Class: Senior Secondary School 1 (SS1, SS 1, SSS1, SSS 1)
Term: 3rd Term
Week: 5
Age: 15 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: French Language
Curriculum Theme: French Language
Previous Lesson: Exprimer Ses Regrets: Regret Vocabulary and Writing.
Topic: Réagir à une opinion.
Subject Matter: Listening comprehension from an easy text; debate speaking on topics like television, polygamy, and favourite sport; asking what you think (qu’est-ce que tu penses ?); opinion expressions (à mon avis, je suis d’accord, je crois que, c’est sûr que, c’est certain que); negative forms (je ne pense pas que, ce n’est pas vrai que).

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain:

Define opinion and identify expressions used to ask for and react to opinions in French.
State the meanings and uses of qu’est-ce que tu penses, à mon avis, je suis d’accord, je crois que, c’est sûr que, c’est certain que, je ne pense pas que, and ce n’est pas vrai que.
Construct correct sentences to show agreement and disagreement during a debate.

Affective Domain:

Show respect for different opinions during discussions and debates.
Show confidence to speak politely and respond calmly even when disagreeing.

Psychomotor Domain:

Pronounce key opinion expressions correctly during speaking drills and debates.
Read an easy text and respond to it orally using suitable agreement or disagreement expressions.

Participate actively in group debates and take turns appropriately.
Work with classmates to present clear points and listen attentively to responses.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
State Unified Scheme of Work
Recommended French textbook for Senior Secondary Schools (e.g., French for Senior Secondary Schools, Book 1)
TV5MONDE Apprendre le français
Larousse French Dictionary
BBC Bitesize French

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

Easy reading texts (textes de lecture facile) with opinion statements
Oral production texts (textes de production orale) for debate practice
Audio materials: CDs or cassettes for listening comprehension
Debate prompt cards (television, favourite sport, school rules, hobbies)
Chart showing agreement and disagreement expressions
Short listening questions worksheet

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps pupils express and react to opinions in French during conversations and class discussions. It improves speaking and listening by teaching respectful agreement and disagreement in everyday topics.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can form simple French sentences, ask simple questions, and use basic connectors such as parce que to give reasons.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Réagir à une opinion (Reacting to an Opinion)

Meaning of opinion

An opinion is a personal view or belief about an issue. In French, opinions are expressed using fixed phrases, and reactions can show agreement or disagreement.

Asking for someone’s opinion

The following are common questions used to ask for an opinion:

Qu’est-ce que tu penses ? – What do you think?
Qu’est-ce que tu penses de la télévision ? – What do you think of television?
Qu’est-ce que tu penses du sport ? – What do you think of sport?

Expressing an opinion

The following are common expressions used to give an opinion:

À mon avis, … – In my opinion, …
Je crois que … – I think that …
C’est sûr que … – It is sure that …
C’est certain que … – It is certain that …

Showing agreement

The following are common expressions used to agree with an opinion:

Je suis d’accord. – I agree.
Je suis d’accord avec toi. – I agree with you.
C’est vrai. – That is true.
Oui, c’est sûr. – Yes, it is sure.

Showing disagreement (negative forms)

The following are common expressions used to disagree with an opinion:

Je ne pense pas que … – I do not think that …
Ce n’est pas vrai que … – It is not true that …
Je ne suis pas d’accord. – I do not agree.
Je ne suis pas d’accord avec toi. – I do not agree with you.

Examples of reacting to opinions

The following are examples of agreement and disagreement responses:

À mon avis, la télévision est utile. / Je suis d’accord.
Je crois que le sport est important. / C’est vrai.
C’est certain que la lecture aide les élèves. / Oui, c’est sûr.
À mon avis, la télévision est mauvaise. / Je ne pense pas que c’est vrai.
Je crois que mon sport préféré est le basket. / Je ne suis pas d’accord.
C’est sûr que tout le monde aime la télévision. / Ce n’est pas vrai que tout le monde aime la télévision.

Listening comprehension from an easy text

Listening comprehension involves understanding opinion statements and reactions in a spoken text.

The following are listening targets for this lesson:

Identify opinion phrases such as à mon avis and je crois que.
Identify agreement and disagreement responses.
Recognize the topic being discussed and the main viewpoints.

Debate speaking guidelines

The following are basic rules for speaking during a debate:

Speak clearly and use simple sentences.
Use at least one question to ask for an opinion.
Use at least two expressions of agreement or disagreement.
Take turns and avoid interrupting.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Lecture, Demonstration, Debate, Listening Practice, Question and Answer, Visual Aids

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Set Induction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils simple questions about their favourite sport and television habits, then introduces the topic and writes key phrases on the board.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond briefly and listen to the lesson focus.
Learning Point: Opinions can be asked and answered politely in French.

Step 2: Teaching how to ask for opinions

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation and Drill
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher teaches qu’est-ce que tu penses and models question forms with common topics, then drills pupils on pronunciation and sentence patterns.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat and ask questions in pairs using qu’est-ce que tu penses with different topics.
Learning Point: “Qu’est-ce que tu penses ?” is used to ask for opinions.

Step 3: Teaching opinion expressions and agreement

Time: 8 minutes
Teaching Skill: Demonstration
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents à mon avis, je crois que, c’est sûr que, c’est certain que and agreement expressions like je suis d’accord, then guides pupils to respond to sample statements.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils give short opinion statements and respond with agreement expressions.
Learning Point: Opinions and agreement can be expressed using common French phrases.

Step 4: Teaching disagreement (negative forms)

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation and Reinforcement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains je ne pense pas que and ce n’est pas vrai que, provides examples, and corrects errors in negative sentence formation.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils practise disagreeing politely with short sentences using the negative forms.
Learning Point: Disagreement can be expressed politely using negative opinion forms.

Step 5: Listening comprehension activity

Time: 7 minutes
Teaching Skill: Listening Skill Development
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays an easy listening text twice and asks pupils to identify opinion phrases and reactions, then checks answers with short oral questions.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and state the opinion phrases and whether the speaker agrees or disagrees.
Learning Point: Pupils can identify opinions and reactions in spoken French.

Step 6: Class debate and reactions

Time: 8 minutes
Teaching Skill: Discussion Management
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides a class debate using prepared topics and prompts pupils to react to opinions using agreement and disagreement expressions.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils participate in debates and respond using suitable expressions of agreement and disagreement.
Learning Point: Pupils can react to opinions during discussions using correct French expressions.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

Define opinion and state one French question used to ask for an opinion.
List four expressions used to give an opinion in French.
State two expressions used to agree and two expressions used to disagree.
Explain two listening targets for identifying opinions and reactions in an audio text.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Summary and Reinforcement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarizes key phrases, corrects common errors, and gives an assignment: write a short debate paragraph on favourite sport using one question, two opinion phrases, and two agreement or disagreement expressions.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, ask questions where needed, and copy the assignment.
Learning Point: Pupils can express and react to opinions clearly in French.

Lesson Keywords

Opinion – a personal view or belief.
Qu’est-ce que tu penses ? – what do you think?
À mon avis – in my opinion.
Je suis d’accord – I agree.
Je crois que – I think that.
C’est sûr que – it is sure that.
Je ne pense pas que – I do not think that.
Ce n’est pas vrai que – it is not true that.
Débat – a discussion where people give and react to opinions.

Differentiation

Support slower learners with sentence frames such as “À mon avis, …” and “Je suis d’accord/Je ne suis pas d’accord”, while faster learners present longer points with reasons and use more negative forms correctly during the debate.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Choose debate topics carefully and manage discussion to remain respectful. Encourage short, correct sentences and correct pronunciation and negation forms during practice and debates.