This Kapow pupil video is part of the Kapow French scheme of work. It introduces pupils to the sound made when the letters o and i appear together, which is quite different from English. Instead of making the oi sound that pupils might expect, it is pronounced as wa, a common French phoneme that takes some practice to master.

The video demonstrates this sound in familiar words and phrases, such as un, deux, trois, helping pupils to hear how it is used naturally in French. Through “mouth mechanics,” children are shown how to shape their lips in a small circle, then widen into a w sound, a little like the cry of a baby or the shape of a pear. They practise making the sound themselves and then listen to short examples to count how many times they can hear it. The video finishes by encouraging pupils to notice familiar phrases with oi and to recall other words from their French learning that use this sound.

French, Lower key stage 2, Year 3, Unit 3: French playground games – numbers and age, Lesson 1: Let’s count in French