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Summer Reading for French Teachers and Francophiles
Now that summer's in full swing, it's time to sit back and relax with a nice book! In this post, I'll share with you some of my favorite books that are relevant to French teachers. Whether you're...
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Guest Post: We'll Always Have Paris
In this guest post, Sybil Sage shares how she brought a taste of Paris into her New York home, and discovered an art form in the process.It isn't Hermès scarves or miniature Eiffel Towers that call...
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Hollywood à Paris: My 10 Favorite American Movies Set in the City of Lights
Earlier this month I shared Summer Reading for French Teachers. Well, the summer's not over yet, and now I'd like to share with you some of my favorite Hollywood movies set in Paris. Why American...
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Developing Students' Presentational Skills and Digital Citizenship in a...
Image by Sasa 383000 via Wikimedia CommonsAt the end of each school year, I always do a culminating project that focuses on French-speaking countries or people. Each year, I've done a different...
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Bringing French Cuisine to Life with Local Restaurant Owners
Since I've started teaching, I've had the owners of a local crêperie called Ravenous into my classroom every year to serve crêpes to my students, who order them in French. I always loved their...
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Back to School!
Back to school in my part of the world is right after Labor Day (Sept. 1). I'm looking forward to meeting a new group of students and sharing with them the language and culture of the francophone...
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5 Ways the Internet Has Transformed Language Education
Language education has greatly benefited from the advent of new web-based or web-connected technology in the past 10-15 years. When I first started learning French, I had access to the Internet at...
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The Value of Low-Tech in a High-Tech World
In my last post, I extolled the virtues of technology (specifically the Internet) with respect to the role it has played in languages education. In this post I will take a different approach, and...
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30 Reasons to Learn French
Poster by one of my former students All language teachers find themselves advocating for the study of languages, and specifically for their own language. Here are some of the reasons to learn French...
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5 Easy Ways to Use Playing Cards in the Foreign Language Classroom
Many teachers employ manipulatives in their lesson to make the learning more hands-on. Playing cards are a great way to spice up your lesson, and require no prep (other than purchasing them). Here...
View ArticleMy 10 Favorite Quick Videos to Start or End Class With
We all have those classes that finish a little bit earlier than we expected. Along with ball tosses, turn and talks, and quick games, one of the things I do sometimes is just let my students sit back...
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La famille - Activities & Assessments Roundup
In November I teach my students about family. We learn the names of the members of the family, reinforce "le" and "la," and introduce "mon,""ma,""ton," and "ta." We also learn how to ask for family...
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The Year in Review: My Favorite New Lessons & Activities from 2014
My classroom, December 2014As 2014 comes to a close, I'd like to share some of my favorite lessons and activities that I tried for the first time this year. These are activities that I won't hesitate...
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40+ Fantastic Blog Posts of 2014
I started out 2014 with a roundup of 40 Fantastic Blog Posts from 2013. To end the year, I've made a roundup of 40+ fantastic blog posts from 2014. From posts about francophone culture to activities...
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Food & Meal Taking - Activities Round-Up
In December I teach my students about food and meal-taking customs in francophone countries. We learn about the importance of lunch time in France, different types of currency, how to order food, and...
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My Favorite #Authres (and More!) for Mardi Gras & Carnaval
Carnaval and Mardi Gras are important celebrations, not just in the francophone world, but in many cultures around the world. Many of my 7th grade students come into my classroom with a vague...
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Finding and Using #Authres with Novice Students
Last weekend I presented at the NYSAFLT Capital-East Regional Conference on Finding and Using Authentic Resources with Checkpoint A Students. For those of you not from New York, Checkpoint A is...
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The iPad Diaries: Volume 1
This year I was awarded a grant from the Saratoga Foundation for Innovative Learning for a set of 10 iPads to be shared among the department. Needless to say, I have been very excited about using...
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Nuts & Bolts: 5 of My Must-Have Teacher Items
Sometimes it's those little things that help make our jobs easier and more organized. Today I will share with you five of my favorite items that somehow help me stay organized, efficient, or...
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Introducing French Students to Impressionism
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, home to many Impressionist paintings.I hardly consider myself an expert in art history, but I do like to introduce my students to the world of Impressionism, an art form so...
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