Languages and literacy
French listening: a day in Camille’s life
Prepare for a short French listening passage, listen for gist and detail, then summarise Camille’s day in English. Three pupil pages include vocabulary matching, note spaces and reflection. The companion supplies a newly authored script and key for teacher reading; the files contain no recording.
Look at the picture choices before listening. The teacher reads the supplied French script; no recording is included.
Read the complete materialRead the material
Prepare for a short French listening passage, listen for gist and detail, then summarise Camille’s day in English. Three pupil pages include vocabulary matching, note spaces and reflection. The companion supplies a newly authored script and key for teacher reading; the files contain no recording.
Pupil worksheet. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
Page 1
LEARNING GOAL Get ready to listen to a short talk in French about a day in a young person’s life. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can predict the words I might hear. I can match eight French words to pictures. I can use a plan to listen twice. Predict Someone will talk about their day. Write four words you might hear, in English or in French. 1 2 3 4 Match the words Say each French word aloud. Write the letter of the matching picture in the box. The example is done for you. YOUR LISTENING PLAN There is no recording. Your teacher will read this out loud, twice. 1 First time: listen for the gist. What is it about? 2 Second time: listen for detail. Write key words, not sentences. 3 Afterwards: check your notes and write a summary. MODERN LANGUAGES AGES 11 TO 14 FRENCH LISTENING: A DAY IN A LIFE Before you listen Predict, match the words and make a listening plan. NAME CLASS DATE 1 4 words 2 7 marks A B C D E F G H bus EXAMPLE C le bus “ school le collège “ sport le sport “ basketball le basket “ friends les amis “ a film un film “ I live j’habite “ I watch je regarde “ Pupil activity | Page 1 of 3
Page 2
First listening: the gist Listen once. Tick the topics you hear. Do not write yet. family school sport food holidays a pet a film Second listening: the details Listen again. Write key words about Camille in each box. Camille’s day and weekend Write what Camille does in the morning, in the evening and at the weekend. FRENCH AGES 11 TO 14 LISTENING FOR GIST AND DETAIL While you listen 1 2 1 Who 2 Where 3 Likes 4 Dislikes 5 Free time 3 MORNING EVENING WEEKEND Pupil activity | Page 2 of 3
Page 3
Which words did you catch? Circle each word you heard. Tick the box if you know what it means. le bus bus I know it le collège school I know it le sport sport I know it le basket basketball I know it les amis friends I know it un film a film I know it j’habite I live I know it je regarde I watch I know it Tell someone about Camille Write three sentences in English. Use your notes. Say who she is, what she likes and what she does. 1 2 3 How did it go? Not yet Getting there Got it First listening Second listening My summary GO FURTHER What would you ask Camille? Write your question and say why you would like to know. FRENCH AGES 11 TO 14 CHECK, SUMMARISE, REFLECT After you listen 1 2 3 sentences 3 Pupil activity | Page 3 of 3
Page 1
Teacher companion French listening: a day in Camille’s life script: read twice Bonjour, je m’appelle Camille. J’ai treize ans. J’habite à Lyon avec ma famille. Le matin, je prends le bus pour aller au collège. J’aime le sport, surtout le basket. Je joue au basket avec mes amis. Je n’aime pas les devoirs. Le soir, je regarde un film à la maison. Le week-end, je retrouve les amis de ma classe et je joue au basket. Pendant mon temps libre, j’écoute aussi de la musique. Gist and details key Topics heard: family, school, sport, a film. Food, holidays and a pet are not mentioned. Who: Camille, 13. Where: Lyon; lives with family. Likes: sport/basketball. Dislikes: homework. Free time: music, friends, basketball. Morning: bus to school. Evening: watches a film at home. Weekend: meets friends and plays basketball. Picture matching, 7 scored items le bus C (printed example); le collège D; le sport H; le basket F; les amis B; un film A; j’habite G; je regarde E. One mark per correct response other than the given example. Predictions and reflective summaries are open responses. Vocabulary and summary All eight target items occur in the passage: le bus, le collège, le sport, le basket, les amis, un film, j’habite, je regarde. Pupil summary can state who Camille is, what she likes and one activity. Delivery and review This is a new authored replacement script supporting the existing three-page task. Read clearly twice, first for gist and then for detail; agree pace, pronunciation and support with a French educator. Picture matching remains the labelled eight-card task, including the bus example. Teacher companion | Page 1 of 1
A teaching sequence
Pupils should identify the passage’s topics, record key details about Camille and produce three English sentences supported by their notes. They should distinguish what they predicted from what they actually heard and identify vocabulary that helped them listen.
Look at the picture choices before listening. The teacher reads the supplied French script; no recording is included.
Read the complete materialPrepare the picture vocabulary
Review the picture vocabulary, including the completed bus example. Ask pupils which words might help them recognise a school or leisure topic without predicting the whole story.
Which picture and word help you recognise a topic?
Listen once for gist
Read the script once at the agreed pace. Pupils tick topics they hear; ask which familiar words support their gist judgement before moving to detailed notes.
Which familiar words support the topics you ticked?
Listen again for details
Read it again while pupils complete who, where, likes, dislikes and free time, then morning, evening and weekend. Encourage brief key words rather than attempted transcription.
What key words belong in morning, evening and weekend?
Check and summarise
Compare notes with the passage and write three English sentences about Camille. Circle heard vocabulary and use the reflection boxes to identify one listening strategy to try again.
Which heard detail supports each English summary sentence?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
A useful summary identifies Camille as 13, living in Lyon, liking basketball and watching a film in the evening. Family, school, sport and a film are heard; food, holidays and a pet are not mentioned. If a pupil includes a predicted pet, ask which words in the passage support it and revise the note.
Give a little support
Keep the matched vocabulary visible and rehearse the topic labels before the first reading. For detail, point to the relevant note headings and accept short English key words. After the two readings, revisit the sentence containing a missed fact rather than asking the pupil to reconstruct the whole passage.
Take the idea further
Use the printed question prompt to ask Camille something the script does not tell you. Explain why the question would be useful, distinguishing known facts from missing information. Then identify which familiar French words might help recognise an answer without inventing one.
Things to keep in mind
No audio recording is supplied. Agree reading pace, pronunciation and communication support with the French teacher.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet the creators whose teaching interests connect with this template. Find an approach to try with your class.
Camille Berger
I prefer comprehensible input to long stretches of grammar drill: pupils need to hear and read language they can make sense of before they are asked to produce it with confidence.
Meet the creator
Sylvie Dubois
I teach French through meaningful communication, asking pupils to compare vocabulary, tone and grammar in context and choose language suited to a friend or a formal audience.
Meet the creator
Board Eraser
This three-page version begins with four predictions and eight picture-word matches, then separates gist from detail and ends with a three-sentence English summary. Its plan says the teacher reads the passage twice because no recording is supplied.
Thoughtful Pause
For ages 11 to 14, pupils listen first for topics such as school, sport and a film, then record key words about who, where, likes, dislikes and free time. This focuses on note-taking rather than the seven-question format of the companion edition.
Gentle Reminder
The picture matching and pre-listening prediction provide two entry points before the first read. Keeping notes as key words rather than full sentences reduces writing load during the second pass.
Coffee Before Copies
The task depends on the teacher reading the supplied script twice and cannot demonstrate comprehension of a recording. Check the complete answer guide before use and ensure the summary reflects only details pupils actually heard.