1.16 Quel temps fait-il?
1.16 Quel temps fait-il? What’s the weather like?
Films to see
In this section pupils learn to talk about the weather. It is the final part of your daily class routine, so children can start the day by recording the local weather in French. Using the internet, they can also observe the changing weather in France from day to day - perhaps comparing with what it’s like where you live. This topic links with the paintings of the French artist, Claude Monet.
A1. Describe the weather A2. Today’s weather - a class routine Talk about what you do in that weather, and when it’s most likely, e.g. “it snows in winter; we make a snowman”. Later we’ll look at French artist Claude Monet whose paintings show French scenes in different light - see “talking point 1”.
Planning your lessons
Watch film 16 A1:Describe the weather
8 phrases to describe weather are introduced: Good/nice weather (sunny, on the beach): Animation: Quel temps fait-il? Il fait beau Children saying it’s nice: “il fait beau”.
Before watching film A1, talk about what children think the weather might be like in France compared with where you live. Children will need plenty of activities to get used to all the new phrases in the films.
Activities
Warm up
You could start the lesson making a list with the class of all the different words for weather they know, in English (see “New words” below).
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
Quel temps fait-il? What’s the weather like?
(literally, “What weather is it doing?”)
il fait beau - it’s nice
1
Film 16 A1: animation -“Il fait beau”.
Bad/nasty weather: Animation: Il fait mauvais Children say it’s nasty weather: “il fait mauvais”. Hot weather: Animation: Il fait chaud. Children saying that it is hot: “il fait chaud”.
2
(literally, “it’s doing nice”)
il fait mauvais - it’s bad/nasty il fait chaud - it’s hot/warm il fait froid - it’s cold 1 il fait gris - it’s cloudy
1
Like English-speaking people, the French have their usual phrases to talk about weather. They often use ‘il fait...’ (it’s doing...):
(literally, “it’s doing grey”)
il pleut - it rains/it’s raining il neige - it snows/it’s snowing it’s windy il y a du vent * - (literally, “there is some wind”)
il fait... chaud “it is doing... warm (weather)” They also use the set phrase ‘il y a...’( there is...):
il y a du soleil * - it’s sunny
Literally:
* NOTE: in France, you will commonly hear “il y a ...” used in these two phrases, rather than “il fait ...”, which you may see in textbooks.
see Talking Dictionary
HOW FRENCH WORKS 1: Weather phrases
il y a... it there has “there is...
du vent
some wind”
‘il y a...’ can mean ‘there is’ OR ‘there are’: ‘il y a du soleil’ (“there IS sun”). ‘il y a les chats’ (“there ARE the cats”).
16.1
Early Start French 1 Sunny weather: Animation: Il y a du soleil. Children saying it is sunny: “il y a du soleil”.
2
HOW FRENCH WORKS 2: Running words together
French people like their spoken language to flow, so when they turn ‘il fait...’ into a question, they sound the ‘t’. Compare:
Cloudy weather: Animation: Il fait gris. Children saying it is cloudy: “il fait gris”.
il fait beau silent ‘t’
Quel temps fait-il?
you can hear this ‘t’
Is it harder to say “Quel temps fai..-il?” without a ‘t’? Try it!
KEY SOUNDS
Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?
temps, vent Heard before in: France trente as in fait, mauvais Heard before in: mère, mercredi as in beau, chaud Heard before in: jaune, aujourd’hui as in chaud Heard before in: chat, dimanche as in gris, il y a... Heard before in: avril, jeudi as in froid Heard before in: oiseau, trois as in pleut Heard before in: jeudi, bleu as in
Film 16 A1: shivering girl -“Il fait froid”.
Cold weather: Animation: Il fait froid Children saying that it is cold: “il fait froid”. Wet weather: Animation: Il pleut Children saying that it is raining: “il pleut”. Windy weather: Animation: Il y a du vent Children saying it is windy: “il y a du vent”. Snowy weather: Animation: Il neige Children saying that it is snowing: “il neige”.
