Look around the room. Name three things you can see and say their colours in English.
Today you will do the same in French. You will also notice something English never asks you to do: the colour word can change shape to match the thing it describes.
One French picture to keep in mind: le drapeau bleu, blanc, rouge (the blue, white and red flag). Three of today's colours, in an order French children know by heart.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name eight colours in French
- Use a colour word with a thing, in a short description
- Spot when a colour word needs a different ending
Take three or four quick answers from the class. Keep this beat light: the point is to wake up colour thinking in English before French asks more of them.
Smile at the flag line if you like: point to a tricolore image if you have one, or just mime the three stripes. Do not teach agreement yet. Flag only that French colours sometimes change, then let the flashcards carry the first hearing.
Listen to each colour on the card, then say it twice with the class. Listen for the soft zh in rouge and orange, like the s in treasure. Make rouge juicy, not "roog".
English shows first so you know which colour you are aiming for. Wait for the audio, then join the class repeat. No guessing out loud before you have heard it.
Run this as whole-class flashcards on the board. English shows first so pupils know the target meaning. Play the audio, then the class repeats the French twice. Only then flip to confirm. Do not ask pupils to produce the French before they have heard it.
Pronunciation guides if you need them: rouge (roozh), bleu (bluh), vert (vair), jaune (zhohn), blanc (blahn), noir (nwahr), orange (oh-RAHNZH), gris (gree). Rouge has that soft treasure sound: make it juicy, not roog. Celebrate a good class zh with a quick thumbs-up.
Stick to bare colour words only on this step. No full phrases and no masculine/feminine language on the IWB yet. Phrases come after the colours have been heard and chorused twice each.
Flip two cards at a time and find each French colour with its English meaning. When a pair is found, say the French colour together as a class, then picture one thing that colour could describe.
Consolidation after first contact. Whole-class on the IWB only: volunteers flip two cards; the class says the French chorally on each match. If a pair is missed twice, stop and say the French together before moving on. No pupil devices for this step.
Stretch stronger pupils after a match with a smile: "Bonus point if your tiny phrase makes the class grin." Accept any sensible colour-plus-thing attempt such as ballon rouge; do not mark noun gender yet. The goal is colour recall with a spark of fun, not perfect phrases.
Open your copy. Using the models on the board, write three short descriptions: a thing and its colour, with the colour word in the right form.
Models to copy and adapt:
- un cahier bleu (a blue exercise book)
- une fleur verte (a green flower)
Thing words you may use: un cahier, un ballon, un stylo · une fleur, une pomme
Colour forms: bleu / bleue · vert / verte · noir / noire · blanc / blanche · gris / grise · jaune, rouge, orange (no change)
Start by copying one model, change the colour once, then write one line of your own from the banks above.
Pause the board. Leave the two models and both banks visible for the full three to four minutes. Everyone writes. Pupils should not invent French nouns from scratch.
Walk the room and check that each line has a thing plus a colour. Prefer productive focus on the clear pairs practised aloud: bleu / bleue, vert / verte, plus invariable jaune and rouge. If a pupil tries noir / noire, blanc / blanche or gris / grise, support from the board bank (remind them blanche is the special shape, not only +e). Do not collect the copies.
Support: allow pure copy-and-adapt of the two models only. Extension: two colours in one line if they are ready, still from the banks.
Look at the picture on the board (think of a bright stall or classroom corner in France). As each colour label is placed, the whole class says the French colour together. If you are not at the board, point in the air or tick the colour in your copy as it is said.
After the labels are on, try these short descriptions with the class:
- un cahier bleu (a blue exercise book) — with un cahier the colour stays bleu
- une fleur verte (a green flower) — with une fleur it becomes verte (extra e)
- le drapeau bleu, blanc, rouge (the blue, white and red flag)
Whole-class IWB only with volunteers placing labels. Ensure the activity image is clearly on screen when the step opens. Every time a label lands, the whole class says the French colour chorally so row-3 pupils are speaking too. Silent follow-along for anyone not called up: point in the air or tick in copy.
When labels are placed, model the three phrases with audio or your best clear voice, then class repeats each twice:
- un cahier bleu (uhn ka-YAY bluh)
- une fleur verte (oon flur VAIRT)
- le drapeau bleu, blanc, rouge (luh drah-POH bluh blahn roozh)
Child-friendly wording only: "with un cahier the colour stays bleu; with une fleur it becomes verte — extra e." Avoid a grammar lecture. Point to two or three labelled spots and elicit a short colour-plus-thing phrase from the class using those models.
Listen for rouge (roozh) and jaune (zhohn). Keep energy high: this is the first real "colour + thing" chorus of the lesson.
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