Chez Renée

"If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect." ~Benjamin Franklin I saw this quote on a poster on the Persuasive Writing teacher's classroom door this week, and it got me to thinking about how, in my experience, teenagers do need a lot of persuasion to be convinced that studying any particular subject is worth their while.  So how do we persuade them in a World Language class?  Appeal to their interests, such as: Music Food Entertainment Cultural Differences All of the above are easy to weave into French class if you're willing to exert a little extra effort.  Let's take music, for example.  Over the years I've developed a list of French music that I use to  teach listening skills and to reinforce grammatical concepts at appropriate times.  Students also learn cultural information when they listen to authentic French music, so they're really learning on so many levels when a teacher ...

Students are what it's all about!  Connecting with them, motivating them, helping them learn and hopefully having a positive influence on them in the process.  This is not an easy job.  School starts for me in just a few days, and I find myself asking what I can do better this year.  Here are a few of the goals I have for myself. Be a model of self-control and patience.  Of course this has always been a goal of mine, but this year I want to focus on doing an even better job in this area specifically :). Find concrete ways to communicate my care.  I'm thinking of sending a personal note to each of my French I students in the mail, welcoming them to class and letting them know that I'm happy to have them as students.  Find creative ways to use new technology that will enhance students' learning.   This will be a challenge as all of my students will have the iPad2 this year for the first time.  I will need to re...

Props generate interest!   Students and passersby will wonder what's going on in your classroom if they see, for example, a picnic scene set up on the floor.  Grabbing the interest of your students is an important key to motivating them to want to learn. Props allow you to use less English.   Those of you who are world language teachers know that it is important to use as much of the language being taught as possible in the classroom.  If you can point to a plastic apple, you can say, "This is an apple.  It's red.  It's a fruit." in another language, and students will be able to understand without an English translation. Props reach students with different learning styles.   You can appeal to many of the senses with props.  In my opinion, students will remember what was taught more easily if you engage more of their senses in your lesson. Props can be used in many ways in a world language classroom.  I use them frequently to intro...

I saw my  first "back to school" sign of the summer while shopping at Target yesterday.  Carpe Diem.   It's time to seize the summer, or whatever you have left of it :).  Here are some principles I'm trying to follow...they help me to feel ready for the new school year when it arrives.   Sunset in Frankfort, MI Give yourself permission to sleep.   The alarm will be ringing before you know it.  If you're like me, you find it difficult during the school year to get 8 hours of sleep each night.  Protect your long-term physical, emotional and mental health by allowing yourself to get enough sleep on a consistent basis. Get away.   Take advantage of the time you have to travel.  A change of scenery is good therapy.  My husband and I try to enjoy the incredible splendor of northern Michigan as much as we can.  Watching the sunset over Lake Michigan (above) is one of the highl...

When I started my teaching career, I was fortunate to have a boss who mentored me.  I got into teaching through the back door, so I needed more help than the average first-year teacher!  Doug spent one on one time with me each week (even though I'm sure he really didn't have the time to do so!), giving me advice.  All these years later, I'm still following these bits of wisdom that he passed on: Be STRICT, but be NICE .   Doug always said he was going to write a book about this one day.   It is possible to be strict, or in other words, to be consistent in requiring that students do what you ask them to, without being mean.   Make this your motto. You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar .   As much as possible , reward students for doing what you want them to, rather than attempting to punish every time they don’t.   This helps keep the tone in your classroom positive.  Elementary school teachers are great at this...

Inserting French accents while typing on the iPad2 couldn't be simpler!  Just start typing... When you come to a letter that needs an accent added to it, just hold your finger on that letter, and then possible accents will appear. Slide your finger from the original letter to the letter containing the accent you wish to use, and then tap the key.  And voila! Stay tuned for more on how to use an iPad in your classroom :).

 Cultivate the Element of Surprise!   Plan surprises and then tell your students to look forward to them...on a particular day or at the end of the hour, for example.  I've used films, games, French treats and special skits (performed by me :). Build Anticipation   Tell students about all the exciting things you have planned for them this year, next week, next month and especially in the next level of your class.  Students need to have things to look forward to. Deliver the Unexpected   Find ways to "repackage" your content.  Be unconventional.  Close your textbooks more often.  Think outside the box.  My best idea has been to create stories about a department store mannequin named Jacques, who lives in my classroom.  (See posts on "How to Use a Mannequin in Your Classroom!)  Make your Classroom Inviting   Place interesting objects on your desk, and change them once in a while.  Ha...

A few years ago I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Hal Urban  speak at a workshop.  A veteran teacher, Hal taught for more than 30 years in public schools in California and says he loved every minute of it.  Hal proposes that we can teach our students about the value of having good character and using good manners no matter what subject we teach or what sort of school we teach in.  He says that everyone, no matter what their background, can agree on the following:  1) The Golden Rule (treat others the way you'd like to be treated), 2) Societies (and therefore classrooms) function better when everyone uses good manners.  Hal convinced me that it's OK to take a few minutes of instructional time to set the tone for my classroom and to help teach students something even more important than French!  I followed his advice by talking to students about good manners and the power of words at the beginning of the year...

The beginning of a new school year is a good time to remind yourself why you're in this job to begin with.  I'm sure you all have your reasons.  In case you're interested, here are mine:  #1  I love speaking French and France.   This is definitely one of my passions, so it's enjoyable to share it with others and easy to be enthusiastic about it.  I learned French in France, but when I arrived, I could barely say or understand a thing.  I was part of an incredible university program which offered 65 different levels of French to students from all over the globe.  The only language used in my classes was French, so I learned through immersion.  I understand what it takes to go from not understanding a language to becoming fluent.  It's not an easy process, but it is possible and it's fascinating.  Here's a picture of the city where the university is located.  #2  My students make me laugh.   I really enj...