Harness the Power of Collaborative Slides!
Here's a video I made explaining how I've been using PowerPoint this year to encourage collaboration and interaction among students. By the way, I had some technical difficulties, so it got a little...
View ArticleQu'est-ce que la Toussaint ?
The lesson I normally give for Halloween isn't fully compatible with our school's current hybrid model of teaching, and I am at a different spot in my curriculum than I normally am right now. Combine...
View ArticleEstablishing Norms in a Hybrid Setting
Last fall I blogged about my experience establishing norms with my students (click here to read about it). The idea came from a blog post by Annabelle Allen, aka La Maestra Loca. This year I knew I...
View ArticleNational French Week: A Virtual Culinary Experience
National French Week looked a little bit different this year than it normally looks. Click here for a glimpse of how I've celebrated the occasion in a pre-covid world. This year I really wanted to...
View ArticleHow I'm Using Nearpod for Hybrid Learning
I've been using Nearpod for several years now (click here for a post I wrote back in 2015 about it), but since the transition to hybrid learning, I have found it especially useful. While it's not...
View ArticleLearning About St. Nicholas Day: Hybrid Style
St. Nicholas Day is coming December 6, and it is a holiday I always teach my students about. Normally, as I shared in this post, I usually have students leave one of their shoes in the hall, and then...
View ArticleWhat's In a Name? Part II
Back in 2016 I wrote this post about the use of French names in the classroom. While I still agree with all the benefits I proposed for adopting French names in that post, I have since shifted away...
View ArticleCollaborative PowerPoints Part II: More Ideas!
This is my second post about using collaborative PowerPoints in class. Click here to read my first post, where I discuss the basics of how to set one up and provide a few ideas. In this post I'll...
View ArticleHanukkah, Christmas, and Winter in the French-Speaking World
This coming week I will teach one hybrid lesson and one virtual lesson before we leave for holiday break. I really like to share with my students what Christmas looks like in France, but this year I...
View ArticleFirst Steps with Flipgrid!
Flipgrid has been around for awhile now, but I didn't jump on the bandwagon until this year when my colleague Sarah took the time to show me how amazing it is. Flipgrid has become so important this...
View ArticleLa fête des rois, Hybrid Style
With la Fête des rois just around the corner, before break I knew I had to find a way to somehow adapt this holiday's customs to suit our current hybrid model. In this post, I outlined how I used to...
View ArticleAn Update on Independent Exploration
Over the summer, I blogged about my revamped version of what I used to call "independent homework," and I now call "independent exploration." Independent Exploration is an extensive library of...
View ArticleThe French Corner 2020 Recap: The Top 10 Things I Did or Tried in 2020
Wow, this year certainly came with a lot of unexpected challenges, didn't it? And the end of the year, I often round up my favorite new tools and tricks that I tried for the first time that year....
View ArticleHow Online Games Stack Up for Hybrid Lessons
Even with this switch to hybrid and virtual learning this year, games continue to be a fun way to review content and motivate students. Unfortunately, though, some of our favorite online games are...
View ArticleMardi Gras 2021 in French Class
Like just about everything we normally do in our classrooms, Mardi Gras is another celebration that will look quite different in my classroom this year. In the past, I blogged here sharing how I...
View ArticleMardi Gras 2021 in French Class (UPDATED 2/11/21)
NOTE: I'm reposting this, as I added some additional resources.Like just about everything we normally do in our classrooms, Mardi Gras is another celebration that will look quite different in my...
View ArticleHow We Celebrated Chandeleur Virtually
Well, I've been trying to post my new hybrid and virtual ideas related to holidays before the holiday actually occurs so that readers have an opportunity to use any resources they like in their own...
View ArticleReflections on Our Virtual Mardi Gras Celebration
I recently blogged in this post about how I planned to celebrate Mardi Gras with my students. I shared both hybrid and virtual activities. After we had our virtual celebration the Wednesday before...
View ArticleCollaborative PowerPoints, Part III
This is my second post about using collaborative PowerPoints in class. Click here to read my first post, where I discuss the basics of how to set one up and provide a few ideas, and click here to read...
View ArticleIncorporating My Own Photography into My Teaching
Some of you may be aware that I actually have a "side gig" as a professional photographer. I got really serious about photography about twelve years ago. I share with my students on the first day of...
View ArticleIn Praise of Gimkit's "Draw That" Mode
Gimkit recently released a new mode called "Draw That" While they say it won't be around forever, I am hopeful that it will come back as a Forever Mode, because my students and I simply love it. It's...
View ArticleMy New Favorite Tool: Classkick
One tool I recently started using that has really had a huge impact on my instruction is Classkick. Classkick is a platform that allows the teacher to watch students complete assignments in real time...
View ArticleCollaborative PowerPoints Part IV: Building Community and Gender-Inclusive...
This is my fourth post about using collaborative PowerPoints in class. Click here to read all the posts in this series. In this post I'll share a community-building activity I did using a shared...
View ArticleCollaborative PowerPoints Part V: Creating an ABC Book to Practice Writing
This is my fifth post about using collaborative PowerPoints in class. Click here to read all the posts in this series. In this post I'll share an ABC Book project I did using PowerPoint.(Email...
View Article2020-2021: The School Year in Photos
Well, somehow we all made it through the 2020-2021 school year! As a photographer, I always capture a lot of photos in my classroom. This year, though, with so much instruction taking place...
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