2.6 Quelle heure est-il?
2.6 Quelle heure est-il? What’s the time?
In this section pupils learn how to say the time in French and how to ask someone what the time is. They already know the numbers 1 to 12. We begin with the analogue clock, focusing at first on simply learning the hours, together with the words for midday and midnight.
Films to see A1 - What time is it? A2 - SONG “Quelle heure est-il?”
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
Planning your lessons
Quelle heure est-il? What’s the time?
Make “clocks” to use in activities; warm-up by reminding pupils of the numbers 1-12. Show film A1, and familiarise pupils with hearing and saying the time on the hour. If time permits, use e-flashcards to introduce other analogue clock times; ‘half-past’, ‘quarter to-’, etc, You may also prefer to use the ‘digital clock (see Ch.2.8). Topics to talk about include the history of clocks and presenting “a day in the life of a pupil”.
il est une heure il est deux heures il est trois heures il est quatre heures il est cinq heures il est six heures il est sept heures il est huit heures il est neuf heures il est dix heures il est onze heures il est douze heures il est midi il est minuit
Activities
Warm up
Start with a craft session to make clock faces with moveable hands. Do some counting and sums to remind pupils of the numbers 1-12. Sing the numbers song from Pack 1, ch.1.6.
it’s one o’clock it’s 2 o’clock it’s 3 o’clock it’s 4 o’clock it’s 5 o’clock it’s 6 o’clock it’s 7 o’clock it’s 8 o’clock it’s 9 o’clock it’s 10 o’clock it’s 11 o’clock it’s 12 o’clock it’s midday it’s midnight
Talking Dictionary
il est cinq heures il est six heures il est sept heures il est huit heures il est neuf heures il est dix heures il est onze heures il est douze heures il est midi il est minuit Midday in the town of Douai: The clock on the belfry next to the town hall says that it is midday: il est midi. High up in the belfry, the bells ring out as they do every day at this time. See this chapter’s “talking points” for more about belfries and Douai’s carillon of bells.
Watch film 6 A1 “Telling the time”
❑ Watch film A1:“Quelle heure est-il?” to introduce new words for telling the time. Clocks ticking: Quelle heure est-il? Animated clockface: the hands turn on the clock showing each hour passing. il est une heure il est deux heures il est trois heures il est quatre heures
6.1
Early Start French 2 KEY SOUNDS
Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?
as in midi,
minuit, demi(e) Heard before in: j’habite ville piscine samedi souris as in heure, Heard before in:
Saint Omer station clock, from film A1: “Il est deux heures”.
Clocks on different buildings: at various times of day. Quelle heure est-il? Il est deux heures. Quelle heure est-il? Il est six heures. Quelle heure est-il? Il est une heure. Everyday activities: “Quelle heure est-il?” Starting the school day -“Il est neuf heures”. Playtime - “Il est onze heures”. Eating lunch in the canteen - “Il est midi”. Eating lunch in the canteen - “Il est midi”. Lessons in the classroom - “Il est deux heures” Going home from school - “Il est cinq heures”. Shopping in the supermarket - “Il est sept heures”. The streets at midnight - “Il est minuit”.
Get used to the sounds
minuit, et quatre j’habite salut
as in Heard before in:
minuit huit nuit
et demie Heard before in: le, de, vendredi as in et demie Heard before: marché,école, cahier as in
Talking Dictionary
❑ Ask individual pupils to come to the front of the class and move the hands of the toy clock to show a time of their choice. The rest of the class has to say what time it is.
❑ Echoing: Show the e-flashcards to hear the question, “Quelle heure est-il?” and the reply “Il est une heure”, “Il est deux heures” etc. Alternatively, turn the hands on a toy clock. The pupils echo each phrase after they hear it, taking care with the “key sounds”.
❑ Show the e-flashcards (or the film with sound turned down). Pupils call out the times shown on the clocks.
Then start again; this time show the text.
Respond with understanding
❑ Prior to this lesson, ask each pupil to make a simple clock with moveable hands. You call out different times; the children move the hands on their clocks to show the time that you say.
