These message cards look a bit like QR codes until you raise them to eye level and read the “magical messages” from bottom - indicated by a number - to top.  Decades ago, these things took me forever and a day to draw by hand. But then I could legitimately challenge my students to draw a message of their own. Nowadays I use the computer so they just take forever. However, I’ve lost the moral authority to launch the drawing challenge. But the “wow” moment when a student actually sees the message still makes it worthwhile. P.S. Print the messages on card stock if you’d like to use them as little reward records. Once my students accumulate ten stickers or stamps, they redeem the card for a small treat or a bonus point on a future test.

Imprimez et découpez ces puzzles pour que vos élèves puissent les reconstruire. Par l’effet d’osmose, les enfants apprendront à lire et écrire le mot illustré tout en jouant. Engage your pupils with reading (and writing) through play by  printing and cutting out these puzzles for them to solve. Le premier dossier comprend les puzzles en lettres minuscules;  le deuxième comprend les puzzles en lettres majuscules.

Engage your pupils in reading (and writing) through play by printing and cutting out these simple puzzles for them to solve. There are separate files for puzzles in upper and lower case letters.

Another five minute filler for teachers. Embedded in this puzzle are ten words associated with Autumn and 100 other general vocabulary words. Full instructions, templates in colour and in black and white, a thematic vocabulary and an answer key are included. If you were one of the first 8 people to download this puzzle, you'll notice that the answer key was for another puzzle. Mea culpa. The correct key is included now.

I've updated this PDF and have incorporated the how to play guide. A few years ago, I had to cover a Family Studies’ class. The students had been studying healthy relationships and my job was to run a Values’ Auction. The kids were so taken by the activity that I took home a copy to rework for a unit on Les amis et la vie sociale. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine do.

Here's a simple gap fill sheet to accompany La Chanson des Squelettes. It's a joyful way to reinforce French Halloween vocabulary. I've corrected my cut-and-paste error in this updated file.

This is the Dutch version of Drôle d'exercice. Again, it is a stand-alone puzzle activity that might be just the ticket for an entertaining end-of-the-year lesson. My students genuinely enjoy this activity and I hope yours will, too. If it prompts you to create one or two of your own, please let me know. This set is intended for more advanced students of Dutch.

After the Paris attacks, this video interview with a frightened little boy went viral. The child articulated everyone’s fear and confusion but his gentle and wise father managed to find just the right words to comfort his son . . . and the rest of us. One sane, calm voice for peace on earth in a dark time. This file includes a link to the French-only clip, a full transcript and the French FB page with reactions to the interview from around the world and a message from Angel Le, the child’s father.

If your students are fans of the original, try this version sung in French by Sara'h. The video is also captioned in French. (I've attached a gap-fill worksheet and corrected a few grammar errors found in the subtitles.) Again, the age range will be determined by whether your programme is for French as a first language, Immersion, Extended or Core French students. If your students enjoy it, I'd love your feedback.

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, au bord de l'eau, au cinéma, etcetera.

This is a five-minute filler for English teachers. Because I live in Canada, I'm guessing about the proper curriculum level and would appreciate your feedback. A B & W version for teachers who&'d like to photocopy a handout has just been added. P.S. I've listed a number of possible answers but (prudishly? wisely?) I've avoided possibilities like 'lover' and 'loins'!

In spoken English, we now commonly end sentences with prepositions so the taboo of ending a sentence with 'de' tends to mystify some students. Here's a straightforward exercise that centres on identifying the phantom DE and magically transforming it into DONT. This version should be sans typos.

The old-fashioned practice of writing out conjugations for mastery still works academic wonders for many students. But it’s a much-maligned approach so I’m always looking for ways to camouflage it as fun. As students solve this MOTDOKU6, they will inadvertently conjugate the present tense of CHOISIR three times. If you like this activity, please let me know and I will post more like it. . P.S. The original file had and orphan subheading for "vouloir, pouvoir & devoir" which has been corrected in this version

Even some of my advanced learners still trip over the IR present tense endings. So, I've built a few little activities that look like puzzles but are really just sneaky ways to get students to write out the verbs in context. This is one of them. It incorporates forms of the following verbs: atterrir choisir démolir finir grandir maigrir obéir punir ralentir réfléchir remplir réussir rougir vieillir vomir If you like this activity, please let me know and I will post more like it.

Warning: This simplified word sudoku is for those who find the usual Valentine’s fare far too saccharine. It features 6 decidedly unsentimental Shakespearean insults: 1 Thou dost infect mine eyes! RICHARD III, ACT I, SCENE II 2 Light of brain! OTHELLO, ACT IV, SCENE I 3 Thou art a … plague sore! KING LEAR, ACT II, SCENE II 4 Foul fiend Flibbertigibbet KING LEAR, ACT III, SCENE IV 5 You bull’s pizzle. HENRY IV, Part I, ACT II, SCENE IV 6 Would thou wouldst burst! TIMON OF ATHENS, ACT IV, SCENE III If your students like this kind of activity, please let me know and I will make more like it.

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.