Looking for French 1 resources that will really engage your beginning French students?
It’s hard to teach French beginners! They need so much structured practice in order to master those basic skills. Speaking doesn’t come naturally for them, spelling is not easy, and they often freak out if you try to speak too much French from the start.
Whether you’re a veteran teacher, a new teacher, or somewhere in between, you need to have a ton of supplementary materials to reach all your learning styles. These French 1 resources are engaging and effective, plus they save so much time planning that you can enjoy what you’re teaching!
Here are some of my favorite French 1 resources:
French bellringers
You need an easy way to start your class every day. You need to take attendance, help absent students, regroup. Having an established bellwork activity can make life so much easier when it comes to classroom management.
I’ve created a set of bell-ringers with 200 activities to last the entire year! With activities for French verb conjugation, adjective agreement, beginner vocabulary, and writing prompts, there is so much to choose from.
Handy French worksheets and printables
While printing out packets isn’t the best or only way to get students familiar with the new vocabulary, it it extremely helpful to have handy printables for them to use as writing practice and reference for all those grammar rules. Many of my grammar and vocabulary packets have speaking activities as well, and it’s not uncommon to find exit tickets or quizzes, too.
My French 1 resources are perfect for beginners but many include full-French version that is perfect for review with other levels!
Scoot games and French task cards
These are by far my favorite games to play, because students NEED to move! It helps them concentrate, it keeps them from getting bored, and did you know that movement helps them learn? So, it’s not just for fun, it is effective! (But it is fun, too).
Here’s a peek at my avoir/être Scoot game:
French projects
I’m not crazy about tests. It bores me to sit in a quiet room all day. To be honest, it kind of weirds me out. However, watching student presentations (that I can grade on the spot) or admiring my students’ projects makes me smile. Some of my favorite French 1 resources are projects, because students love them and learn a ton!
Real-life learning helps students retain that information so much better, it’s more fun for them, and students will get sentimental when they remember fun projects they did in your class. Can you say that for a test?
Here’s how I recommend getting started using projects in your French class.
French speaking cards
If you’re familiar with my teaching tips, then you probably aren’t surprised that some of my favorite French 1 resources are for speaking!
Students need to speak. They did not take French class to spell verbs on paper. They just didn’t. Hesitant speakers need structured activities like the ones found in these speaking cards. Students will thrive with the chance to move, and even your shy speakers will enjoy speaking when the activities are not intimidating. Here’s a peek at some cards for practicing regular -er verbs.
French reading comprehension activities
Students need to be able to read texts containing words they don’t know, but they need those texts to be accessible. My reading comprehension packets contain 10 reading passages each, and each reading passage has 3 differentiated levels of questions, making it a friendly resource for struggling learners and the most-advanced beginners. These are a must-have for your French 1 resources library!
French board games
We all love to play games, right? Students love practicing their vocabulary with their classmates with board games like this French adjectives board game. You can make it as challenging as you need to by asking students to use certain verbs, complete sentences, or even challenge them further by asking for long sentences of 10 words or more. If you want basic practice, students can just give the French word for the image shown.
Boom Cards
These are so fun! Boom Cards™ are a great way for students to practice on their own with their internet-capable devices. I’ve got decks for verb conjugation, vocabulary practice, and even decks with audio for listening practice! These French school supplies cards have audio, so students can hear the spoken French words and choose the correct images.
Want to have a year’s worth of French 1 resources with updates?
You can get all of these in one huge French 1 resources bundle! That’s right, get all of these and many more. In fact, an entire year’s worth!
Along with these French speaking activities, games, worksheets, culture lessons, and projects, I’ve also created a scope and sequence and a pacing guide. It’s so easy to plan the entire year, because you just follow the guide and use the activities suggested!
If I create new French 1 resources, they always get added to this bundle, so even if you use it from one year to the next, you just might find a brand-new activity to try out. If you are looking for a complete French 1 resource that has engaging materials that actually work, this is it!
What do teachers say about these French 1 resources?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This is one of my best purchases ever! It has everything, is very well organised and instructions are so easy to follow. Thank you for taking the time to create this!”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I cannot say enough positive things about Mme R’s resources and this bundle is no exception. It includes everything I need already prepped. The material is engaging and easy to understand for students. Merci beaucoup!!”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As a beginning french teacher, this is incredible. I cannot tell you how much stress this has lifted from me!!! Merci merci!!”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Absolutely fantastic resource- a full year of activities with variety right here all in one!!! My students love learning with these resources and games. Thank you to Mme R.!”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As with all of Ashley’s materials, these materials are top notch. They are downloaded and ready to plug in and use. We are a hybrid school with some fully remote students so the ability to have all the kids complete the same assignments is essential for me. Just like most French teachers in the US, 3-4 preps is daunting, but these materials help tremendously.
Find the French 1 resources bundle here.
What French vocabulary themes are included?
- greetings
- numbers
- weather
- family
- sports + hobbies (likes & dislikes)
- school supplies + school subjects
- clothing
- food
- city and places
- telling time
- animals – à la ferme
What French grammar concepts are included?
- French question words
- French ER, IR, and RE verbs in the present tense
- basic negation
- basic prepositions
- common adverbs of frequency
- French adjective agreement, colors, + comparatives & superlatives
- avoir, être, faire, aller, venir in the present tense
- prendre & mettre in the present tense
Chantal says
Yes please!
Paul Badura says
I teach core French grades 1/2 split so I’m looking for help in that regard
Ashley says
Hi Paul!
Most of these resources are geared towards Core 4th grade and up, because they’ll be learning conjugation and grammar, too. I do have beginner games that are image-based, so those are really popular with younger students. You can find a few here:
Board games
Bingo games
I have some friends who sell resources for beginning immersion students, and a lot of those will work in core, too. You should check them out:
Maternelle avec Mme Andrea
For French Immersion
La Classe de Mme Angel
Best of luck!
Nichole says
We moved to Switzerland, i need some help personally so i can also help my kids improve their french. Thank you
Ashley says
Hi there! I’m happy to recommend some resources that would work for your kids. You can look around at my store and send me a Q and A if you need some recommendations.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mme-Rs-French-Resources
Elizabeth says
Bonjour … what beautiful work! I’m interested in using some in my French program … not sure how this works!
Expliquez svp!
Elizabeth
Ashley says
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your sweet words!
I sell individual units at my Teachers Pay Teachers store, and this entire year-long program is also available. 🙂
You can see all that is included here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/French-1-grammar-and-vocabulary-speaking-activities-games-BUNDLED-3294094
Have a great day!