Children obviously have much to gain from learning a second language at a young age. But where do you start planning a French programme, and what should you provide?
Settings should embed their French programme within their planning and provide activities daily or several times a week as the occasion arises.
The programme should also be planned around a few key aims:
* To create a positive feeling that 'French is fun' and 'I can speak some French'
* To help children begin to communicate in French and understand some culture
* To build up positive attitudes to French language and culture which will subsequently reflect on attitudes to all foreign languages and cultures throughout life.
How to begin
* Tell children that they may already know some French, for example, croissant and baguette.
* Collect all the French words that the children may already know.
* Explain that some English words are the same in French but are said a little differently, for example, train, bus, taxi and stop.
* Ask the children what they know about French and urge them to ask their parents.
* Tell them that they are going to learn some more French.
* Each time you do something in French, it is important to preface it by saying, for example, 'We are going to sing a song in French', or 'Let's play a French game.'
Content
Rhymes
Comptines and simple rhymes are as much a part of French children's culture as nursery rhymes are in English. Some are easier to learn than others and may include useful phrases that can be picked up as blocks of language and transferred to other situations, such as 'Faites comme moi' (Do like me) or 'Pour toi' (For you).
Young children are used to catching on to rhymes in English so, if encouraged, they transfer the skill to French. They pick up the rhythm and sounds with little difficulty and once they are confident, enjoy reciting them.
When you introduce rhymes, use dramatic body language and/or visual props to aid understanding. (See 'petit poisson rouge' below). Speak slowly and clearly, stressing important words. If children still have difficulty in understanding, give a rough translation once, saying the English in a whisper.
Parents might ask for a word-for-word translation, as this may be the way they learned French. Explain that it is better to encourage young children to acquire blocks of language at this stage the way they do in English, giving the example that most young children say 'What_are_ you_doing?'
without knowing how many words it comprises.
Rhymes are a bonus in foreign language learning, as they can be used to break into the silent period of a child's language development. They help children feel, as one four-year-old girl said proudly, that they 'can speak a lot of French quickly just like a grown-up'.
Rhymes are portable playthings; they can be said at any time, anywhere.
'Now let's say a rhyme in French.' (Dites en francais avec moi). Saying a few known rhymes together also acts as a good warm-up to a session by getting children into the mood to listen to and use French.
When you share rhymes, children are often disappointed if you only say them once. If you have time, let children repeat them again in groups or in twos, or even by themselves if they have sufficient confidence.
When you introduce a new rhyme in French, as in English, most children pick up only one or two words, generally those at the end of a phrase. If you present the same rhyme a day or two later, some learning will have taken place and most children will be ready to join in with more words. The third time you present the same rhyme, most children will join in with you and some may be able to finish a line by themselves. Once children begin to join in, you can quicken the pace of the language.
Try introducing the following rhymes: Un, deux, trois, One, two, three, Faites comme moi Do like me Sautez Jump
* Hold up your fingers as you count. As you say Faites comme moi remain still, so that there is some tension before you show them what you are going to do. Other activities can include danse (dance), rire (laugh).
Un, deux, trois, One, two, three Un pour moi One for me Et deux And two Pour toi For you.
* Put three things in front of a child and say the rhyme, giving yourself one of the things and the child two. Then give the child the things and ask him to do the actions while you say the rhyme. In time, the child will join in and take over the action.
Voici ma main Here's my hand Elle a cinq doigts It's got five fingers En voici deux Here are two En voici trois Here are three.
* Hold up your hand and then count the five fingers, un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq. Then hold up two fingers and then three, getting children to copy.
Une pomme, deux pommes, One apple, two apples, Trois pommes, quatre pommes, Three apples, four apples, Cinq pommes, six pommes, Five apples, six apples, Sept pommes, huit pommes, Seven apples, eight apples, Pont Neuf The Pont Neuf (in Paris) Queue d'boeuf! Tail of a bull
* Give the children cards with numbers on them. As you say the rhyme, children with the corresponding number card hold it up.
Une pomme verte, A green apple Une pomme rouge, A red apple Une pomme d'or, A golden apple C'est toi qui es dehors It's you who is out.
* This is a game for selecting a leader by eliminating children one by one.
Play it more simply by making more than three different coloured apples and giving them at random to the children, who are in a circle. Go round the circle, selecting the right colours as you say the rhyme and getting one of the children holding a golden apple to sit down. Continue until all the children with the golden apples are sitting down.
