Good classroom management strategies make teaching so much easier! Teaching a foreign language can be challenging, and even more so if the students are learning it for the first time. As a French teacher, you know how important it is to encourage your students to speak the language and follow class rules, but that doesn’t […]
Teaching tips
French read aloud ideas for secondary
French read-aloud activities are an excellent way to build both language skills and content knowledge in a secondary language classroom. By using read-alouds with strategically selected tasks afterwards, teachers can help their students develop important French reading skills such as inference, synthesis, and analysis. Whether you are reading a French novel or completing a French […]
No-prep French listening activity
Want a fun no-prep French listening activity to get students up and moving during la rentrée? We need to get students back to speaking and listening in French. The movement of this activity is great for keeping students engaged! During la rentrée (and all throughout the year) 4 corners is my favorite activity! You can […]
Teaching the passé composé
Teaching the passé composé is one of my favorite French units. There is so much to cover, but suddenly, students are not stuck in the present tense. It really opens up what we can talk about with our students. As they learn the passé composé, I sense a certain relief when they find more freedom […]
8 tips for introverted teachers
Teaching is a rewarding and amazing job. Working with young people, teaching a subject we love, and teaching kids to love learning is a huge task to take on, but it’s so worth it. It’s never an easy job, but when you’re an introverted teacher, the constant stimulation can be a real challenge. It’s really […]
Students with slow processing speed
I’m Mom to a little one at home who is very bright. He understands things well, remembers everything with such clarity, and scores very high on assignments and even standardized tests. He is also so much slower than the other kids. It takes so much longer for him to get work done. He needs directions […]
Teaching with anxiety
Teachers have a tendency to worry a bit much, to work too hard, to plan too much, to want everything to be just right. Everyone gets a little worried sometimes. We all have things that stress us out, and this is a normal biological response. For some of us, though, that stress never goes away, because […]
Self-care tips for teachers
Lately, I’ve been talking with some of my teacher friends about self-care. Some had great ideas, others said, “What is that?” As teachers, self-care is something we put off until we have time, but during the school year, who has time to start something new? If you aren’t taking care of yourself, how about using […]
French grammar and vocabulary units
Teaching is a lot easier when you have a cohesive French vocabulary unit that flows well from start to finish. Foreign language students need grammar practice, but they also need speaking activities, visuals, games, writing practice, cooperative learning, and so much more. When your students are struggling to grasp the grammar, do you have something […]
Save yourself from grading stress
Spending too much time grading papers? Constantly feeling like you are never caught up? With constant meetings, conferences, growth charts, progress reports, collaborative planning, curriculum writing, and everything else on their plates, it’s amazing that teachers find any time to grade papers. Before moving to a lower grade, I taught high school for 8 years, […]
