This is the perfect story to use in your first lesson back in September!
You can watch the vlog I recorded about it here, as an introduction to the story.
Language of text: French
Type of text: picture book
Author or source: Stephanie Blake
Intended age of students: Key Stage 1/2
Source reference: 9782211089333
This is the story of the day Simon was due to go to school for the first time. He is not too keen, to say the least!
I want to teach the phrase “ça (ne) va pas, non?” to the children so they can join in every time Simon says it… which is many times!
The children would love to re-enact the story as a play, focusing on the spoken language from the story only.
Rationale:
It is a great story to use just before or after any big break from school, not just the first time a child goes to school ever. I think most children probably feel a little anxious, especially after the longer summer break, and this story deals with those anxieties over learning, fitting in, food… It is ok to be scared!
It includes some interesting phrases about emotions, like “j’ai peur”.
It also shows French handwriting, numbers and days.
Outcomes:
Cultural bonus: as Simon goes to school in France, you can see him have a nap in bed after lunch!
The children will learn some very useful phrases in French thanks to this story, including time adverbial phrases. Older KS2 pupils could come up with their list, in French, of things you do in school, eg tu vas apprendre…
Topics or themes:
going back to school; saying how you are feeling; vocabulary relating to the topic of school
Grammar:
second person singular, tu, with high frequency verbs, inclusding “tu vas + infinitive”; the negative form (informal and formal)
How much time required:
1 lesson
I have found some lovely resources to help you exploit this story further: here and many more here. These would keep your children busy for a while!
You can read here other blogs I wrote about books by Stephanie Blake and the character Simon ,incuding the most famous “Caca boudin”!
What is your favourite story for going back to school in September? My top 5 are here!
