Find your partner
Overview
Purpose
To recognise and respond to phrases in French.
Learning outcome
Students will be able to:
- greet
- farewell
- respond to greetings and introductions.
Skills used
- Listening
- Speaking
Type
Pairs or class activity
Related units in Oui! kit
- Unité 1 Bonjour!
- Unité 2 Au revoir!
- Unité 3 Tu t'appelles comment?
Instructions
Pairs version
The aim of this game is for students to locate their partners by introducing themselves in French. The matched names are well-known pairs, such as Jekyll and Hyde, Pooh and Tigger.
To download the list of paired names, select from the following Word and PDF formats:
- Pairs template for 'Find your partner' activity (Word, 22KB)
- Pairs template for 'Find your partner' activity (PDF, 6KB)
Steps
- Students are allocated one name from a pair of names (without hearing who has the other name).
- Students go around the room greeting the other students in French and asking their name.
- The first matching pair to find each other and sit down is the winner.
Groups version
Students circulate the room and use their knowledge of simple greetings and naming phrases to find their allocated group of friends.
To download the groups of names, select from the following Word and PDF formats:
- Name group template for 'Find your partner activity' (Word, 30KB)
- Name group template for 'Find your partner activity' (PDF, 9KB)
Steps
- Students are given a card containing a name for themselves and a group of French names for their friends.
- Students go around the room introducing themselves and asking each others' names in order to find their friends.
- The first group to find all the members and sit down is the winner.
Following is an example of a possible introduction:
Salut. Je m'appelle William. Je cherche mes amis Mégane, Laurie et Jérémie.
Tu t'appelles comment?
Hello. My name is William. I'm looking for my friends Megan, Laurie and Jeremy. What's your name?
Tips
- Make the cards before the lesson, and laminate to allow long-term use.
- Keep card sets together in a small plastic bag or container.
Variations
- Tell students to greet each other in French before each question, for example: Salut / Bonjour. Je m'appelle Maxime. Comment t'appelles-tu?
- As the students are exposed to more language in other units, there will be further opportunities for variations of this activity, for example:
- asking how someone is
- saying farewell
- giving yes/no responses.
- Ask students to contribute new names to the game.
Further learning
- Students engage a partner in extended conversation by asking how they are, how to spell their name, and other personal information appropriate to the learning intention.
- Make cards that revise cultural and geographical knowledge gained by the students, for example, make pairs such as Eiffel Tower and Paris.
Language used
- Salut! / Bonjour!
Hi! / Hello! - Tu t'appelles comment?
What's your name? - Je m'appelle ... Et toi?
My name is ... And you(rs)? - Merci
Thank you - Au revoir / A bientôt
Goodbye / See you soon