City of Edinburgh
French Early Level
Colours
Early Level Significant Aspects of Learning
• Use language in a range of contexts and across learning
• Develop confidence and enthusiasm to communicate using the
language being learnt
• Begin to develop an awareness of other countries, cultures and
languages
• Listen and join in with simple songs, stories and rhymes
• Explore and recognise patterns and sounds of language through
listening, watching and playing
• Understand, respond to and say simple greetings and personal
information (e.g. name)
• Repeat and understand simple familiar language from a familiar
source
• Actively take part in simple daily routine language
• Participate in familiar games including outdoor learning
• Begin to explore resources to support my learning e.g. picture
dictionaries
Vocabulary
Colours
Aim to teach at least 5 of the colours at Early Level initially and
build up as pupils progress towards First Level.
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est
bleu
blanc
rouge
vert
jaune
rose
noir
gris
violet
marron
What colour is it?
It is
blue
white
red
green
yellow
pink
black
grey
purple
brown
C’est de quelle
couleur?
C’est bleu
C’est blanc
C’est rouge
C’est vert
C’est jaune
C’est rose
C’est noir
C’est orange
C’est gris
C’est violet
C’est marron
Embedding the language
Whenever colours feature as part of an
activity or story ask the question, “C’est
de quelle couleur?” to prompt pupils to tell
you what colour something is in French.
For example in art activities, colour
mixing, stories, looking a pictures etc.
Sample activities
You will find a bank of sample activities which you can use to
practise the vocabulary in the classroom.
This is not a prescriptive list of activities and you can use or
adapt them to suit the needs of your class.
Activité 1
Trouve le!
Trouve le!
1. Trouve le means “Find the”
2. Pupils have a selection of objects which are different
colours in front of them.
3. Teacher calls out “trouve le” and adds a colour onto the end
e.g. Trouve le rouge!
4. The pupils must then hold up whichever object is that
colour.
5. You can ask pupils to then say what colour it is e.g. C’est
rouge.
6. Pupils can also then take a turn of asking others to “Trouve
le…”
Activité 2
Colour circles
Colours circle game
1. Pupils sit in a circle, close their eyes and count to ten in
French – “fermez les yeux!”
2. Whilst they are counting the teacher puts an object in the
centre of the circle.
3. Once they reach ten they open their eyes (ouvrez les
yeux!)
4. They then have to say what colour the object is.
5. This can be extended by passing the object around the
circle and counting and whoever it lands on at the count of
ten, has to say what colour it is e.g. “C’est bleu” or just
“bleu”
Activité 3
Modelling dough
Modelling dough
1. Modelling dough is a good kinesthetic way to reinforce the
colours and can be used to create objects with the teacher
asking for particular colours in French.
2. For example can ask pupils to “Créez quelquechose de
couleur…bleu!” (create something…blue!) and then they
pick the correct colour and make an object.
3. Another approach would be to combine numbers and
colours e.g. Cinq rouges! And pupils would have to form
whatever number of coloured balls using the modelling
dough.
Activité 4
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est de quelle couleur?
1. Pupils have to look at the following pictures and say
what the colour is in French using “C’est” + the
colour.
2. You could continue this in class and ask pupils to
pick up objects around the room, show them to the
rest of the class and ask, “C’est de quelle couleur?”
3. Note that when C’est is followed by a vowel in
French, you pronounce the t e.g. C’est orange.
Otherwise, the t at the end of C’est is silent!
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est bleu!
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est rouge!
C’est de quelle couleur?
Oui! C’est vert!
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est orange!
C’est de quelle couleur?
Super! C’est jaune!
C’est de quelle couleur?
Oui! C’est blanc!
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est noir!
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est violet!
C’est de quelle couleur?
Très bien! C’est rose!
C’est de quelle couleur?
C’est gris!
Activité 5
Où est le….?
Où est le….?
1. For this activity, the pupils have to find where each
colour is on the screen.
2. Où est means where is….
3. Voici means here is!
4. You can continue this in the
class or in a circle game.
Où est le jaune?
Voici le jaune!
Où est le rouge?
Oui!
Voici le rouge!
Où est le bleu?
Oui!
Voici le bleu!
Où est l’orange?
Oui!
Voici l’orange!
Où est le rose?
Oui!
Voici le rose!
Où est le blanc?
Oui!
Voici le blanc!
Où est le vert?
Voici le vert!
Songs and videos!
You will find a bank of sample songs and videos which you can use
to practise the vocabulary in the classroom.
This is not a prescriptive list of songs and you can use or adapt
them to suit the needs of your class.
Poème des couleurs
C’est rouge?
Oui, c’est rouge!
C’est vert?
Oui, c’est vert!
C’est orange?
Oui! C’est orange!
C’est jaune?
Oui, c’est jaune!
Qu’est-ce que c’est?
C’est un arc en ciel!
Couleurs (to tune for Frère Jacques)
Bleu, blanc, jaune, vert
Bleu, blanc, jaune, vert
Violet
Violet
Orange, gris et marron
Orange, gris et marron
Rouge, noir, rose
Rouge, noir, rose
ICT Resources online
You will find a bank of sample ICT activities which you can use to
practise the vocabulary in the classroom.
This is not a prescriptive list of activities and you can use or
adapt them to suit the needs of your class.
Each of the slides contains an image of the website page. If you
click on the image it will take you to the page. Alternatively you
can use a link address which you will find in the slide notes.
BBC Schools – French colours
Cartoonito
The Lingo Show
Primary French Resources
Au revoir!