A few years ago, I retired from my position as head of Modern Languages, a bit fearful of the "R" word. But to date, it has been nothing but fun! Canadian law requires school-aged actors to study with a qualified teacher when they’re off-camera. Many of our young actors are in immersion French so I've found a happy little niche, teaching a few days a week as an on-set tutor and moving in inspiring and creative circles! Furthermore, I get to share resources here! Vive la retraite!
A few years ago, I retired from my position as head of Modern Languages, a bit fearful of the "R" word. But to date, it has been nothing but fun! Canadian law requires school-aged actors to study with a qualified teacher when they’re off-camera. Many of our young actors are in immersion French so I've found a happy little niche, teaching a few days a week as an on-set tutor and moving in inspiring and creative circles! Furthermore, I get to share resources here! Vive la retraite!
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.)
A simple, visual introduction to these demonstrative pronouns wrapped in gentle humour. The lesson ends with a challenge to students to create similar visual comparisons for ‘ceux-ci ou ceux-là’ and ‘celles-ci ou celles-là’. I’d enjoy hearing about what your students produce.
I’ve upgraded this light-hearted introduction to the sometimes challenging concept of les verbes réfléchis.
This file that can be easily adapted and personalized.
In all my “Où sont les trésors cachés?” games, students must speak in full sentences as they vie to find the treasure hidden in the grid. This edition features the verbs, “porter”, “essayer”, “enlever”, “mettre” and “s’habiller”
The file includes two game boards.
The first concentrates on the key verbs in the tense or mood of the teacher’s choice. Clothing vocabulary and descriptors are provided to allow students to focus on their conjugations.
The second game board does not provide the sentence conclusions - ie: the “vêtements” vocabulary. It’s for more courageous students who will now have to come up with their own descriptions.
To see if, “Où sont les trésors cachés? (Les vêtements)” is right for your students, download the free “Où sont les trésors cachés? (Les verbes ER)": https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/o-sont-les-tr-sors-cach-s-les-verbes-er-6438862
In this small-group activity, Fate (the dice) will determine which Christmas character or icon your students will describe. A relaxed way to encourage students to use their best descriptive skills. If you'd like to extend the lesson to written work, just assign any dice coordinates (ie: •• x •••• or •••• x •)
To see if “Express Yourself! (Christmas)” is right for your students, download the free resource, “Express Yourself! (Clothing):
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/express-yourself-clothing-11459227
I've included PDF and PPT formats.
Originally designed for Modern Language classes, “Where are my Christmas gifts?” is a virtual scavenger hunt that encourages even reluctant students to participate enthusiastically in class. It works well as a full class and as a small group activity. You’ll be astonished to experience the phenomenon of an entire class listening “actively” because no one wants to waste a guess choosing a square from which the gift has already been claimed. After the oral treasure hunt, you can create an instant written assignment by assigning a handful of co-ordinates.
I’ve included answer keys for the present and the future tenses but “Where are my Christmas gifts?” works well for almost all verb tenses.
Please note that there are two versions of the game to accommodate those who know that the name of the one and only jolly old elf is “Father Christmas” . . . or “Santa Claus”.
If you’d like more resources on this theme, just type “Christmas” into the search window of my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/Carlav
As students solve this MOTDOKU (SUDOKU) du SUBJONCTIF they inadvertently “write out” the following verbs. (Yes, it’s manipulative! Mea culpa.)
1 que je vienne
2 que je doive
3 que je prenne
4 que je voie
5 que je veuille
6 que je puisse
7 que j’aille
8 que je sache
9 que je fasse
To be sure that this kind of activity is right for your students, download the free MOTDOKU du subjonctif (vouloir):
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/le-sudoku-du-subjonctif-vouloir-6160677
2 Jeux de mots pour Noël (EN COMMENÇANT PAR LA FIN et MOTS COUPÉS)
EN COMMENÇANT PAR LA FIN
The end of every word in this circular puzzle is also the beginning of a new word. The words embedded in the puzzle are:
1 renne (m.)
2 neige (f.)
3 générosité (f.)
4 terre (f.)
5 réveillon (m.)
6 Noël (m.)
7 lutin (m.)
8 invité (m.)
9 étoile (f.)
10 lettre (f.)
11 rêve (m.)
12 vert
13 traîneau (m.)
14 auberge (f.)
15 église (f.)
16 étable (f.)
17 emballage (m.)
18 geler
19 roi (m.)
20 imagination (f.)
21 naître
MOTS COUPÉS
In this virtual race, players have to reconstitute and recopy words that have been broken down into syllables and scattered over the game grid. The words in this puzzle are:
vacances (f.pl.)
sapin (m.)
cadeau (m.)
