Warning: This is an ironic "Valentine" puzzle in the spirit of Goscinny's classic "Djodjo" For those who find the usual Valentine’s fare too saccharine, this MOTDOKU6 features 6 decidedly unsentimental expressions. 1 Ta gueule! (Shut up!) 2 Tais-toi! (Shut up!) 3 J’en ai marre! (I’ve had enough!) 4 Je m’en fiche! (I don’t care!) 5 Va t’en! (Go away!) 6 Décampe! (Get out of here!)

Thanks to Diana Martínez, a brilliant young colleague from Mexico, here is the first Spanish game in the OSLTC series. In this ¡Busquemos el tesoro escondido! game the focus is on verbs with AR endings. It will work well both as a teacher-directed game and as a small group activity. Try it to see how keen even reluctant learners are to participate and to volunteer answers. After the fun of the oral treasure hunt, simply assign some coordinates to create an instant written assignment. We've only included answer keys for three tenses but the game works in virtually every verb tense. Please note that we have opted to use Mexican Spanish wherever possible. If you like this game, we would appreciate your feedback.

This translation game combines both serious learning AND a lot of fun. But, if all goes well, it will be a bit raucous. You might want to stipulate that your runners “speed walk” rather than actually run. If you like this resource, please let me know and I will make more like it.

Il y a huit phrases au sujet du court-métrage, Le Gruffalo, cachées dans cette marelle. There are eight sentences and a secret message hidden in this hopscotch game about the animated short, Le Gruffalo. Le début de chaque phrase est signalé par un petit numéro qui indique le nombre de cases dans la phrase. Toutes les cases qui forment une phrase se touchent. C’est la logique qui détermine l’ordre à suivre. A number indicates both the beginning of a sentence and the number of squares that comprise that sentence. All the squares in a sentence must touch each other. Careful reading will allow your students to find their way to the logical conclusion of each sentence. If your school does not yet own a copy of Julia Donaldson’s brilliant book or the animated short film in French, I've attached links to the three clips available online, a copy of my HIgh-Interest-Easy-Vocabulary adaptation of the story in script format and a link to a site that sells the award-winning dvd based on Ms. Donaldson's classic.

This stand-alone puzzle activity might be just the ticket if you are looking for an entertaining lesson for the end of the year. My students genuinely love Drôle d'exercice and I hope yours will, too. If it inspires you to create one or two of your own, please let me know. Although this set is intended for more advanced groups, you can easily cull the simpler cartoons and texts for younger pupils to work (play!) with. NB: This update corrects the "exageres" typo.

This activity should take roughly 70 minutes. I'd love to hear if your students enjoy it as much as mine always do.

À l'aide de quelques petits indices, vos étudiants sauteront d’une case à l’autre pour découvrir les sept phrases cachées dans la marelle. Using a few small clues, your students will discover the seven sentences hidden in this paper hopscotch. • Le trèfle est l’emblème national de l’Irlande. • Fait surprenant: la première parade de la Saint-Patrick s'est déroulée à Boston aux États-Unis. • J’ai apporté mon trèfle à quatre feuilles à l’examen de maths alors je suis certain que j’aurai une bonne note! • Le 17 mars, ma couleur préférée est le vert, bien sûr! • Selon le folklore, embrasser la pierre Blarney vous donnera le pouvoir de parler avec éloquence. • Au-dessus de l’arc-en-ciel, tu vas trouver un énorme pot d’or caché par un petit leprechaun. • Saint Patrick, le patron des Irlandais, a chassé tous les serpents de l’Île d’Émeraude. Je vous joins une version qui utilise le mot “leprechaun” et une version qui met en vedette le mot “farfadet". Il y a un troisième fichier pour ceux et celles qui cherchent une marelle pour les apprentis lecteurs. Any and all nauseatingly fawning feedback gleefully accepted!

