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C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: First Steps

Reading and Writing in French: First Steps: Unit Review

C1.1 C1.2 C1.3 C2.1 C2.2 C2.3 C3.1 C3.2 D1.1 D1.2 D2.1 D2.2 D2.3 D2.4 D3.1 D3.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can read French words with their letter sounds and accents.
  • I can use cognates, pictures and context to understand short French texts.
  • I can write the date, the weather and sentences about me in French.
  • I can use un/une, le/la/les and colour words correctly.
  • I can read signs, menus, cards and stories, and write a postcard using the writing process.
  • I can share facts about French-speaking communities in Ontario.

Words to know

un mot ami
A cognate: a word that looks and means almost the same in French and English.
un accent
A mark on a letter that is part of the spelling: é, è, ê, ë, ç...
masculin / féminin
The two groups of French nouns: un/le words and une/la words.
l'accord
Agreement: changing a describing word to match its noun.
le brouillon
A first draft.
francophone
French-speaking.

Let's review!

In this unit you took your first steps in reading and writing French. You learned the French alphabet and accents, letter-team sounds, cognates and reading strategies, greetings, numbers, dates and weather, un/une and le/la/les, colour words, sentences about yourself, many kinds of texts, Franco-Ontarian communities, and the writing process. This review has a few questions from every lesson. Try each one, then press Show answer to check. If a part feels tricky, go back to that lesson for more practice.

L'alphabet: French Letters and Accents

1

How do you say the letters G and J in French?

2

Name the accent in ç and say what it does.

3

What is the difference between a and à?

Les sons: How French Letters Sound Together

1

What sound does oi make? Read noir.

2

Which letter is silent in petit?

3

Read beau. What sound does eau make?

ousays oooisays wahau / eausays ohchsays shqusays ké / er / ezsays ayon / an / insays nose soundgnsays ny
Quick review of French letter teams and the sounds they make.

Les mots amis: Cognates and Reading Strategies

1

What does hôpital mean? Which code helps?

2

Is raisin a cognate or a false friend?

3

Name one strategy to use during reading.

Bonjour! Greetings and Polite Words in French Texts

1

Write please for a friend and for an adult you don't know.

2

Which greeting is informal: Salut or Bonjour, Madame?

3

What is the Canadian French word for weekend?

Le calendrier et la météo: Numbers, Dates and Weather

1

Write Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in French.

2

What is quatorze?

3

Write It's cold. It's snowing. in French.

Un ou une? Le, la, les: Masculine, Feminine and Plural

1

Fill in un or une: ___ pomme, ___ livre.

2

Write the school in French.

3

Make plural: le chapeau.

Les couleurs: Describing Things with Colour Words

1

Write a green house (une maison).

2

Write some black cats (un chat).

3

Fix it: un rouge ballon.

un chat noira black catune souris noirea black mousedes souris noiressome black mice+ e for feminine+ s for plural
Colour words agree with the noun: add -e for feminine and -s for plural. (Souris already ends in s, so it stays the same.)

Moi! Writing with Je suis, J'ai and J'aime

1

Write I am nine years old.

2

Fill in mon, ma or mes: ___ frère, ___ sœur, ___ parents.

3

Write I like snow but I don't like rain. (snow = la neige, rain = la pluie, but = mais)

Signs, Lists, Menus and Stories: Reading Different Kinds of Texts

1

What is the purpose of a sign that says ARRÊT?

2

How is $2.75 written in French Canada?

3

Name two features of a story.

Les Franco-Ontariens: French-Speaking Communities in Ontario

1

Describe the Franco-Ontarian flag.

2

When is Franco-Ontarian Day?

3

Name two Ontario places with French-speaking communities.

Une carte postale: Planning, Writing and Checking a Postcard

1

Put the steps in order: edit, plan, publish, draft, revise.

2

Write the greeting for a postcard to your uncle (mon oncle, Oncle Marc).

3

Edit: chere mamie, je ai froid.

Just for fun

What did the cédille say to the c?

Don't worry, I've got you covered... from underneath!

How to use this review

  • Do the review in two or three short sittings. Each section matches one lesson.
  • Read French out loud every time, even if you are not sure of the sound. Guessing is part of learning.
  • For writing questions, write the answer on paper first, then check it, including every accent.
  • After each answer, ask "How did you know?" (a cognate? a picture? a rule like j'ai ... ans?).
  • Note which section had mistakes, then go back to that lesson's examples, activity and practice.
Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which word has an accent grave?

2.

How does chat sound?

3.

What does the cognate musique mean?

4.

Which is the polite please for your principal?

5.

Which date is written correctly in French?

6.

Which is correct?

7.

How do you write a white cat?

8.

How do you write I am eight years old?

9.

What is the purpose of a menu?

10.

What is on the Franco-Ontarian flag?

For parents and teachers

Use mistakes to choose what to revisit. Each review section matches one lesson.

  • Mixes up letter names (G/J, E/I) or leaves off accents: revisit L'alphabet: French Letters and Accents.
  • Reads French with English sounds, or says every last letter: revisit Les sons: How French Letters Sound Together.
  • Gives up on a text with unknown words, or trusts false friends: revisit Les mots amis: Cognates and Reading Strategies.
  • Uses Salut with every adult, or mixes up s'il te plaît / s'il vous plaît: revisit Bonjour! Greetings and Polite Words in French Texts.
  • Writes the month first or with a capital, or mixes up numbers like douze/treize/seize: revisit Le calendrier et la météo: Numbers, Dates and Weather.
  • Uses the wrong article (un table), writes la école, or forgets the plural -s: revisit Un ou une? Le, la, les: Masculine, Feminine and Plural.
  • Puts the colour before the noun, or forgets agreement (une maison vert): revisit Les couleurs: Describing Things with Colour Words.
  • Writes je suis neuf ans or je ai, or mixes up mon/ma/mes: revisit Moi! Writing with Je suis, J'ai and J'aime.
  • Can't say what a text is for, or reads aloud word by word: revisit Signs, Lists, Menus and Stories: Reading Different Kinds of Texts and reread the snowman story three times.
  • Thinks French is spoken only in Québec and France: revisit Les Franco-Ontariens: French-Speaking Communities in Ontario.
  • Skips planning or editing, or mixes up Cher/Chère: revisit Une carte postale: Planning, Writing and Checking a Postcard and use the checklist.

A few mistakes are normal in a first year of French. Praise every attempt to read aloud and every accent remembered.