étoile (f.)
église (f.)
chaussette (f.)
enfant (m.)
lutin (m.)
hiver (m.)
traîneau (m.)
jouet (m.)
grelots (m.pl.)
13. gui (m.)
SEE IF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR STUDENTS. TRY . . .
a free English version of “En commençant par la fin” :
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/i-know-these-words-backwards-and-forwards-thanksgiving-11424790
a free English version of "Mots coupés:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/chop-chop-a-hallowe-en-word-puzzle-11407269
You’ll find two new word work puzzles in this file.
1 I know these words backwards and forwards (CHRISTMAS)
The end of every word in this circular puzzle is also the beginning of a new word. The words embedded in the puzzle are:
1 rejoice
2 celebration
3 Noel
4 list
5 stocking
6 gift
7 trim
8 imagine
9 newborn
10 ornament
11 tree
12 eggnog
13 gingerbread
14 advent
15 tinsel
16 elves
17 sleigh
18 holly
19 yuletide
20 decorate
21 eating
22 guest
23 star
24 reindeer
2. Broken Words! (A CHRISTMAS word puzzle)
In this virtual race, players have to reconstitute and recopy words that have been broken into syllables and scattered over the game grid. The words embedded in this puzzle are:
1 chimney
2 stable
3 magi
4 angel
5 holly
6 stocking
7 advent
8 carol
9 manger
10 tinsel
11 infant
12 present
13 joy
N.B. Try before you buy.
Be sure that these activities will be right for your students by downloading their free sister resources:
I know these words backwards and forwards (THANKGIVING) at:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/i-know-these-words-backwards-and-forwards-thanksgiving-11424790
and
Chopped Up Words (A Hallowe'en word puzzle) at:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/chopped-up-words-a-hallowe-en-word-puzzle-11407269
Unlike Scrabble players, Scribblescrabblers can choose which letters to use for each of their turns. As in Scrabble, however, they will score the most points with the strategic placement of those letters.
This bundle includes Scribblescrabbles for:
1 Halloween
2 Diwali
3 Eid
4 Remembrance Day
5 Kwanzaa
6 Christmas
7 Hannukah
8 The New Year
9 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
10 Chinese New Year
11 Valentine’s Day
12 Groundhog Day
13 Saint Patrick’s Day
14 Easter
15 Passover
16 Earth Day
17 Thanksgiving
This file includes English, French and Spanish versions for each grid and a blank grid for those of you teaching other languages.
Challenge your students to use their words with these puzzles for Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, Passover and Earth Day.
Unlike Scrabble players, Scribblescrabblers can choose which letters to use for each of their turns. As in Scrabble, however, they will score the most points with the strategic placement of those letters.
You may ask your students to incorporate a thematic vocabulary list or to play using general vocabulary only. Either way, they will be engaged! In fact, very competitive students tend to want to play every possible open square.
This file includes English, French and Spanish versions for of each grid and a blank grid for those of you teaching other languages.
These printable games are self-correcting activities designed to help beginners master the verb endings for RE and IR verbs in the present tense.
To see if these games are right for your students, download the free resource, GET THE PICTURE? (Le présent des verbes ER): https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/get-the-picture-le-pr-sent-des-verbes-er-a-self-correcting-learning-activity-11342123
Because it's hard to find big, bright, text-rich, French motivational stickers, I have designed about fifty “reward cards” to encourage and congratulate my students. My kids like them and I like being able to update them as needed. Many sincere thanks to my (much) younger colleague, who gently suggested that I move into this millennium and label this file as “brag tags”!
HOW I USE THEM
1) AS COLLECTIBLES
They work as little giveaway rewards for good effort. (I’m from Canada, hockey trading card country. The best compliment I ever got was when one of my boys announced that he was trying to collect the “whole set”!)
2) AS CURRENCY
Students may trade in 10 cards for a package of gum or a dollar store /pound shop gift.
3) As a “bon point” incentive
A bon point is redeemable for “1 mark on our next test”. Even
high school kids love this little card trick. If you go this route,
reserve two or three styles (for example, the “vachement bien”
and the “de quoi être fier /fière” cards) as the bon point cards.
As you can see from the illustrations for the cards, “prof de français” and “cheveux”, the ostensible goal of this game is to guess the mystery word(s) given the fewest number of clues possible. In point of fact, however, it is to motivate students to talk about their immediate environment in the target language. The focus of the deck is the world of school but there are just enough cards on more general topics to keep things interesting.
