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Year 8

School life in France

Learning outcomes

I can understand and use verbs like 'choisir' in the 'tu' and 'il, elle' forms to discuss what you and others do at school.

I can recognise and pronounce the sound [y] correctly.

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New
New
Year 8

School life in France

Learning outcomes

I can understand and use verbs like 'choisir' in the 'tu' and 'il, elle' forms to discuss what you and others do at school.

I can recognise and pronounce the sound [y] correctly.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The SSC [y] sounds different to the English [y] and is pronounced as in 'physique' and 'style'.
  2. Verbs like choisir (to choose, choosing) form another group of -IR verbs, including 'remplir' (to fill) and 'réussir'.
  3. To say 'you' (singular) with a verb like choisir, remove the -IR from the infinitive and add -is: tu choisis.
  4. This is the same ending as the 'je' form of verbs like 'choisir'.
  5. The French school system is different to the English. For example, you don't wear school uniform.

Keywords

  • [y] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [y] sound in 'physique'

  • Choisir - French verb meaning to choose, choosing

Common misconception

All school systems are roughly the same.

School systems around the world can be quite different. For example in France you don't go to school on a Wednesday afternoon and you don't wear school uniform!


To help you plan your year 8 french lesson on: School life in France, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If there is time it would be interesting for pupils to discuss the differences and the similarities between the French and the English school systems at the end of this lesson.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the following 'er' verbs to their translation.
Correct Answer:acheter,to buy, buying
tick

to buy, buying

Correct Answer:apporter,to bring, bringing
tick

to bring, bringing

Correct Answer:coûter,to cost, costing
tick

to cost, costing

Correct Answer:envoyer,to send, sending
tick

to send, sending

Correct Answer:utiliser,to use, using
tick

to use, using

Correct Answer:travailler,to work, working
tick

to work, working

Q2.
What does the word 'qui' mean?
Where
Why
What
Correct answer: Who
When
Q3.
Put the words in the correct order to make the following sentence. 'Petanque' is a popular game in France.
1 - La pétanque
2 - est
3 - un
4 - jeu
5 - populaire
6 - en
7 - France
Q4.
Je l'examen. Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb.
réussit
réussir
Correct answer: réussis
Q5.
Match the days of the week.
Correct Answer:dimanche,Sunday
tick

Sunday

Correct Answer:lundi,Monday
tick

Monday

Correct Answer:mardi,Tuesday
tick

Tuesday

Correct Answer:mercredi,Wednesday
tick

Wednesday

Correct Answer:jeudi,Thursday
tick

Thursday

Correct Answer:vendredi,Friday
tick

Friday

Q6.
What can the pronouns 'nous' and 'on' both mean?
Correct Answer: we

6 Questions

Q1.
Put the stages of school life into the correct order.
l'école primaire
le collège
le lycée
l'université
Q2.
Which verb describes what happens to students in France who are not ready to move up to the next academic year?
revenir
Correct answer: redoubler
retourner
rire
réussir
Q3.
What is the name of the school leaving exam taken, around the age of 18, in France?
Correct Answer: The baccalauréat, the bac, baccalauréat, bac
Q4.
School life in France can be different to school life in England. Which of these statements about French schools are true?
Correct answer: There is no uniform in state schools.
Correct answer: Some secondary schools are closed on Wednesday afternoons.
You study for GCSEs at High School / 6th Form College.
Secondary school lasts for 5 years.
Correct answer: If you do badly, you can repeat the school year.
Q5.
Put the words in order to make the following sentence. 'At high school you study for the bac. If you pass, you can go to university.'
1 - Au lycée,
2 - on prépare
3 - le baccalauréat.
4 - Si on réussit
5 - on peut
6 - aller
7 - à l’université.
Q6.
Which of the following is the 'tu' form of the verb 'choisir'?
choisissons
choisissez
choisit
Correct answer: choisis

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