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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesLes vacances et le passé30 min★★ difficulty

Lire un blog de voyage

Longer texts feel harder than they are. The trick is to read for shape first — who, where, when — and only then hunt for detail.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Reading: Read and understand the main points and some detail from a range of authentic and adapted materials, including some longer texts

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Read and understand the main points and some detail from a range of authentic and adapted materials, including some longer texts

Key learning points

  • • Read in three passes
  • • Time markers to spot
  • • Detail questions

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

pointsdetailauthenticadaptedmaterials

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Lire un blog de voyage

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

In a nutshell

Read and understand the main points and some detail from a range of authentic and adapted materials, including some longer texts

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Read in three passes

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

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

Read in three passes

Pass 1: title, first line, last line — what is this about? Pass 2: underline time markers (hier, le lendemain, enfin) to get the order of events. Pass 3: answer the questions, going back to the exact line each time.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

Time markers to spot

d'abord (first), ensuite / puis (then), le lendemain (the next day), plus tard (later), enfin (finally), avant / après. These carry the structure of any narrative.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

'Le lendemain' means...

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

Which word signals the last event in a sequence?

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 · Detail questions

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

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Detail questions

Questions asking 'why' or 'how did the writer feel' need the sentence next to the fact, not the fact itself. If the text says 'Nous sommes rentrés tôt parce qu'il pleuvait', the reason for going home is the rain, not the time.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

In the blog, why did they stay at the hotel?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

The best first step with a long text is to...

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Worked reading

Blog: 'Jour 2. D'abord, nous avons visité le vieux port. Ensuite, nous avons mangé des crêpes. Le lendemain, il pleuvait, donc nous sommes restés à l'hôtel. C'était un peu ennuyeux, mais j'ai lu deux livres.' Order: port → crêpes → rain → hotel. Feeling: a bit bored, but positive about reading.

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 blog de voyage

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

  1. 1. A blog reads: 'Le lendemain, il pleuvait, donc nous sommes restés à l'hôtel.' Why did they stay in?

  2. 2. 'Le lendemain' means...

  3. 3. Which word signals the last event in a sequence?

  4. 4. In the blog, why did they stay at the hotel?

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

  • Not looked at yet

    Read and understand the main points and some detail from a range of authentic and adapted materials, including some longer texts

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