It is a tradition for me to have a Lousiana Mardi Gras celebration with my French students every year. We wear beads, make masks, listen to Cajun music, and do a variety of French Mardi Gras language-learning activities infused with culture. Last week, one of my French classes enjoyed a MAJOR treat. A very generous
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Well, okay, it’s not really the big, official Back-to-School time of the year. But the first day back after winter break harkens the fresh slate feeling of the new year. And even if it’s not yet a new semester, it soon will be. Many language teachers in middle schools or in high schools with block
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Join Foreign Language House for our first annual Facebook Turkey Trot Down countdown to Thanksgiving Break. Click this link to join our FB community. Beginning Monday, November 8, we’ll be “talkin’ turkey” with our foreign language teacher friends. Each morning around 9:00 a.m. EST, we’ll post a discussion question. When you leave a comment, you’ll
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It’s time to go back to school! Whether I’m teaching first graders or high schoolers, I like to have my students create desktop name tags in the first class session or two. I’m very visual, so I need to see name/face to get all of those new names into the ‘ol memory. And in middle
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PinkPoodleFrench.com Looking for French classes in the Detroit area? Be sure to check out my brand new “baby” Pink Poodle French! (Site still in development.) Beginning Fall 2010, I’ll be teaching French to all ages: traditional classes, tutoring, homeschool, immersion cooking, and other special events. My home or yours. If you don’t live in Metro
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Ready for Oscar Night? Sunday, March 7, I have a date with a big bowl of popcorn and a televised view of the Red Carpet. I haven’t actually seen many of the nominated movies yet, with the exception of Up! Still, I fondly remember my pre-parenthood days of dates at the cinema instead of my
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It’s never too early to start planning for Groundhog Day! At least that’s what I always say. I just published a new elementary French unit for le Jour de la Marmotte. You’ll receive four lesson plans to pick and choose from: seasonal groundhog activities, famous groundhogs, flashlight shadows, and weather. I created or modified some
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September. Most students are back in school, and it’s a safe guess that foreign language teachers are starting off the year with some basics: alphabet, names, greetings and introductions. I like to have my older students choose names from the target culture as their new identity for the year. I personally don’t require it, and
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Buzz is a favorite filler activity in my foreign language classes. When I have a few minutes to spare at the end of a lesson, I take the opportunity to practice counting with this classic game. It’s an oldie but a goodie! Learners as young as 7 enjoy the challenge of Buzz. Want to know how
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Help learners to survive and thrive in an immersion classroom environment with useful questions and statements in French or Spanish. Immersion is the most effective way to learn a foreign language, but it can feel scary at first. Classroom beginners might worry: “What do I do if I’m confused as the teacher rambles on in
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