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Mme R's French Resources

September 7, 2017

Games and activities for teaching French vocabulary

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Teaching French vocabulary in a new unit can be really exciting or pretty boring.  My students love learning new words and starting new units, but let’s face it : repeating vocabulary words from a sheet is not so fun for them.   As the new year starts, we are either reviewing with our students who have taken French, or we are teaching French to students who have no vocabulary at all.  Are we using the best methods to teach and review those new words?

Here are some of my favorite ways to review vocabulary.  Brand new beginners?  Read below for teaching tips!

1.  Play categories.

This is one of our favorites, and it takes almost no-prep.  Once students have learned a few vocabulary themes, you can play it anytime, with any vocabulary.  Here’s how you play:
Write 5 themes on the board.  Let’s say la nourriture, les vêtements, les sports, les adjectifs, and les animaux.
Have students copy the 5 words down, making a column for each word.  Then, go through the alphabet (I sing to make it even more fun, because they laugh at me…) On a chosen letter, you’ll stop, and students try to write a word for each category starting with that letter.  I usually give students about 15-20 seconds to write, then I proceed through the alphabet.  They’ll do the same thing for each letter until they complete all categories.   The student who finishes first wins.

Vocabulary game for French class

2.  Teach them through context.

This is much easier to do once students have a few words to make that context.  If you have a French 1 class, students can read together to work on pronunciation and comprehension, and they’ll pick up new vocabulary throught context.  For French 2 students, reading activities are the perfect way to reinforce that French 1 vocabulary and learn some new words using context clues.  And as FL teachers, that is a key learning standard everywhere that I know of!  These reading activities are a perfect way for first and second year students to review, reinforce, and learn even more words.  They each have three levels of questions, with English short answer questions and French multiple choice and short answer questions, so differentiating is so much simpler!

French reading passages with différentiation
Click HERE to check them out.

3.  Have a snowball fight.

Okay, not really, but it seems like it.  We do this a lot with writing prompts, round robin stories, and discussion questions, but it works great with vocab.  Simply give students a topic, give them 1 minute, and have them write every vocabulary word they can that relates to that topic.  Then they ball up their papers (like snowballs) and toss them.  Everyone grabs a new piece of paper, reads the words, and adds any words they can.  After a few rounds, you can go through the words together.  It’s really fun, it takes just a few minutes, and it gets them moving, which is so important!

4.  Immerse them in French.

If you aren’t an immersion teacher, you probably find that this is easier said than done.  It’s super-easy to use English to communicate, but it only hurts your students in the long run.  So, use as much French as you can, and they will pick up so many words along the way without having a formal list.  Want to get ideas for how to use more immersion?  Read THIS BLOG POST.  

5.  Use songs.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much I love music in class.  As a teacher, it is more fun for me.  As a mom, I see how effective it is for my son when he is in a music-based classroom.  (And he loves it!)  Want some song ideas for secondary classes?  Read THIS BLOG POST.  

Have littler ones?  Check out Mme Angel’s song list for primary French immersion.  My son listened to a lot of these in kindergarten.

Teach brand new beginners? Try introducing new words using one of these methods.

1.  Use a lot of cognates, synonyms, and antonyms.

This will help you stay in the target language as much as possible.  Students won’t struggle with cognates, and once they have a few words in their vocabularies, you can introduce synonyms and antonyms to easily increase their vocabulary quickly.

2.  Use TPR.

It feels silly to be so expressive, but it works!  Instead of translating everything, show them, or have them show you.  Want to introduce a new verb? Act it out!  TPR is especially helpful when you are teaching commands, body parts, or introducing verbs.

3.  Use objects.

As much as you can, have real-life objects on hand.  It is so much more engaging, and real-life experience is what is going to help students remember words.  Words on a vocab list?  Helpful, necessary, but not effective.  Collect any items you can from your units and look for somewhere good to store them!

4.  Use visuals.

Hang word walls and posters in your room and use those to present new vocabulary.  They make great reinforcements, but you can use them to introduce and reinforce the words.

Teach French vocabulary with word walls

 Find French word walls HERE.

5.   Have students read the words with partners.

When you do want to pass out the vocabulary list, give students five minutes to work with a partner and read the words.  This is really helpful when teaching sounds, and it’s a great way to help students read unknown words.  Want to make it a whole-class activity?  Type them out on a PowerPoint and read them together.  Get fancy and add images to drop in later so you get that visual effect.  🙂

Hope some of these ideas will help you as you review and introduce new vocabulary this year!

