Lesson Plan #3 - Calendar/Months

Grade/Subject: Grade 4 FSL Unit: Calendar and Weather Lesson Duration: ~60 minutes

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Overview of lesson:

Students will learn the names of the months in French, as well as the differences between the
French Calendar and the English Calendar. Prior to this lesson, students have learned how to
say the days of the week in French, as well as write the date in French.

General Learning Outcomes:

Communication: Students will use their knowledge of French to understand and/or to express a
message effectively in various situations for a variety of purposes

Language: Students will use, with accuracy, knowledge of linguistic elements of the French
language to fulfill their communicative intents

Culture: Students will use their knowledge of different Francophone cultures and their own
culture to be able to interact appropriately within these cultures

Specific Learning Outcomes:

Given the field of experience “Calendar and Weather” students will engage in various
language activities in order to:

Communication:
 Express written messages by copying and labelling based on available models.
(Written Production.

Language:
 Demonstrate an understanding of vocabulary associated with months of the year.
(Knowledge of Vocabulary)

Culture:
 Demonstrate an awareness of the cultural characteristics of the days of the week and
months of the year in Francophone culture

Language Learning Strategies:

 Activate first language listening and reading skills. (Cognitive)
 Represent meaning by using mental images, illustrations or graphic representations.
(Cognitive)
 Use repetition. (Cognitive)
  Students will combine new learning of vocabulary with previously learned vocabulary.
(Memory Strategies)
 Students will repeat a new word or expression, silently or aloud. (Memory Strategies)

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Use French to say the months of the year
2. Associate the months of the year with the correct seasons
3. Demonstrate, in a calendar, that in Francophone culture Monday is the first day of the
week.

Inquiry Question:
How do I communicate information about weather, seasons, and months in French?
Guiding Questions:
 How do I say the names of the months of the year in French?
 How do I associate the months of the year with seasons in French?
 What are the differences between the Francophone calendar and the English calendar?

ASSESSMENTS

Formative:
 At the beginning of class, students will write a formative quiz to test their
understanding of the French vocabulary for seasons and weather.
 When learning the months of the year in French, the teacher will listen as the students
repeat the word to ensure that they state the correct name and have proper
pronunciation. (L.O.1)
 Students will complete an activity where they create a month of the Francophone
calendar. The teacher will review these to ensure students understanding. (L.O. 1,2, 3)

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Resource #1:
Polidoro, A. (2013, December 13). The French Months of the Year (French Essentials).
Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyROOY4RPJg
Resource #2:
S., L. (2015, November 1). 15+ French Attention Grabbers. Retrieved from For French
Immersion: http://www.forfrenchimmersion.com/15-french-attention-grabbers/

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

* A picture of a French calendar that shows the cultural differences (ex. Monday is the first
day of the week rather than Sunday.) Ideally, the image is projected on a screen, but it may be
a paper copy.

* Calendar templates printed on long paper

* Vocabulary sheet with the names of the months of the year to hand out to students.

* Paper, rulers, colouring pencils, crayons, markers

PROCEDURE

Introduction (5 min.):

The lesson will begin with a short, formative quiz that will review the vocabulary from the
previous lesson. Students will be given a sheet with pictures that represent weather expressions
and sections where they must identify the corresponding season. The teacher will say a
weather expression in French and the students must write the corresponding season the sheet.
Once the student has written their answer, they must put their head down on their desk. When
all students have their heads down, the teacher will say the next type of weather. This will
continue until all four seasons have been identified. The students will give in their quizzes
once they have finished. (F.A. 1)

Advance Organizer/Agenda: Prepare a vocabulary sheet for students that have the months of
the year in French. In addition to this, you will need art supplies and a calendar template for
students to create their month in the calendar. Have these supplies ready to go, but do not put it
on the tables until students are ready to start the activity.

Hook/Attention Grabber: The teacher will display a Francophone calendar (October) on the
board.

