Two snakes and ladders-style dice games to practise the perfect tense using être verbs. Students have to answer a question in each box. Good for Y9, a fast Y8 or weaker Y10. CEFR A1/2.

Video listening. This is a cooking demonstration - how to make a crêpe. Lots of vocab is given. The there is a gap-fill description to complete with the vocab. The presenter is a French Canadian woman, so students get to hear that accent. Good for Higher GCSE. CEFR A2.

A 'correct the transcript' task (aka 'faulty transcript'). The teacher reads aloud a script as students look at their own which has differences. Students must underline where they hear differences and mark in what they hear. The topic is 'Ma journée scolaire typique'. Suitable for Higher Tier GCSE. CEFR A2. These tasks are good for making students listen carefully, transcribe and think of variations in language.

A starter for Y8. 'Missing verb.' 25 slides, each with a simple sentence with its verb missing. Almost all first person singular. These starters can also be used as fillers, plenaries or within a lesson plan. CEFR A1.

Video listening. This is a report on the problems finding seasonal workers on the Ile de Ré. Sentences to complete with options provided (AS level, Y12). Make it harder by removing the options (Y13). CEFR B1.

A very easy crossword starter for beginners (pdf). French to English sentences to translate. Display or print off. CEFR A1.

Four short reading texts with gaps to fill (with options provided). Good for Y12, or maybe Y13. Answers given. You could toughen it up with more gaps. the texts could also be exploited in other ways, of course. CEFR B1.

Video listening (with optional captions). This another in the excellent Portrait d'enfant series from Arte. Khady is a teenager from Dakar. The narrator talks about her family and her favourite pastime surfing. The task is to watch, listen (with or without captions), then correct false statements. Y9-11. CEFR A2.

A translation crossword (pdf) on pastimes. Clues are short sentences or words to be translated into French. Answers given. Easy Y10. Or use with a good Y9 class. CEFR A1/A2.

I have made some light updates to the AQA and Edexcel A-Level 'knowledge portfolios', adding a few recent facts and figures. These brief booklets contain facts and figures on sub-themes. The aims are to help students have some information to throw into their conversations and provide some general knowledge.