Petit poisson qui tourne en rond Little fish that turns around Petit poisson dis-moi ton nom Little fish, tell me your name Petit poisson qui bouge Little fish who moves Petit poisson tout rouge Little fish all red Petit poisson dis-moi ton nom Little fish, tell me your name.
* Make a fish - red all over - and make it move as you say the rhyme. Let children make un petit poisson tout rouge puppet which they can talk to as they say the rhyme.
Songs
Songs require teaching a new melody as well as new words. Many traditional songs have difficult language and may be better left for later in a programme. Start by playing an English song translated into French so children will only need to learn the French. The Farmer's in the Dell - Le fermier dans le pre - is soon learned especially if you introduce it slowly.
Le fermier dans le pre The farmer's in the field Le fermier dans le pre Ohe, Ohe, Ohe (pronounced ohay) Le fermier dans le pre Le fermier prend sa femme The farmer takes a wife La femme prend son enfant The wife takes a child L'enfant prend sa nourrice The child takes a nurse La nourrice prend son chien The nurse takes a dog Et on caresse le chien. And we all pat the dog.
* It is also useful to select a well-known song like Fr re Jacques so that parents can join in at home.
Audio support
There is a good choice of material for learning French on DVD, video and aural cassette. However, it is important to be selective in what you choose, as young children can easily be turned off by something that they find is too difficult to understand. Some material may introduce written language, which can be confusing to the young child who is only ready for oral French.
Games
The consistency and predictability of games makes it easier to understand the games management language. They also give adults and players the opportunity to repeat language naturally. Children seem to enjoy playing the same game over and over again, which gives them plenty of opportunities to practise using French. It also gives the teacher a natural opportunity to build in new language gradually as children become ready to absorb more.
When playing a game in French, give a fuller running commentary than when playing a game in English. This will provide an opportunity to hear more French, as well as helping to sustain the motivation. Most simple games have the same basic beginnings and endings and they all have to be sustained in the same sort of way, so the same simple phrases can be used for most games: Starting a game
Stand here Mettez-vous tous ici Stand behind this line Mettez-vous derriere cette ligne Make a circle Mettez-vous en cercle Sit down Asseyez-vous Do like me Faites comme moi Are you ready? Etes-vous prets?
Let's start Commencons Shut your eyes Fermez les yeux Don't look Ne regardez pas Look everyone Regardez Sustaining a game
It's your turn C'est ... toi Who's next? C'est ... qui?
He's next C'est ... lui She's next C'est ... elle Try again Essaye encore Play again Encore une fois Show him Montre-lui Ending a game
Stop Arretez It's time to stop C'est l'heure de s'arreter It was fun C'etait bien You're the winner Tu as gagne Well done Bravo Well done everyone Bravo tout le monde.
Puppets
Make simple puppets and explain to the children that the puppet only speaks French. Make your own puppet first and let your puppet go round talking to the children. At first, use familiar words such as bonjour (hello) and au revoir (goodbye). Next time add J'ai une bouche (I've got a mouth), J'ai deux yeux (I've got two eyes), et un nez (and a nose).
Later, add words that children have heard in stories, songs and games. Give the puppet a French name.
Let children have time to play with their puppets alone or in twos and threes. Some go on to make their puppets play the French games or even say the rhymes and sing the songs. Some children, especially those who are shy, find it easier to speak French through a puppet.
Useful language that can be used with puppets is: Draw your nose Dessinez votre nez Draw your eyes Dessinez vos yeux Two eyes Deux yeux What colour are your eyes? Quelle couleur sont vos yeux?blue bleus green verts brown bruns black noirs Draw your mouth Dessinez votre bouche And your ears Dessinez vos oreilles Let's stick it here Collez ici There. It's finished Voici. C'est termine.
Handwork
Making small French flags with the French colours bleu (blue), blanc (white), rouge (red) is a good way to learn colour names. (Note that the colours of Britain's flag are the other way round - red, white and blue).
Useful language for such an activity includes: The French flag Le drapeau francais It's blue, white and red C'est bleu, blanc, rouge Colour red here Coloriez en rouge ici There it is blue L... en bleu Leave this white Laissez le reste en blanc A French-speaking toy
Introduce a toy - such as a cuddly animal or doll - who only speaks French.
This means the teacher has to ventriloquise questions and reply to the children's remarks and, in the initial stages, also give a translation in a whisper. This can be great fun, as it provides opportunities to use lots of authentic useful language.
Useful language includes: I don't undertand Je ne comprends pas Stop it Arretez!
