Cover lesson · MFL · Year 10 · Intermediate

Social media opinions in French: honest, not hurtful

DCF: Citizenship → Online behaviour and online bullying

Name: Class: Date:

Cover teacher — you need no French

Print: this sheet, one per pupil, and the stimulus sheet french-social-media-thread.html (Lina's post and ten comments), one per pair. No computers or phones are needed, and pupils should not look up or post on any real account.

Run: 5 min read Lina's post and answer Step 1 · 10 min Step 2, sort the ten comments · 10 min Step 3, language detective · 10 min Step 4, rewrite two comments · 15 min Step 5, the blog post · 5 min Step 6, what Lina should do.

Collect: this sheet. Safeguarding: the thread is invented and mild, but the topic is bullying. Pupils write about Lina, not about themselves or anyone in the school, and nobody is asked to share their own experiences. If a pupil tells you something that worries you, follow the school's safeguarding procedure and pass it to the designated safeguarding lead today. Young people in Wales can also contact Meic (080 880 23456, free) or Childline (0800 1111).

What you are doing

Having an opinion online is fine — including a negative one. What turns an opinion into online bullying is how it is said, how often, and whether it tries to hurt, frighten or gang up on someone. You are going to read a French thread, sort the comments, find the French that makes the difference, and then write your own respectful opinions in French.

Step 1 — the post

Read Lina's post on the stimulus sheet. Answer in English.

(a) What did Lina do, and in front of how many people?

(b) How did she feel beforehand? Quote the French.

(c) What does she ask people to do?

Step 2 — sort the comments

Give each comment a letter and a short English gist.

A = support for Lina · B = a negative opinion, said respectfully · C = hurtful comment · D = a bystander who steps in (defends Lina or reports)

N°	A–D	Gist in English
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Two accounts comment twice. Which ones? What does that tell you about comment 6?

Step 3 — language detective

Find the French in the thread. The comment number is a clue.

English	French from the thread
in my opinion (2)
next time (2)
I don't agree with (5)
I prefer (5)
you have courage (5)
you're rubbish (3)
delete your video, otherwise… (6)
leave her alone (7)
I reported (8)
it was just a joke (9)

Look at comments 2, 5 and 10. All three say something negative. What do they each add that comments 3 and 4 do not?

Step 4 — rewrite two comments

Rewrite comments 3 and 9 in French so that they are honest but not hurtful. You may keep a negative opinion. Use at least one phrase from the box.

À mon avis… · Je trouve que… · Je préfère…, mais… · La prochaine fois, tu pourrais… · Tu as du courage. · Je m'excuse. · Ce n'était pas drôle.

Comment 3, rewritten:

Comment 9, rewritten (Jules has realised he was wrong):

Step 5 — write a blog post in French

Your partner school's French blog asks: « Les réseaux sociaux : comment donner son avis sans blesser ? » Write 80–100 words in French. Cover all four points:

your opinion of social media, with a reason (à mon avis… parce que…);
what Lina should do (Lina devrait… + infinitive);
what a witness can do (si on voit un commentaire méchant, on peut…);
one rule for being respectful online, and one sentence in the past (récemment, j'ai lu / j'ai vu…).

Useful French	Meaning
faire une capture d'écran	to take a screenshot
bloquer le compte / signaler le commentaire	to block the account / report the comment
en parler à un adulte de confiance	to talk to a trusted adult about it
envoyer un message gentil à la victime	to send a kind message to the victim
ne pas liker / ne pas partager	not to like / not to share
Avant de publier, demande-toi si…	Before posting, ask yourself if…
tu dirais la même chose en face	you would say the same thing face to face

Step 6 — the most serious comment

In English: which comment is the most serious, and why? Give two reasons from the thread, then say what Lina could do about it.

Step by step

5 min — Read Lina's post and answer Step 1.
10 min — Sort the ten comments A to D and write a gist for each.
10 min — Find the ten French phrases, then answer the question under the table.
10 min — Rewrite comments 3 and 9 in French.
15 min — Write your 80–100 word blog post, covering all four points.
5 min — Answer Step 6 in English.

Success criteria

I can understand the gist of short French comments and tell a respectful negative opinion from a hurtful one.
I can explain what makes a comment online bullying: it is repeated, threatening, or joins in with others.
I can give a negative opinion in French without insulting anyone, using phrases such as à mon avis, je préfère… mais and la prochaine fois, tu pourrais.
I can write 80–100 words in French covering all four points, with devrait + infinitive and one past-tense sentence.
I can name practical steps a target and a witness can take: screenshot, block, report, tell a trusted adult.

If you finish early

Write the private message Ines sends Lina in comment 7 (40 words, in French, using tu).
Comment 4 is only "+1". Explain in English why a two-character comment can still be part of online bullying.
In France, young people can call or message 3018, a free national service about online bullying. Write one French sentence telling Lina about it: Tu peux appeler le 3018, c'est gratuit. Then write the Welsh equivalent in English: who could a pupil in Wales contact?