Filed Under: French games, French grammar and vocabulary, French music, French verbs, Middle and high school teaching, Speaking and cooperative learning, Teaching tips Ashley Leave a Comment

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The first day of school is a little less stressful The first day of school is a little less stressful when the same resource can be used with multiple grade levels!  These icebreakers come with different activity options in French and English, so even if you have advanced French students, beginners, and some who don’t speak French at all, you can use the same resource all day!  Learn more at the link in my bio.  What do teachers think? 
One teacher said:
“Love this resource! Used multiple times for my immersion grade 9 and 10 students. Good for mock interview practice, or fun discussion questions for participation/speaking points! Also great for practicing certain verb tenses! Great for beginning of school year, but I continued using throughout the year. “  Another teacher had this to say:
“I used this with my grade 7 basic French class. I liked that there were both English and French options because they always forget a lot of their vocabulary over the summer! Great first day activity!”  #rentrée #frenchteacher #frenchteachers #frenchimmersionteachers #frenchimmersion  #corefrench #corefrenchteacher  #profdefle  #highschoolfrench #middleschoolfrench #firstdayofschool  #frenchtpt  #frenchresources
FRENCH DECOR La rentrée is coming! I don't know FRENCH DECOR  La rentrée is coming! I don't know about you, but one of my favorite parts has always been decorating the classroom.  If you have my French teacher resource pack, you won't want to miss the updates, because this got a huge overhaul this summer! 🎉  Don't have it yet? Swipe through to see some of the new updates! I can't show them all here, but there are a LOT!  You can find this totally updated resource at the link in my bio @mmersfrenchresources  #frenchteacher #frenchteachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #corefrench #corefrenchteacher #middleschoolfrench #highschoolfrench #frenchimmersion #frenchresources #profdefrançais #iteachtoo #iteachfrench #frenchteacherresources #profdesecoles #frenchclass #profsfrancofun #mmersfrenchresources #teachingfrench
Look what came today! Anyone else get a little t Look what came today!  Anyone else get a little too excited about their new planner? 😂😂
READING STRATEGIES⁣ ⁣ I love reading, and read READING STRATEGIES⁣
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I love reading, and reading with kids is one of my favorite activities!⁣
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It definitely helps to have some strong reading strategies, and if you're teaching French to English speakers, there are a few ways you can make it a little easier.⁣
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In this blog post, I explain some of my favorite reading strategies for French students.⁣
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Find the link in my bio @mmersfrenchresources⁣
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ICE-BREAKERS⁣ ⁣ I personally love the first we ICE-BREAKERS⁣
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I personally love the first week of school, because it's so fun to get to know new kids!⁣
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BUT... when I taught FSL, I had a lot of kids who had never had any French! That meant creating different activities for the first week, because I needed them in French and English.⁣
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My ice-breaker set is really popular with French and English teachers because with 5 activities to choose from + both and English versions included, there is enough to do an activity a day for the whole week with EVERY student group!⁣
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The best part? These are on sale until midnight EST tonight - Wednesday, August 3rd! ⁣
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What do teachers say?⁣
⭐"Love this resource! Used multiple times for my immersion grade 9 and 10 students. Good for mock interview practice, or fun discussion questions for participation/speaking points! Also great for practicing certain verb tenses! Great for beginning of school year, but I continued using throughout the year."⁣
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⭐"I love that this resource is in both languages.  It really helped get the discussion going in class."⁣
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Looking for BTS resources for your French class? Looking for BTS resources for your French class?  Even if you’re still on summer break, you won’t want to miss out on the great deals at the TpT BTS sale! 🎉  These favorites are on sale Tuesday and Wednesday - along with all my other French resources!  Find the link to all my back to school resources with the link in my bio @mmersfrenchresources  #frenchteacherofinstagram #frenchteacher  #frenchteachers  #teachingfrench #teachingfrenchtokids #profdefrançais #corefrenchteacher #corefrenchteacher #frenchclass #frenchresources #frenchimmersionteachers #frenchimmersion #middleschoolfrench #frimm #tptsale #frenchtpt
AUGUST⁣ ⁣ I can't believe it's already August! AUGUST⁣
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I can't believe it's already August! We've had an amazing summer, but it's coming to an end. ⁣
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We are planning to hit the pool a few more times this month before school starts! Gotta soak up every minute! 👙⁣
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Do you go back in August or September? ⁣
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⭐️ LAST DAY ⭐️ Let us treat you this wee ⭐️ LAST DAY ⭐️  Let us treat you this weekend to some gift cards. We are giving away not one, but TWO $50 Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards. Who is excited for this prize?🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️  Just in time for the TPT sale August 2-3🎉  Entering is easy! All you have to do is:
