As a French teacher, one of the most common questions I get asked is how to get students speaking French in the classroom. It’s a valid question, since getting students to speak the language they are learning is one of the main goals of any French class. In this blog post, I’m answering some of […]
French speaking ideas
Target language teaching
I didn’t start out teaching in the target language. I struggled a LOT with this when I first became a French teacher. How was I supposed to speak in French when they couldn’t understand me? Weren’t they going to give up? Weren’t they going to miss the instructions? I wanted so badly to do a […]
French oral communication
Teaching good oral communication skills is one of the most important tasks for the world language teacher. Teaching oral communication in French is often daunting, but doesn’t have to be! With meaningful practice and more focus on communication tasks, we can help our students become more effective communicators. 1. Practice should be interactive. Of […]
10 tips for teaching native speakers
Teaching native speakers in foreign language class is not easy. They have the oral fluency that your other students lack. Their use of idiomatic expressions is superior. They don’t need vocabulary lists to work with, and they don’t want to learn from a textbook. But … they might not know how to read or write […]
French Christmas speaking activities
French Christmas speaking activities are a great thing to have on hand for the busy month of December! Christmas is such a fun time to be a teacher, but it’s also really stressful. Snow days, finals, schedule changes, and excited students make this month especially hard. Quick and ready-to-use activities are a must, but you […]
An entire year of French 1 Resources!
It’s hard to teach beginning French students! 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 […]
French immersion strategies
As a mom, I speak French at home. During the day, my son goes to a French immersion school, and he spends all day speaking French. He doesn’t understand how to conjugate verbs yet, but he does know how to use them correctly in many tenses. He’s not even 100% sure what a verb is […]
French speaking activity for beginners
I know how hard it is to get beginning French students speaking, and I’m always looking for meaningful new ways for students to practice. Just as each class is different, every year brings new students with new strengths and also new challenges. Over my years as a teacher, I have had to vary my activities […]
