1 - Whose Birthday Is Next? ~5 mins
Whose birthday is next in this class? Say the month in English first.
Today you will name the months in French and write a full date, including your own birthday.
In France, the big summer holiday month is often août: whole towns slow down while families head away. You will meet that month today, and a famous French date too.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name the months of the year in French
- Give a full date, including your birthday
- Notice something different about how French writes month names
Take three or four birthday months in English only. Do not teach the French yet; the flashcards in the next step carry the first encounter. If several pupils share a month, that becomes useful later when the class lines up by birthday.
Plant the culture hook lightly: in France août is the classic getaway month, and le 14 juillet (Bastille Day) is the big national celebration. You will reuse le 14 juillet in the copy task.
This lesson’s productive set is ten months (the course cap). octobre and novembre follow the same -bre pattern as septembre and décembre; if a pupil’s birthday falls there, show that month on the board strip as a quick recognition add-on and let them copy it for their date.
2 - French Months on the Board ~10 mins
Here are the French months on the cards. Listen to each one first, then say it with the class. Flip only after you have heard and repeated it.
Watch for short, sharp months and longer mouthfuls. Keep your eyes on the spelling when the card flips.
Date stem (say it with the class):
Mon anniversaire est le …
mohn ah-nee-ver-SAIR eh luh …
(My birthday is the …)
Whole class on the board. For each card: play or say the French first, class repeats twice, then flip to confirm spelling and English. Do not ask pupils to guess the French before they have heard it.
Pronunciation guide (full set on the board today): janvier (zhahn-VYAY), février (fay-vree-AY), mars (mars), avril (ah-VREEL), mai (meh), juin (zhwan), juillet (zhwee-YAY), août (oot), septembre (sep-TAHM-bruh), décembre (day-SAHM-bruh). Slow-model the hard ones (janvier, février, juin, juillet, août). Race the class on the three short snaps: mars, mai, août, then praise a clean chorus.
Point out that none of the French month names start with a capital letter on the card. Leave the full month strip (French + English, small letters) visible for the rest of the lesson.
Chorus the date stem three times with the pronunciation line on screen: Mon anniversaire est le (mohn ah-nee-ver-SAIR eh luh). Save writing the full date for the copy moment. Celebrate the first clean class chorus of juillet; it is a mouthful and they earned it.
Quick culture beat: août is when much of France goes on summer holiday; juillet holds Bastille Day on the 14th.
3 - Month Bingo ~9 mins
You each have a bingo card. Listen for each month and mark it when you hear it. The first full line wins.
Say the French quietly as you mark it so the sound sticks.
How to Play Bingo:
Option 1: Students on Devices (Digital Version)
- Use the digital version where your teacher view of the lesson displays the cards that are being called out.
- Play the pronunciation sound of each word and the children mark it off their unique digital bingo card.
- Each student has a randomised bingo card so winners will vary!
Option 2: Print Out the Bingo Cards
- Print out the Bingo Cards from the attachment above, cut out the cards, and give one to each student.
- You call out the vocabulary words and students mark off their sheets.
- First student to complete a line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) calls "Bingo!" and wins.
4 - Into Your Copy ~4 mins
Open your copy. Keep the month list on the board in view. Write two full dates using the pattern below. You may copy the month spelling from the board.
Pattern:
Mon anniversaire est le 12 mars.
mohn ah-nee-ver-SAIR eh luh dooz mars
(My birthday is the 12th of March.)
- Your own birthday: Mon anniversaire est le …
- A French national day: le 14 juillet (Bastille Day), written in the same pattern, e.g. La fête nationale est le 14 juillet.
Month names stay in small letters. The day number sits between le and the month.
Pause other board apps and keep both the model date and the full French–English month strip visible. Everyone writes two dates: their birthday stem, then the fixed French date built around le 14 juillet. Allow glancing at the strip; the memorised part is the stem Mon anniversaire est le …, not every month spelling from memory.
Check small letters and the le + number + month order. If a birthday month is octobre or novembre (not in today’s productive ten), write that month on the strip for them to copy. Do not collect the copies.
Support: pair a unsure speller with a confident neighbour for a quick whisper-check. Extension: add la rentrée en septembre as a third line if they finish early.
5 - Match the Months ~9 mins
Flip two cards at a time and find each French month with its English name. Say the French quietly as you turn each card.
Second pass at the same ten months, now with spellings in view again before anyone writes. If a pair is missed twice, stop and say the French month together before continuing. Listen for the nasal sound in juin (zhwan) and the soft j in juillet (zhwee-YAY).
Keep the full month strip on the board beside the game so the class still sees small-letter French forms. Praise pairs that self-correct a near miss.
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