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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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Spending a perfect day with two of my favorite peo Spending a perfect day with two of my favorite people! ☀️⚾️👑
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SUMMER! 🌴⁣ ⁣ It's finally here! ⁣ ⁣ I w SUMMER! 🌴⁣
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It's finally here! ⁣
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I wait all year for summer! Not kidding. I hate winter and the cold. I could be ALL my life in shorts and sandals!⁣
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Just a few things I'm excited for: ⁣
Loads of ice cream 🍦⁣
Camping ⛺⁣
Chicago 🏙⁣
Dates with my husband 👫⁣
Drive in movies 🚗⁣
Pool days with my kiddo 👙⁣
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What's on your summer bucket list?⁣
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CHECKING OUT⁣ ⁣ Anything more frustrating than CHECKING OUT⁣
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Anything more frustrating than being all ready to go, but you can't get that last signature on your sign-out form? 😩
EVEN BIG KIDS LOVE TO COLOR 🖍⁣ ⁣ One of my EVEN BIG KIDS LOVE TO COLOR 🖍⁣
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One of my favorite quiet activities for those days when students are a little over-stimulated is a color by code for grammar.⁣
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Even high schoolers like to color, but I have to admit, I didn't think about doing these types of activities when I first started teaching. It wasn't until I had accidentally left out the coloring books I kept for those times my son was in my classroom that I realized it, because they ALL wanted to color when they finished their finals. ⁣
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I had a total 💡 moment! ⁣
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So, since then, I've always tried to make a few color by code activities to review parts of speech or verbs, and they love it! ⁣
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You can find this page and a few more in my summer packet.⁣
Link in my bio @mmersfrenchresources⁣
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SELF-CARE⁣ ⁣ I love bubble baths a little more SELF-CARE⁣
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I love bubble baths a little more than the average person, but when I think of self-care, that's not the only thing that comes to mind.⁣
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Here are a few ways I love to take care of myself when I'm overwhelmed - or how I like to keep myself in good shape mentally and physically.⁣
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If you know a little about me, then you know that I love to run and read. Those are not on my list, because they are habits for me, so they aren't my self-care routines I tend to forget about.⁣
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This list is the things I need to make myself do when I'm down so that I feel a little more myself.⁣
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What do you do to take care of yourself? ⁣
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WHAT I'M READING⁣ ⁣ Disclaimer - I've read thi WHAT I'M READING⁣
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Disclaimer - I've read this before and I'm reading it again, because I just tend to do that with books. 😉⁣
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A lot of the time, the classroom was not a happy place for me. I didn't really understand why, but I would cringe when a teacher told us to go find a partner.⁣
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I knew I wasn't going to like what was coming because:⁣
A. I don't enjoy working with people.⁣
B. Going and finding my own partner was really stressful for me.⁣
C. The activity was bound to be noisy, and I really don't like that.⁣
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It wasn't until many years later, as a teacher myself, that I realized that there wasn't something "wrong" with me, although people often thought I was snotty or mean because I don't talk much or reach out to people.⁣
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As a teacher, especially a language teacher, I understand the importance of group work, but I have also been extremely cautious to not have students just "find a partner." I know the anxiety that created for me, and I think there are always students like that in the classroom. ⁣
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I'm intentional about putting students in groups, and I have had students tell me in my student feedback survey that they really appreciated that.⁣
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This book is a great read if you are an introvert yourself, because it definitely helped me understand that it's okay to want quiet and prefer being alone a lot of the time.⁣
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It's great for extroverts, because I know many times people have not understood when I was overwhelmed with the noise or the people and I needed to go home.  For teachers, it would give a good insight into those students who really don't seem to like groups. ⁣
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If you're looking for some summer reading, it's not the lightest read, but it is a book that I've found really helpful.⁣
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#booklist #whatimreading #teacherbooks #readinglist #bookshelf #teachers⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teaching #middleschoolteacher
LISTENING⁣ ⁣ I don't know about you, but help LISTENING⁣
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 I don't know about you, but helping students improve listening skills has always been the hardest part of teaching French. Whether it was in immersion or FSL, the students have always been very used to my voice or the voices of their other teachers, but when we listen to songs, watch movies, or listen to audio tracks, they have a hard time understanding different accents.⁣
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I wanted to find a way to make listening to a native speaker more accessible, even to beginners, even when they don't understand all the words, even when they can't see the teacher gesturing.⁣
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If you've used my differentiated reading activities, then you know that they make the same text accessible to different levels. My listening activities do the same thing, but this time, it's with audio tracks recorded by native speakers around the francophone world.⁣
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Learn more about my listening activities at my blog. Link in bio @mmersfrenchresources⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teaching #middleschoolteacher #frenchteachers #frenchresources #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers #targetlanguage #teachingfrench #enseignement #enseigner #teachfrench #frenchimmersion
VOCABULAIRE⁣ ⁣ Teachers love my reading activi VOCABULAIRE⁣
