Annaleise, une adolescente de 14 ans, vient de traverser le lac Ontario à la nage. Not sure how much general interest there would be in a story like this on your side of the pond but it will work for teachers looking for 'girl power' affirmation stories for the French classroom. BTW, Annaleise covered 52 kilometres so this is comparable to a Channel swim. I am curious to know if you and / or your students find this interesting so would appreciate any feedback. Joyeuse rentrée.

Many students are reluctant to speak in the target language. Using the transcripts of popular commercials and children’s television shows, this activity builds their confidence and enthusiasm for speaking in French. • First, have the class view the whole video. • Then, assign short segments of the (tran)script to small groups of students. • Each group will listen and rehearse their lines carefully because on the second screening of the full video, the sound will be muted and they will be providing the soundtrack. (I usually schedule the second viewing a week after the first screening.) • Especially creative and motivated classes should be encouraged to include sound effects and/or background music. This file includes transcripts for videos about Halloween, l’Action de Grâce, Noël and le patin à glace. I’ve included suggestions for extending the lesson for both Immersion and Core French programmes.te

Thanks to MFL Resources, I discovered this clip last night. It has been going round in my head ever since so I thought I'd share the insanity. A bit like a pop version of 'Old MacDonald had a farm', it will work with young children and teenagers. (Even K4s or maybe, especially K4s who need a laugh.) Included are preteaching / presinging visuals and links to the karaoke and Gangnam (!) versions as well as to a bare bones parody that might inspire older students to make a clip of their own. Please, if they do, let me know. This is an updated version of the file as two of the original links had become unresponsive.

This is an M4v update of the popular old file. Use it as a karaoke singalong or as a dictée activity (included). I’d appreciate a quick message if you and / or your students enjoy it.

Dutch primary schools are using Montessori pegboards to introduce children to coding work. The colours and numbers of the code reveal a pattern. Pupils must work the code, line by line, to build the surprise picture. Since not every classroom has pegboards, I’ve reworked the principle as a “paper-and-coloured-pencil” activity for individuals or pairs. P.S. I protested to my resident IT guru that it seemed a stretch to call this “coding” as it looked more like a knitting or weaving pattern to me. “Well,” he answered, "The punch cards of the Jacquard loom were direct ancestors of those in early computers”. I stand corrected!

Les résolutions du Père Noël 2024 is an exemplar of a New Year’s activity. I couldn’t resist making a list of resolutions on behalf of Petit Papa Noël. It will give your students some ideas, a laugh or two (I hope) and an opportunity to try their hand by filling in resolutions 2 and 1. Note: This is not a new resource but an update of the resolutions that I’ve been posting since 2012.

This variation on the old SNAKES AND LADDERS board game will ease your students (and you!) back into work mode. It requires students to read, listen, and pronounce carefully in French. And to be creative! Voici le bon vieux jeu de société, SERPENTS ET ÉCHELLES, réinventé pour adoucir la rentrée (qui arrive toujours trop vite pour les enfants . . . et les profs). Le jeu demande aux étudiants de lire et écouter attentivement, de bien prononcer les textes et de faire preuve de créativité!

Warning: JOYEUX NOËL includes several juvenile jokes about reindeer poop . . . the chocolate Christmas snack not the actual reindeer droppings. If you are already peeling your students off the ceiling, do not play this game. And definitely don’t make and share any reindeer poop using the super simple, 3-ingredient recipe included. ZIPLINE PHRASES are sentence-building games full of humour and serious learning. Students work in teams to build sentences by connecting any two dialogue balls directly linked by a straight line. Each ball may only be used once per sentence. All sentences must be (relatively) logical! JOYEUX NOËL will encourage your students to think in context and to speak and / or write in full sentences.

In this videoclip, the following Christmas vocabulary is modeled slowly and timed to allow your students to repeat each expression. l’arbre de Noël / le sapin le bas de Noël le bonhomme de neige la boule de Noël / la décoration la bûche de Noël le cadeau / la surprise la canne de Noël le casse-noisette les chandelles (f.) le chant de Noël les choristes (m.) de Noël / les chanteurs (m.) de Noël les cloches (f.) la couronne la crèche la dinde l’église l’étoile (f.) le gâteau aux fruits le gui le houx les jeux (m.) les jouets (m.) le lait de poule les lumières de Noël (f.) le lutin la magie de Noël la neige le pain d’épice la paix le papier d’emballage la papillote de Noël / le pétard de Noël le Père Noël le poinsettia / l’étoile de Noël (f.) le pôle nord le renne les rois (m.) Mages le traîneau la veille de Noël le vitrail You can download it; here’s the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/DkgPfJXTlzA The same vocabulary is the basis for the activity, QU’EST-CE QUI MANQUE ICI (NOËL): https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12942690

Audio-lingua’s short recording of seven-year-old Ethan joyfully listing his cadeaux de Noël inspired these 2 disparate games. In ZIPLINE PHRASES, students work in teams to build sentences by connecting any two dialogue balls directly linked by a straight line. Each ball may be used only once per sentence. All sentences must be (relatively) logical! MDR! The game encourages students to think in context and speak and write complete sentences. It also offers a built-in homework opportunity BLOCS DE CONSTRUCTION is another sentence-building game. The “blocs” can be cut out and used as manipulatives or your students can work directly from the printable. An annotated transcript of the clip is included in both files. https://audio-lingua.ac-versailles.fr/spip.php?article8484 Joyeuses fêtes, tout le monde!

I’m reposting this old file because it’s Roald Dahl’s centenary and because “The Landlady” is an exceptionally well written, suspenseful and eerie short story that cries out to be explored at Hallowe’en by both middle and high school students. (It is not to be missed if “foreshadowing” and “appearance versus reality” figure in your curriculum.) I’ve summarized The Landlady and stirred the pieces in my cauldron. After your class has read the story, your students should be able to reconstitute the summary as a small group, co-operative activity.