Get used to the sounds
❑ Echoing: Select the ‘weather’ e-flashcards; By default, it asks the question “Quel temps fait-il?” - ask pupils to echo this, taking care with ‘key sounds’. Click on ‘?’ for the reply.
in temps, froid, chaud, mauvais, pleut Seen before in: vingt, juillet, souris see Talking Dictionary
1 2 Click ‘?’ for reply to question Pupils echo the words, e.g. “il fait mauvais”. Ask them to say in English what kind of weather would be described as ‘bad’ or ‘nice’?
16.2
Some phrases are based on verbs: ‘il pleut’, ‘il neige’. Others introduce the common and very useful phrase ‘il y a...’ (“there is...”), e.g ‘il y a du vent’. Children will find it helps if you explain clearly what they are echoing. Finally, look out of the window and say what the weather is actually like today, e.g. “il pleut.” Pupils echo the phrase.
1.16 Quel temps fait-il? call out, for example, “il y a du soleil”, a pupil from each team runs to the box. S/he selects an appropriate item, e.g. a pair of sunglasses, picks up the picture representing “il y a du soleil” from the table and brings it to you.
Respond with understanding
❑ Play “true or false?” 1 Show the e-flashcards again. This time, pause after you hear the question “Quel temps fait-il?” You say, for example, “il pleut”. Children respond, “Oui” if the picture shows rainy weather. If it doesn’t, they say “Non”. You can then click to hear the correct phrase. You could also use the activity sheet pictures for this game. ❑ Make multiple copies of the weather pictures on the activity sheets and give ONE picture to each pupil. When you call out, e.g. “il y a du soleil”, the pupils with the “it’s sunny” card hold up it for everyone to see. Some extra visual clues may help pupils at this early stage, e.g. shiver as you say “il fait froid” and fan yourself as you say “il fait chaud”. n To make this into a game, divide the class into two teams. Each team has an identical set of weather pictures (one for each child). When you call out the weather, e.g. “il neige”, the pupils holding the snow picture try to be first to jump up and echo “il neige”.
By using pictures as well as “props”, you can tell whether pupils understand the phrases. Some items in the dressing up box may be appropriate for more than one kind of weather.
Watch film 16 A2: Class routine
Mme. Antit’s class’s daily routine: Teacher and class greet each other: “Bonjour, les enfants”, “Bonjour, madame”. “Alors, qui est là aujourd’hui?” The teacher calls the register: Children answer “present(e)”, “absent(e)”
For the next activities, collect a large box of dressing-up “props” linked with weather, e.g. sunglasses, beach hat, fan, woolly hat, gloves, scarf, umbrella, rain hat, wellington boots, kite ...
(see fuller sequence and note in Ch.1.3).
■ You say what the weather is, e.g. “il fait froid”. Pupils take it in turns to go to the box and choose any items that represent “it’s cold”. When a child has put on, for example, the woolly hat and gloves, s/he says: “il fait froid”. ■ You ask, “Quel temps fait-il? ” Pupils take turns to go to the box and select one or more items. The rest of the class then has to guess what weather they are trying to show. ■ Prepare two boxes, each containing the same set of props to do with weather: e.g. an umbrella, sunglasses, gloves.... These will also be useful for Early Start French 2. Next to each box, place sets of weather pictures face up on table (use the activity sheets, or pictures from magazines, the internet etc). Divide the class into two teams. When you
What date is it?: Mme.Antit: “Quel jour sommes-nous?”, “jeudi”. “Quelle est la date aujourd’hui?” “Jeudi 4 juillet”. She writes the date on the board (see Ch.1.15).
Film 16 A2: “Quel temps fait-il? Regardez...”.
Mme.Antit: “-et quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui?” Sylvia, “Il fait gris”; Mme.Antit: “et il y a...?” Arthur,“Il y a du vent”; Mme.Antit: “Regardez!”. S h e p o i n t s o u t t h e w i n d o w. “ B o n , allez - on va se mettre au travail!” (Good, go on - we will get to work!)