6.2
❑ Give each pupil a copy of the activity sheet. Call out a series of different times. Pupils draw the correct time on the clock faces. If you are going to include “il est midi” or “il est minuit”, you could ask them to draw a sun or a moon by the side of the clock. ❑ Play “clock bingo” Give each pupil a copy of the activity sheet. Ask them to draw in hands on the clock faces
2.6 Quelle heure est-il? to show the hours of their choice. They can draw a sun to represent midday and a moon to represent midnight. You call out different times in random order. Make a note of which times you have called so that the winner’s sheet can be checked. ❑ Do a “Mexican wave” with the hours. Pupils form a circle with their chairs. Beginning with “il est une heure”, each pupil says the next hour one after another in rapid succession. As they speak, pupils stand up and promptly sit down again as soon as they have said the hour. When 12 o’clock is reached, one pupil can say “il est douze heures”, the next “il est midi” and the last child “il est minuit”. If the children normally sit in groups, the “wave” can take place round each of the class tables. See which table reaches “il est minuit” first. ❑ Play “human clock” 1 Ask everyone to stand up and face the same way (and at least an arm’s length between each child). Call out different times. The children use their arms to “act out” the times. ❑ Play “human clock” 2 Ask one child to come to the front of the class. S/he stands facing in the same direction as the other children. Ask another pupil to call out a time. Pupil one is the “human clock” and uses his/her arms to “act out” the time. Repeat this with other pairs of pupils. ❑ When pupils are confident with being able to say the hours, the next step is being able to ask what the time is. Each pupil has a card with a clock face showing a particular time of day. (Pupils can make their own cards or you can prepare them beforehand as flashcards). Move around the room asking each child, “Quelle heure est-il?” Pupils respond according to the hour shown on their cards. To make this more amusing, the class puppet could ask the question. ❑ Ask pupils to swap cards so that each child has a new time to say. Everybody moves round the room asking each other the time, “Quelle heure est-il?” You can agree a signal beforehand which means that everyone swaps cards again.
6.3
❑ Play “guess the time” Invite one pupil to select a card showing a particular time and ask him/her not to show it to the class. S/he asks the class “Quelle heure est-il?” The other children have to guess what time is on the clock “(Il est) deux heures?”, “(Il est) cinq heures?” etc. The pupil with the card replies “oui” or “non” as appropriate. Whoever is first to guess the correct time, chooses the next card. ❑ Play “human clock” 3 Ask one child to come to the front of the class. S/he stands facing in the same direction as the other children. S/he “acts out” a time using his/ her arms and asks, “Quelle heure est-il?” The rest of the class has to say what time the “human clock” is showing.
Look again at sounds
❑ Play “It’s that sound again” Identify several “key sounds” in this chapter’s new words. See how many other French words you can remember which contain the same sound.
Watch film A1 again
❑ It is always a good idea to watch the films again for reinforcement. In film A1 there are pauses where pupils can call out the times, echoing the native speakers.
Working in pairs
❑ Pupils can use the activity sheet in pairs. Each child has a sheet. They take it in turns to call out a time and both draw that time on the clockfaces. They can then compare sheets to see if they have the same times in all the clockfaces.
Working in groups
❑ Pupils can play “clock bingo” in groups.
Introducing the written word
Young beginners are more likely to see the time written in figures or on a clock face, rather than written out in words. We suggest that you concentrate on building those associations, especially if you have pupils in your class who are still struggling to tell the time in English. If pupils hear the time spoken in French and can instantly associate this with the correct clock face - you have done very well.
Early Start French 2 ❑ You could repeat “human clock” 1 to 3 and other games, with round-the-clock times. You could use the digital clock, if you return to this after Ch.2.8:“Les nombres 40-200”.
The next part introduces time BEFORE and AFTER the hour using e-flashcards or a toy clock. When pupils are confident saying the time on-thehour in French, move to “extension activitirs”.
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Daily routines: Ask pupils “Quelle heure estil?” at various times during the day when it is close enough to the hour for them to answer “Il est une heure”, “Il est deux heures” etc.
Extension activities
When pupils are confident talking about times on the hour, you could extend their knowledge to “quarter past-”, }half past” and “quarter to-” the hour - see “extra words amd phrases”.
❑ Music: “Quelle heure est-il?” song
Watch film A2 - Song
❑ Watch film A2: “Quelle heure est-il?” to hear French children singing this catchy song. Quelle heure est-il? Il est une heure. Quelle heure est-il? Il est deux heures. Quelle heure est-il? Il est trois heures. Quelle heure est-il? Dépêche-toi! C’est l’heure! (hurry up! It’s time!) Pupils can join in with the song using their fingers to show the hour as they sing it. Sing it again; children clap each syllable. Seeing how music and French words fit together will help them make up their own tunes or chants for the hours. When the children are confident with the words, they can use the karaoke version to sing the song with just the backing track.
Again, take care with the “key sounds”. ❑ Using a toy clock, show e.g. “5 past 9 o’clock”, and ask them to echo: “Il est neuf heures cinq”. Show “5 to 9” and say: “Il est neuf heures moins cinq”. Pupils already know “moins” from their number work in Early Start French 1. Repeat with more examples. See “extra words and phrases”.
EXTRA WORDS AND PHRASES
When your pupils are confident with saying the hours in French, you could introduce “round-the-clock” times (see “extension activities”).