This "C’est Touchant!” puzzle for Le Nouvel An Chinois is a Boggle™ with a twist. Embedded in the game grid are 11 French words on the theme of Chinese New Year and 100 more general vocabulary words. 4 mini-grids are included for teachers who are trying to cut back on photocopying costs The file includes • a “how to play” guide • a full colour puzzle • 4 mini-grids for teachers trying to cut back on photocopying • a thematic vocabulary • the answer key • la fiche, Comment jouer, qui explique les règles du jeu en français. • and links to 3 other very worthwhile resources on the same theme

Zipline Phrases is a sentence-building game full of sly humour and serious learning. Students work in teams to build sentences by connecting any two dialogue balls directly linked by a straight line. Each ball may only be used once per sentence. All sentences must be (relatively) logical! MDR! The game encourages students to think in context and speak and / or write full sentences. It also offers a built-in homework opportunity. I recommend playing this Zipline Phrases game after you watch the Peppa episode, “À la recherche de Monsieur Dinosaure”.

My sister and her writing partner have given me permission to share their happy new Christmas song with other teachers. So, to spark a seasonal singalong, I’ve made a karaoke version of BABY, BABY, IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMA for your students. P.S. I’ve also included a triangle puzzle based on the lyrics and, of course, the lyric sheets. (Triangle puzzles make wonderful cooperative activities.) May your well-deserved Christmas holidays be joyful, relaxing, and . . . restorative. Merry Christmas!

10 OURS PARTENT EN PIQUE-NIQUE pour tous ceux, jeunes ou moins jeunes, qui ont déjà chéri un ours en peluche ou un doudou. Voilà une histoire d’amour, de loyauté, de nounours, et de compter jusqu’à dix. Le lien vers l’histoire et le PDF du PUZZLE TARSIA qui l’accompagne sont inclus dans cette ressource. Si vos étudiants aiment 10 OURS PARTENT EN PIQUE-NIQUE, nous apprécierons votre feedback.

10 BEARS (ALMOST) GO ON A PICNIC is a story for anyone, young or old, who has ever cherished a teddy bear or stuffie. It’s about love, loyalty, teddy bears, and counting to ten. The link to the story and the downloadable TRIANGLE PUZZLE that accompanies it are included in this resource. If you and your students like 10 BEARS (ALMOST) GO ON A PICNIC, we would truly appreciate your feedback.

"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

This is a co-operative activity designed for readers who have studied The Little Prince in English. Students are asked to match the text on the edges of the 11 triangles to answer and complete the following Q and A and quotes from the text. I have included a second version of the puzzle based on a freer translation of the original work. What does the narrator of The Little Prince do for a living? • He’s a pilot. When one wishes to play the wit, • he sometimes wanders a little from the truth. According to the fox, it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; • what is essential is invisible to the eye. But I have made him my friend, and now he is… • unique in all the world. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this: • (illustration of a hat) You become responsible, forever, for • what you tame If you tame me, then… we shall need each other. Who helps the Little Prince return to his planet? The snake A Turkish astronomer had presented his discovery to the International Astronomical Congress. • But he was in Turkish costume so nobody would believe what he said. Draw me… • a sheep! How did the Little Prince leave his planet? • With the help of a flock of wild birds.

DIRE OU INTERDIRE? can be played by intermediate and advanced students For advanced, immersion and francophone groups: If your students are confident and articulate in French, have them play DIRE OU INTERDIRE? like traditional Taboo®. Divide the class into two teams. Place the deck facedown on a desk. A player from the first group chooses a card and tells his/her team everything s/he can about the word at the top of the card. The only catch is that s/he may not use any of the words listed under the orange and black lines in the descriptions. If the class cannot guess the word within 60 seconds, the mystery word is announced to the class and a player from the second team tries his or her luck. A point is scored each time the mystery word is correctly guessed. It’s usually a good idea for you as a teacher to announce that you will accept synonyms. For example, in Canada, a student might guess “un party (de Halloween)” rather than “une fête”. For intermediate level learners: If your students are uncomfortable giving clues, turn the rules upside down. Tell them to use the words beneath the black and orange banner in their descriptions! This topsy-turvy approach encourages and empowers everyone to participate. You won’t believe what a positive game-changer it is. This package includes 28 Halloween-themed cards, a template for students to make their own DIRE OR INTERDIRE? game and a how-to-play guide.

Both of the self-correcting games in this file are designed to hone your students’ understanding of les phrases hypothétiques or sentences built around “si” clauses. GET THE PICTURE? After students have shuffled the 44 cards in this deck and spread them, text side up, on a table, they look for pairs of cards that make logical “phrases hypothétiques”. To check their work, they turn over each set of cards. Matching pictures mean they’ve made the right choices. Pictures that don’t match are gentle encouragements to try again. The TRIANGLE PUZZLE asks students to align the text printed on the edges of 16 triangles to reconstitute the original hypothetical sentences. Both of these activities work for independent learning, learning centres and competitive play with a study buddy. Examples are not repeated in the two games. Here are three of the “hypothetical” sentences your students will work with: Quelqu’un qui boit trop d’alcool est alcoolique. Alors si moi, je bois beaucoup de Fanta, JE SERAI FANTASTIQUE, N’EST-CE PAS? Couche-toi de bonne heure SI TU AS UN EXAMEN DEMAIN. À mon avis, si Shakespeare vivait aujourd’hui, IL ÉCRIRAIT DU RAP. You’ll find a simple aide-mémoire at the end of the GET THE PICTURE? file. It reminds students that the tense of the “then” clause depends on the tense of the “if” clause and charts what those tenses are.