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Mme R's French Resources

December 6, 2018

Tips for teaching boys

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teaching-boys

Teaching boys and girls together can be tricky. It  has been thoroughly researched and proven many times that boys and girls do, in general, have some distinct learning differences. As all students have their own distinct learning styles, the needs of boys and girls can be quite different. When I wanted to know how to be a more effective teacher, I asked my students to tell me what they needed from me. Here are some tips for teaching boys come that from years of student surveys and from my own boy expert, my third grade son.

My sweetie loves to learn, he’s a great student, and his teachers tell me how respectful and kind he is. As a teacher-mom, I’ve tried hard to instill in him the values that I think he needs to be successful in school. He does a great job, but despite my support and his good grades, he still doesn’t feel proud of his schoolwork.

When he complains about school, it is never the teacher. He has loved most of his teachers. What he tells me about school is very similar to what my boy students have also said in this secondary student grade card you can find here for free. Many surveys (I suspect mostly from boys) came back saying the same things my son says today. I used those surveys to change how I taught, and it made such a difference in behavior, achievement, and overall class vibe.

Here’s what I hear at home. Now, many of these are from the mouth of an 8 year-old, but they sound very similar to the comments I’ve heard from 6-7th graders and also from 11-12th graders.

1.”School is way too much sitting down.”

I looked at my lesson plans and counted the activities that required movement. Then I looked at those quiet sit-down activities (even partnered activities). I found that I had a LOT of sitting activities. I made an effort to have one movement-based activity per class as many times a week as I could. Now, this won’t work everyday, but it’s actually easier than you think.

French-er-verbs-game

French -er verbs vocabulary slap game

Activities like speaking cards, find someone who, Scoot!, and vocabulary slap are a great way to get kids moving, and they are fun! All students will benefit from the movement, but foreign language students could benefit the most, since they’ll be using the language in a variety of ways.

Even when the activity requires students to sit quietly at a desk, a lot of them will be able to stay on task if they just keep their hands busy. Even with middle school and high school students, I have always kept a box of things they can play with during lessons, filled with things like stress balls, pipe cleaners, and velcro strips. The box is in the back of the room and they know they can grab something from it anytime by simply raising their hand (at the right moment) and gesturing towards the box. (Girls actually LOVE this box, too.)

Alternative seating areas, carpets, and floor pillows are also great way to still do quiet written work without having to sit at a desk.

Find more ideas for movement in this blog post.

2. “The girls just behave better than the boys.”

Little boys (and bigger ones) are ready to move, so sitting still just makes everything harder. Boys aren’t always quite as mature as girls, and it just makes some of the social expectations that much more difficult. I’m not saying not to have rules, but to ask if what we are asking is developmentally appropriate for a child of that age. I’ve been in classrooms where children of 6-7 years old are expected to sit silently and eat their lunch. It was awkward and weird for me, so I’m sure it was REALLY weird for a first grader.

French-futur-simple-game

French futur simple board game

By bringing more structured games into the classroom, learning will feel easier and the behavioral problems go way down. Just try to get students to sit silently and conjugate verbs on a worksheet for 30 minutes. Then give them a game to play doing the same thing. Which one are they going to respond better to?

3.”I wish I were a girl, because I could write faster.”

I don’t know if girls are really faster, but it has seemed to me many times that the first ones done are often the girls. Yes, there are boys who are fast, but my son is not likely to ever be one of them, and he sure notices when others are finishing. A lot of boys may get frustrated with sit-down activities or quiet reading and writing. Girls often enjoy and do well in language-based classes, and this isn’t always the case for boys.

For a foreign language teacher, this is alarming, because we teach language! It’s important to find meaningful ways to practice the language besides worksheets where students are writing the words all day. Yes, this is important, but balance is so important. Language proficiency comes with speaking, reading, and writing, so try to balance out the activities so that all learning styles are benefitting.

French-verb-ball-toss

At home, we have a lot of spelling words to practice, but we don’t write them out. We bounce balls and do them out loud or we use cut out letters to build the words. I’ve done these same things with middle schoolers (and even 9th and 10th graders) and they still love it. An easy way to do this? Pass out a few tennis balls to groups of 4-5  students and have them toss the ball while conjugating. It’s effective, fun, and gets students engaged.

4. “Why can’t we use more technology?”

French-partitive-articles

French definite, indefinite, and partitive articles Boom Cards™

Doing a math worksheet is just torturous for my son. He does them, because he’ll do what he needs to for school, but he HATES them. Doing the same math activity on the computer is just as effective and feels less torturous to him. There are easy ways to integrate technology into a lesson or allow a student to do homework online with sites like Quizlet or Boom Learning℠, and offering that variety is sure to make your students happy.

Grab a free deck of French Boom Cards here to see how they work!

*Boom Learning and Boom Cards are the trademarks of Boom Learning Inc. Used with permission.

5. “Why can’t we do more touch-based things?”

Manipulatives are a great way to reach kids who need to move more. They aren’t just for little ones, either. I have used this -er verbs activity with every French 1 class I’ve taught, because ALL of the kids really benefit from it. The act of cutting off that -er ending before conjugating just makes it stick. Grab this freebie here!

Things like puzzles are also a really fun way to help those students who learn by touching and doing. I’ve set up centers in middle school and high school classes with activities for fast finishers that were full of different activities for all types of learners. A few times a month, everyone worked at the centers doing the activities of their choice. Even if you think your kids are too big to do certain activities, it might surprise you to see how much they still like the variety of doing a learning center from time to time.

Have any other great tips for teaching boys? Comment below!

Filed Under: Classroom management, Middle and high school teaching, Teaching tips, Technology in the classroom 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! ☀️⚾️👑
FREEBIE 🎉 Grab this summer-themed freebie so y FREEBIE 🎉  Grab this summer-themed freebie so you've got something ready for fast finishers or in case you've got a sudden schedule change! It's bound to happen at some point!  #frenchteachers #frenchresources #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers #targetlanguage #teachingfrench #enseignement #enseigner #teachfrench #tptfreebie #tpt #teacherspayteachers #freeteachingresources #profsfrancofun #corefrench #teachingfrench #teachingfrenchtokids #teachingfrench #frenchteacher #frenchteachersoninsta #frenchteachers #profdefrançais #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram
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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#teachersinsummer #teachergram⁣
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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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#frenchteachers #frenchresources #mmersfrenchresources #corefrench #profdefrançais #worldlanguageteachers #targetlanguage #teachingfrench #enseignement #enseigner #teachfrench #conjugaison #frenchverbs #frenchteacher #teachersofinstagram
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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#igteachers #teachersofinstagram #frenchteachers #frenchteacher #teachergram #teachers #teachersofinsta #teaching #middleschoolteacher # #teachersfollowteachers #iteach456 #teachersofig #teachersinjune #teachersinsummer #selfcaresunday #selfcare #teacherselfcare
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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