This is my go to warmer activity when I need something quick, fun and energising! For each slide I take about 5 minutes. There are 14 different slides of tongue twisters in this PowerPoint. I show the slide and give the students 30 seconds to discuss the pronunciation and see what words they can translate. I then pounce on students to elicit the pronunciation and translation. Then I gradually drill the tonguetwister, bit-by-bit. When the students can recite the whole tonguetwister I challenge them to say it 3 times as fast as possible and then either ask for volunteers or pounce on individual students. Often the shortest tonguetwisters e.g. Seize chaises sèchent! are the most difficult. Enjoy!

This is a short 5 slide PowerPoint to teach students that nationalities can be masculine or feminine. Battleships Expressions: Soy argentino/ argentina y Eres australiano/ australiana y Es chileno/ chilena y Soy cubano/ cubana y Eres escocés/ escocesa y Es español/ española y soy estadounidense. eres galés/ galesa. es inglés/ inglesa. soy irlandés/ irlandesa. eres mexicano/ mexicana. es paquistaní. Battleships Game Instructions The students love this competitive and fun game! I use this battleships game (which can also be used as a lotto grid) to help students to practise their pronunciation and to reinforce new vocabulary and grammatical structures. Firstly I ask the students to work independently in pairs to translate the expressions. The students then focus on pronunciation and decide the two easiest and two most difficult words to pronounce. I then check the translations and drill pronunciation with the whole class before they play the game. The students secretly choose 5 squares on the top grid and then try to guess which 5 squares their partner has chosen, filling in the bottom grid with “hit” and “miss.” To choose a square say a phrase from the horizontal line and complete the sentence with a phrase from the vertical line. Where the 2 phrases meet up is the square you have chosen. I use the English language sheet to further challenge the students: they should place this on top of the Spanish version and then try to play the game saying the Spanish phrases as far as possible from memory. I allow the really weak students to have the Spanish version next to the English version so they have lots of support, stronger students are allowed a few “sneaky peaks” at the Spanish version and the really strong students aim to refer back to the Spanish version as little as possible. This really helps the students to memorise the vocabulary/structures! During the game I circulate the classroom checking pronunciation. This is followed by whole class drilling of pronunciation mistakes. Enjoy!

Spanish PowerPoint introducing school vocabulary: classroom, library, cafeteria, dining hall, principle's office, gym, laboratory, playground, sports fields,toilets, assembly hall, staff room. The first slides have the phrase and a picture. Use this to elicit the pronunciation, the English and to drill. The next section of slides have multiple choice questions. Then there are "what's missing?" slides where I have removed some letters of each expression. The final slide has pictures of all the new vocabulary. This can be used for a Beat the Teacher game, which the students love! The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If it’s the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins!

This 1 slide PowerPoint can be used to teach the alphabet and to play Beat The Teacher! The teacher points to a letter and says a letter in French. If it is the correct letter the students all repeat it. If its the wrong letter the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins! Brilliant for contrasting G & J and E & I! Battleships Game: (this includes the french pronunciation of the letters) Instructions The students love this competitive and fun game! I use this battleships game (which can also be used as a lotto grid) to help students to practise their pronunciation of the letters. I drill pronunciation with the whole class before they play the game: The students secretly choose 5 squares on the top grid and then try to guess which 5 squares their partner has chosen, filling in the bottom grid with “hit” and “miss.” To choose a square say a letter from the horizontal line and then a letter from the vertical line. Where the 2 letters meet up is the square you have chosen. I use the second sheet (without pronunciation help) to further challenge the students: they should place this on top of the first version and then try to play the game pronouncing the letters correctly as far as possible from memory. I allow the really weak students to have the first sheet next to the second sheet so they have lots of support, stronger students are allowed a few “sneaky peaks” at the first sheet and the really strong students aim to refer back to the first sheet as little as possible. This really helps the students to memorise the vocabulary/structures! During the game I circulate the classroom checking pronunciation. This is followed by whole class drilling of pronunciation mistakes. The "I spy with my little eye...." one slide PowerPoint can be used as a simple 10 minute French warmer/ starter activity. I get the students to play this in small groups practising not only classroom vocabulary, but also thinking more imaginatively e.g. clothing, colours and vocabulary such as "hair" and "eyes." Therefore this can be used with a variety of year groups. Then we play as a whole class. Enjoy!