In this virtual race, players have to reconstitute and recopy words that have been broken down into syllables and scattered over the game grid. Students may play individually or in pairs. The words embedded in the grid are: 1 spider 2 cauldron 3 costume 4 pumpkin 5 phantom 6 haunted 7 wizard 8 zombie 9 disguise 10 casket 11 cobweb 12 demon 13. howl Happy Hallowe'en!

MOTDOKU6 (Noël) is a simplified MOTDOKU (word sudoku). The challenge is to slot the following words into the grid: 1 le lait de poule 2 la couronne 3 le réveillon 4 le Père Noël 5 le lutin 6 le renne MOTDOKU6 ((Noël) est un MOTDOKU simplifié qui met en valeur le vocabulaire ci-dessus. Joyeux Noël!

WOORDOKU6 (Kerstmis) is a simplified version of my WORDOKUs (word sudokus). The challenge is to slot the following Dutch words about Christmas into the grid: 1 de kerstster 2 de kerstkrans 3 de speculaaspop 4 de Kerstman 5 het elfje 6 het speelgoed

In this small-group activity, Fate (the dice) will determine which garment your students must describe. Express yourself! is a relaxed way to reinforce lessons on adjectives and to encourage your students to participate in class. If you'd like to extend the lesson to written work, just assign some dice co-ordinates (ie: •• x •••• or •••• x •)

The objective of Language Lego™ is to accumulate as many points as possible building the longest sentences possible with “interlocking” phrases. This game helps students get over their fear of speaking French by guiding them each step of the way with a few giggles thrown in for good measure. Cards may be printed in colour or B&W on business card sheets or card stock. A handful of blank cards is included to allow you to personalise the deck. Headset icons help players with the pronunciation of “difficult” words. The nose icons indicate syllables that are to be nasalised. If you like this resource, please let me know and I will make more like it.

Embedded in the puzzle grid are 13 French words on the Saint-Valentin theme and more than 70 general vocabulary words. The file includes a thematic vocabulary, an answer key and a “how to play” guide. (I posted the English version of this Valentine's game five years ago and am truly tickled to see that it has been downloaded 3355 times! If your students enjoy the activity, please let me know and I will create more like it.)

Ah, les chants de Noël! En ce moment, on les entend partout - à la radio, au centre commercial, à la télé - et tout le temps! Et voici, pour vos étudiants, un petit casse-tête basé sur le chant de Noël populaire, Petit Papa Noël.

A five minute filler for French teachers. If your classes enjoy my Christmas puzzles, please let me know and I'll post some of my others . . . les verbes ER, la Saint-Valentin, Hanukkah, au cinéma, etcetera.

In honour of the One Direction mania that is almost at fever pitch in Toronto as the boys prepare to perform their first concert here this weekend, here’s a clip of 'Plus que ça' or 'More than this' with a loose translation of the lyrics in French. It was lovingly uploaded and subtitled in both French and Spanish by an orthographically challenged fan but as I’m technologically challenged myself, I can’t redo the clip with the correct lyrics. But maybe you'll turn this into a 'spot the errors' contest. Or a karaoke singalong ? Let me know what you do with it, please.

Another five-minute filler for teachers. Embedded in this puzzle are eight words associated with the theme of 'winter' and 80 other general vocabulary words. Full instructions, templates in colour and in black and white, a thematic vocabulary and an answer key are included.

This small-group activity, originally designed for MFL students, encourages children to develop their descriptive skills. The dice will determine whom or what your students will describe. It's a relaxed way to reinforce lessons on adjectives and to promote speaking in full sentences. If you&'d like to extend the lesson to written descriptions, just assign some dice co-ordinates (eg: •• x •••• or ••• x •• ). But remind the class that the first co-ordinate is for the dice in the vertical column and the second is for the dice in the horizontal column. I would appreciate your feedback.

Another five minute filler for French teachers. Templates in colour and in black and white, a thematic vocabulary and an answer key are included.

With these 3 posters in the 'Keep Calm' style: 1 Reste calme et sers-toi du site BonPatron 2 Reste calme et sers-toi du site Wordreference 3 Reste calme et mange du chocolat