When is Poisson d’avril, and what should we do about it?

Europe has festivals and traditions, lots of them. Many of these play a significant part in the lives of people across France, Germany and Spain.

We’ve developed a series of books for KS2 pupils about the major festivals and traditions that can be used to develop discussions on cultural similarities and differences, and can be used as a basis for language teaching.

But that’s only the start.  The books also include background information with key vocabulary and teaching activities for each event.  The activities range from making cards and writing poems, to playing games and cooking traditional recipes.

We have found that focusing on festivals and traditions is an ideal way to get children interested, engaged and motivated about different cultures, as well as learning key vocabulary.

Let’s take for instance Poisson d’avril.

On this day in the UK we play practical jokes on each other, but only in t

How to create a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation Programme

What is the most effective way of creating a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation programme?

Schools that adopt a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation Programme typically find it easier to respond to the demands of the English Programmes of Study. For not only does it make it easier to have a unified approach to tracking pupils’ progress, but it also ensures that everyone knows what has gone before and what comes next.

However, what can be challenging when creating a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation Programme is knowing which resources will be most suitable. For the resources need to, for example:

• meet the requirements of the English Programmes of Study
• be consistent throughout the programme
• exercise differentiation
• be age-appropriate and highly engag

Music is the food of knowledge

What is the most efficient way of teaching French words and phrases?

Just as there is an inbuilt propensity for young children to learn the language they hear around them in infancy, so there is a similar inborn inclination to respond to music.

The technical reason for this is that music activates the limbic and paralimbic areas of the brain which are connected to the reward response systems. And quite simply when those areas are activated, we feel good.  That’s all there is to it!

Children of course realise that they feel good when music comes their way, and so they respond through movement as a way of expressing their pleasure – which in turn is the origin of dance.

All of which explains why we generally see children re

La Chandeleur, Pancake day: free French teaching resource

What are the differences between Pancake Day in Britain and La Chandeleur? Let your pupils explore the different traditions with this worksheet.

Saint-Valentin wordsearch: free French teaching resource

It snowed at about this time last year. Does anyone remember? It was at a time when we could all just go out and have snowball fights without worrying about masks or social distancing. So, as we start to dream about warmth and spring, perhaps we should also think about love - well actually Valentine's Day!

Why not practise the French vocabulary below and then try to find the words in our wordsearch?

Joyeuse Saint-Valentin (Happy Valentine’s Day)
Je t’aime (I love you)
Veux-tu m’épouser? (Will you marry me?)
Sors avec moi! (Go out with me!)
mon petit copain (my boyfriend)
ma petite copine (my girlfriend)
un bisou (a kiss)
un coeur (a heart)
un cadeau (a present)
une carte (a card)
des fleurs (flowers)
de