These Spanish - English matching cards can be used to revise previous learning of physical descriptions. Phrases: Soy bajo. Es alta. Es alto. Soy de talla mediana. Tengo el pelo rubio y ondulado. Tiene los ojos azules. Tengo pecas. Llevo barba, bigote y gafas. You may choose to have different levels of challenge. For example, Level 1 = match the cards and discuss the pronunciation. Level 2 = match the cards and then have quick fire questions from Spanish to English, whereby 1 student closes their eyes and their partner reads out the Spanish cards which the student must translate into English from memory. Level 3 = The quick fire questions are from English to Spanish. Following checking there are 2 fun games to play, either pelmenism or a game I learnt in Japan called Karuta. In Karuta the students put the English language cards to one side and spread out the Spanish cards in front of them. I then say the English and the students compete to touch the correct Spanish card first. Whoever touches it first wins the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. Battleships expressions: Tengo el pelo rubio y Tengo el pelo castaño y Tengo el pelo corto y Tengo el pelo largo y Tengo el pelo pelirrojo y Tengo el pelo rizado y tengo los ojos azules. tengo los ojos verdes. tengo los ojos marrones. llevo gafas. llevo barba. llevo bigote. Instructions I use this battleships game (which can also be used as a lotto grid) to help students to practise their pronunciation and to reinforce new vocabulary and grammatical structures. Firstly I ask the students to work independently in pairs to translate the expressions and discuss pronunciation. I then check the translations and drill pronunciation. The students secretly choose 5 squares on the top grid and then try to guess which 5 squares their partner has chosen, filling in the bottom grid with “hit” and “miss.” To choose a square say a phrase from the horizontal line and complete the sentence with a phrase from the vertical line. Where the 2 phrases meet up is the square you have chosen. I use the English language sheet to further challenge the students: they should place this on top of the Spanish version and then try to play the game saying the Spanish phrases as far as possible from memory. I allow the really weak students to have the Spanish version next to the English version so they have lots of support, stronger students are allowed a few “sneaky peaks” at the Spanish version and the really strong students aim to refer back to the Spanish version as little as possible. During the game I check pronunciation.

This is a PowerPoint presentation describing types of transport to school using the verb llegar. It also includes pronto, a tiempo and tarde. The first slides present each mode of transport with the phrase and picture. Use these to elicit the pronunciation, the English and to drill the expression. Then there is graded questioning: choosing the correct answer from a selection of choices. Finally there are "what's missing?" slides. The last slide can be used to re-cap or prehaps for a game of Beat The Teacher which the students love! The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If its the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins!

Expressions: Una cama. un armario. unas estanterías. una mesa y una silla. unos pósters. una lámpara. un ordenador y una televisión. una puerta. una ventana y unas cortinas. un equipo de música. la pared. una alfombra. This presentation presents bedroom furniture in Spanish. The first slides have each piece of furniture in Spanish with a picture. The teacher should use this to elicit the meaning in English and drill the pronunciation. Then there is graded questioning. Firstly there are multiple choice slides followed by what's missing memory game slides. You can also use the final slide to play a game of "beat the teacher" to revise the learning at the end or during the following lesson. Beat the Teacher is played like this: The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If its the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins! Battleships Expressions: La televisión está El armario está El ordenador está La mesa está La silla está La lámpara está encima de las estanterías. debajo de la cama. delante de la ventana. al lado de la alfombra. detrás de la puerta. I use this battleships game (which can also be used as a lotto grid) to help students to practise their pronunciation and to reinforce new vocabulary and grammatical structures. Firstly I ask the students to work independently in pairs to translate the expressions. I then check the translations and drill pronunciation with the whole class before they play the game. The students secretly choose 5 squares on the top grid and then try to guess which 5 squares their partner has chosen, filling in the bottom grid with “hit” and “miss.” To choose a square say a phrase from the horizontal line and complete the sentence with a phrase from the vertical line. Where the 2 phrases meet up is the square you have chosen. I use the English language sheet to further challenge the students: they should place this on top of the Spanish version and then try to play the game saying the Spanish phrases as far as possible from memory. I allow the really weak students to have the Spanish version next to the English version so they have lots of support, stronger students are allowed a few “sneaky peaks” at the Spanish version and the really strong students aim to refer back to the Spanish version as little as possible. This really helps the students to memorise the vocabulary/structures! During the game I circulate the classroom checking pronunciation. Enjoy!