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Teachers love my reading activities and ask for more all the time, so I thought I'd make a fun summer-themed vocabulary activity that incorporates some reading.⁣
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This texte à trous activity has 4 summer-themed readings for core and immersion classes that will help you bring a little seasonal vocabulary into your class this month!⁣
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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 #vocabulaire #iteachfrench #iteach456 #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram #frenchteacher #frenchresources #frenchimmersion
END THE YEAR RIGHT!⁣ ⁣ It's getting to be that END THE YEAR RIGHT!⁣
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It's getting to be that time! No matter how ready I've ever been for a school year to end, it somehow ends up that I'm scrambling on the last few days to get stuff done. ⁣
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Sound familiar?⁣
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Here are a few things you can do to make a smoother transition into summer.⁣
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1. Throw stuff away. Seriously. Do not save things for projects you may never do. Just throw it out. (I am terrible at this.)⁣
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2. Put the meaningful things in a locked cabinet or take them home. Your classroom isn't really yours, and during summer school, maintenance, or just when it's empty, something you value might get lost or broken.⁣
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3. Get organized. I'm a huge fan of the dollar store, and I love pretty bins, so this is actually really fun for me. ⁣
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4. Plan ahead if you have to sign out with a checklist. Try and do a few ahead of time if you can so you aren't running all over the building on the last day.⁣
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5. Have fun! You spent all year building a family, and now it's time to say goodbye. As much as everyone is ready to sleep in a little, it's hard to say goodbye. Make some good memories on your last few days.⁣
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6. Empty your snack drawer. I won't even tell you how disgusting it is when you leave a few non-packaged snacks (bags of fruit 🤢) in your drawer over the summer. So much for healthy eating...⁣
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Any other year-end tips? Share them below!⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teaching #middleschoolteacher #frenchteachers  #mmersfrenchresources #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers  #enseignement #enseigner
JUNE Can you believe it's June?!? June is my favo JUNE  Can you believe it's June?!? June is my favorite month, so I’ve been waiting!  Things I love about June : longer days and late sunsets, fireflies, root beer floats, watermelon, sandals, swimming, picnics, hikes with my son.  Do you have a favorite part of summer?
BONJOUR !⁣ ⁣ I have “met” so many differen BONJOUR !⁣
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I have “met” so many different teachers from around the world here on IG, and it's so fun discovering new facts about everyone! I thought I'd share a few things about me you might not know.😊⁣
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1.  I'm the youngest of 4 kids. My oldest brother was a senior in high school when I was in kindergarten, so my mom had little kids at home for a LONG time.⁣
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2. I love roller coasters! This is me and one of my sisters in Vegas just after we rode the ride at New York, New York. It was really fun - just in case you're wondering! ⁣
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3. I have moved 14 times to different homes in various states and countries, but I bought the house I live in now and have had it for a long time! I can't imagine trying to pack up a house now...⁣
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4. I'm mom to a middle schooler (7th grade now!) and I don't have any idea how that is, because he was just a baby a minute ago. 🤔⁣
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5. I seriously love to eat and I think I'm pretty much always hungry. I'm also always going, so I guess that makes sense!⁣
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Do we share anything in common? Let me know in the comments! ⁣
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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #mmersfrenchresources
NEW BOOK📚⁣ ⁣ If you've been following along NEW BOOK📚⁣
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If you've been following along for a while, then then you might know that my goal is to read 52 books this year. It used to be a book for each year of my age, but I was doing that easily, so I just decided a book a week would be a nice goal.⁣
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I've been reading The People We Keep by Allison Larkin and it's great!⁣
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It's a coming of age story that really resonated with me, because it's about a girl who ends up on her own and, as a result, she drops out of school. It's a story of amazing resilience that I found particularly touching as a teacher, because we never quite know what kids are going through when they aren't in our classrooms. ⁣
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I'm always adding to my list, so share a favorite in the comments! ⁣
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#teachersummer #teacherreader #readinglist ⁣
#whatimreading ⁣
#bookshelf #bookaddict #readingtime #igteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #middleschoolteacher
Yesterday I took a social media and news break. Ne Yesterday I took a social media and news break. News in America is rarely good, and I just have to step back.  I woke this morning and heard of yesterday’s school shooting while my husband was listening to the news. I opened up my phone to learn more before my son woke up, because I wanted to talk with him before school.  My son woke up for his last day of school and came downstairs to find me crying. When he asked me what was wrong, I struggled to find the words to explain to him what had happened.  These kids were having their last week of school. They did all the normal things, never knowing it was the last time they would do them.  How do I tell him what happened and then send him off like everything is normal? He’s in middle school, so he’s going to hear about it. I don’t want to hide it from him. I also don’t want to scare him. But it’s scary. And it’s real. It’s scary that it keeps happening and lawmakers just won’t make changes to keep us safe.  I don’t tell him of the many active shooter drills I’ve done. I certainly never imagined that when I was doing teacher training.  I don’t tell him that this happens in America far too often.  I don’t really quite have the words to tell him, because I can’t wrap my head around it myself.  So I tell him what I know, hug him the hardest I can, and send him to school.  How do we just keep going on like it’s all okay? None of this is okay.
