Le passé et le présent

flashcards. Ask children to echo the statement, e.g. “dans le passé, il y avait des ardoises”, paying attention to pronunciation of “key sounds”.

n Switch between pairs of ‘past’ and ‘present’ statements; ask children to echo each one, e.g. “Dans le présent, il y a des cahiers”. Take care with “key sounds” (see box), especially “avait”

Topic-specific words

The classroom in 1907 and now dans le passé, il y avait.. (des ardoises) in the past, there were... (slates) dans le présent, il y a...(des cahiers) in the present, there are...(exercise books)

1907 classroom objects en 1907, il y avait...

...des plumes

Switch between past/present

For each statement, see if children can spot whether it is about the past or the present-see “how French works 3”.

n Watch the school photos in film A2 again, with sound OFF. Can children say each year? You could count the boys or girls in French.

Respond with understanding

❑ Play “Spot the difference”

Show film A2 again and ask children: “Quelles sont les différences?”. You could ask them to pick out what they noticed about the past classroom: “Qu’est-ce qu’il y avait?”

HOW FRENCH WORKS:

...de l’encre un tableau noir un globe terrestre des balances un sac d’école les tables de multiplication les règles de l’école un bonnet d’âne

- in 1907, there were...

- pens LIT feathers

- ink

- blackboard

- globe

- scales

- school bag

- multiplication tables

- school rules

- dunce’s cap

LIT, “a donkey’s hat”

REVISION: modern classroom objects aujourd’hui, il y a...

...des crayons des crayons de couleur des cahiers des stylos des calculatrices des ordinateurs

- today, there are...

- ...pencils

- crayons

- exercise books

- ballpoint pens

- calculators

- computers

Comparing now with the past - ‘there was (used to be)...’ / ‘there is...’

In Ch.3.1 children talked about ‘completed past actions’,e.g. ‘J’ai mangé...’ , ‘J’ai bu...’ dans le passé, il y avait deux écoles; aujourd’hui, il y a une école... in the past, there were two schools; today there is a school... il y a des livres et des crayons; en 1907 il y avait des livres, des ardoises...

- (‘I ate...’, ‘I drank...’ ). They don’t need to know that this is termed the ‘perfect tense’. Now they hear people talking about ‘there was/were...’, describing what used to be (over a period of time). Teachers will know this is the imperfect tense, e.g.

Most children should be able to show they can tell the difference between:

-“Qu’est-ce que il y avait?” as a question about ‘what used to be, in the past’

- “Qu’est-ce que il y a?”, which asks about ‘what there is now, in the present’.

Key Sounds

Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?

Talking point 1

EVERYDAY LIFE IN France

Madame Geyler-Bouduin as in... passé, présent, différences heard before in année, été, école as in avait heard before in Calais, mauvais as in...ardoise, noir, aujourd’hui heard before in oiseau, poisson as in... aujourd’hui, différences, multiplication heard before in fille, hiver as in... présent, avait seen before in c’est

New Words And Phrases

A2: Teacher questions

Quelles sont les différences?

What are the differences?

Qu’est-ce qu’il y avait?

What was there?

Qu’est-ce qu’il y a?

What is there?

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

❑ History - “Then & now”:

Give each group pairs of “then and now” photos of your school, or of a school your class is studying in history. You could add pairs of objects, e.g. using loans from a local museum. When children share each item with the class, they say the year it comes from, and name it in French (use bilingual dictionaries).

Ask them to spot the differences:

“Quelles sont les différences?”

“Qu’est-ce qu’il y avait en... (1948)?”

“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans le présent?”

In France, each community (“commune”) has to provide its own primary school building and facilities; the French government appoints and pays teachers and decides the curriculum.

Compulsory free primary schools

In the 1880s, French republicans were determined to ensure that French children no longer grew up under the influence of the Catholic church. They made attendance at primary school free and compulsory from age 6 to 13, and banned religious education and teaching by religious orders in state-funded schools.

Need for a school in Sars-Poteries

At the start of the twentieth century, Sars-Poteries had two rapidly growing glass factories that were taking on more workers who moved into the village with their families.

As a poor community of factory workers, SarsPoteries found it difficult to provide a bigger school for all its extra children. They had to go to nearby villages, or miss school altogether. Locally-born Madame Geyler-Bouduin came to the rescue with money to build a new school.

