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activities

by Quin

Mar 18, 2011

I'm feeling a bit desperate as a new teacher. I teach French 2,3 and 4. My activity repertoire is low. I try not to give notes more than two or three times a week, but then on the other days, I have few practice activities. I do dictations, worksheets, powerpoints. Sometimes it feels like I repeat a lot. Teachers at my school are okay, but a little...See More

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Jill If you have whiteboards, put the students in groups of three. Then ask questions that can have more than 1 answer. Here are some examples:

"Name a red (yellow/green) fruit/veggie" "most common veggie grown in home gardens" "a fruit/veggie over 6 letters" really any # of letters you like depending on the average length of the words in your ...See MoreIf you have whiteboards, put the students in groups of three. Then ask questions that can have more than 1 answer. Here are some examples:

"Name a red (yellow/green) fruit/veggie" "most common veggie grown in home gardens" "a fruit/veggie over 6 letters" really any # of letters you like depending on the average length of the words in your unit

a school item on the wall (you might get clock, blackboard, poster, etc) bigger and/or smaller than a backpack Something you write with (crayon, pencil, pen, chalk will be answers)

clothing above or below the waist male or female, for clothing item worn in the summer (or winter)

Don't let them see each others answers. If two students match, the group gets 10 points. If 3 students match the group gets 15 points. If they all have different answers no points. I play about 7-10 questions or 10-15 minutes. Group with the most points wins. This is good to review vocabulary for a unit.

Another idea to get them to talk is to bring in a shoe (other clothing later) and have them tell you to whom it belongs. The first time is hard. They will probably say "I don't know." Don't have it really belong to anyone the first time. Let it be anything they come up with that is reasonable. If you ask questions, they learn what you want. "Is it a boy or girl, man or woman" They start to make up a story. "How old is the person?" "What's the name of the person?" "What does so and so like to do?" "How did so and so lose this shoe?" It helps to write the answers on the board to sum it all up at the end. You could turn it into a writing a summary too.

If you're adventerous bring in stuff from another teacher, your mom/dad/grandma/son/daughter, etc and tell them at the end how close they were to the rightful owner. Once they understand, it can be a pretty funny activity.

Jill

>> Merci... >> >> On 3/20/11, pagnol wrote: >>> make them talk, talk, talk, repeat, repeat, repeat. >>> (vocabulary, conjugations) make them do longer sentences. >>> Make them sing in French. Joe Dassin (pains au chocolat, Champs >>> Elysees, etc.) >>> Play "le jeu du Bac" -- a vocabulary game. You pick up a >>> letter of the alphabet(e.g. 3rd letter of a random page); they >>> must find a word for each of several categories (first name, >>> food, plant, animal etc., which starts with this letter. You >>> don't even need any preparation once you've decided the >>> categories. French kids play this game in school when they have >>> free time. >>> >>> >>> On 3/18/11, Quin wrote: >>>> I'm feeling a bit desperate as a new teacher. I teach >>>> French 2,3 and 4. My activity repertoire is low. I try not >>>> to give notes more than two or three times a week, but then >>>> on the other days, I have few practice activities. I do >>>> dictations, worksheets, powerpoints. Sometimes it feels >>>> like I repeat a lot. >>>> Teachers at my school are okay, but a little touchy about >>>> sharing. >>>> Thanks for listening!

