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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesLe monde francophone25 min★★ difficulty

Lire un poème

Poems and song lyrics use simple words in surprising orders. That makes them ideal French reading: little vocabulary, lots of meaning.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Reading: Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

Key learning points

  • • A short original poem
  • • How the poem works
  • • Write your own

This lesson at a glance

  • 25 minutes
  • 15 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

literarylanguagestorieslettersstimulate

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Lire un poème

An English teaching video on this topic from Risedale School. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · A short original poem

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

A short original poem

Le matin gris / la ville dort encore / un chat traverse la rue / et le jour commence. Translation: The grey morning / the town is still asleep / a cat crosses the street / and the day begins.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

How the poem works

There is one verb per line and no punctuation, so each image lands separately. 'La ville dort' gives the town a human action — personification. The cat is the only movement, which is why the last line feels like the day being switched on.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

'La ville dort encore' means the town is...

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

Giving a town a human action is called...

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 15

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 15

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Write your own

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Write your own

Copy the frame: a noun with an adjective, a place doing something human, one small movement, one closing statement. Four lines, present tense, no rhyme needed. 'Le soir calme / la maison respire / Luna monte l'escalier / et la nuit arrive.'

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

'Un chat traverse la rue' — traverse means...

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

Which line closes the poem with a change?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Model response

'Dans ce poème, la ville dort. C'est une personnification et l'atmosphère est calme. J'aime la troisième ligne parce que le chat est la seule chose qui bouge.' Notice the pattern: what happens, what technique, what you think.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 15

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Mastery quiz

Part 14 of 15

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Lire un poème

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. A poem says 'la ville dort encore'. Which technique is used?

  2. 2. 'La ville dort encore' means the town is...

  3. 3. Giving a town a human action is called...

  4. 4. 'Un chat traverse la rue' — traverse means...

15

Lesson round-up

Part 15 of 15

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

Une journée à Lyon

Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.

J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.

L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.

Original text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
  2. Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
  3. Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.

  • Written practice

    Writing

    Write the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.

    8–10 sentences

  • Vocabulary page

    Working out

    Copy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.

    15 words

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 15 · Watch & discover

How this is going

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    Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

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