This brief and simple project is intended for all schools, not just those in which French is regularly taught. In other schools, teachers may wish to use it to help their pupils realise that a foreign language is not a mysterious and comical thing, but a beautiful creation that gives up some of its meaning even on a short acquaintance.

Use the material as you wish - to support a school trip, or a visit to a European Internet website. You can use it to provide a challenge on a special occasion. It could also, of course, provide a slightly different and stimulating way into literacy hour activities.

The project is in French but teachers who speak other languages will quickly see how they can adapt the material for their own purposes.

Practise sequencing the days of the week under 3 headings...

Bonjour, Bonjour (Wave to partner)

Enchante de vous voir (Shake hands)

Bonjour, Bonjour (Wave to partner)

Bonjour, et au revoir. (Hide hands behind back)

Work out the correct sequence every day and sing this song. When the tune is confidently known, it can be sung as a 3-part round. (Sing each line of music twice.)Whilst singing - place hands on shoulders for ‘aujourd’hui’ (A); both hands above shoulders, pointing behind you for ‘hier’ (B); and both hands pointing straight ahead for ‘demain’ (C).

Aujourd’hui

dimanche

jeudi

lundi

vendredi

mardi

mercredi

samedi

hier

Practise sequencing the days of the week under 3 headings...

Work out the correct sequence every day and sing this song. When the tune is confidently known, it can be sung as a 3-part round. (Sing each line of music twice.)Whilst singing - place hands on shoulders for ‘aujourd’hui’ (A); both hands above shoulders, pointing behind you for ‘hier’ (B); and both hands pointing straight ahead for ‘demain’ (C).

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

Little Red Riding Hood is happy. She is going to visit her grandmother.

She is taking some bread and jam.

She goes out of the house and down the road.

First she meets the rabbit. “Good morning,” she says. Then she crosses the bridge and meets the frogs. “Good morning,” she says.

Then she enters the dark, dark wood. Then she meets the wolf. “Good morning,” she says.

The wolf asks, “Where are you going? What’s that you have?” “To visit my grandmother. I have some bread and some jam.”

The wolf runs to the grandmother’s house. He goes in and he locks her in a cupboard. He puts on her nightcap and he jumps into her bed.

Little Red Riding Hood meets a woodcutter. “Good morning,” she says.

Then Little Red Riding Hood arrives at the cottage. She goes in and she says, “What big ears you have, granny.

What big eyes you have, granny.

What big teeth you have, granny.”

“All the better to eat you with,” shouts the wolf and jumps out of bed.

Little Red Riding Hood shouts, “Help, help.” The woodcutter runs to the house and chases the wolf away. He opens the cupboard and releases the grandmother.

“Granny, granny,” shouts Little Red Riding Hood, “I have some bread and jam for you - not for the big, bad wolf.”

“It is all right, my dear. Let us have some bread and jam and some tea.” Little Red Riding Hood is happy again.

Le petit chaperon rouge

Le petit chaperon rouge est content. Elle va rendre visite a sa grand-m re. Elle lui apporte du pain et de la confiture.

Elle sort de la maison et emprunte le chemin.

Elle rencontre d’abord le lapin. “Bonjour” lui dit-elle. Elle traverse ensuite le pont et rencontre des grenouilles. “Bonjour” leur dit-elle.

Puis elle pen tre dans l’obscurite du bois. Puis elle rencontre le loup. “Bonjour” lui dit-elle.

Le loup demande “O vas-tu? Qu’as-tu donc dans ton panier?” “Je vais rendre visite a ma grand-mere et je lui apporte du pain et de la confiture.”

Le loup court jusqu’a la chaumire de la grand-mere. Il entre et l’enferme dans un placard. Il met son bonnet de nuit et saute dans son lit.

Le petit chaperon rouge rencontre un bucheron. “Bonjour” lui dit-elle.

Puis, le petit chaperon rouge arrive a la chaumiere . Elle entre et dit: “Mere-grand, que vous avez de grandes oreilles.

Mere-grand, que vous avez de grands yeux.

Mere-grand, que vous avez de grandes dents.”

“C’est pour mieux te manger” crie le loup qui saute du lit.

Le petit chaperon rouge crie “au secours, au secours”. Le bcheron court vers la maison et chasse le loup. Il ouvre le placard et delivre la grand-m re.

“Mere-Grand, mere-grand” s’ecrie le petit chaperon rouge. “J’ai du pain et de la confiture pour vous, pas pour le grand mechant loup.”

“Tout va bien, ma cherie. Prenons du pain et de la confiture avec du the.” Le petit chaperon rouge est a nouveau content.

Merci beaucoup

Merci beaucoup, beaucoup (Thank you very much)

Pour le joli cadeau (For the lovely present)

Que c’est joli, joli (It’s lovely)

Je vous en prie. (You’re welcome)

Can be performed by two groups: group one sings lines 1, 2, 3. Group 2 sings line 4. When the song is known confidently, it can be sung as a 4-part round.

Au revoir

Au revoir, au revoir, (Wave good-bye)

Tu rentres chez toi. (Point to someone else)

Au revoir, au revoir, (Wave good-bye)

Je rentre chez moi. (Point to self)

TEACHERS NOTES

Here are some ideas on how you can you use the project, assuming that there is no regular foreign language teaching in school and that your own knowledge of French is limited to what you did at school.

The songs “Aujourd’hui” makes an alternative “end of the day” song that children will enjoy. It says: “Goodbye, you are going home, Goodbye, I am going home.”

“Merci beaucoup” and “Bonjour” each teach a social grace, and some useful phrases.

In each song, try to use the actions or allow the children to devise their own.

Actions help to fix the words inthe memory.The story There are lots of ways of using the story - for example:

* Try reading the story aloud in French, and see if pupils pick up what it is about.

* Read the story and ask pupils: What is the French for “rabbit”?

What does “maison” mean?

What does “chemin” mean?

* Find French words that are recognisably similar to English ones, but which may be used in slightly different ways - “demande”, “bonnet”, “dents”. Discuss ideas about the common origins of languages.

Find examples which show that you cannot do a word-for-word comparison between the two stories - there are complicated examples and simple ones, such as what does le petit chaperon rouge shout where Red Riding Hood shouts “Help! Help!” * After studying the story, read it straight through aloud again in French, and discuss how easy it was to follow this time.

Project by members of the Primary Languages Network Story: retold by Daniel Tierney, senior lecturer, University of StrathclydeSongs: Catherine Cheater, a former languages advisory teacher.

The Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research holds its Primary Languages Show at Regent’s College, London, on March 5 and 6. Call 0171 379 5101