This presentation presents where you live, what kind of home in Spanish. Expressions: Vivo en una casa. Vivo en un piso. Vivo en un piso en un bloque moderno. Vivo en un piso en un bloque antiguo. Vivo en un chalet. Vivo en una granja. The first slides have each type of home in Spanish with a picture. The teacher should use this to elicit the meaning in English and drill the pronunciation. Then there is graded questioning. Firstly there are multiple choice slides followed by whats missing memory game slides. You can also use the final slide to play a game of "beat the teacher" to revise the learning at the end or during the following lesson. Beat the teacher is played like this: The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If its the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins!

Spanish PowerPoint introducing weekend activities: Vocabulary: I do my homework, I ride my bike, I play the guitar, I tidy my room and make the bad, I play sports, I play cards, I watch TV, I don't go to school.. The first slides have the phrase and a picture. Use this to elicit the pronunciation, the English and to drill. The next section of slides have multiple choice questions. Then there are "what's hidden behind the donut?" slides. The final slide has pictures of all the new vocabulary. This can be used for a Beat the Teacher game, which the students love! The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If it’s the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins!

This presentation presents adjectives to describe towns and villages in Spanish. The first slides have each adjectives in Spanish with a picture. The teacher should use this to elicit the meaning in English and drill the pronunciation. Then there is graded questioning. Firstly there are multiple choice slides followed by what's missing memory game slides. You can also use the final slide to play a game of "beat the teacher" to revise the learning at the end or during the following lesson. Beat the teacher is played like this: The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If its the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins!

Spanish PowerPoint: the Imperfect tense for for descriptions and the time. This focuses on building phrases rather than grammatical rules. Phrases presented: Era la una. Eran las dos. Hacía buen tiempo. No hacía frío. Había mucho trafico. ¡Era increíble! The first slides have the phrase and a picture. Use this to elicit the pronunciation, the English and to drill. The next section of slides have multiple choice questions. The final slide has pictures of all the new vocabulary and asks "¿Qué es?. This can also be used for a Beat the Teacher game, which the students love! The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If it’s the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins!

