1 - What Day Is It? ~5 mins
What day is it today? What day comes next? You already know the answers in English and in Irish. By Friday you will be able to tell a French friend what you do on samedi and dimanche, and name every day in between.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name the seven days of the week in French
- Match each French day to its English meaning
- Spot the day words when you hear them in a game
Smile and treat the Irish recap as a confidence win before the new language arrives. Ask the class for today's day and tomorrow's day in English first, then in Irish if they know it. Do not teach the French yet; the flashcards in the next step will do that. Keep the hook brisk so you have a full ten minutes for the seven new words.
2 - Seven French Days ~10 mins
On a French school calendar the week starts on lundi. Here are all seven days. English shows first. Listen to the French, then say it with the class. Six of them end with the same soft dee sound.
Work through all seven cards on the board in calendar order from lundi to dimanche. English shows first; play the audio, then class repeats twice after each flip (once all together, once by table). Do not ask pupils to guess the French before they have heard it; if a confident pupil volunteers a guess, welcome it, but the default path is listen then repeat. Point out that French days do not take a capital letter the way English days do. Pronunciation guides: lundi (lun-DEE), mardi (mar-DEE), mercredi (mair-kruh-DEE), jeudi (zhuh-DEE), vendredi (vahn-druh-DEE), samedi (sam-DEE), dimanche (dee-MAHNSH). The soft zh in jeudi is like the s in treasure; dimanche is the odd one out (no soft dee ending). After the full run-through, celebrate: Bravo la classe! Seven brand-new French words. Optional 60-second clap chant before matching: class claps the beat and chants lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche once through together.
3 - Match the Days ~10 mins
Volunteers flip two cards on the board. When a French day appears, the class says it out loud together. Help call out when someone finds a match. We are filling a French school week from lundi to dimanche.
Whole-class IWB is the default path: one or two volunteers at the board each turn, everyone else watching and saying the French day chorally when a French card appears. If the same pair is missed twice, stop and say both sides together before moving on. Listen for the soft zh in jeudi and the nasal start of vendredi. Differentiation: if devices are available, pairs may play a quiet second round after the whole-class game; otherwise keep everything on the board. Praise matches warmly (Bravo! / Super!).
4 - Into Your Copy ~3 mins
Open your copy and write the seven French days in order from the list below, then circle the day you have PE.
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| lundi | Monday | lun-DEE |
| mardi | Tuesday | mar-DEE |
| mercredi | Wednesday | mair-kruh-DEE |
| jeudi | Thursday | zhuh-DEE |
| vendredi | Friday | vahn-druh-DEE |
| samedi | Saturday | sam-DEE |
| dimanche | Sunday | dee-MAHNSH |
Pause any interactive and leave this step's day list on the IWB so every pupil can see French, English and pronunciation while they write. Everyone writes: this is the only three minutes where every pupil's pen is moving. Check they write the days in calendar order from lundi through dimanche, and that they circle their real PE day. Do not collect these.
5 - Days Bingo ~10 mins
You each have a bingo card on your desk. Listen for each French day as it is called and mark it on your card. First to fill the whole card shouts Bingo! or better, Bravo!
How to Play Bingo:
Option 1: Students on Devices (Digital Version)
- Use the digital version where your teacher view of the lesson displays the cards that are being called out.
- Play the pronunciation sound of each word and the children mark it off their unique digital bingo card.
- Each student has a randomised bingo card so winners will vary!
Option 2: Print Out the Bingo Cards
- Print out the Bingo Cards from the attachment above, cut out the cards, and give one to each student.
- You call out the vocabulary words and students mark off their sheets.
- First student to complete a line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) calls "Bingo!" and wins.
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