UoP French Language Project 2026-27
Updated: 16 hours ago
This is the blog page for the University of Portsmouth's SELL Language Project for the academic year 2026-27.
A short link to this page is ajstarr.short.gy/uplp26 QR Code
Red Links will only work for me when signed in to my account.
Blue Links are universal and should work for you.
Burgundy links need a password, which you will have if you are in my class.
Online French Learning Resources: a Padlet where I have gathered a lot of links to various places where you can find online French resources (mainly for ITT students, but some will be of use to you)
This website allows some free use to help you with the pronunciation of your scripts.
On a aussi un Padlet sur Moodle
lundi, 12 octobre
On va parler des fêtes en France, et vous allez faire des recherches sur les fêtes en France ou ailleurs dans le monde francophone.
La semaine prochaine on parlera en détail sur la Toussaint (et le phénomène éphémère en France d'Halloween). - Au Québec pourtant
Les fêtes du prénom
Les fêtes (Y compris les fêtes concernant les prénoms donnés)
Individual or group presentations about festivals in general in France
Today, you should choose a few of the most interesting festivals the French have. You must include one that we do not celebrate in the UK, to make sure it is of relevance to the differences in the culture in France. You may wish to present about Saint's days which are a phenomena in some parts of France and other catholic based countries including southern Germany, Spain, Greece, and Switzerland...
Further information -
Most days are a fête for a Saint. If you have a name that a saint also had, then in catholic parts of France it is customary to be given a small celebration on your fête day...
So, when would your saint's day be? Is your name sanctified?
This website (rather religious) allows a search by name (you may need to look for a name yours may have derived from).
If you found a saint attached to your name, then what can you find out about your saint?
What is their story?
Why were they sanctified?
La fête – The named saint day
To celebrate a name saint day in France, people might receive a greeting like "Bonne fête!", children may get small gifts, and a person might buy a round of drinks for friends.
The celebrations are often less formal than a birthday, with a focus on sending good wishes, and some people may combine the celebration with a birthday if the dates are close. Towns and villages also celebrate their patron saints with annual fetes or events, and certain professions might mark their saint's day in their own way.
For individuals
Verbal greetings: Friends and family will wish you "Bonne fête!" (Happy celebration!) on the day designated for your name in the calendar.
Small gifts: While not as extravagant as birthday gifts, tokens like flowers or chocolates are common.
Social rounds: An adult may be expected to buy a round of drinks for their friends.
Combined celebrations: If a birthday and name day are close, the celebrations are often combined.
Shifting the date: It is also common to move the celebration to a more convenient day, such as the following weekend.
For communities and professions
Towns and villages: Many towns and villages have a patron saint and hold special events or "fetes" in their honour, sometimes on or around the saint's day, notes Cle France.
Professions: Certain professions are linked to a particular saint, and those working in that industry may mark the day in some way.
Public announcements: On some television channels, weather forecasters will wish a "Bonne fête à tous les..." followed by the name of the saint of the day, says The Open University.
What to know
Less religious significance: For many, name day celebrations are more about having another excuse for a celebration than a religious observance.
Feminine grammatical rule: In French, name days are grammatically feminine, even if the name is masculine, because they are referred to as "la fête" (the celebration). (e.g. La Saint Valentin, La Saint Nicolas).
Name days vs. birthdays: While both are celebrated, name day celebrations are often more low-key, particularly for adults.
Over to you – can you now make a spoken presentation about festivals in France or a French-speaking region throughout the year? It would be a good idea to individualise your presentations by adding some information about your fête. If you have no sanctified name, then what is the solution?
See the information below in this colour.
Aim to speak for no more than 2 minutes each, with visuals giving an overview of the main events in France throughout the year...
Now what if your name does not have any associated saint?
Si le prénom de votre enfant n'a pas de saint associé, vous pouvez choisir un saint par affinité avec le prénom (par consonance ou étymologie), associer un prénom chrétien, ou opter pour le saint fêté le jour de sa naissance.
Une autre option est de choisir un saint lié à la thématique du prénom de votre enfant ou un saint patron pour son second prénom s'il en a un.
Choisir un saint par affinité
Par consonance ou étymologie: Trouvez un saint qui porte un prénom similaire, comme sainte Solange pour un prénom en « Sol » ou la vierge Marie pour « Marion » ou « Manon ».
Par thématique: Choisissez un saint dont la vie est en lien avec une signification du prénom. Par exemple, sainte Fleur pour un prénom comme « Capucine ».
Gérer le cas d'un prénom avec un deuxième prénom
Utiliser le deuxième prénom : Si votre enfant a un deuxième ou troisième prénom, vous pouvez choisir le saint patron de ce prénom.
Accoler un prénom chrétien : Vous pouvez choisir d'ajouter un prénom chrétien à celui de votre enfant, même s'il n'y a pas de saint directement associé. Cela symbolise l'accueil de l'enfant dans la tradition chrétienne.