This colourful and fun PowerPoint presentation presents various hair colour and hair styles. Phrases: Tengo el pelo rubio. Tengo el pelo castaño. Tengo el pelo pelirrojo. Tengo el pelo largo. Tengo el pelo corto. Tengo el pelo ondulado/ rizado. Tengo el pelo liso. Llevo barba. Llevo bigote. The first slide encourages the students to actively engage with the new vocabulary: working in teams, using their prior knowledge, knowledge of other languages and using a process of elimination to figure out the meanings. They then discuss the pronunciation and question each other before the teacher checks with the whole class. PPC stands for Perfect Pronunciation Challenge! The following slides allow the teacher to go through each phrase, check the translation, the pronunciation and drill. Slide 12 can be used for a game of Beat The teacher: The teacher points to a picture and says a word. If it is the correct word the students all repeat it. If it’s the wrong word the students must stay absolutely silent. If they do, they win 1 point. If not, the teacher gets 1 point. Most points wins! Then there are graded questioning slides followed by What's missing? slides. Battleships Game Vocabulary covered: Tengo el pelo rubio y Tengo el pelo castaño yTengo el pelo corto y Tengo el pelo largo y Tengo el pelo pelirrojo y Tengo el pelo rizado y tengo los ojos azules. tengo los ojos verdes. tengo los ojos marrones. llevo gafas. llevo barba. llevo bigote. Instructions I use this battleships game (which can also be used as a lotto grid) to help students to practise their pronunciation and to reinforce new vocabulary and grammatical structures. Firstly I ask the students to work independently in pairs to translate the expressions. I then check the translations and drill pronunciation with the whole class before they play the game. The students secretly choose 5 squares on the top grid and then try to guess which 5 squares their partner has chosen, filling in the bottom grid with “hit” and “miss.” To choose a square say a phrase from the horizontal line and complete the sentence with a phrase from the vertical line. Where the 2 phrases meet up is the square you have chosen. I use the English language sheet to further challenge the students: they should place this on top of the Spanish version and then try to play the game saying the Spanish phrases as far as possible from memory. I allow the really weak students to have the Spanish version next to the English version so they have lots of support, stronger students are allowed a few “sneaky peaks” at the Spanish version and the really strong students aim to refer back to the Spanish version as little as possible.

This word document is a Spanish Pet Survey activity to practise talking about pets. Students ask the question: ¿Tienes animales en casa? To which their classmates reply: Sí, tengo ___________________________ No, no tengo un animal. There is a box to remind students how to use plurals: Plurals! Normally we add an s e.g. un perro, dos perros. If the noun ends in a consonant we add es e.g. un ratón, dos ratones. Remember: Un pez, but dos peces. There is also a suggested extension box: Extension: Include names: Se llama = he/she/it is called. Se llaman = they are called. To ensure that the students are using the target language I sometimes secretly choose my "secret policemen" who report students heard speaking in English. At the end of the game they have to perform a forfeit e.g. to sing the names of the animals in the style of an opera singer!

I use these French cards to revise the differences between the present, perfect and near future tenses. Great for the beginning of term and throughout the school year. Expressions on 3 tenses cards: Je suis allé au cinéma. Je vais au cinéma. Je vais aller au cinéma. J’ai fait mes devoirs. Je fais mes devoirs. Je vais faire mes devoirs. J’ai regardé la télévision. Je regarde la télévision. Je vais regarder la télévision. J’ai joué au football. Je joue au football. Je vais jouer au football. J’ai mangé un sandwich. Je mange un sandwich. Je vais manger un sandwich. J’ai acheté des vêtements. J’achète des vêtements. Je vais acheter des vêtements. J’ai surfé sur Internet. Je surfe sur Internet. Je vais surfer sur Internet. J’ai écouté de la musique. J’écoute de la musique. Je vais écouter de la musique. Je me suis lavé(e). Je me lave. Je vais me laver. Expressions on Aller cards (equivalents on the Jouer cards): Je vais Tu vas Il/Elle/On va Nous allons Vous allez Ils/Elles vont Je suis allé(e) Tu es allé(e) Il/Elle/On est allé(e) Nous sommes allé(e)s Vous êtes allé(e)s Ils/Elles sont allé(e)s Je vais aller Tu vas aller Il/Elle/On va aller Nous allons aller Vous allez aller Ils/Elles vont aller You may choose to have different levels of challenge. For example, Level 1 = put the cards into 3 columns: present, perfect and near future tense and discuss the translation and pronunciation. Level 2 = As Level 1, then have quick fire questions from French to English, whereby 1 student closes their eyes and their partner reads out the French cards which the student must translate into English from memory. Level 3 = As Level 2 but the quick fire questions are from English to French. Following checking there are 2 fun games to play, either pelmenism or slap the card. Lotto Expressions: j’ai joué au volley je vais jouer au ping pong je prends des céréales je bois un Coca je vais boire un thé j’écris une lettre j’ai fait de la natation j’ai bu un café je danse j’ai regardé la télé je vais manger une pomme je joue au foot je vais danser je lis un livre j’ai écrit une lette j’ai lu un livre je mange un hamburger je vais faire de l’équitation je regarde un film je vais lire un magazine je fais du jogging j’ai dansé j’ai pris un jus d’orange j’ai mangé une glace Enjoy!