FREEBIES!⁣ ⁣ It's always a good idea to have s FREEBIES!⁣
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It's always a good idea to have some resources on hand just in case, right? I thought I'd help you find some ready-to-go resources for the next few weeks so you can focus a little less time looking and more time doing what you enjoy. 😊⁣
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Find links to free French summer resources from a variety of TpT authors in this blog post.⁣
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I hope you find something to save yourself some time!⁣
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#frenchteachers #frenchresources #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers #targetlanguage #teachingfrench #enseignement #enseigner #teachfrench #tptfreebies #frenchteacher #frenchimmersion #teachersinsummer #summerbreak #teacherspayteachersfreebie #profsfrancofun
🌴🌴SUMMER IS COMING! 🌴 I'm so ready! How 🌴🌴SUMMER IS COMING! 🌴  I'm so ready! How about you?  If you are still teaching for a few more weeks, maybe some seasonal fun would make it less stressful?  I've got a brand-new summer-themed bundle with 10 resources to save planning time and have fun!  𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱?
🌴No-prep worksheets 
🌴Texte à trous reading activities
🌴Summer bingo
🌴French speaking cards
🌴Boom Cards
🌴J'ai... qui a... ?
🌴Word wall cards
🌴Write the room
🌴Board games
🌴Puzzles  𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲:
Present tense verbs
Parts of speech
Sentence structure
French summer vocabulary
Writing sentences in French
Asking and answering questions  This is perfect for Core French beginners, but all resources are in French-only, so this would also work in a late French immersion class.  Find the link to the summer bundle in my bio @mmersfrenchresources  #frenchteacher #frenchresources #teachingfrench #profdefrançais #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #frenchimmersion #teachingfrenchtokids #frimm #teachfrench #elementaryfrench #françaislangue
New book suggestion 📚 I have been reading this New book suggestion 📚  I have been reading this by @kristinharmel the past few days, and I’d highly recommend it!  I love historical fiction, and I know a lot of you do, too, so I wanted to share! I haven’t wanted to put it down, but I’m spending a long weekend with my sis and don’t want to leave her waiting for me! 😂  #readinglist #frenchteacherlife #frenchteachers #whatimreading #booknerd
Happy Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day is always b Happy Mother’s Day!  Mother’s Day is always bittersweet for me, because I lost my mom years ago.  I have an amazing mother-in-law and aunt, and I’m thankful to share the day with them. Plus, I have beautiful flowers in my garden from my mom’s house, so I know she’s still with me.  As a mom myself, I so appreciate having a day where I can relax and be with my family. I wanted so very much to be a mom and it didn’t happen easily, so I’m extra thankful for my son! ❤️  I wish you a wonderful Mother’s Day if you’re celebrating with your mom and a day full of warm memories if you can’t be with her. 💕
🌟STUDENT AWARDS 🌟 Do you have my end of yea 🌟STUDENT AWARDS 🌟  Do you have my end of year awards? If so, you won't want to miss the HUGE update!  The original set was made way back when I first started putting my resources on TpT - around 2014 or 2015 - so I figured it could use a refresh.  It's on sale for just a few more hours, too! 😀  Link in bio @mmersfrenchresources  #teachersofinstagram 
#tptsale #teachfrench #iteachfrench #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachingfrench #middleschoolfrench #corefrench #profsfrancofun #profdefrançais #frenchimmersion
#teacherspayteachers #mmersfrenchresources
HELLO MAY! April brought nothing but cold weathe HELLO MAY!  April brought nothing but cold weather and Covid to my world, so I'm hoping May looks better!  Today was beautiful and I went for a nice run, so things might just be looking up. 
🤞  I've got a few huge things planned for this month, but life has been showing me that I can make all the plans I want, but things are just gonna happen how they want to. I guess I'll get to them in good time, right?  #frenchteachers #frenchteachersoninstagram 
#frenchteacher #frenchteachersoninsta
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