Opter pour le jour de la naissance
Choisir le saint du jour de naissance: Vous pouvez choisir le saint fêté le jour de la naissance de votre enfant, même s'il ne porte pas ce prénom. Vous pouvez trouver cette information sur des sites dédiés au calendrier des saints.
Prendre un saint du même jour: Certaines dates ont plusieurs saints. Par exemple, le 22 mai, vous pourriez choisir sainte Rita ou saint Émile.
Autre solution
Créer un nouveau prénom : Dans certains cas, il est possible de créer un nouveau prénom de baptême qui n'est pas associé à un saint traditionnel.
Here is a YouTube clip in French about the festival of St Andrew at the St Andrew's Church in Jerusalem! (Just FYI to show that even nowadays there are such festivals happening in the world outside the UK.
This one even involves Scottish bagpipes, as Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland!
lundi, 5 octobre
Pour le colloque
Cette semaine, des présentations sur le thème de la géographie et/ou de la politique. (environ une minute par personne)
Vous recevrez du feedback de ma part, mais aussi de la part des étudiants de la classe.
Vous pouvez faire des recherches sur le système politique dans un autre pays francophone ou le comparer avec le système britannique...
Ensuite, on va parler un peu du patrimoine en France, y compris le patrimoine culinaire.
You should now be preparing to talk for at least two minutes on a theme or topic we have covered. You can combine themes – so you could do an aspect of geography, history, politics and heritage of a Francophone country or region in the world.
Can you present for two minutes in next week's seminar using just key words? For your 6-minute assessment in February, you will be allowed a maximum of 50 keywords with your presentation.
Aim to make your presentation match your spoken discourse, but with only main points on the screen that you elaborate upon!
Cuisson, odeur, goût... 44 jurés se sont réunis pour élire la meilleure tripe à la mode de Caen, dimanche, à la Foire internationale (Ouest France: le 29 septembre 2026)
lundi, 29 septembre
Did you manage to research a French-speaking region in the world for a brief presentation in French?
Do you know about how to become a course representative?
Programme for this week:
Politics (historical and political contexts): Also links into geography and La Francophonie.
Your research for today:
Explore key historical events and political movements that have shaped Francophone countries, such as colonisation, independence movements, and contemporary politics. L’Acadie et La Nouvelle France/Québec/La Révolution française.
Can you research and prepare a spoken presentation in French about the above themes?
For the seminar
Here are a few ideas for you to look into about the history of France and the places in Francophonie. Can you produce a mini presentation of about one minute about something historical and/or geographical somewhere Francophone?
L'Acadie et la Nouvelle France - What, Where, When, Why & How? What links these to Québec of today?
La Révolution Française – What are the main points here? The What, Where, When, Why & How? - How is this still linked to today's France – la Ve République? - What key things happened between 1789 and the First Republic, and how come they are now in the fifth version of the French Republic?
Is there a reason why there is a Congo Republic and a Democratic Republic of Congo? Are these places that different nowadays? Have they always been known as this?
Who was Samuel de Champlain and what does he have to do with Quebec?
Did you manage to research and create a document about the main political parties in the Assemblée Nationale?
lundi, 21 septembre
Premier Thème—La Géographie (avec un peu de politique).
Avec cette carte (ci-dessus), vous devez être capable de choisir l'un des pays (ou régions) principalement francophones (là où il y a un peuple largement francophone)
Cette semaine, nous parlerons aussi des divers médias en langue française, pour vous aider à trouver des ressources francophones pour vos projets de recherche.
Quelques ressources :
(This week and next week's seminars)
Politics:
L'Assemblée Nationale à Paris (Les partis politiques)
For the seminar:
You can begin to research the political parties in the above list.
Who is the leader?
Where on the political spectrum are the parties?
What is their logo?
How many seats do they currently have in the Assemblée nationale?
Begin to familiarise yourselves with media in France.
Presse écrite, radio, télévision
Best Online Directories
Global Press Directory: OnlineNewspapers France catalogues regional and national French print/digital links.
Expat/Global Guides: W3Newspapers France and World-Newspapers France list major titles, news agencies, and broadcast links (many with English navigation).
Reference & Learning Lists: The FluentU French Newspapers Guide groups top national dailies, weeklies, and speciality press.
Comprehensive Catalogue: The Wikipedia French-language mass media category maps out broader wiki indices.
Devoirs
Travail pour la semaine 3 : choisissez deux pays ou régions différents, pour faire un bilan d'une minute. (30 secondes par pays choisi). Minimum 1 pays/région - 30 secondes
Vous présenterez votre travail à l'oral au début du prochain cours.
C'est à vous de choisir de quoi vous parlerez...
La Francophonie—What do you know about La Francophonie?
Which country or region will you choose to present?
Where is this place situated?
What is the population? (Yes, using French numbers!)
Major settlements (capital?)
Languages spoken...
Anything else – 30 seconds to 1 minute – you could choose two separate places too.
I really like how this project combines language learning with history, geography, politics, and culture. In my experience, French becomes much more interesting when it is connected to real places and current topics rather than just grammar exercises. The short presentation tasks also seem like a practical way to build confidence in speaking and research skills. diploma