I use this resource with similar ability teams of students to build sentences and increase the level of sophistication of written work. It could be used as a revision task and the beginning of term and throughout the school year. I use it with Years 8 and 9. I print out the first sheet and the second template sheet and have the sheets colour photocopied and enlarged onto A3 size paper. The teams start with the middle sentence and work their way through the different stages to develop the sentence and increase the level of sophistication. The starter sentence here is: Starter sentence: Le week-end je porte mon jean, mon tee-shirt, mes chaussettes et mes baskets. Je joue au foot. Je mange un sandwich. Then the first development box invites them to: 1.Add opinions e.g. j’adore, j’aime, je n’aime pas, je déteste, je préfère. 2. Add adjectives e.g. colours, génial, intéressant, fatigant, amusant. * Check masc/fem/plural endings. Check word order. C’est = it is, ce n’est pas = it isn’t. * You can also add a range of connectives e.g. et = and, mais = but, avec= with, donc = therefore, où = where, qui = who, parce que/car = because, tandis que = whereas, while, puis = then, ensuite = then, après = after, de plus = furthermore, par contre = on the other hand, en revanche = on the other hand. Add in a range of adverbs: très = very, assez = quite, un peu = a little, plutôt = rather, extrêmement = extremely, incroyablement = unbelievably, souvent = often, rarement = rarely. The following boxes add in the Perfect and near Future tenses plus a range of sophisticated structures for your higher ability students. I would not expect all groups to work through all of the stages, perhaps the weakest group would aim to incorporate only the first suggestions and so on. I have been really impressed by the work produced using this support. It can also be used by students individually.

I use this dominoes activity at the start of the year and throughout the year to revise a range of tenses. Expressions and tenses: Lorsque la guerre a commencé elle a travaillé dans les champs. Le passé composé. Je lus mon livre chez moi. Passé simple. Nous nous sommes amusés. Un verbe pronominal au passé composé. Quand nous sommes arrivés ils avaient déjà terminé. Le plus-que-parfait. Demain, à cette heure, mes parents auront atterri en Australie. Le futur antérieur. Les camions traversaient quand une mine a explosé. L’imparfait. Pourriez-vous me dire pourquoi vous faites ça ? Le conditionnel. Quand vous arriverez au bout de la rue, vous verrez le château. Le futur. M. et Mme Lechat sont en train de faire leurs courses. Le présent. Si j’avais su que vous veniez j’aurais fait un gâteau. Le conditionnel passé. On pourrait envoyer un e-mail au lieu d’y aller en personne. L’infinitif. I differentiate as follows: All: Line up the dominoes and discuss the pronunciation. Most: As above and discuss the translation. Some: As above and question each other English to French and French to English. Following checking there is a fun game to play, this is a game I learnt in Japan called Karuta. In Karuta the students spread out the dominoes in front of them. I then say the English and the students compete to touch the correct French card first. Whoever touches it first wins the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. The students love this game!

I use this French Christmas Mystery with my Year 10 and 11 students who have studied the perfect tense and perfect infinitive. It could also be used with younger Gifted and Talented students. I show them the PowerPoint first, eliciting the information in English and then give them out a set of cards. There are a variety of clues, including some red herrings, so the students really have to use their thinking skills and teamwork. I allow them to use dictionaries. * The ANSWERS to the mystery are at the top of the cards sheet. Be careful not to give this information out!! All students are aiming to figure out who. Most to find out what gift and some why. The suspects are the Santa’s reindeer including; Tornade (Dasher), Danseur (Dancer) , Furie (Prancer), Fringant (Vixen) and Comète (Comet)! Examples of clues: Hier soir Tournade a porté des gants jaunes. Danseur est allé à la discothèque à 18h00. Il est rentré à 22h00. Danseur ne s’entend pas avec Tonerre. Furie a perdu son portable. Enjoy!

