learning style. All in all, this is a fabulous resource.
The French service is one of many resources available for primary with Espresso. The list price for this service is £6 per pupil per year but annual subscription rates vary depending on your local authority, regional broadband consortia and ICT infrastructure.
