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Bienvenue à la France! - Welcome to France!
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Bonjour!
Years 1-4 are learning French and finding out about France. France is one of the largest and most important countries in Europe as well as being one of Great Britain's nearest neighbours. Here are some of the things that we have been learning, and some links to other sites where you can find out more.
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Facts about France
We used Google to find out some facts.
President of France: Nicolas Sarkozy
Population: 61.9 million (UN, 2008)
Capital: Paris
Imports: machinery, chemicals, oil
Exports: transport equipment, agricultural products including wine
Area: 543,965 sq km
Main language: French
Main religion: Christianity
Climate: similar to UK in the North but warmer in the South
Neighbours: Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, UK (although we are separated by the English Channel)
Famous French People
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(1809-1852)
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invented the system of raised dots which form letters for the visually impaired to read |
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(1028-1087)
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in 1066 he invaded England with his army and killed English King Harold |
| Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) |
was Queen of France until she was executed during the French revolution |
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(1840-1926)
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was a leading impressionist painter |
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(1769-1821)
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was an important French army general and became Emperor of France after the revolution |
| Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) |
designed the famous Eiffel tower for an exhibition in 1889 |
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(1412-1431)
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a village girl who led the French army into battle against the English |
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(1867-1934)
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a pioneering scientist who made discoveries about radioactivity and won two Nobel prizes |
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(1908-1986)
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a French writer, philosopher and feminist | |
French Landmarks
We used Google Earth to find satellite images of some famous French landmarks. Click on the links to view in Google Maps.
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French Food
France is well known for its fantastic food.
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Le petit déjeuner
French breakfast is usually a delicious buttery croissant, bread, jam and café au lait (milky coffee) or hot chocolate.
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Steak frites
This is food you might eat in a typical French brasserie (restaurant) - steak, chips and salad.
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Les fromages
France produces some of the best cheese in the world. It is thought there might be more than 1,000 different types of French cheese. Some of the most famous are Brie, Camembert and Roquefort.
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Frogs legs and snails?
Actually, the French do not often eat frogs legs and snails, although you might sometimes find them fried in butter, garlic and herbs in some restaurants.
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French Shops
The French enjoy shopping in small specialist shops as well as large supermarkets. We looked at the sort of shops you would find in a typical French village.
La boulangerie
Bakers
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La charcuterie
Delicatessen
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La maison de la presse
Newsagent
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La boucherie
Butchers
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Le magasin de jouets
Toy shop
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La poste
Post office
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La poissonerie
Fishmongers
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Le supermarché
Supermarket
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L'épicerie
Grocers |
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La Musique
We used the website Poisson Rouge to find out about French words for musical instruments. Here are some of the instruments that we looked at:
Un violon
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Violin
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Une contrebasse
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Double bass
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Une trompette
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Trumpet
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Une clarinette
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Clarinet |
Une flûte
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Recorder
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Un tuba
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Tuba |
Un saxophone
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Saxophone
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Un piano
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Piano |
Une guitare
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Guitar
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Un banjo
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Banjo |
Un triangle
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Triangle
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Un tambour
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Drum |
Des maracas
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Maracas |
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Une cloche
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Bell |
Un trombone
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Trombone |
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Un mètronome
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Metronome |
We also learned about the French composer Hector Berlioz. He was born in 1803 and died in 1869. He travelled widely all over Europe and composed some lovely music including the Symphonie Fantastique. This music was written after he fell in love with an actress. You can hear more about the story of the music in this video clip.
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French Schools
We learned about the differences between French and English Schools. Here are some of the things we talked about:
France
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England
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Start school at age 6 years
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Start school at age 4 years
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Wednesdays are often free or half days for sport and activities
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School on Mon-Fri
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No exams in L'école Élémentaire (primary school)
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SATS in Y2 and Y6
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French children get lots of homework
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English children don't have to do much homework
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French children have a 2 hour lunchbreak and eat a three course meal in their school or go home for lunch
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In England, children usually get an hour for lunch and have school dinners or a packed lunch
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The school day is usually at least an hour longer than in England 8.45am-4pm
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Our school day is from 9am-3.15pm
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No school uniform
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Most schools have uniform
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See if you can find out more about differences between French and English schools. Use the links below to help you:
How long are French school holidays?
What playground games do children in France play?
Are French schools more strict than in England?
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