PDF lesson plan and trapdoor game template
KS2
Years 3-6
Learn about French clothing vocabulary, culture and couture by exploring the creativity of Dakar Fashion Week in Senegal…
When teaching French, it is essential that even our youngest pupils understand the concept of la francophonie: the French-speaking world.
It is important that we discuss its origins in colonialism and the fact that, although many of France’s former colonies fought for and gained their independence, particular institutions or social groups still widely speak French.
Senegal was once part of French West Africa and although most of the population speak Wolof, French remains the official language of the country.
French clothing vocabulary learning objectives
- Learn the concept of la francophonie (the wider French-speaking world)
- Find out the names of various items of clothing in French, including some that are typically West African
- Learn the masculine and feminine indefinite articles (un and une)
- Create sentences to describe what individuals are wearing
Starter activity
Start by showing pupils some images of Senegal, for example: surfers on the beaches, the busy streets or markets of the capital Dakar, or the Lompoul Desert.
Ask children to guess which country the images represent and give them opportunities to justify their answers. Video clips also work really well for this activity – just be careful to select sequences that don’t reinforce unhelpful stereotypes.
Once the children have had plenty of discussion time, introduce Senegal’s geographical position, using atlases or Google Earth, explaining the country’s links to France and the reason that French is still the official language of the country, although it is not spoken by all citizens.
Ellie Chettle Cully is a French teacher and languages and international lead at a Leicester primary.
