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LanguagesLes vacances et le passé30 min★★ difficulty

Les vacances et le temps

A good holiday account does three things: says what happened, says what the weather was like, and says what you thought of it. Weak accounts do only the first.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Writing: Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, and write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, and write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions

Key learning points

  • • Holiday vocabulary
  • • Weather in the past
  • • Opinions in the past

This lesson at a glance

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

Words to know

increasinglygrammarvocabularycreativelyexpress

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Les vacances et le temps

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

In a nutshell

Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, and write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Holiday vocabulary

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

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

Holiday vocabulary

je suis allé(e) en Espagne / au Pays de Galles / à Paris (en for feminine countries, au for masculine, à for towns). J'ai logé dans un hôtel / un camping / chez ma grand-mère. J'y suis resté(e) une semaine.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

Weather in the past

Il faisait beau (it was fine), il faisait chaud / froid, il pleuvait (it was raining), il y avait du vent. These are imperfect forms — used for describing background, while the passé composé tells you what happened.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

Complete: 'Je suis allé ___ Espagne.'

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

'Il pleuvait' means...

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 · Opinions in the past

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

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Opinions in the past

C'était génial / super / nul / fatigant. Le meilleur moment, c'était quand... (the best moment was when...). Adding one c'était sentence to every paragraph lifts a description into a real account.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

Which phrase gives an opinion about a past holiday?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

'J'y suis restée une semaine' means I stayed there for a...

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Model paragraph

L'été dernier, je suis allée en France avec ma famille. Nous avons logé dans un camping près de la mer. Il faisait très chaud et j'ai nagé tous les jours. Un jour, nous avons visité un château magnifique. C'était génial, mais le voyage était fatigant.

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: Les vacances et le temps

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

  1. 1. Which sentence shows the widest range of grammar?

  2. 2. Complete: 'Je suis allé ___ Espagne.'

  3. 3. 'Il pleuvait' means...

  4. 4. Which phrase gives an opinion about a past holiday?

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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    Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, and write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions

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