16.3
Early Start French 1 What’s the weather today? We hear the question, “Quel temps fait-il?” and the replies... At the seaside... “Quel temps fait-il? Aujourd’hui il fait beau.” It’s perfect for sailing at Wimereux sailing school. Two boys shout from their boat: “Il fait beau”. At an inland sailing lake... It’s not so nice for children sailing on Lac Joly: “Est-ce qu’il fait beau aujourd’hui? “
Festival on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer: “Quel temps fait-il?” “Est-ce qu’il y a du vent? Oui, il y a du vent.” Is it windy?
Yes, it’s windy.
Look again at sounds
❑ Play “It’s that sound again” Now that the new words and sounds are familiar, pick out a “key sound” from this chapter’s new words. Ask children to suggest all the French words they know that also contain that sound. As the children’s vocabulary is expanding, you can repeat this with some of the other sounds. This will help them remember the French they already know. ❑ Play “Find the sound”where children find an example of a “special sound” in a number of word-cards scattered on the floor, and the whole class says that word.
Is it nice weather today?
“Non, il fait gris. Il y a du vent. Il fait froid aussi. Il fait mauvais.”
No, it’s cloudy. It’s windy. It’s also cold. It’s nasty weather
Respond with understanding
❑ Make multiple copies of the weather pictures from the activity sheet. Give a picture to each child in the class. Move around the room asking each pupil, “Quel temps fait-il?”. Pupils respond according to their picture. n Pupils can use multiple copies of the pictures on the activity sheet to play “snap”. n Pupils can use their puppets to have conversations about the weather.
Film 16 A2: Sailing at Lac Joly; “il fait froid!”
Girl: “Il fait froid aujourd’hui”. Boy: “Aujourd’hui il fait mauvais”. Quel temps fait-il? Aujourd’hui il pleut. On a rainy school-day... Girl: “Il pleut”. At Dennlys Parc theme park Est-ce qu’il fait beau aujourd’hui? Is it nice weather today? Oui, il fait beau. Il y a du soleil. Il fait chaud. Yes, it’s nice. It’s sunny. It’s hot. Boys: “Il fait chaud”. In the winter snow... Quel temps fait-il? Il fait froid. Il neige.
❑ Play “word snake” Display on the whiteboard, a sentence with the spaces and punctuation removed, e.g. “Aujourdhuiilneige”. Ask the class to help you put them back, then you say the sentence: “Aujourd’hui il neige”. When children have got the idea, give them other “word snakes” to do in pairs.
It’s cold. It’s snowing.
At the International Kite Festival...
Spot the SILENT letters
Show the e-flashcards again with text on or use your completed “word snakes”. Point to the final letter as you say the words; pupils gesture if it is heard or silent, e.g. “Il fait (NO) beau”; “Il y a du vent (NO)”; “Quel temps fait(YES)-il”... NOTE: look out for phrases which would be awkward to say with a normally silent “t”.
Film 16 A2: Flying a kite at Berck-sur-mer; “il y a du vent”
We see children and adults flying amazing stunt kites - even a huge octopus! -at the annual Kite
16.4
1.16 Quel temps fait-il? greetings, asking someone how they are, etc.) but NOT to say what the weather is! Each pair performs their mime to the rest of the class, who guess what the weather is. ❑ Geography/Technology - a weather dial: Pupils can design and make a weather dial for the class weather board (and a game).
EXTRA WORDS AND PHRASES
Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui? What’s the weather like today? (literally, “What weather is it doing today?”)
Est-ce qu’il fait beau (aujourd’hui)? Is it nice (today)? 3 Est-ce qu’il y a du vent? Is it windy? Est-ce qu’il neige? Is it snowing? see Talking Dictionary
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Daily routine: “What’s the weather today?” Ask pupils “Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui?” each morning as part of your routine of greetings, taking the register, asking the date, etc. See “Extra words and phrases” for some questions you can use as a teacher to prompt the children to talk about today’s weather. You can ask if that’s what the weather is like by adding “Est-ce que...” to a weather statement (see “How French works 3”).You can help children say what it is NOT doing at the moment, e.g. “Non, il ne neige pas”. HOW FRENCH WORKS 3: 3 Making a statement into a question
They cut a large circle from card, and divide it into segments like slices of a cake - illustrating each segment with different weather symbols. Fix a “pointer” in the centre to turn like a clock hand, and set it to indicate today’s weather. The dial can also be used for a game, played in pairs. One pupil spins the pointer and asks the other, “Quel temps fait-il?” ❑ Music: singing about the weather: They could write a weather song to a familiar tune (e.g.“Frère Jaques”). Discuss possible rhymes, and how syllables fit with the tune. ❑ Art and design: Claude Monet and the Impressionists: Select the presentation, ‘Monet’s paintings of weather’. Each picture matches Monet paintings with different sorts of weather, e.g. “il y a du soleil”. Click on the ‘i’ for more information on each picture.
