French Lesson Plan Grade 7: Culture, Song and Simple Vocabulary

This free French lesson plan introduces students to beginner language learning through culture, music, and simple vocabulary. Students listen, speak, read, and present information about a French place while practicing basic communication skills.

Overview

Students explore how language helps people cross cultural “bridges.” They hear a short French legend, learn and perform a traditional children’s song, and build a small set of practical beginner phrases. Working in groups, students research one French landmark and create a simple visual plus a short spoken presentation for the class.

Subject Connections

English Language Arts skills are used as students listen closely to a story, write remembered details and questions, summarize meaning in complete sentences, and present information clearly to an audience. Students also use social studies when they locate France on a map and learn how landmarks connect to place and culture, and they use technology when they use teacher-approved links or digital tools to gather facts and create a simple visual for their presentation.

Learning Goals

Students practice listening to spoken French and repeating short phrases with accurate pronunciation. They learn basic vocabulary connected to places in France and use it in short, structured speaking tasks. Students summarize information from short readings and images and speak clearly in a small-group presentation.

Materials

• World map or projected map of Europe
• Speaker or classroom audio
• Printed lyric sheet for one French song
• French-English dictionaries or a teacher-approved online dictionary
• Poster paper and markers (or a shared slide template)
• Student notebooks

Preparation

Pick one short legend connected to a French place and practice reading it aloud. Prepare a lyric sheet for a single song and decide a simple movement pattern students can do safely. Choose 6–10 teacher-approved research links or print short blurbs so groups can find information quickly. Select 6–8 target vocabulary words students will reuse during the presentation.

Teaching Procedure

Each session fits a standard class period of about 45–50 minutes, and the sequence runs across five class meetings.

Session 1

1. Project a map and locate France, Paris, and Avignon. Ask students to notice how far it is from where they live and what they already associate with France (food, art, landmarks).
2. Activity: Legend Listening Quickwrite. After you tell a short legend connected to Avignon and the Pont d’Avignon, students write three details they remember and one question they still have in their notebooks. The outcome is a concrete record of listening comprehension that will be revisited during discussion.
3. Introduce the idea of “legend vs. fact.” Students work with a partner to sort their notes into what sounds historical and what sounds like a story element, then share one example with the class.

Session 2

1. Teach a small set of beginner phrases students will reuse all week using call-and-response and quick partner practice.
2. Introduce place vocabulary tied to the unit theme and point to visuals as you say each word.
3. Activity: Song Vocabulary Spotting. Play “Sur le Pont d’Avignon” once without words, then again with a lyric sheet. Students highlight repeated words they recognize and circle “pont” every time they see it, then share one word they noticed and what it likely means.

Session 3

1. Activity: Song Movement Performance. Teach a simple, safe movement routine that matches the song. Run the song once as rehearsal and once as a class performance, focusing on steady participation and clear pronunciation of repeated words.
2. Students complete a brief comprehension task in notebooks. They write two English sentences explaining what the song seems to be about and copy two French words they can identify from the lyric sheet.
3. Assign group research topics. Each group chooses one French landmark to research and present.

Session 4

1. Groups research their chosen place using teacher-approved links or printed resources and gather a small set of facts: location, approximate age, purpose, and one surprising detail.
2. Groups create a visual and label at least three parts using French place vocabulary that matches the landmark.
3. Groups write a short speaking script in English with two embedded French phrases.

Session 5

1. Groups present their landmark to the class. Each student speaks at least once using a prepared line.
2. Activity: Audience Listening Notes. While listening, students write one new fact they learned and one French word they heard during the presentation, then turn in the note as proof of active listening.
3. Debrief as a class and have students write a short self-reflection: one thing they did well and one thing they will improve next time.

Assessment

• Participation in speaking, listening, and song activities
• Use of target vocabulary during group work and presentation
• Quality of research notes (facts are relevant and clearly stated)
• Clarity and completeness of presentation (each student contributes)

Differentiation

Provide a phrase bank for students who need speaking support and allow them to read a short prepared line. For students who need reading support, give printed resources with highlighted key facts. Challenge advanced students to add two extra French sentences or to include one French caption describing a feature of the landmark.

Grade Adaptation

Grade 7 students learn a small set of beginner French phrases, build vocabulary through a song, and research a landmark to present with a labeled visual and brief speaking script. Grade 6 students can use a shorter phrase set, complete more guided note frames, and present with sentence starters and fewer required facts. Grade 8 students can add more independent research, include a short section of the script in French, and strengthen comparisons by explaining how their landmark reflects French culture or history.

Extension Ideas

Students create a simple “France postcard” describing their landmark with a picture and three short captions using “Il y a…” and “C’est…”. Another option is a short audio recording where students introduce themselves and their landmark using the beginner phrases from class. If time allows, students can compare one French landmark to a famous landmark in their own country and discuss what the structures were built to do.