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Mme R's French Resources

March 1, 2021

3 fun ways to teach writing in French class

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Do you teach writing in French class? Teaching writing has always been one of my favorite activities. Not all students love to write, but there are some easy ways to make it a lot more fun! With these super-low-prep activities, you can help your students get the necessary practice to become better French writers while making it much more engaging for all students.

Here are some fun and easy activities to teach writing

in French class.

 

1. Create a comic strip.

Not all kids will love to write a story, so how about making it something they will love? You can always give the option to write a traditional story or a comic strip. My son absolutely HATES to write paragraphs, but if he is given the option to write a comic strip, he’ll gladly do a writing assignment.

You can create the page for the comic strip by making a page with as many boxes as you want students to complete. Short on time? Just have them draw their own. 🙂

Give them a topic that corresponds to the unit you are working on and have them write a short story or even use the comic strip to write a short dialogue.

This can be as formal or informal as you want. A lot of times, I’ll do activities like this as a follow-up reader response to a novel we are reading.

 

2. Use this fun sentence extender practice to have a sentence-length challenge.

Not all writing activities have to be formal essays. This is a really simple activity that I have done with students to help them write longer sentences. I don’t know about you, but reading a lot of short sentences really bugs me. Here’s what I do:

Show students a picture. It can be anything, really, but do stick with something that students will have the vocabulary to discuss. For example, for beginners learning -er verbs, you you could show something like this:French-writing-activity

Write the question words on the board to prompt students to add more detail:

  • Qui ?

  • Quoi ?

  • Quand ?

  • Où ?

  • Pourquoi ?

  • Comment ?

Then you’d model how to make it longer. Start with the subject and verb. Rewrite the sentence and a detail by answering one of the question words. Then rewrite the new sentence adding another detail. You can keep adding to it with new details.

Once you’ve modeled this to students, have them work in partners to try and create long sentences. You can even make it a competition with a little prize for the longest sentence.

Obviously, they wouldn’t always add all these details, but the point is to practice writing with more detail. In this case, more is better.

 

3.  Use a snowball writing activity.

This was always my students’ favorite when I taught advanced classes and older French immersion class.

1. Start with a writing prompt. You can ask a question of the day, give them a silly story starter, or have them tell a funny story with a picture you find online. If you want to mix it up, assign a different question to each table.

Click here to grab some free story starters for your intermediate and advanced classes!

2. Give students a few minutes to write. I usually do 3 minutes, but that’s just the time that seemed to work the best for us. You can adjust it based on your students.

3. After they’ve written for the chosen time limit, have them ball up their papers and toss them up in the air. Then each student jumps up, grabs a “snowball” and reads what was written.

4. Give the class another 3 minutes or so to continue the story, then ball them back up and toss them again. We do this two or three times . When you are ready to end the story, have the final person write an ending.

Make sure you vary your types of activities, and be sure not to overwhelm students (and yourself) with too many writing projects. It should be fun!

Learn how I formally assess and grade writing here. 

Filed Under: Middle and high school teaching, Teaching tips, Writing 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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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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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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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:⁣
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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'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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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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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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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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BONJOUR !⁣ ⁣ I have “met” so many differen BONJOUR !⁣
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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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Do we share anything in common? Let me know in the comments! ⁣
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I've been reading The People We Keep by Allison Larkin and it's great!⁣
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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 ⁣
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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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