Be careful Attention Ouch (showing pain) Aie Say it in French Dites en francais In French we say... En francais on dit...
I want a...please Je veux...s'il vous plait Hello Allo OK D'accord OK?
Real picture books
'Real' is a genre name introduced in the 1980s to signify a picture book, fiction or non-fiction, created for children's enjoyment with no specific educational aim. The language that accompanies the pictures is authentic to native speaker children and the books are part of French children's culture.
Real picture books are used in the same way as picture books in English and need to be easy to understand. It is possible to find French language editions of books that children already know in English, though the text must be checked as it might be different in translation. Since much of the information in picture books comes through the picture, children can understand a story even if you read only part of the text.
As you read stories, children will pick up some of the French words and phrases and may even enjoy retelling the pictures of the story using English and code-switching to include the French words they know. As they pick up more French the use of English diminishes.
Children need to have opportunities to browse, as this is a form of playing with books. Real picture books, once they are familiar, need to be made available in a French corner for children to read.
Real books are available in France in children's sections of bookshops, specialist children's bookshops, some museums and some newspaper shops.
The French corner
Le coin francais
Children need a place where they can browse and play with things that are linked to the French language. Gradually introduce items into the corner and talk about them in French and English. These can include real picture books, a poster of the Eurostar (Un photo de l'Eurostar) or a postcard of the Eiffel Tower (le Tour Eiffel).
Parents'involvement
Parents' co-operation and support in French is vital for their child's progress. Provide information on how children learn a foreign language and what happens in your sessions. Provide regular mini-newsletters informing parents of new French words, rhymes and games they can share and what praise to give.
More information
* Un Deux Trois: First French Rhymes plus cassette (Frances Lincoln, Pounds 8.99)
* Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT), www.cilt.org.uk/infos/info.htm
* Bookshops: Librairie La Page, tel: 020 7584 2840, www.frenchbooks.netTheFrench Bookshop, tel: 020 7589 5991, www.Frenchbookshop.com
* There are many websites with French rhymes such as www.angelfire.com/ poetry/comptines
GAMES TO PLAY
Chapeau cache-cache(Hat hide and seek)
Everyone shuts their eyes except one person who hides le chapeau (the hat).
When the person has hidden the hat they say, Ou est le chapeau? and the game begins. As the children search they say Ou est le chapeau?, Ici (here), L... (there). The person who finds the hat says C'est ici (It's here) or, if far away, C'est l... (It's there). The winner puts the hat on and everyone says Bravo! (well done). The winner hides le chapeau (the hat) next time.
The first times you play, hide the hat yourself. While the children search, keep up a running commentary, saying, Ou est le chapeau? C'est l...? Non.
C'est ici? Non. Oui. Le chapeau est l.... Oui. C'est l.... Bravo!
As children get more used to the language, extend it to: Regardez Look sur la chaise on the chair sur la table on the table dans le sac in the bag sous la table under the table sous la chaise under the chair Un deux trois SOLEIL(One two three SUN)
This is a French version of 'Grandmother's footsteps'. The leader stands with her back against a tree or wall and the other children stand some distance away behind a line. The other children then creep up as quietly as they can towards the leader, aiming to touch their back. The leader hides her eyes and as she counts un, deux, trois, the other children move slowly closer. As the leader turns round with her eyes open, she says soleil (sun). As she says soleil, all the children freeze. The leader calls out the name of anyone she sees moving and they have to go back to the starting line. The game continues with the leader counting again. The first child to touch the leader's back becomes the next leader. Take the role of leader the first few times you play.
Quatre coins(Four corners)
Give out colours to the children, and as you give them the coloured ribbons or papers, repeat the colour name to them. In time they will be able to repeat it back to you.
Make four colour corners in the room: rouge (red), vert (green), jaune (yellow), brun (brown).
Ask the children to stand behind the line in their colour corner. A caller stands in the middle and calls out jaune (yellow) et (and) vert (green) changez (change), and later le coin jaune (the yellow corner), le coin brun (the brown corner), changez (change). Children in the yellow and the green corners change places as quickly as they can.
Once the children are comfortable changing corners, the caller calls the colours and then runs to a corner, taking the place of the last child to reach the corner. This child then becomes the caller. Once the children know the names of these four colours, you can introduce other colour names.
The same game can be played with animal names - lions (lions), tigres (tigers), elephants (elephants), giraffes (giraffes) - or vehicle names, such as voitures (cars), avions (planes), trains (trains), bicyclettes/ velos (bicycles).
