This is  Cycle 1 in a Year Long Beginning French course for High School students. It is part of 5 x 6-week cycles. I may offer a 3 week Summer Camp Cycle in June, which I hope to teach from France.

I am a qualified and experienced French Teacher (B.A. Honours in French and English from Leeds University, plus a Post Graduate Certificate in Education for the same university). I have taught High School French from Beginners to Exam level. I have lived and worked in France during my studies and now spend part of each year at our little house in the Charente, France. 

I have taught a French 1 class an Online School via Outschool for the last 2 years. The students have made excellent progress and have enjoyed this class.

This Cycle will focus mainly on Speaking and Listening, with some reading and writing skills to record the topics studied and support learning. I use English to explain aspects of French, but reduce the amount of English spoken in class as the Cycles progress.

I will supply worksheets to support learning. Students in a parallel class the last 2 year also found using the Duolingo app useful. The Free version is sufficient for this Cycle.

In this Cycle students will learn French simple phrases and have conversations describing
•	themselves, 
•	their family and 
•	their interests. 
Students will also learn how to order drinks and snacks at a café and buy bread at a bakery.
Students will also learn about places in a French town.
I will model French conversations and students are encouraged to speak French as much as possible in class. All students with has the opportunity to answer questions and also ask questions to other people in the class. 

I include photos, video clips, games and LIVE visits of local towns etc in the class when I am in France.

Students will be required to complete a Project by the end of the 6 week Cycle.  The Project for Cycle 1 will be:
A conversation between 2 people (live or a video recording) either introducing themselves and talking about interests etc OR
A conversation between a person in a shop/café and a customer who will buy at least 2 items.
AND a written script of the conversation (I will provide a written Basic or more detailed Outline for the script).

Week 1. 
Tuesday class. 
Getting to know each other and establishing a baseline for the students:
Ask briefly if they have studied French before, what they are confident to say and what they understand.
Basic questions and answers. 
I  will model replies.
Counting 0 - 20.
Students can ask each other one question in French.
Homework – practise the Basic Q&A. 
Fill in the worksheet with the Q&A.
Practise the numbers 0-12 with Duolingo or the link I put on the classroom page.
All students can watch the relevant sections of the Class recording to practise skills and vocabulary.

Friday class.
Review and practise the questions and answers from Tuesday’s class.
Introduce vocabulary for sports and other activities. The words for many sports are the same in French as in English, so it is a good vocabulary booster. 
Introduce the use of "j'aime", Je n'aime pas" and "je déteste" to express opinions.
The days of the week and months of the year.
Grammar point - all nouns in French are masculine or feminine. 
Count 0-20. 
Homework: Practise the basic Q&A.
Add in talking about the sports and activities you like doing.
Revise numbers, the days of the week and months of the year.

Week 2. 
Tuesday class.
Basic questions around the class.
Vocabulary for places in town.
Vocabulary for bread, breakfast patisseries and drinks. How to ask for these items in shops and cafés.
Grammar point: The use of Tu and Vous.
Homework: Revise the places in town and vocabulary for food and drink (Worksheet will be provided). We will be using this vocabulary in Thursday’s class.

Thursday class.
I  will take the students on a tour of Confolens, a small town in the Charente. We will look at the various shops as well as the historic old centre of the town. 
Students will have the opportunity to ask for items in the boulangerie and the café or salon de thé.
Homework: write about the tour of Confolens. What did they notice that was different from where they live? 
Write out the conversation they had at the shop. (Guidelines provided).

Week 3. Week commencing 19th September.
Tuesday class.
Questions round the class. 
Talk about Thursday’s class and exchange comments. 
Students will read their part of the conversation in the shop.
Au café. Revise basic shop vocabulary. Introduce vocabulary for café items.
Revisit grammar point: The use of Tu and Vous. 
Role play conversations at the café.
Numbers 0-50.
Homework: Revise numbers 0-50.
Write a conversation at the café buying one drink and 1 item of food. (Guidelines provided).

Thursday class.
Live tour of another town. 
Students will have the opportunity to ask for things at a shop. 
Homework: write about the tour of second town. What did they notice that was different from Confolens and where they live? 
Write out the conversation they had at the shop.

Week 4. Week commencing 26th September.
Tuesday class.
Questions around the class.
Students will have the opportunity to discuss the differences and similarities between Confolens, the second town and where they live.
Students will read the conversation they had at the shop.
Practise conversations at the café, the salon de thé, the bakery and other places that we have seen on the tour of Confolens and the second town.
Numbers 0-69.
Homework: Students will practise conversations in shops/at the café for class on Thursday.
Practise numbers 0-69.

Thursday class.
Au café - ordering drinks for family and friends, including beer and wine. 
Ordering simple meals at the café.
Express likes and dislikes of drinks and meals/snacks. 
Expressing a preference.
Numbers 0-79.
Discussion of Projects and how to do them.
Homework: 
Prepare scripts for Tuesday’s class – Talking about your Alter Ego, including expressing their likes/dislikes for sports and what they would order in a café. 
Start to work on projects.
Revise numbers 0-79.

Week 5. Week commencing 3rd October.
Tuesday Class.
Questions around the class.
Students will introduce themselves as someone else (made up or a relative) a.k.a. their Alter Ego.
Talk about your favourite sports and activities as your Alter Ego.
Order drinks and a meal/snack as your Alter Ego.
Say what you like and dislike as yourself and your Alter Ego.
Learn numbers 0-100.
Homework: Work on your Project.
Practise numbers 0-100, focussing on 69-100.

Thursday class.
Questions around the class. Students may reply as themselves or their Alter Ego.
Buying bread and patisseries at the Boulangerie-Pâtisserie. 
What French people eat and drink for breakfast – the tradition and the reality!
Conversations round the family breakfast table.
Practise numbers 0-100.
Homework: Keep a diary of what you eat for breakfast this week to share in class next Thursday.
Work on your Project.
Practise numbers 0-100.

Week 6. Week commencing 10th October.
Tuesday class.
Questions around the class.
Quiz – places in town. 
Number games.
Days of the week, months of the year revision.
How to say the current year and dates of important events in French.
Homework: Work on your project.
Practise numbers 0-100.

Thursday class.
Questions around the class.
Report on what you have eaten for breakfast this week. 
Which breakfasts were ‘delicieux’? 
What is your favourite breakfast?
Homework: Work on your project.
Practise numbers 0-100.

Week 7. Week commencing 10th October.
Tuesday class
Review work so far. 
Days of the week/months of the year quiz.
Numbers quiz.
Sports and hobbies quiz.
Homework: Complete their Project so that they can present it on Thursday.

Thursday class.
Students will present their Project from this cycle. It can be a live conversation or a prepared video to show the class.
Students will also hand in their short script of their conversation. I will provide a Basic Outline for the script. Students with Dyslexia and other needs can be excused the written script or provided with a more detailed outline.