Foreign Language Fun

Halloween Counting Books: French and Spanish Writing Project

Published on October 27, 2009 by Diane in Foreign Language Fun, French, Holiday, Spanish

Developing writing skills in novice-level language learners is always a challenge. Writing tasks must be clear, simple, and highly structured. I’d like to share a simple Halloween writing project I’ve done with 5th and 6th grade students. Working in pairs or small groups, students wrote and illustrated a 10-page book. The writing is a pattern-practice

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French Halloween Rhyme and Finger Play

Published on October 24, 2009 by Diane in Foreign Language Fun, French, Holiday

Driving in my car this morning, I got a great idea for a French Halloween finger play. (All of my best ideas happen in the car!) This one is a variation on the “Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Wall” rhyme. The different versions include Halloween vocabulary, backwards counting, and ways to say goodbye. It

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Workshop for Foreign Language Teachers

Published on October 19, 2009 by Diane in Foreign Language Fun

Another weekend of workshop presentations! This time I went back home for the Michigan World Language Association (MiWLA) conference. I had the BEST time seeing old and new friends. I shared my content-related elementary Groundhog Unit, and then I presented my favorite teaching ideas in a 3-hour workshop called “It’s a FLES for All! Active Communication

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Sculptionary: Hands-On Foreign Language Vocabulary Game

Published on October 12, 2009 by Diane in Foreign Language Fun

When teaching vocabulary in a foreign language, it’s extremely important to avoid translation. In fact, I only use games and activities that can played entirely in the target language, NO English allowed! In order to pull this off, you’ve got to rely on gestures, pictures, and more. Classroom Pictionary is popular and fun, but sometimes

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French and Spanish Halloween PowerPoint: Sabrina the Black Cat Story

Published on October 9, 2009 by Diane in Foreign Language Fun, French, Holiday, Spanish

Need a fun and simple Halloween story for a beginning French or Spanish learner? Look no further than Sabrina the Black Cat, a short storytelling/reading unit by Foreign Language House. Sabrina is a happy, little black cat who just happens to live in a haunted house with some sweet but spooky friends. The story is written