French · Primary
Primary French: reading, spelling and writing
Decoding, understanding what you read, spelling correctly and writing a short text: the foundations of primary French, explained step by step.
Primary French plays out on two fronts that are easily confused: reading the words, and understanding what they say. A child can read aloud flawlessly and retain nothing of the text — and that is where to act.
What your child works on
- Match sounds to letters, and read faster and more smoothly, aloud then silently.
- Understand a text: work out who does what, put events back in order, guess an unknown word from context.
- Spell everyday words correctly and spot the most frequent spelling traps.
- Make the verb agree with its subject, and the noun with its determiner and adjective.
- Conjugate common verbs in the present, future and past tenses, and write a short text that holds together.
How Twinko helps with this subject
A tutor that asks instead of answering
Prof Twinko releases help in stages: a nudge, then a lead, then the method. The full solution only comes as a last resort.
Lessons generated on the exact topic
You say what is not working, the age band and the difficulty. The lesson and its exercises are written for that request — not pulled from a catalogue.
XP that leads to a real reward
Every completed lesson earns XP, redeemable against the reward you set yourself. That is what brings the child back the next day.
Frequently asked questions
My child reads well but does not understand what he reads. Why?
Because all of his attention still goes into decoding, leaving nothing for meaning. Reading improves as it becomes fluent — re-reading the same short text a few times frees up attention for comprehension. Then ask questions about what was just read, rather than asking for a summary.
How do you work on spelling without endless dictations?
By working on few words at a time, often, and by writing rather than reciting. Five words a day beats thirty on Saturday. Twinko builds these short sets automatically and tracks what stays fragile.
Are agreement rules within reach before age 10?
Yes, provided you start from speech and meaning: who does the action, what is being talked about. The written rules come after. Twinko adapts the examples and vocabulary to the age band you set.
Ready to try it on this subject?
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