EXTENDING THE LESSON
There are 120 cards in this deck. To extend the lesson and to create a new deck, distribute two or three blank cards to each of your students and challenge them to write in their own “mots devinettes”.
NOTES
1
Although I designed these cards on a printable business card template - 10 per sheet - you can also run them on card stock and cut them along the guidelines.
2
Tailor the deck for use by younger or less advanced students by culling the more abstract concepts like “avenir” and “style”.
3
I’ve offered a handful of expressions in both European and Canadian French. The Canadian French vocabulary is marked with a small maple leaf.
Il y a 8 phrases cachées dans chaque marelle.
There are eight sentences hidden in each of these two hopscotch games.
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.
The beginning of each sentence is marked with a number in a circle. This little number also tells you how many boxes make up the sentence. All the boxes that form a sentence are connected. You may move up, down, left, right and diagonally. Let logic guide you to the end of each sentence.
Download the free resource, "Une marelle pour accompagner Le Gruffalo” to see if this game is suitable for your class.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/une-marelle-pour-accompagner-le-gruffalo-11288270
"A triangle puzzle: Le Petit Prince (JUNIOR version)" is a co-operative activity. Students are asked to match the text on the edges of the 11 triangles to answer and complete the following Q & A and quotes from Le Petit Prince.
Quelle est la profession du narrateur du Petit Prince?
• Il est pilote.
Quand on veut faire de l’esprit . . .
• il arrive que l’on mente un peu.
Selon le renard, pour voir l’essentiel . . .
• il faut regarder avec le coeur.
J'en ai fait mon ami, et il est maintenant . . .
• unique au monde.
Mon dessin numéro 1 était comme ça.
• (dessin d’un chapeau)
On est responsable de . . .
• ce qu’on apprivoise.
Si tu m’apprivoises . . .
• nous aurons besoin l’un de l’autre.
Qui aide le Petit Prince à regagner sa planète?
• Le serpent.
Un astronome turc avait fait une grande démonstration . . .
• Mais personne ne l'avait cru à cause de son costume.
Dessine-moi . . .
• un mouton.
Comment le Petit Prince a-t-il quitté sa planète?
• Grâce à une migration d'oies sauvages.
Try the free future simple triangle puzzle to determine if this kind of activity is right for your students:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/le-futur-simple-a-triangle-puzzle-6450469
Embedded in each of the 4 puzzle grids in this bundle are several French words on the themes of L'Action de Grâce, L'Automne, L'Hiver and L’Halloween as well as many more general vocabulary words.
The bundle includes
• Full-colour copies and BW copies of each puzzle • a thematic vocabulary for each theme • answer keys • a “how to play” guide
Try the free TES activity,'Joyeux Noël ('C'est touchant' is like Boggle.)' to see if this activity is for you:
https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Joyeux-No-and-235-l-and-quot-C-and-39-est-touchant-and-quot-is-like-Boggle-6150658/
"Où sont les trésors cachés? (ÊTRE et AVOIR)" works well as a full-class, teacher-directed game or as a small group activity. After the fun of the oral treasure hunt, you can also assign co-ordinates to create an instant written assignment to reinforce the correct spelling of the verb endings. You’ll find that even reluctant learners will be motivated to listen carefully and the promise of “treasure” tends to generate enthusiastic oral participation as well. My answer key is for le présent tense but the game works for virtually every verb tense.
To see if this this ÊTRE and AVOIR lesson is right for your students, try the free, “Où sont les trésors cachés (les verbes ER):
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/o-sont-les-tr-sors-cach-s--les-verbes-er-6438862
“Où sont les trésors cachés? (DEVOIR, VOULOIR et POUVOIR)” works well as a full-class, teacher-directed game or as a small group activity. After the fun of the oral treasure hunt, you can also assign co-ordinates to create an instant written assignment to reinforce the correct spelling of the verb endings. You’ll find that even reluctant learners will be motivated to listen carefully and the promise of “treasure” tends to generate enthusiastic oral participation as well. My answer key is for le présent tense but the game works for virtually every verb tense.
Try the free, “Où sont les trésors cachés (les verbes ER) to see if ”Où sont les trésors cachés? (Les verbes DEVOIR, VOULOIR et POUVOIR)” is right for your students:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/o-sont-les-tr-sors-cach-s--les-verbes-er-6438862
It includes thematic puzzles for Hallowe’en, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hannukah and
• full colour copies and B &W copies of each puzzle • a thematic vocabulary for each theme • answer keys • a “how to play” guide
Try the free TES activity, “Hippity Hoppity, Easter’s on its Way” to see if this activity is for you:
https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Hippity-Hoppity-Easter-and-39-s-on-its-way-boggle-6194577/