Mar 21, 2011

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Mme Szeljack Here are some of the students' favorite activities from French II & III: FRENCH II 1. Loto (Bingo) to review vocabulary. (I make the sheets at printbingo.com) 2. For clothing vocabulary,we do imperatives with wacky clothes. I buy a bunch of silly clothes and accessories from dollar stores or goodwill. 3. I also have the students come up with sh...See MoreHere are some of the students' favorite activities from French II & III: FRENCH II 1. Loto (Bingo) to review vocabulary. (I make the sheets at printbingo.com) 2. For clothing vocabulary,we do imperatives with wacky clothes. I buy a bunch of silly clothes and accessories from dollar stores or goodwill. 3. I also have the students come up with short dialogues. One person is the salesperson and any others are shoppers. The shoppers try on funny clothes and the salesperson tells the shopper that it looks great/fits well/etc. The other shopper tells them the truth (it's too large/it's gaudy/etc.) 4. I teach body parts in French I, but I do a quick review in French II. To review, I split the class into two teams (Monsters or Aliens) and they draw, color, and label the alien in French. They must use at least 15 body parts and 10 also have to be described with adjectives. 5. To review celebrations, I have the students study a holiday/celebration from a French-speaking country. They do a short explanation of the holiday in English to tell the class. Then they follow it with a short skit in French depicting a typical scene from that holiday. 6. For animals/nature, we do a guessing game. Students describe an animal to a partner. (Il habite...Il mange...Il aime/n'aime pas... etc.) Their partner must guess the animal. This is a great way to begin using circumlocution - and they just think it's fun! 7. For car vocab, we also learn many verbs that go along with cars (to park, to break, to accelerate) and we do a simon says with just those verbs. 8. Throughout French I & II, I also sometimes do Comptines with them (short French children's songs/rhymes). I love the book 100 Comptines. The kids love them! And they are really short, so you can do three or four at a time. Many of my students have several memorized and will sing them in the hall! 9. Sometimes at the end of the year, I will do fun review things that I had done in French I that they enjoyed. One of the all-time favorites is what I call "Crazy Classroom Twister". I cut out eight large circles in the four twister colors and laminated them. Then I stick them ALL over the room with masking tape. (Some of them are even hidden) I have a spinner on the SMARTboard that has the colors labeled in French. Then I have a box of body parts (right elbow, left knee, chin, forehead, etc.) FRENCH III: 1. For French III, I do a lot of fairytales/fables. We do Cendrillon, Les Trois Petits Cochons, and Le Petit Chaperon Rouge. I also picked out a couple of la Fontaine's fables. 2. When we do Imparfait, they do a childhood project "Quand j'étais petit(e)..." where they have to write out at least ten things they did as a child. They have to include pictures. Most of them enjoy this, because it brings up so many funny memories. They love to talk about "old days". 3. I also do a food unit with them in French III. We discuss French cuisine (regional, seasonal, natural) and dining etiquette. Then they choose a French region, tell a little about the region and what foods are found there and bring in a dish. I schedule them two per day and I try to schedule them based on what types of food they are making (so we don't have all deserts one one day and two soups the next). I still do Loto a couple times in French III and the Comptines every now and then, too. If they ask for it, near the end of the year, I will sometimes do activities from French I or II with them. Sometimes we will do board races for verb conjugations. I don't do this too often, so that when I do it is fun for them. If you do it often, it will just become a chore. Vocabulary lends itself to a myriad of games: pictionary, password, hangman, etc. I don't use a game for everything, but if you are feeling bored, the students definitely are! Also, between grammar/vocab units, I try to stick in something different like a video clip, a poem, a short song. Taking just a short break and doing something different can really rejuvenate things.

I haven't taught French IV, but seeing as I've practically written a book here, it's probably good that I stop!

>>>> On 3/18/11, Quin wrote: >>>>> I'm feeling a bit desperate as a new teacher. I teach >>>>> French 2,3 and 4. My activity repertoire is low. I try not >>>>> to give notes more than two or three times a week, but then >>>>> on the other days, I have few practice activities. I do >>>>> dictations, worksheets, powerpoints. Sometimes it feels >>>>> like I repeat a lot. >>>>> Teachers at my school are okay, but a little touchy about >>>>> sharing. >>>>> Thanks for listening!

Jun 15, 2011

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Good French translation of DO-NOW.

by prof de Franglais

Mar 26, 2011

I am looking for a good translation of DO-NOW Do you have anything better than the following? - À faire maintenant, AFM - Faire maintenant, FM - Activité Immédiate, AI - Devoir à faire maintenant - Devoir ...

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prof de Franglais I realize that not everybody knows what a "DO-NOW" is. It is very effective. I never have a class without a do-now. Parents know that it is expected in the whole district. It is also called "bell assignment". Each student who enters the classroom must sit, and start doing the "DO-NOW" assignment written on the board, even before the bell rings. It ...See More

May 7, 2011

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James Your Do-Now is also known as a "Bell Ringer Review" activity in the Bon Voyage textbook.

The use of alitaration makes it catchy.

So your could try, Reprise et Révision Rapides or

Retour - Retouche - Reprise

Revoir - Réviser et Vérifier.

These have the same essence in meaning as the BRR and Do-now ac...See More

Jun 12, 2011

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Praxis II French content knowledge

by Maria

Mar 31, 2011

I am preparing to take the French content knowledge test and I would need some info regarding the test. Is it hard to pass? Impressions and opinions about it, please, if possible.

Je vous remercie a tous,

Maria

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France Travel videos at Costco

by I LOVE Costco

Apr 11, 2011

Costco has quite a few travel DVDs right now. Rick Steves France. Also "Burt Wolf Travels and Traditions" in a package with Rudy Maxa's "Best of Europe." It was $19.99. Videos on France in both sets. Even better price if you split up the set with your fellow Spanish and German teachers. There were other sets as well of travel DVDs.

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Scam email from James O'Donnell or does his pc have a virus?

by Brigitte

Apr 15, 2011

Hi, I'm sure many of you know James O'Donnell in Belgium; he offers supplementary work for the Discovering French series. He and I have emailed a couple of times (2 or more yrs. ago), and today I received an email from "him" asking for money b/c his hotel room in London was robbed. It's the classic money scam email that apparently is sent to anyone...See More

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James in Belgium Chers professeurs:

Le grand nombre de réponses issues du phishing scam m'a bien touché. Actuellement, tout a été résolu et mon compte a été sécurisé à nouveau.

Tout le monde devrait savoir, que le propriétaire d'un compte E-mail qui est d'un hijacking est au courrant de l'affaire.