Il est neuf heures cinq Il est neuf heures et quart Il est neuf heures et demie Il est dix heures moins le quart Il est dix heures moins cinq
-
It’s five past nine It’s a quarter past nine It’s half past nine It’s a quarter to ten It’s five to ten
Il est huit heures du matin - It’s 8 a.m. ...de l’après-midi - ...p.m. (afternoon) ...du soir - ...p.m. (evening) The pronunciation of these additional phrases can be heard in the “Talking Dictionary” Talking Dictionary
6.4
2.6 Quelle heure est-il? ❑ Art and design: Pupils can prepare a frieze showing their own daily routines. They can draw clock faces to show the times of day when the activities take place. ❑ ICT/ Literacy (creative writing): In “talking points 1” we suggest pupils make a “day in the life of ...” photo-diary to send to your French partner school. ❑ PE: Play “M. le Loup, quelle heure est-il?” This is a French version of “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?”. You need a large space for this game - the hall or playground. Children stand in a line at one end. Pick two confident children; both are “Monsieur le Loup”. They stand at the other end, facing the class. The class calls: “M. le Loup, quelle heure est-il?” The two distant children reply, “Il est une heure”. The class takes one step forwards. This is repeated: “M. le Loup, quelle heure est-il?” “Il est deux heures” (2 steps forwards) and so on. At 12 o’clock, the two children on the far side of the hall call, “Il est midi!” and run to catch the others before they can get back to base. Anyone who is caught joins the chasing team and the game starts over again. ■ A variation is to allow a spokesperson for the chasing team to call, “Il est midi!” at any time. This means that the children will have to listen to the French, and will not be able to predict when it is time to run away. ❑ Drama: Play “the miming game” Pupils work in pairs. Give each pair a clockface showing a time. Pupils have 5 minutes to prepare a mime to represent that time of day. They can use speech only if it is in French (e.g. greetings, what day of the week it is) but they cannot, of course, say what time it is! Each pair performs the mime to the rest of the class. The class has to guess what time is being represented. Note: Establish beforehand whether children are to mime what happens in France, or in your country.
6.5
Talking point 1
Daily routines
Watching film A1, pupils will see snapshots of a French child’s day in term-time: ■ in lessons by 9am (registration is earler); ■ morning break at 11am ■ lunch in the school canteen midday - 2pm; ■ leaving school at 5 p.m. - a long school day! Schools in other parts of France may keep different times. Most children will usually have a light snack when they arrive home from school. They will then often go on to do other activities.
Railway passengers need to know the correct time.
Shopping hours For shopping, many shops and supermarkets now open Tuesday - Saturday, 9 am to 6 or 7 pm. In smaller towns, shops still traditionally shut for lunch, opening 8 am to 12.30; then 2.30 - 7pm. In many towns, shops are open and busy on Sunday mornings, but then close on Mondays. On public holidays (see Ch.1.12), most businesses are shut. Supermarkets and big city centre shops generally don’t close for lunch, and big supermarkets may stay open until 9 or 10 pm. Most French restaurants take orders for lunch between noon and 2 pm, and dinner from 7.30 to 9.30 pm - reflecting the traditional times when people sit down to those meals at home. Brasseries offer drinks, snacks and simpler meals throughout the day, whilst cafés offer just drinks and snacks.
Early Start French 2 Cultural awareness You could talk with pupils about telling the time in their lives: ■ When do they need to know the time? ■ How do they find out what the time is? ■ Do they ever use public clocks like the ones they have seen in France? ■ Are there any public clocks in your community? What sort of buildings are they on? ■ Do you ever hear bells ringing out the time? Do the bells play a tune as well?
Talking point 2
Public clocks
The film showed several large clocks in public places. Years ago, watches and clocks were very expensive, and very few people could afford to buy them - so public clocks were very important and useful in people’s lives.
Cultural awareness 2 ■ Pupils could prepare a “day in the life of” photo-diary to send to their partner school. This could be done either as individual “diaries” or by the whole class. The diaries do not have to be written in French - pupils can draw clock faces to represent the times, and use drawings or photos to explain what they do. They could label pictures in French, but simple comments in English might also be welcomed by the French school. ■ Discuss with the children what they do at different times, and what would be good things to show in their “diary” pictures. What might French children be interested to see?
In Douai you hear this large bell tell everyone the hour - just count the number of times it rings!
Bell towers The film shows the clock on the bell-tower above Douai Town Hall in northern France. At midday, the large bell rings 12 times, then a musician plays a tune on the “carillon” -a set of 62 bells. He thumps his fists on levers arranged like piano keys, which pull wires to ring different bells, each with a different note. Four tunes are played in rotation: on the hour, at quarter-past, half-past, and at quarter-to.
RECORDING & ASSESSMENT
Children are now ready to record their achievements on the “can-do statements”. Sheet 2 covers from: 4. TALKING ABOUT MY SCHOOL to 6. TELLING THE TIME. (Find it after chapter 2.16, where there are notes on how to use self-assessment). Each child could add his or her completed sheets to their Languages Portfolio. The belfry on Douai Town Hall is one of the oldest in France.
Bells were used to announce the time long before clocks were invented. Churches often had bell-towers to remind people when it was time for a service. But Douai’s main bell-tower is on the Town Hall, not a church or a cathedral.
6.6
Quelle heure est-il? Je m’appelle ...........................
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