C'est l'hiver!

Plan ahead for an exciting January in French class with some games that teach winter vocabulary. Check out this seek and find game in French where students learn words to describe winter settings, clothes and sports. It's called Cherche et trouve l'édition de l'hiver. 

Everyone is settling back into routine after a fun filled winter break. Yet there is still lots to celebrate! For example, you could celebrate Lunar New Year in your class. Learn about Lunar New Year with these reading comprehension resources in both English and French.

If it is too cold to take your class outside for DPA (Daily Physical Activity) then here is a way to get moving in class: a Winter Wonderland Exercise Circuit. This activity is available in both English and French. Students are guided through a workout routine involving winter themed movements like running through the snow, skating, and building a snowman. 

Make this a fantastic winter in your classroom! 

La rentrée: Back to School!

 As a Core French teacher, one of my goals for the first few days of school is to begin the daunting task of learning over 200 students' names. I travel from class to class to teach a 45-60 minute lesson to five classes each day. Name tags can be a big help in the first few days of school. I would have students fold a piece of paper twice to form a triangle as a name tag. They can decorate their name tag on the front and on the back they can write 3-5 goals that they have for French class this term. Some goals might be to learn five new words each week, to write a journal entry every day, to attain a certain average grade in the class or to improve their reading level.

The first few days of school are crucial for setting up classroom routines and rules which are followed throughout the rest of the school year. I find it useful to write a poster of classroom rules with the class. They will offer suggestions for rules and I will help them write them in French on a poster board.

Check out these back to school resources! 

Keep in mind that classroom management is key to success. Here is a free video with classroom management strategies: