Which room do you spend most time in at home? Think of one thing you always do there.
Today we tour Léa's family flat in a French city. We name eight rooms in French, then say what happens in each one, not just the name on the door.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name eight rooms of the house in French
- Say one thing you do in each room
- Notice how French city homes often differ from homes here
Take three or four quick answers about favourite rooms. Keep it light, smile at the quirky ones, and move on; the French words arrive on the next step. Frame the lesson as a friendly visit to Léa's flat so the rooms feel real, not like a word list. The board work runs to about 47 minutes; the last quarter of an hour is the Activity Book page at their desks after step 7 (no separate board step for it).
We are touring Léa's family flat near a busy square in Lyon. First we listen, then we repeat.
Listen to each room name with its article (le or la / l'). Say it with the class. When it is your turn on a card, say the French aloud before the flip.
Listen, then repeat: e.g. la cuisine
After the cards, we will learn one short sentence for each room together from the strip on the board.
Run the flashcards on the IWB. The cards already show every room, so do not re-read a word list aloud; work card by card.
Listen first, every time: play or model the French twice, class chorally repeats, then a volunteer may say it before the flip. Do not ask for unaided production on first sight. Insist on the full phrase with the article (e.g. la cuisine, not the noun alone). Celebrate full phrases: a clear answer deserves a big oui!
After the eight cards feel secure, write or display this fixed sentence strip on the IWB and run choral repeat of each full sentence (model twice, class once). Use only this closed bank; do not invent new verbs. Leave the strip visible for the rest of the lesson.
Model sentence strip (display in full on the IWB):
- Je mange dans la cuisine. (zhuh MAHNZH dahn lah kwee-ZEEN) — I eat in the kitchen.
- Je regarde la télé dans le salon. (zhuh ruh-GARD lah tay-LAY dahn luh sa-LOH(n)) — I watch TV in the living room.
- Je dors dans la chambre. (zhuh DOR dahn lah SHAHM-bruh) — I sleep in the bedroom.
- Je me lave dans la salle de bain. (zhuh muh LAV dahn lah sal duh BAN) — I wash in the bathroom.
- On dîne dans la salle à manger. (oh(n) DEEN dahn lah sal ah mahn-ZHAY) — We have dinner in the dining room.
- Je joue dans le jardin. (zhuh ZHOO dahn luh zhar-DAN) — I play in the garden.
- Je range mon vélo dans le garage. (zhuh RAHNZH moh(n) vay-LOH dahn luh ga-RAZH) — I put my bike away in the garage.
- Je laisse mon sac dans l'entrée. (zhuh LESS moh(n) sak dahn lahn-TRAY) — I leave my bag in the entrance.
Core pattern: Je … dans + room (with one On … for variety). Room phonetics while modelling cards: la cuisine (lah kwee-ZEEN), le salon (luh sa-LOH(n)), la chambre (lah SHAHM-bruh), la salle de bain (lah sal duh BAN), la salle à manger (lah sal ah mahn-ZHAY), le jardin (luh zhar-DAN), le garage (luh ga-RAZH), l'entrée (lahn-TRAY).
We take an oral tour of Léa's cutaway flat on the board. For each room we first say the full activity sentence together, then we place the French label.
When it is your turn: (1) lead the class in the model sentence from the strip, (2) say the room with le / la / l', (3) we place the label. Everyone else whispers the sentence and the room along with you.
Notice which rooms might feel smaller than in many Irish houses, and spot the balcony idea.
Different rhythm from flashcards: sentence-first, then label. Whole class on the IWB, volunteers in turn. No pupil devices. The label interactive already shows the rooms; do not re-list them. Keep the sentence strip from step 2 on screen and work room by room on the cutaway.
For each room, run this fixed order:
- Point to the room on the cutaway (or call the English name once).
- Class chorally says the matching model sentence from the strip (you model once if they hesitate). Use the exact strip from step 2; do not invent verbs.
- Volunteer says the room phrase with article; class whispers it.
- Place the label together. If wrong, say the correct room twice before moving on.
Keep energy high: this is a tour of Léa's home, not a silent labelling test. Quick pronunciation coach: long phrases like salle de bain and salle à manger are a mouthful; clap the rhythm and try again together with a grin.
Open your copy. The eight model sentences stay on the board.
Copy two sentences that are true for you (or almost true). You may swap the room if you keep the pattern Je … dans + room. Check each article and accent carefully.
Fast writers may add a third favourite from the strip.
Pause interactive play. Leave the full sentence strip from step 2 AND the eight room phrases visible so nobody invents unsupported verbs or spellings. This is write-from-support after oral practice (flashcards, label tour, and match-then-finish), not free composition.
Walk the room and check each line has a room with its article plus an action from the bank, for example Je dors dans la chambre or Je joue dans le jardin. Praise neat accents on entrée, télé, and à in salle à manger. Do not collect the copies; the point is every pen moving with support still on screen.
Support bank to leave displayed (same eight sentences as step 2):
- Je mange dans la cuisine.
- Je regarde la télé dans le salon.
- Je dors dans la chambre.
- Je me lave dans la salle de bain.
- On dîne dans la salle à manger.
- Je joue dans le jardin.
- Je range mon vélo dans le garage.
- Je laisse mon sac dans l'entrée.
Stems if a pupil only needs the verb half: Je mange / Je regarde la télé / Je dors / Je me lave / On dîne / Je joue / Je range mon vélo / Je laisse mon sac + dans …
Flip two cards at a time and find each French room with its English meaning. Say the French quietly as you turn each card.
After every match we build the sentence in two parts (not free invention):
- Class says the activity half from the strip (e.g. Je dors).
- The volunteer finishes with the room half (e.g. dans la chambre).
- Everyone repeats the full sentence once.
Different rhythm from the label tour: FR–EN match first, then a stem/room split so pupils produce half the sentence alone. Still whole-class IWB (volunteers or whole-class turns). The matching interactive already shows the room pairs; do not re-list vocabulary. Platform matching-pairs can only bind French room ↔ English meaning; the communicative objective is met by the mandatory oral follow-up from the fixed strip still on screen, not inside the pair binding.
After every match, run this fixed order (not optional):
- Cheer the French room aloud before the English.
- You (or the class) say only the activity stem from the strip, e.g. Je dors.
- Volunteer names the room half, e.g. dans la chambre.
- Class chorally says the full model sentence once (the same eight sentences from the step 2 strip).
If a pair is missed twice, stop and say the French room together before continuing. Keep every answer on the printed strip so a non-specialist can steer every line. Swap who leads the stem and who finishes the room on alternate cards to share the load.
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