🌷Go to the @frenchtastic.giveaway page 
🌷Follow the directions on the post  🤍This giveaway closes TONIGHT, July 31 at 8pm EST. The winners will be contacted via DM on Monday August 1 and then announced on this page 48 hours later.
🤍We will NEVER ask for your credit card info or send you any links. Please report and block anybody who does.  ➡️This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or associated with Instagram or Teachers Pay Teachers.  This giveaway is open worldwide.  #frenchteacherofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchresources #frenchlanguage #profdefle #profdefrançais #profdesecoles #professeur #teachingfrench #teachfrench
FRNCH GREETINGS⁣ ⁣ Students who are brand-new FRNCH GREETINGS⁣
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Students who are brand-new to French can be really intimidated at the beginning of the year.⁣
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Having well-structured activities that help them master the basics in a fun way gives students a great start to the year and makes them excited about learning French.⁣
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My French greetings packet is used by tons of teachers for their first week of school, because it includes speaking and writing and requires very little teacher prep! ⁣
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What do teachers say?⁣
"The resource was a great review of the greetings and goodbyes.  My students found the activities engaging and well organized."⁣
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"This was a fantastic resource for learning and reviewing greetings and goodbyes.  My students loved getting up and asking each other questions."⁣
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"My older and younger students benefited from these worksheets and term pages, I know I will use this yearly!"⁣
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Find the link in my bio @mmersfrenchresources⁣
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#frenchteachers #frenchresources #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers #targetlanguage #teachingfrench #enseignement #enseigner #teachfrench #rentrée #teachingfrench #frenchteacher #frenchteachersoninstagram
We’ve been really busy this July! From holiday We’ve been really busy this July!  From holiday fireworks and summer sunsets to trips to Chicago, Minneapolis, and camping by Lake Superior, it has been a fun month!  I’m ready to spend a minute at home!  How are you enjoying summer?
SCHOOL VOCABULARY One of my favorite ways to revi SCHOOL VOCABULARY  One of my favorite ways to review school supplies is with this differentiated set of reading comprehension questions.  Like all my reading comprehension activities, it’s so easy to use because there are 3 levels of questions for each passage.  This activity is from set 2 of my popular differentiated reading comprehension activities.  You can find the link to this set and also to all my reading activities in the link in my bio @mmersfrenchresources  #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #frenchresources #frenchclass #profdefrançais #profsfrancofun #mmersfrenchresources #corefrenchteacher #corefrench #teachingfrench #teachfrench #frenchtpt #frenchteacherofinstagram #frenchteachersoninstagram
ICE-BREAKERS⁣ ⁣ I know you're probably deep in ICE-BREAKERS⁣
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I know you're probably deep in your summer break right now, but if you're like me, you probably like to prep the fun stuff during summer. If not... save this for later! 😉⁣
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Ice-breaker activities are a great way to start the year with students, but I know I get sick of doing the same thing all day!⁣
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If you teach multiple levels, or if you have the same kids several years in a row, wouldn't it be nice to have an ice-breaker set with different activities so you can mix it up?⁣
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And how about those beginners who don't speak French yet? They can't do the same activities, so then you'd be needing ANOTHER activity for la rentrée!🙈⁣
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That's why I've made my ice-breaker set with 4 different activities in French and English so you can get one resource for many grades and levels!⁣
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It's a favorite of teachers each year! Here's what teachers think:⁣
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“I used this with my grade 7 basic French class. I liked that there were both English and French options because they always forget a lot of their vocabulary over the summer! Great first day activity!”⁣
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“Love this resource! Used multiple times for my immersion grade 9 and 10 students. Good for mock interview practice, or fun discussion questions for participation/speaking points! Also great for practicing certain verb tenses! Great for beginning of school year, but I continued using throughout the year.”⁣
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“There are so many uses I can make of this product both in French and in English.”⁣
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Tap the link in my bio for more info @mmersfrenchresources⁣
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TRAVELS ✈⁣ ⁣ Last week, I got to go to Chic TRAVELS ✈⁣
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Last week, I got to go to Chicago for the TpT conference! I haven't gone to an in-person conference since 2019, so it was so fun to see old friends.⁣
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Some highlights:⁣
I got to meet @forfrenchimmersion and @laclassedemadameangel in person! We talk almost everyday and we work together online all the time, but we have never actually met IRL. 👭⁣
