Key structures: how I embed them

There are some structures that can be used in any topic area that lend a certain 'je ne sais quoi' to pupils' work and I like to introduce these to my students early on in their GCSE course.  These are the 'complex structures' that allow students' writing to flow and give their writing greater sophistication.   

From the off set I introduce these expressions and take the time to model them and I work them into as many exercises as I can so that eventually they become second nature to my students.    Here are a few examples.

Ce que j'aime/ce que je n'aime pas

Such an easy expression to stick onto the start of a clause. Ce que j'aime, c'est de rester chez moi avec ma sœur parce que nous nous entendons bien.  Starting in this way allows the student to then justify their opinion which is not something that comes naturally to them.  Ce que j'aime, c'est de faire les sports extrêmes parce que j'aime bien prendre des risques.   It is an easy step to turn the expression into the negative.  Ce que je n'aime pas, c'est d'utiliser les réseaux sociaux parce qu'il y a un risque de vol d'identité.  You can see how the phrase is super adaptable to any topic area.

Il est essentiel de/il n'est pas essentiel de

Another expression that fits nicely at the start of a clause.  Il est essentiel de faire quelque chose pour aider les gens démunis or for an easier topic, il est essentiel de se marier pour fonder une famille.  Equally, of course, il n'est pas essentiel de se marier pour avoir des enfants.  Again, starting a phrase in this way forces the student to provide an opinion.  Obviously, this expression is pretty versatile and fits as well at the end of a sentence.  So, j'aime bien le chocolat mais il est essentiel de manger un régime équilibre pour rester en forme or for a negative take on the expression how about, à l'avenir, j'ai l'intention d'apprendre les langues mais il n'est pas essentiel d'aller à l'université pour perfectionner les langues.

Bien que ce soit difficile/dangereux/ennuyeux ... 

Oh yes, the lovely subjunctive.  This, I find, especially useful for students who I know are going to find this mood tricky.  By the time we get to study the subjunctive it is a positive to be able to tell my students that they are already using the subjunctive without realising it. The benefit is that they are able to embed a subjunctive phrase into their work without agonising too much over it.  Bien que ce soit dangereux je vais faire du saut à l'élastique, bien que ce soit ennuyeux j'irai en vacances avec ma famille, bien que ce soit éducatif ça ne m'intéresse pas de lire or je ne veux pas lire.  

Other structures

If you would like to see more favourite 'go to phrases' as suggested by the #mfltwitterati then check this out:

Ce que j’aime....ce que je n’aime pas. Such an easy expression to stick onto the start of a clause and one that pushes sts to then justify their opinion. #mfltwitterati what’s one of your fave go to phrases.

— Baz (@basnettj) October 6, 2020

The Process 

The goal is to embed the phrases seamlessly, with a drip, drip, drip approach.  Dropping in an expression in amongst some easy language or language that we have been working on for a suite of lessons. 

In this example, students had spent the last two weeks working on adjectives as part of the topic of family and friends, I was confident that they had acquired a good grounding in topic specific vocabulary and I popped in a ce que j'aime.  With tangled translations such as this one, I will consistently focus on the expression, adding it in as an expression to be found, so that eventually students do not even have to search the text for the expression, as they know it.   I will incorporate into a narrow reading activity as follows:

Dictation activities, translation work, listening tasks - the expression will play a part in all of these as I flood students learning so that eventually they are comfortable using it. We will get to the point where I can ask students to complete sentences using the expression, as in this example here:

In a GCSE that requires students to use complex structures and a range of vocabulary as a matter of course, being able to use language that is immediately more sophisticated and impressive but also impels students to provide reasons and justifications seems like a must.  

What are your go to structures and expressions?