Premiers Pas 1 follows the new specification for Junior Cycle French, providing an exciting opportunity to modernise how young learners experience the French language for the first time.
Premiers Pas 1 is an innovative and fresh way to introduce students to French language learning. It enables students to reach basic proficiency levels in spoken and written French while developing their cultural and intercultural awareness. It helps students learn to plan and evaluate their progress in French.
Features include:
- Integration of all five language skills (listening, reading, spoken production, spoken interaction, writing) throughout, using a thematic approach.
- Encouragement of the use of French in the classroom through the use of French instructions. The Vie scolaire feature in each unit supports this by introducing useful classroom phrases.
- Adoption of a student-centred approach, with continuous opportunities for games, pair work and group work. The Carrousel station work provides an active way to revise and consolidate the content of each unit.
- A reflection of modern communication (in particular among 12–15 year olds), e.g. emails, messages, social media posts and video blogs.
- Allowance for classroom differentiation, e.g. through additional Point en prime exercises.
- A focus on specific details of French pronunciation. Video and audio recordings support this aspect of the student’s language learning.
- An emphasis on cultural and intercultural content in every unit, both as topics arise thematically through a series of Fiches découvertes, and through independent Dossiers on festivals and celebrations in the French-speaking world.
- Inclusion of authentic texts thematically as part of each unit, e.g. Le Petit Nicolas, Mon Petit Quotidien.
- Use of a variety of oral and written assessment techniques, e.g. student presentations, role-plays, projects. The Défi four-step assignment feature in each unit allows students to work at their own pace to develop a portfolio of work.