The benefactor’s speech

Mme Geyler’s speech at the opening ceremony was repeated at its centenary: “the school will help cultivate the children’s moral code; it will stop them being vagabonds; it will help prepare the boys for being agricultural workers or for military service; it will help prepare the girls for their future lives looking after the household....

...We need to form citizens who are free, honest, workers; truthful, informed patriots.”

The headteachers’s speech

The headteacher’s speech was also recreated for the centenary (but not included in film 9). He told the audience the story of Mme Geyler’s remarkable adventures, and how she came to be a local benefactor: “Mme Geyler was born in Sars-Poteries in the rue Pasteur (where the school is). She was intelligent and always at the top of the class. At 18 she went to live in Paris with her grandfather’s sister. Aspiring to knowledge and independence, she studied in a maternity clinic, then in the hospitals of Paris where she followed the professors in the clinics and at operations.”

Talking point 2

EVERYDAY LIFE IN France

‘La Marseillaise’ - the national anthem Remind the class of school children in Morocco (Ch.3.6) who sang their national anthem each morning and raised the flag.

French Revolution

The headteacher told how she met Louis Geyler, a republican who took part in the 1848 revolution against the kings reinstated after 1815. Louis refused to live in a country ruled by the Emperor and became an ex-pat in Brazil.

“Mme Geyler continued her work in Paris. When Louis returned to France, they married and the couple went to Venezuela, where she made a fortune using her medical knowledge, and saved the son of a high-up person. In 1872 Louis was killed in the Venezuelan forest by bandits. They were both awarded medals for services to Venezuela.”

Mme Geyler’s good works

“On returning to France she became part of the Society for elementary education. In 1889 her daughter died, and she decided to use her big fortune to do good works in her home commune, and joined with the municipality to create this school. In addition, she gave money to help the most deserving children. “ n What difference do you think the new school made to the children of Sars-Poteries? n Discuss with the class Madame Geyler’s expectations as expressed in her speech.

The French national anthem dates from the time of the French Revolution, when the people of France overthrew their King, Louis XVI. Following the storming of the Bastille prison and fortress in 1789, a Republic was declared in 1792, followed by the execution of the King for high treason.

Execution of the French King by guillotine, 1793. Monarchs of neighbouring European countries (Great Britain, Prussia and Austria), alarmed that their own citizens might follow this example, got together an army to invade France, capture Paris and restore the King to power.

Call to defend the French Republic

The new republic raised a citizen army to defend its western frontiers along the River Rhine. The mayor of Strasbourg asked Rouget de Lisle to compose a song “that will rally our soldiers from all over to defend their homeland that is under threat”.

Strasbourg was attacked just a few days later; the new song was sung by volunteers from Marseille (known as Marseilles in English) as they marched into Paris to help defend their country’s capital city.

The song became known as La Marseillaise, and it was used all over France as a rallying call to join the French Revolution.

Bloodthirsty lyrics

The song’s lyrics reflect this desperate situation. The lines “Do you hear the roar of those ferocious soldiers?... They’re coming... to cut the throats of our sons and women” speak of the desperation felt by ordinary French people faced with a “kill-or-be-killed” situation.

The invading forces were repulsed from France following their defeat in the Battle of Valmy, and the King was executed in 1793. The French Republic adopted the tricolore as its flag in 1794 and the Marseillaise as its anthem in 1795.

“la Marseillaise” The French national anthem

Allons enfants de la Patrie, Let’s go, children of the Fatherland, Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! The day of glory has arrived!

Contre nous de la tyrannie, Against us (is) some tyranny,

L’étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)

The bloody banner is raised, (repeated)

L’étendard sanglant est levé, The bloody banner is raised, Entendez-vous dans les campagnes

Do you hear, in the countryside, Mugir ces féroces soldats ?

The roar of those ferocious soldiers?

Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras

They’re coming right into our arms

Égorger nos fils et nos compagnes !

To cut the throats of our sons and women!

CHORUS:

Aux armes, citoyens, To arms, citizens, Formez vos bataillons, Form your battalions, Marchons, marchons !

Let’s march, let’s march!

Qu’un sang impur n When do you hear your national anthem? (sporting events, e.g. Olympics). n Compare the words of the French anthem with those of your own country’s. Is the tone and sentiment different?

That an impure blood

Abreuve nos sillons ! Waters our furrows!