Numeracy in Year 5 French

A maths classroom isn’t the only place where students develop their numeracy skills!  

Throughout the year so far, the Year 5 French class has been working on their comprehension of French numbers and connecting their prior understanding to create bilingual numerical knowledge. 

Numeracy is a General Capability in the Australian Curriculum which highlights the importance of implementing numerical skills in all subjects, including French. As the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) states, language subjects allow for “processes such as using and understanding patterns, order and relationships to reinforce concepts such as number, time or space in their own and in others’ cultural and linguistic systems.” 

At the end of last term, the Year 5 class worked in pairs to crack puzzles to win ‘the escape room’ game. These puzzles included knowing French vocabulary on colours and numbers. One of the puzzles required students to add and subtract numbers in French. This was a great opportunity for students to use their problem-solving skills while developing their numeracy in another language. 

Last week I set the students the task to match the digits to the French word form. This meant students flexed their memory on numbers 1 to 100 and worked together to approach the task. They were able to match the pairs together to consolidate their understanding. 

It has been wonderful to work with the Year 5 class so far on their French language journey. I look forward to another fun filled semester of French learning.  

Joy Ashwell Callaway

French and Humanities Teacher