French

During their French lessons, the students have enjoyed discovering some of the most famous French-speaking comic books like Tintin, Boule et Bill, Gaston, Astérix et Obélix. They found out where the first comics originated and how to create one from scratch. They developed their very own comics using... a storyline, characters, onomatopoeia and a punchline. Here are some of the soon-to-be-famous French comics: “L’anniversaire”, “L’arrestation”, “Devenir chevalier”, “Le pouvoir du skateboard”.

Our GCSE and A level French students set off for Paris on Thursday to rediscover (or discover) the sights and cultural richness of the French capital. With their teachers and their guide, the students visited le musee du Louvre and of course ensured they saw the Mona Lisa along the way. The group took... a stroll around Monmatre and walked the 280 steps at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. As the brunt of Storm Ciara started to take hold, the students only made it as far as the second floor of the Eiffel Tower but then enjoyed a final treasure hunt around the Marais neighbourhood before taking the Eurostar home today. It has been a wonderful way for four year groups to come together and make new memories as well as inspire their GCSE and A level studies in French for the coming months and years.

Year 9 pupils had the opportunity to practise their French speaking skills with renowned chef, JP Gravier, from the delicious local French restaurant “Le Petit Nantais”. The students were reading instructions in French and learning different methods of chopping and food preparation while making a... fruit salad and learning how to make a delicious chocolate mousse!

Year 5 students have been learning about the DROM during their French lessons this week. The DROM are French departments and regions overseas like La Guadeloupe, La Martinique, St-Pierre-et- Miquelon, La Nouvelle Calédonie, La Polynésie française, Les îles Kerguelen, Adélie, Wallis-et-Futuna etc.... Each student was assigned one territory to research and then create a poster displaying their findings. The students have been presenting their research during the course of the week, all spoken in French of course!

The Y1 children have been working on a project about ‘how to make a book’ which began in January. They took part in a number of writing workshops, during which they invented and wrote their own story and illustrated it. This was a project that we ran with the help of some sixth-form students. During... the project we also welcomed the French illustrator Marianne Barcilon who delivered workshops to Y1, Y2 and Y3 in February, thanks to the support of the HCH Friends. The book is in French, but it is also translated in English for the whole school to read.

Staff and pupils are looking forward to ‘Francophone Week’ at Hampton Court House, celebrating the language and culture of the world’s many French-speaking countries.
Each classroom will have the flag of a country where French is (one of the) official languages, plus some economic and cultural... information of that country. There will be special lunchtime assemblies, workshops, French films and talks to encourage students to discover the Francophone culture beyond France.

The pupils in Y4 were delighted to receive their first penfriend letters from the students in Ecole Jules Ferry Limay, 30 miles outside Paris. They are now excited to write back to their new friends using their French writing skills.