Pour vous tous aider à évite...See More

Apr 21, 2011

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Combo Classes

by Prof

Apr 19, 2011

Due to budget cuts my administration is proposing the following: one "pure" second year, one 2nd/3rd year combo, and one 3rd/4th year combo for the next school year. First year will remain "pure." Rationale is that this keeps the program and students can continue with their French studies. Has anybody been able to effectively teach combo classes? T...See More

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James O'Donnell I propose the following stategy especially if you are in a regaluar 180 day schedule.

Strategy: simulate a Block schedule : ABABA / BABAB

You will spend 75% of your time with one group and 25% is for the second group. The time may be 1/3 and 2/3 if you have a 45 minute class.

All students should have learned in level I h...See More

Apr 21, 2011

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Prof James, Your plan is very strategic and straightforward. Thanks. I had a plan similar to this the beginning of this school year for my 3rd/4th combo. By the end of the hour I was mentally and physically exhausted, and no matter how well prepared I was, I still felt that there was too much downtime and students were not motivated to work on their own...See MoreJames, Your plan is very strategic and straightforward. Thanks. I had a plan similar to this the beginning of this school year for my 3rd/4th combo. By the end of the hour I was mentally and physically exhausted, and no matter how well prepared I was, I still felt that there was too much downtime and students were not motivated to work on their own. My current 4th year is seriously behind and the 3rd year gives them a run for their money. I guess I tried to keep the same pacing as previous years. I cannot say that I tried this specific plan. I will take it into serious consideration. I do work with a traditional 180 school day schedule. Have you worked with this plan in the past? Any suggestions to keep the pure 2nd year class in-line with the 2nd/3rd year combo class? Do you have combo classes?

On 4/21/11, James O'Donnell wrote: > I propose the following stategy especially if you are in a > regaluar 180 day schedule. > > Strategy: simulate a Block schedule : ABABA / BABAB > > You will spend 75% of your time with one group and 25% is for > the second group. The time may be 1/3 and 2/3 if you have a 45 > minute class. > > All students should have learned in level I how to use their > textbook and they should have acquired autonomy for individual > pair group activities. I use Discovering French and by Feb. > The students nolonge wait for guided practice, they jump in > and start the activities orally. > > This is how I would use the time. > > I would start teaching with the group that will have only 25% > of my time on the paticular day. Jump to Group B below. > > Group A part I 75% of the time w/ teacher > 1)Review HW > 2)Practice activity from previous gram / vocabulary > 3)New gram / vocab intro > 4)New gram / vocab practice > > Group A part II 25% of the time without teacher > 6)Bell ringer review / warm up activity > 5)Independant gram work / pair group work / silent reading > (all the pages between the lessons or chapters)/ homework start > > Group B part I 25% of the time with the teacher > 1) Review homewok > 2) New vocabulary > 3) Anwser questions as needed (Transition to autonomous work. > Start work with group A) > Group B part II 75% of the time without teacher > 4) Independant gram work / pair group work / silent reading > (all the pages between the lessons or chapters > > Cordialement, > > James > > On 4/19/11, Prof wrote: >> Due to budget cuts my administration is proposing the >> following: one "pure" second year, one 2nd/3rd year combo, >> and one 3rd/4th year combo for the next school year. First >> year will remain "pure." Rationale is that this keeps the >> program and students can continue with their French >> studies. Has anybody been able to effectively teach combo >> classes? This year I have a 3rd/4th year class but I feel >> that the 4th year is re-doing 3rd year curriculum. >> Strategies?

Apr 21, 2011

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Legends/Folklore

by Erica

Apr 25, 2011

I'd like to do a unit on French legends, folklore, myths, etc. to level 3 students. I've of course used La Fontaine in the past, but I'm getting bored with it and would like to try something new.

Any suggestions of websites or books? Thanks!

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Short stories for French IIs?

by Meredith

Apr 25, 2011

I'm looking for French short stories that my French IIs could read with the 2-3 weeks we'll have at the end of the year here. They have present, near future, and passé composé. They don't know imparfait or conditional yet. Most of the books I am finding in the school use these tenses, so I'm looking for suggestions of other texts we could use. Me...See More

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Jeanne Marie On 4/29/11, Stephanie wrote: > After teaching the Passé Composé, I usually use Boucle d'or. > I found a good version on line and rewrote it a bit to > eliminate the passé simple and too much imparfait. It's very > simple and repetitive. If you read it to them first, you can > have a lot of fun using different voices for the three ...See More

Jun 26, 2011

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Christina I would love a copy of your re-written story!

On 4/29/11, Stephanie wrote: > After teaching the Passé Composé, I usually use Boucle d'or. > I found a good version on line and rewrote it a bit to > eliminate the passé simple and too much imparfait. It's very > simple and repetitive. If you read it to them first, you can > ...See More

Aug 20, 2011

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Rubber stamps?

by Hilary Hall

Apr 26, 2011

Salut a tous! I have been searching in so many places for affordable rubber stamps for homework, etc. and haven't found much. Any hints/advice? MERCI!

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