Alphabet frieze
Overview
Purpose
To recognise and pronounce letters of the alphabet, and be able to teach at least one word to others.
Learning outcomes
To identify:
- letters of the alphabet
- combinations of letters, accents and punctuation
- sounds associated with the letters.
Skills used
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
Type
Individual, pairs, group, or class activity
Related units in Oui! kit
- Unité 1 Bonjour!
- Unité 2 Au revoir!
- Unité 3 Tu t'appelles comment?
Instructions
In this activity, the class makes an alphabet frieze for display in the classroom. The finished product not only acts as a constant reminder of the alphabet but also provides students with visual examples of a variety of vocabulary.
Materials
- A5-sized paper (half A4) – this an ideal size for the letters in the frieze.
- Magazines containing suitable picture (for students who can't draw).
- Letter template, which shows how the letter pages could be formatted. To download the template, select from the following Word or PDF formats:
Steps
- Allocate at least one word from the alphabet list to each student.
- Instruct students to draw a picture that depicts their word. If drawing is too difficult for some students, provide them with magazines to cut out pictures from.
- Instruct students to write the word in French below the picture.
- Working in pairs or small groups, students teach their word to others, using their picture as a prop.
- When they are confident, students teach their word to the whole class.
Tips
- Ask students to make their pictures fill all the space available, so that the image easily recognisable from a distance.
- Refer to list of cognates, or direct students to a dictionary to find them.
Variations
- Before putting the alphabet frieze on display, students enjoy seeing their work used as flashcards – fold the word behind the picture so only the picture is displayed, then ask the students what the word for the object is in French.
- Cover the word and see which group or individual can correctly pronounce the word, then ask students to spell the word/s using the French alphabet.
Further learning
- To practice correct pronunciation, students could create an alphabet rap.
- As the students are introduced to new vocabulary, the words and pictures on the frieze could be changed.
- Lead class in other fun activities, such as charades or hangman, to reinforce the vocabulary on the alphabet cards.
Language to use
When using the alphabet cards as flashcards, use the following vocabulary:
- Qu'est-ce que c'est?
What is it? - Comment est-ce qu'on dit ça en français?
How do you say that in French? - Comment ça s'écrit en français?
How do you write that in French?