KS2 MFL: 'The Weather' in French with Rhys Stephenson

BBC Teach > Super Movers > MFL

CBBC's Rhys Stephenson performs this song that introduces French weather phrases for Key Stage 2 students.

Teacher notes

After viewing, singing and dancing along, your class could try some of these activities to further explore their learning:

Talking about the weather

• Practise the seven weather phrases from the song with the children. Say each one with an action to aid memorisation. You could use the moves that Rhys does or ask the children to help you to make up your own.
• To practise listening: say one of the weather phrases without doing the action, and ask the children to do the correct action to show that they have understood. Repeat the phrases several times, in different orders, so that the children get used to hearing them and linking the sound with the meaning. After some more practice you could ask for a volunteer to say the phrases for you and the rest of the class.
• To practise speaking: perform one of the actions and ask the children to call out the correct weather phrase. Repeat all the phrases several times, in different orders, so that the children have plenty of opportunities to practise saying the phrases and to work on their recall. You could ask for a volunteer to perform the actions so that you and the children can call out the phrases.
• Tell the children that you are going to use the weather actions to give a short weather forecast. Ask the question Quel temps fait-il ? Perform a sequence of three weather-phrase actions, and ask the children to work in pairs to decipher the actions and to say the three phrases in your weather forecast. They might like to use the conjunction et (and) to help them with this. Then ask the children to make up their own sequences for the rest of the class to decipher.
• Practise the names of the four seasons with the children. Again, you might like to use the moves that Rhys does to aid memorisation, or you could ask the children to help you to work out your own actions. Practise the names of the seasons using the actions in the same way as you did for the weather phrases.
• Perform a season action followed by a weather-phrase action. Explain that you would say (for example) En été, il fait chaud. Try some more combinations.
  NB en été, en automne, en hiver but au printemps.Once the children have practised putting together seasons and weather they can create their own combinations. They could say a sentence for the rest of the class, who then have to decide if it’s true or false. For example En été, il fait chaud. would be a true sentence, while En hiver, il fait chaud. is false. The children can put their thumbs up for a true sentence and down for a false sentence.

Finding out about the weather in French-speaking countries

• Ask the children to research and make a list of countries where French is spoken, and their capital cities.
• Use the BBC Weather website to find out what the weather is like in the capital cities of those countries on the day you have your lesson.
• Do some further research to find out how the weather in some of those countries differs from the weather in France on an annual basis. For example, the weather in Canada and Martinique will be very different to France, generally speaking!

Language introduced

Curriculum notes

Learning aims or objectives

The Super Movers song 'The Weather' and these activity notes address the following learning objectives from the curriculum guidance of the four UK nations.

England

From the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum programme of study for Foreign Languages:

• listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
• explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
• engage in conversations; ask and answer questions
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• describe places and things orally
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): […] conjugation of high-frequency verbs (faire, il y a); key features and patterns of the language (question forms);[…] and how these differ from or are similar to English

Northern Ireland

It is not statutory for primary schools to teach a language other than English or Irish (in Irish-medium schools).

Scotland

Modern Languages - CfE Experiences and Outcomes, Second level

• I explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and show understanding and enjoyment by listening, joining in and responding. (MLAN 2-01a)
• I can listen to and respond to familiar voices in short, predictable conversations using straightforward language and non-verbal techniques (MLAN 2-02a)
• I can take part effectively in prepared conversations by sharing information about myself…or interests of my choice, using familiar vocabulary and basic language structures. (MLAN 2-03b)
• I can participate in familiar collaborative activities (MLAN 2-05b)

Wales

It’s not currently statutory to teach a language in KS2. However, it will become so in September 2022.