These cards can be used to revise/ elicit different jobs/ professions. I have included a range of tenses to challenge stronger students. Expressions: Je veux devenir acteur/actrice Je voudrais être avocat/avocate. Je vais devenir chanteur/chanteuse. Je voulais être coiffeur/coiffeuse. Je suis commercial/commerciale. J’ai l’intention de devenir éducateur/ éducatrice. Je rêve d’être footballeur. J’aimerais bien devenir informaticien/informaticienne. Mon frère deviendra mécanicien. Mon grand-père était pilote d’avion. You may choose to have different levels of challenge. For example, Level 1 = match the cards and discuss the pronunciation. Level 2 = match the cards , discuss the pronunciation and then have quick fire questions from French to English, whereby 1 student closes their eyes and their partner reads out the French cards which the student must translate into English from memory. Level 3 = As Level 2 but the quick fire questions are from English to French. Following checking there are 2 fun games to play, either pelmenism or a game I learnt in Japan called Karuta. In Karuta the students put the English language cards to one side and spread out the French cards in front of them. I then say the English and the students compete to touch the correct French card first. Whoever touches it first wins the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. The students love this game!

This PowerPoint presentation explains the use of Spanish Reflexives and reflexive pronouns. I use this having already taught the following daily routine phrases: Me despierto Me levanto Me ducho Me visto Me peino Me lavo los dientes Me acuesto Use the first slide to elicit the English and pronunciation of the phrases above. The next slide helps the student to spot that conjugated reflexive verbs have an extra word (the reflexive pronoun). The next slide shows how you can spot a reflexive verb in the dictionary by it's infinitive ending. The final slide introduce the first 3 reflexive pronouns using the following expressions: Me despierto Te despiertas Se despierta Me levanto Te levantas Se levanta Me visto Te vistes Se viste This slide can also be used for a couple of fun games to reinforce the vocabulary: If you have a stamper facility on your interactive whiteboard, a fun game is to ask the students to recite the Spanish phrases over and over whilst you gradually cover the words in stampers e.g. smileys or apples making it more and more difficult – simple but fun! Another easy game is to send one student out of the room. The remaining class chooses a student to give a top secret signal – this could be a sound e.g. a deliberate sneeze or cough, or something visual e.g. an obvious stretch, zipping/unzipping their pencil case etc. The students then repeat the first phrase again and again until they see or hear the signal. The students then repeat the second phrase again and again until they see or hear the signal and so on. The student who has been sent out must then try to figure out who the secret signal giver is!

As family members are pretty straight-forward I have added in a range of other structures to these matching cards in order to expose the students to some other new vocabulary. Expressions: Mon père s’appelle Guillaume. Ma mère est allée en ville. Ma sœur adore faire du cheval. Je vais jouer au foot avec mon frère. L’anniversaire de ma tante est le quinze janvier. Mon oncle déteste le cyclisme. Nous allons rendre visite à ma grand-mère. Mon grand-père a visité la Tour Eiffel ! Mon cousin adore Paris ! Son fils s’appelle Florien et sa fille s’appelle Lucie. These matching cards can be used either to elicit the family members or to revise previous learning. You may choose to have different levels of challenge. For example, Level 1 = match the cards and discuss the pronunciation. Level 2 = match the cards , discuss the pronunciation and then have quick fire questions from French to English, whereby 1 student closes their eyes and their partner reads out the French cards which the student must translate into English from memory. Level 3 = As Level 2 but the quick fire questions are from English to French. Following checking there are 2 fun games to play, either pelmenism or a game I learnt in Japan called Karuta. In Karuta the students put the English language cards to one side and spread out the French cards in front of them. I then say the English and the students compete to touch the correct French card first. Whoever touches it first wins the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. The students love this game!