Assessment of Prior Knowledge: “What do you notice about this calendar? Is it different than
the one that you usually see?” what would be different? Good idea to indicate this here in a
sentence or two

Expectations for Learning and Behaviour: “Today we will be learning some new vocabulary. I
want you to try to use the new words as much as you can, and remember that it is okay to
make mistakes. We need to remember to respect each other, and that we are all learning
together. I also want you to remember what happens when I need your attention. I will say “La
main levee”, which means “hands up”, and you will answer by saying “la bouche fermee”,
which mean “zip our lips”.”

Transition to Body: “We will learn about the Francophone calendar, how to say the months of
the year in French, and how to say which months happen in certain seasons! At the end of the
class, we will practice using our new knowledge to create a class Francophone Calendar.”
Body (40 min.):

Learning Activity #1 (~10 minutes)

 Explain to students that the French calendar is different from the English calendar.
 Consult the picture of the Francophone calendar on the board and ask the students what
they notice is different. As the students give their answers, the teacher will write them
on the board. The students should notice the following:
 The French Calendar starts on Monday instead of Sunday
 The name of the month is not capitalized
The names of the days of the week are not capitalized

Assessments/Differentiation: Show an actual image of the calendar so that students are able to
apply their vocabulary to an item. (L.O. 3)

Learning Activity #2 (~25 minutes)

 Change the image to picture of the vocabulary sheet that you will give students (This
can be projected on the whiteboard, smartboard, ect) and then hand out the sheet to
student. Instruct students to listen as you go through the French months of the year
with them.

 Go through the first month in French by orally stating the word for the students. Have
them repeat the word so that they are able practice its pronunciation. Continue this
process until the students have gone through all 12 months.

 Help students remember the French vocabulary by going through the following:
1. The french months of the year begin with the same letter as the English months.
2. If they can remember the first two letters of the English months, then they will know
the first two letters of the French months, with the exception of April (avril) and August
(aout).
3. September, October, November, and December all sound the same in French. All
students need to remember is to switch the “r” and the “e” at the end
4. March, April, and May all sound similar in French (mars, avril et mai)

 Have a discussion with students about what season the months of the year take place
in. Tell students that on the vocabulary sheet they must fill in the portion that asks for
which season the month is in. You should link it as follows:
 December (decembre), January (janvier), February (fevrier): Winter (Hiver)
 March (mars), April (avril), May (mai): Spring (Printemps)
 June (juin), July (juillet), August (aout): Summer (Ete)
 September (septembre), October (octobre), November (novembre): Fall
(Automne)

Assessments/Differentiation: When learning the months of the year in French, the teacher will
listen as the students repeat the word to ensure they state the correct name and use correct
pronunciation. (L.O.1, 2) (F.A. 2)
Learning Activity #3(~20)

Students will now work on their French calendars. The instructions are as follows:
 Students will be given a template of a monthly calendar (on long paper) and draw a
month out of a hat
 They must divide the paper in two by drawing a line through the middle.
 On one half of the paper, students must write the name of the month in French, the
days of the week in French, and put in the correct amount of days for that month. The
teacher will tell them how many days the month has. ** Students have learned the days
of the week in a prior unit.
 On the other half of the page, students can draw a picture for the month. They must
include what weather typically happens for that month, state somewhere on the page
what season that month is in, and they may include a symbol for a holiday happening
that month, or another picture.

* If the students do not finish, they will be given time next class to complete it
* Assuming there is a class of 20, there will be approximately 2 calendars that can be put
together. The teacher will provide a sheet for any month that is missing out of either calendar,
unless a student would like to do an extra month for more practice.

Assessments/Differentiation: Students will practice their vocabulary by creating a month in a

calendar (L.O. 2,3) (F.A. 3)

Closure (2 min.):

Consolidation/Assessment of Learning: “I want you to tell your elbow partner what month you
were born in and which season takes place in that month”

Feedback from Students: Have students hand in their month calendar

Feedback to Students: “Felicitations! Well Done! You’ve all learned some new French
vocabulary and something new about the Francophone culture.”

Transition to Next Lesson: “Next lesson we will talk about your projects for this unit, and talk
about some different holidays in French.”