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I also got to meet @lifebetweensummers who I have known and chatted with here on IG when she was translating 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 to French. We had a really fun night out in Chicago along with @the.mountain.teacher @wlclassroom and @enrichingyoungmindsandhearts 💃 ⁣
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I visited the first apartment I ever lived in and had a drink at the bar that is on the first floor of the building. I met the bartender who was a teacher working a side job for the summer (sound familiar?) and I got to talk public school systems with another teacher. 😀⁣
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I ran everyday along the waterfront path - which was amazing because A. Chicago is WAY flatter than where I live and B. Chicago is WAY less hot than where I live. 😅⁣
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I met tons of other teachers and got to have some quiet time to make some plans for next year. For all my type A friends, you know how much this means!⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #teacherspayteachers#frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teachertravels#teaching #teachersummer #teachersofthegram #teacherblogger #teacherlife #teachersofig #teachersfollowteachers⁣
#ttptforward#middleschoolteacher
VACATIONS! ✈⁣ ⁣ Which one do you prefer?⁣ VACATIONS! ✈⁣
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Which one do you prefer?⁣
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This is a hard one for me, because I'm a summer-lover who lives in flip flops and shorts, but nothing is more beautiful than the mountains...⁣
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I'm also a huge fan of big cities - especially if they are in another country. And no flip flops actually go to big city trips with me! 😉⁣
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#teachersinsummer #teachersoftpt #frenchteache⁣
#teachersfollowteachers #teachersofig #teachers
CLASSROOM LABELS⁣ ⁣ I'm definitely a type-A pe CLASSROOM LABELS⁣
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I'm definitely a type-A person who has everything organized and labeled. I have to admit... I love organizing things! 😆⁣
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I just added some classroom labels to my French teacher resource pack, so if you have that, make sure to grab this new addition! ⁣
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They include over 80 different labels with small and large labels of common classroom items. The small labels are shown here.⁣
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Tap the link in my bio for more info -> @mmersfrenchresources⁣
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SUMMER MEMORIES ⁣ ⁣ As a person who is 100% #t SUMMER MEMORIES ⁣
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As a person who is 100% #teamsummer I have the best memories of summer! A lot of them definitely involve flip-flops.⁣
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I'm happiest when I can throw on shorts and flip-flops and head out the door with my hair in a ponytail. How about you?
NEW BLOG POST⁣ ⁣ I love using hands-on activit NEW BLOG POST⁣
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I love using hands-on activities, because not only do they help kinesthetic learners master the material faster, but they are a great way to get all students engaged!⁣
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In my most recent blog post, find some of my favorite hands-on activities - including a freebie - for both elementary and secondary classes!⁣
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Tap the link in my bio for more info -> @mmersfrenchresources⁣
HANDS-ON LEARNING⁣
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#frenchteachers #frenchresources #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers #targetlanguage #teachingfrench #enseignement #enseigner #teachfrench #frenchimmersion #profsfrancofun #frenchtpt  #iteachfrench #frenchteachersoninsta #frenchteacher
SUMMER BREAK!⁣ ⁣ I love having days where I ju SUMMER BREAK!⁣
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I love having days where I just have no real plans or checklist, don't you?⁣
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This is my daily checklist for summer. I do have other things in there, but these are my morning tasks. Not bad, right?⁣
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What on your summer checklist? ⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teaching #middleschoolteacher #teachersinsummer #teachersofinstagram #iteachtoo #teachersofig #teachersfollowteachers #frenchteachersofinstagram
TRAVELS⁣ ⁣ What's on your travel list this yea TRAVELS⁣
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What's on your travel list this year?⁣
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My family lives in the south, so we head to Florida or the Carolinas when we can. My favorite kid on Earth loves theme parks, so we can never pass up a chance to ride some rides.⁣
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Who knows where we are in this picture?
JUILLET⁣ ⁣ July is hot and sunny here, but I l JUILLET⁣
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July is hot and sunny here, but I love it!⁣
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I'm excited to head to Chicago to see some friends I haven't seen in a long time - and to meet IRL a few friends that I work with all week long but have never actually met in person!⁣
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After that, we are camping by Lake Superior and heading to Minneapolis for a few days.⁣
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What are your July plans?⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teaching #middleschoolteacher #teachersinsummer #tpt #teachersofig #tptforwardchicago # #teachersfollowteachers
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