Title: Exploring the Past: Using Passé Composé in French

Grade Level: 7th Grade Subject: Core French Duration: 45 minutes

Objectives: 1. Introduce the concept of passé composé and its formation in French. 2. Enable students to understand and use passé composé to talk about past events. 3. Provide opportunities for students to practice and reinforce their understanding of passé composé through interactive activities.

Materials: - Whiteboard or blackboard - Markers or chalk - Handouts with sentences in the present tense for students to convert into passé composé - Flashcards with verbs in the infinitive form - Small slips of paper with past events written on them - Timer or stopwatch

Procedure:

1. Warm-up (5 minutes):
   • Begin the lesson by asking students to share a memorable event or experience they had recently. Encourage them to use the present tense to describe the event.
   • Write a few of their responses on the board.
2. Introduction to Passé Composé (10 minutes):
   • Explain to students that the passé composé is a verb tense used to talk about completed actions or events in the past.
   • Write the formula for forming passé composé on the board: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (avoir or être) + Past Participle.
   • Provide examples of regular verbs conjugated in passé composé using the auxiliary verb “avoir” (e.g., J’ai mangé, Tu as joué, Il a parlé).
   • Explain that some verbs use the auxiliary verb “être” instead of “avoir” and write a few examples on the board (e.g., Je suis allé(e), Tu es arrivé(e), Elle est partie).
3. Guided Practice (15 minutes):
   • Distribute handouts with sentences in the present tense and ask students to convert them into passé composé using the appropriate auxiliary verb and past participle.
   • Monitor their progress and provide assistance as needed.
   • Review the answers as a class, discussing any common mistakes or challenges.
4. Interactive Activity (10 minutes):
   • Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
   • Give each group a set of flashcards with verbs in the infinitive form.
   • Instruct the students to take turns picking a flashcard and using passé composé to create a sentence about a past event using that verb.
   • Encourage them to be creative and use different subjects and past participles.
   • Set a timer for 2 minutes per turn, allowing each group to have multiple rounds.
   • After the activity, have a brief discussion about the sentences created and any difficulties encountered.
5. Application and Consolidation (5 minutes):
   • Distribute small slips of paper with past events written on them to each student.
   • Instruct them to write a sentence about the event on the slip of paper using passé composé.
   • Collect the slips and randomly read them aloud, asking the class to identify the verb tense used.
6. Conclusion (5 minutes):
   • Recap the main points discussed during the lesson, emphasizing the formation and usage of passé composé.
   • Encourage students to practice using passé composé in their daily conversations and written work.

Note: Adjust the duration of each activity based on the pace and needs of your students.