French people turn a statement like ‘il fait beau’ into a question, by adding ‘Est-ce que...’ (Is it that...?)
Est-ce qu’(e)...
(Literally) Is it that...
il fait beau? it’s nice?
NOTE you run ‘que’ and ‘il’ together so it flows in speech: ‘qu’il’
❑ Daily routine/ICT/Geography: “Quel temps fait-il en France?” Pupils can use the internet to research what the weather is like in France - possibly focusing on a town or area you have links with. ❑ Geography/science: If pupils take weather readings outside on a daily basis, they can announce them in French, eg “30 - aujourd’hui il fait chaud” (or “30 degrés ...”). They could write it on the class weather board. ❑ Drama: Play “the miming game” Pupils work in pairs. Give each pair a picture showing a kind of weather. They have 5 minutes to prepare a mime to represent this weather. They can use speech only if it is in French (e.g.
16.5
Children can explore how Monet has created the impression of that sort of weather, e.g the sunny garden has pale, light bright colours with dark sharp-edge shadows. They can search online for other examples by Monet. See “Talking Point 1”. They can produce artwork of their own in the style of Monet.
Early Start French 1 Talking point 1
Monet and French weather
Monet’s studio Once he could afford it, he built an extra barn in his house out in the country for finishing off his large canvases indoors.
Claude Monet was a famous and long-lived French painter who set out to paint the French countryside in all sorts of different light and weather. He often painted the same scene - like his own garden and its famous lily pond and bridge. He would paint at varying times of day and in different seasons.
...but also built a huge indoor studio to finish large canvases.
The Mistral We think of the South of France as warm, but sometimes a cold wind, “le Mistral”, blows down from the mountains at up to 100 km/hour. Monet showed this in one of his paintings, with choppy sea, boats sailing, and a clear view across the Mediterranean Sea to the Alps in Italy.
Monet painted his own lily pond and Japanese bridge.
He and his friends were called the “impressionists”, because they painted outdoors with big brush strokes and dabs of colour - giving an “impression” of a scene rather than accurate detail.
“The Mistral” - painted on a visit to the South of France.
Monet painted outdoors using big dabs of colour...
16.6
1.16 Quel temps fait-il? Talking point 2
International Kite Festival
Kites have been a popular pastime in China and Asia for centuries, where their sport was kite-fighting: they tied knives to a kite, and tried to manoeuvre it to cut the string of an opponent’s kite, so it flew away helplessly!
Film 16 A2: Novelty kites like this enormous cat and the giant octopus below are very poplular
Film 16 A2: Flying a kite at Berck-sur-mer; “il y a du vent”
In recent years, kite enthusiasts from Asia and all over the world have been invited to an annual festival held on the windy beaches of Berck-sur-Mer in Nord-Pas de Calais. You see in the film large and elaborate kites - and skilled kite-flyers who control multiple kites in formation, like a ballet in the sky! Berck-sur-Mer’s Kite School features in Early Start French 2, which has an activity sheet for making your own simple kite.
16.7
Quel temps fait-il?
Je m’appelle ...........................
This page may be photocopied for classroom use
Š 2018 Early Start Languages
Quel temps fait-il?
Je m’appelle ..........................
This page may be photocopied for classroom use
Š 2018 Early Start Languages
Quel temps fait-il?
Je m’appelle ..........................
This page may be photocopied for classroom use
Š 2018 Early Start Languages