S1 pupils studying French have been involved in peer work on the topic of ‘Ma Journee Scolaire’ recently. The pupils were set the task of designing, in pairs, a large poster outlining in French one particular day at school. They were asked to include factual information such as the times of the school day and what they do during the interval and lunchtimes, as well as activities carried out in classroom situations. They also expressed opinions and reasons for holding these opinions about a variety of school subjects in French. Details pertaining to the school uniform were also given and pupils were encouraged to check the accuracy of their French using their resources. Finally, the pupils illustrated their posters with images of their school life, taking into account the target audience. The posters were then judged by the class and awarded an appropriate grade at Third Level.

The activity was completed to a very high standard by all classes, and enabled them to work in pairs, showing respect for others and assuming areas of responsibility for the task. It was an excellent example of pupils carrying out Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes for Modern Languages, Literacy and Health and Wellbeing and they were able to practice skills for life, work and learning in the process.