French Phonics in KS2. A Simple Guide for Teachers
Teaching French phonics KS2 primary phase has now become an essential and non-negotiable component of any primary French learning pathway. Phonics is only one of three pillars but is the one that can seem the most daunting - especially for staff that are not linguists or specialists. French pronunciation for teachers can create increased anxiety as they feel they lack the knowledge and skills but there are things that can support teachers. Teaching phoneme-grapheme relationships in the foreign language will positively impact and support the pupils and ensure they make the expected progress so read on for how to ensure you have the necessary tools!
Before starting a learning pathway
Decide the total number of French phonemes you wish your pupils to cover by the end of primary phase. How long and how often are French lessons? This will affect the number of KS2 French sounds your pupils can realistically cover. Over a four-year period of sustained and embedded French lessons, 15-20 phonemes are a realistic goal. If pupils are moving over to another scheme/resource and haven’t had embedded and sustained teaching then lower the number of phonemes in their final year of primary school.
Which French Phonemes?
This will depend on the SoW but consider phonemes to be almost like a toolkit that will equip pupils with a group of French sounds that will help them read aloud, pronounce and speak with higher accuracy and authenticity. They will also recognise and decode more of what they read in the foreign language. Choose sounds that are high frequency but will also appear in the vocabulary that the pupils will learn and see during this key phase in French. Look at the units/themes and ensure the phonemes picked appear often so that pupils will hear and see these sounds to aid long memory retention and quicker recall. An example of ten key French phonemes to include could be:
Teaching of Phonics
Phonics should be planned into any SoW and staff should be aware that teaching phonics in another language is very different to teaching in the first language. Decide which phonics should be taught when explicitly. Pupils will implicitly cover a lot through exposure to the language (listening, reading, speaking, singing etc) but explicit teaching in phonics is key. Our recommendation is always to show the pupils all the French sounds you expect them to cover by the time they leave primary with a mat/visual/audio from the very start that they can refer back to and tick off but then focus explicitly on 4-5 at a time. Ensure that 15-20 are covered by the end of primary phase. Teach the sounds explicitly by showing pupils where the sounds are made i.e. back or front of mouth placement of the tongue, lip shape etc. Let the pupils hear and say these sounds many, many times through repetition, songs and diagnostic activities - they need to become familiar with making these sounds themselves so it becomes natural as some French sounds are not instinctive to English speakers as they are sounds that we do not have/make. Then move quickly (in the same lesson) to word and phrase level. French phonemes can change speed slightly when they are surrounded by other sounds in words and phrases so always link the sound to a key word they will encounter to help it stick. Ensure those key phonemes for that year are revisited as often as possible in the units of work covered and previously learnt ones into activities too as pupils progress. Gradually increase the complexity and challenge as pupils learn and remember more.
Primary French Pronunciation
Don’t forget to also make time to include focus on ‘other’ linguistic concepts attached to French pronunciation, using the same ideas as shared above.
For example:
Silent letters and consonants at the ends of words
Different accents on words
Letters ‘e’, ‘h’ and ‘r’
Liaison
Carefully planned, the teaching of phonics can have a significant impact on the overall language learning journey improving not only pronunciation but also understanding!
