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French Days — Les Jours

Third graders learn the days of the week in French — lundi, mardi, mercredi… — and discover that in French-speaking countries, the week begins on Monday.

Grade 3Les Jours35 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name the days in French.
  • ✓Put the days in order.
  • ✓Know the week starts on Monday.
  • ✓Use days to speak.
Essential Question

Every week has seven days — but did you know that in French, the week starts on Monday, not Sunday? What are the days of the week in French?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order Les Jours

Project this and have students put the French days of the week in order — starting with lundi (Monday)!

📅 Put the French days in order!Try it
Tap lundi (Monday) first!
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

35 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Sept Jours

5 min

A week has seven days — but in French, which day comes first?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask what day it is.
  • Ask how to say it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say the day.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Les Jours

8 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present each day.
  • Say them aloud.
  • Note the week starts Monday.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note Monday.
3

Practice — Order Les Jours

9 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order Les Jours.
  • Put them in order.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

8 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say today and tomorrow in French.
  • Say your favorite day.
  • Recite the week.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say today.
  • Say a day.
  • Recite.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a day.
  • Say what day is first.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say Monday.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand the days of the week.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Recognize that the French week begins on Monday.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare calendars across cultures.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to the calendar.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Day-word cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Aujourd’hui, c’est ___.”
  • Use a French calendar.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with lundi.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add “aujourd’hui” and “demain.”
  • Say the date.
  • Make a French calendar.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🗓️A French calendar
  • 💻Order Les Jours
  • 🗣️Day audio
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

lundiMondaymardiTuesdaymercrediWednesdayjeudiThursdayvendrediFridaysamediSaturdaydimancheSundaysemaineweek
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is “lundi” in English?
Monday.
QUESTION 2
In French, which day does the week begin on?
Monday (lundi).
QUESTION 3
How do you say “Saturday” in French?
Samedi.

Reflect: quel jour est-il?

Have students practice saying “Aujourd’hui, c’est ___” (Today is ___) each day this week in French. A printable jours sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 French Days of the Week (Les Jours)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 French Days of the Week (Les Jours)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ French Days of the Week (Les Jours)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: dimanche, jeudi, lundi, mardi, mercredi, samedi, semaine, vendredi
  1. Tuesday
  2. Wednesday
  3. Thursday
  4. week
  5. Monday
  6. Friday
  7. Sunday
  8. Saturday

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is “lundi” in English?
  2. In French, which day does the week begin on?
  3. How do you say “Saturday” in French?
Answer key — Part A: 1) mardi · 2) mercredi · 3) jeudi · 4) semaine · 5) lundi · 6) vendredi · 7) dimanche · 8) samedi
Part B: 1) Monday. 2) Monday (lundi). 3) Samedi.