Do you teach French 1 or beginning French? It can be so fun to be the one to introduce them to the Francophone world, but it is not easy to teach from square one! You need to engage them with fun activities, provide differentiation, introduce culture, give them ample opportunities to speak and listen to each other, teach them to read and write, and teach a LOT of grammar … even if you’re not allowed to actually teach grammar! 😉
I taught French 1-5 at the high school level for seven years and at the middle school level for one year before moving to middle school French immersion, and I know just how hard it is! The good news is, I have created hundreds of resources that helped me teach all the concepts in a fun way.
You can see all of my French 1 resources here.
You can see all of my French 2 resources here.
Teach Core French?
These are American levels for beginning French, but here’s how you’ll determine your levels.
French 1 usually covers (but is not limited to) basic skills such regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs, avoir/être, faire, aller, adjectives, food, clothing, family, weather, dates, numbers, school supplies and classes, negation, questions, hobbies, and personal items.
French 2 usually covers (or continues) beginning vocabulary themes such as clothing and food as well as adding new topics such as house and home vocabulary, health, travel, city and places. Students learn new grammatical topics including (but not always limited to) the passé composé, direct and indirect objects, reflexive verbs, relative pronouns, and perhaps and introduction to the futur simple or the imparfait.
Here are just a few of my favorite beginning French resources for level 1:
No-prep French worksheets
Students need clear and concise explanations and structured activities for practicing French grammar, vocabulary, and verb conjugations.
Many of my beginner resources also include a full-french version so they can be used as a review for French immersion or more advanced classes.
Write the room
This is a really fun way to let students make their own vocabulary lists! It’s way better than just getting a list and going through the pronunciation with a teacher.
Place the write the room cards around the room and have students move around the room writing the words from the cards on their lists. If they work in pairs, they can practice reading them out loud as they go.
French games
Learning French should be fun, right? With engaging French games like this scoot game shown below, students can practice necessary skills in a way that’s so fun that they won’t even realize how much they’re learning!
French speaking activities
Beginning French students need a lot of structured practice speaking. Whether it’s a set of French speaking cards or a find someone who activity like this one shown below, it’s really important to make sure they get a lot of time to speak!
Boom Cards™️
These paperless task cards are self-checking, so students get instant feedback as they work through the questions. Use them as a whole-class activity, at a learning station, or as independent work.
The sets with audio all feature a native speaker so beginning French students can practice their listening skills even when they’re at home!
Presentations for PowerPoint™️ and Google Slides™️
It’s always helpful to have an engaging and clear way to present French grammar, right? Beginning French students will benefit a lot from having an easy-to-follow presentation to help them learn grammar and vocabulary.
Here are just a few of my favorite beginning French resources for level 2:
French projects
I love project-based learning for beginning French students! I don’t really love giving tests (even if I do make them and give them…) but I do love using projects as a way to assess students. They get so much more engaged and I love their creativity!
French verb worksheets
It’s so important to make sure students get the necessary practice conjugating verbs. That said, it doesn’t have to be in the form of a long boring worksheet. Varied activities and effective exercises mean that students don’t spend tons of time on busywork.
French games
Games like Bingo are a favorite for every level, and I definitely love to play bingo in French 2! They get so excited as they listen for the words, and it’s always a fun way to review vocabulary and listening skills!
Presentations for PowerPoint™️ and Google Slides™️
As the French grammar gets more difficult, it’s really important to provide visuals and practice students can do along with the presentations so that you can make sure they are understanding the concepts. These passé composé activities for Google Slides™️ are just one of the many resources in my passé composé unit.
Boom Cards™️
These paperless task cards are self-checking, so students get instant feedback as they work through the questions. Use them as a whole-class activity, at a learning station, or as independent work.
I use these with all levels, because they are fun and engaging!
French speaking activities
Beginning French students need a lot of structured practice speaking. Whether it’s a set of French speaking cards like these passé composé cards, a partner interview, or a find someone who activity, there are a lot of meaningful and easy ways for beginning French students to get that important practice!
All of my French 1 and French 2 resources are also available in year-long bundles that continue to grow bigger and bigger as I add more French resources to their corresponding bundles.
For the French 1 bundle, click here.
For the French 2 bundle, click here.
