Grammar – Prepositions of Place in Travel Contexts

Grade 7 · French

Semester 2 | Period 5 | Week 28

Download the Lessonotes Mobile Liberia app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.

Get it on Google Play Get it on the Apple App Store

Subject: French

Semester: 2

Period: 5

Week: 28

School Name: ___________________________________
Teacher’s Name: ___________________________________
Subject: French
Grade Level: Grade 7
Date: Week 28
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Week & Period: Week 28, Period 5
Topic: Grammar – Prepositions of Place in Travel Contexts
Sub-topic: Using Prepositions to Describe Locations and Positions

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

  1. Identify and correctly use prepositions of place: au-dessus, au-dessous, devant, sur, sous, derrière, à côté de/du/de la/des.
  2. Describe the position of objects, people, and transport in travel-related contexts.
  3. Integrate vocabulary of transport, places, and locations with prepositions in sentences.
  4. Communicate clearly about spatial relationships in French.
  5. Gain confidence in using prepositions of place in oral and written exercises.

 

Previous Knowledge

Students already know:

  • Vocabulary for transport, travel, towns, and common places
  • Verbs aller and venir with places
  • Basic sentence structures (subject + verb + object)
  • Vocabulary for classroom objects and everyday items

 

Instructional Materials

  • Flashcards or pictures showing objects, vehicles, and landmarks
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Worksheets for prepositions practice
  • Students’ notebooks and writing materials

 

Lesson Development – ABC Model

A – Anticipation (Warm-up / Starter)
Time: 5–10 minutes

  • Teacher shows images of objects and vehicles in different positions (e.g., airplane above clouds, bus in front of school).
  • Pupils describe the images orally using known vocabulary.
  • Quick drill: repetition of prepositions of place with pronunciation.

 

B – Building Knowledge (Main Lesson Body)

Time: 25–30 minutes

  1. Introduction to Prepositions of Place
  • Teacher introduces and explains with gestures, real objects, or pictures:
    • au-dessus (above)
    • au-dessous (below/underneath)
    • devant (in front of)
    • sur (on)
    • sous (under)
    • derrière (behind)
    • à côté de/du/de la/des (next to/beside)

Examples in travel/transport context:

  • L’avion est au-dessus des nuages. (The plane is above the clouds.)
  • Le bus est devant l’école. (The bus is in front of the school.)
  • La voiture est derrière le train. (The car is behind the train.)
  • Le sac est sur la table. (The bag is on the table.)
  • Le ticket est sous le livre. (The ticket is under the book.)
  • Le taxi est à côté de la gare. (The taxi is next to the station.)

 

  1. Guided Practice
  • Teacher shows classroom objects or flashcards of transport and asks pupils to describe positions.
    Examples:
  • Où est le vélo ? → Le vélo est à côté du bus.
  • Où est l’avion ? → L’avion est au-dessous des nuages.
  • Où est la gare ? → La gare est derrière le marché.
  • Où est la valise ? → La valise est sous le siège.

Correction focus: pronunciation of prepositions, use of de/du/de la/des depending on the noun.

 

  1. Pair Work: Travel Context Descriptions
  • Pupils work in pairs with pictures or maps (station, airport, city).
  • One asks questions, the other answers using prepositions.
    Examples:
  • A: Où est le taxi ?
    B: Le taxi est derrière le bus.
  • A: Où est l’avion ?
    B: L’avion est au-dessus de l’aéroport.
  • A: Où est l’hôtel ?
    B: L’hôtel est à côté de la gare.

 

  1. Written Practice

Worksheet activities:

  1. Fill in blanks:
  • L’avion est _______ les nuages. → au-dessus de
  • La voiture est _______ le bus. → derrière
  • Le sac est _______ la table. → sur
  1. Matching exercise: match prepositions with illustrated travel scenes.
    (E.g., plane above clouds → au-dessus de, bus in front of station → devant).
  2. Sentence writing: Pupils write 3–5 sentences describing positions in travel scenes (station, airport, classroom).

 

Learners’ Activities (Expanded & Detailed)

  1. Repetition Drill – Pupils repeat prepositions aloud with example sentences.
  2. Pair Work – Pupils ask and answer questions about positions in travel contexts.
  3. Group Work – Groups draw a mini-map of a station or airport and describe the positions of 5–6 vehicles/objects.
  4. Written Practice – Complete worksheets with blanks, matching, and sentence writing.
  5. Oral Presentation – Groups present their maps, describing positions; peers provide corrections.

 

Assessment Checks

  1. Oral Assessment – Teacher asks pupils individually to describe object/vehicle positions: “Où est le bus ?”
  2. Pair Performance – Monitor dialogues for correct preposition usage and fluency.
  3. Written Assessment – Worksheets graded for correct prepositions and sentence construction.
  4. Peer Review – Pupils exchange written descriptions to check prepositions and article agreement.

 

Notes (Expanded & Detailed)

  • Stress de/du/de la/des forms after prepositions:
    • au-dessus des nuages
    • à côté du bus
    • derrière la gare
  • Encourage pupils to combine prepositions with transport vocabulary from earlier weeks for realistic sentences.
  • Link to previous weeks:
    • Week 25: transport vocabulary (bus, taxi, avion)
    • Week 26: travel destinations (aller à / venir de)
    • Week 27: travel expressions (billet, réservation, hôtel).

 

Assignment (Homework)

  1. Write 7 sentences describing positions of vehicles/objects using at least 5 different prepositions.
    • Example: Le bus est devant la gare. L’avion est au-dessus des nuages.
  2. Draw a simple map of a city, station, or airport. Write 6 sentences describing positions (taxi, bus, hôtel, aéroport, gare, marché).
  3. Practice orally with a classmate or family member: ask/answer “Où est… ?” for 5–6 objects or places.

C – Consolidation (Conclusion & Assessment)
Time: 5–10 minutes

  • Recap prepositions of place and example sentences.
  • Volunteers describe positions of objects or transport in the classroom or on a mini-map.
    Evaluation Method: Quick oral quiz – pupils answer 2–3 questions describing positions using prepositions in complete sentences.
    Follow-up Activity: Prepare for Week 29 – Integrating Travel, Transport, Places, and Prepositions in Extended Dialogues.

 

Differentiation / Inclusive Strategies

  • Struggling learners: Visual prompts, sentence starters, repetition drills.
  • Advanced learners: Create longer sentences combining multiple vehicles, places, and prepositions.
  • Students with disabilities: Extra time, peer support, written prompts.

 

Teacher’s Reflection:

  • What worked well? ___________________________________________
  • What needs improvement? ____________________________________
  • Students’ engagement level: ☑ High ☐ Medium ☐ Low