Phonics in MFL: The Everyday Habit That Transforms Learning
- Gaelle Launay-Hughes
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
A follow‑up reflection for teachers who want French lessons to feel clearer, calmer, and more successful for every learner.
Most conversations about phonics in MFL focus on why it matters — the research, the frameworks, the assessments. But there’s another angle that deserves just as much attention:
What happens when phonics becomes a routine habit in your French classroom — not an add‑on, not a “Week 1 topic”, but a thread woven through everything else you teach?
This is where the magic happens. This is where pupils stop guessing. This is where independence grows. And this is where your workload quietly drops.
And yes — this is exactly the space where my French phonics resources are designed to help.
🌟 Why Phonics Works Best When It’s Woven Into Everything Else
Phonics only makes sense when it lives alongside vocabulary and grammar, not apart from them. It’s not a standalone unit or a one‑off lesson. It’s a decoding tool — and decoding tools only become powerful when pupils use them constantly.
Think of it like teaching pupils how to use a map. If they only practise map‑reading once a term, they’ll never navigate independently. But if they use the map every time they explore new terrain, the skill becomes automatic.
The same is true for French phonics.
When phonics becomes part of your daily routines, pupils begin to:
Decode new vocabulary without waiting for you — a shift that frees you up
Pronounce new words accurately the first time — reducing fossilised errors
Read aloud with confidence — because they trust their decoding
Spell more accurately — because sound–symbol links are secure
And crucially: Phonics strengthens vocabulary learning and grammar learning — it doesn’t compete with them.
🔁 What Routine Phonics Looks Like in a Real French Classroom
Below are simple, low‑prep routines that slot naturally into lessons you’re already teaching. These are exactly the kinds of routines my French phonics resources support — clear, structured, and ready to use.
1. The 60‑Second Sound Check (Starter)
A quick, predictable warm‑up that signals: “We are French speakers now.”
One grapheme, one sound
Pupils repeat, gesture, or chant
One example sentence from your current topic
Example: Focus: in → /ɛ̃/ Sentence: Je prends le train ce matin.
This takes one minute — but the cumulative impact is huge.
2. Phonics‑First Vocabulary Teaching
When introducing new words, highlight the sound before the meaning.
Spot the sound
Predict the pronunciation
Link to previous knowledge
Example: Teaching la piscine, le cinéma, le magazine → Pupils identify the in /ɛ̃/ and i /i/ patterns before you translate anything.
This builds decoding confidence before vocabulary memorisation.
3. Micro‑Dictations (2 minutes)
Mini dictations are the most efficient way to reinforce phonics, spelling, and grammar simultaneously.
One sentence from today’s lesson
One sentence from last lesson
One sentence with an unfamiliar word
Pupils apply phonics + vocabulary + grammar in one go. This mirrors the new GCSE tasks beautifully.
4. Reading Aloud as a Thinking Process
Instead of “Who wants to read?”, try:
Decode it together first
Underline the tricky graphemes
Predict the pronunciation of unfamiliar words
Then pupils read aloud with far more confidence — because they’re not guessing.
5. Retrieval Practice With a Phonics Twist
You already do retrieval. Add one tiny layer:
“Find the word with the /u/ sound.”
“Sort these words by sound.”
“Match the grapheme to the picture.”
This keeps phonics alive without taking extra time.
6. Teacher Modelling That Makes Thinking Visible
When you model pronunciation, narrate your thinking:
“I know eau makes /o/, so I can decode beau.”
“Final consonant is silent here — listen to grand.”
Pupils begin to internalise the logic behind the sound system.
🎒 Why Phonics Should Sit Alongside Vocabulary and Grammar — Not Instead of Them
Phonics is the engine that powers the other two pillars.
Vocabulary
Pupils remember words more easily when they can decode them. They also avoid mis‑pronouncing them into oblivion.
Grammar
Accurate pronunciation supports accurate verb endings. Dictation reinforces grammar patterns more effectively than copying.
Reading & Listening
Phonics is the bridge between sound and meaning. Without it, comprehension becomes guesswork.
Speaking
Clear pronunciation builds confidence — and confidence builds participation.
Phonics is not a bolt‑on. It’s the glue that holds the whole language system together.
📚 Where My French Phonics Resources Fit In
Teachers often tell me:
“I know phonics matters — I just don’t have time to build everything from scratch.”
That’s exactly why I created my French phonics resources.
They are designed to:
Slot into your existing scheme of work
Provide ready‑made routines you can use tomorrow
Support KS3 and KS4 progression
Make phonics visible, systematic, and easy to teach
From grapheme–phoneme charts to mini‑dictations, from retrieval games to read‑aloud scaffolds — everything is built to reduce your workload while strengthening pupils’ decoding confidence.
And with teachers increasingly seeking practical, research‑aligned phonics tools, this follow‑up post helps direct them straight to the phonics‑rich resources that sit at the heart of your approach.
🌱 Final Thought: Phonics Isn’t a Phase — It’s a Habit
When phonics becomes a routine part of French lessons, pupils stop seeing French as a list of words to memorise and start seeing it as a system they can decode.
That shift is transformative. It’s empowering. And it’s achievable with tiny, consistent habits.
If you want to explore ready‑made phonics routines, classroom‑tested activities, and beautifully clear resources that make this easy, my French phonics collection is a great place to start.
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