Chez Renée

Today I brought in a delicious French Christmas treat that was so easy to make, and it was a big hit with my students.  It's called a Saucisson LU au Chocolat (rough translation: chocolate sausage), and it's made with French butter biscuits (LU brand preferred) and dark chocolate.  I couldn't find the LU brand at my local grocery store, so I used a German brand (below) instead.    First, you crush the butter biscuits.  I just crushed them with my hands, which I actually found to be quite therapeutic :).  Then you mix up a chocolate sauce and pour it over the crushed biscuits. After mixing well, you'll have a mixture that looks like this: Pour it onto foil, and roll it up into a "sausage" shape. Put the sausage in the refrigerator overnight.  When you take it out the next day, it looks like this: Slice with a knife and serve! As is typical of French desserts, the saucisson  is not...

My third year students recently finished studying how to describe objects in detail.  They learned how to describe the shape, texture, surface, weight, size, capacity, temperature and general condition of an object, including how to name what the object is made of.  In order to help them practice what they'd learned, I gave them a homework assignment to bring an interesting object from home for "Show & Tell" in French.  I asked them to be prepared to describe their objects in detail to the class.  They had to speak for a minimum of 30 seconds at a normal speed.  Here are some photos: Students were allowed to look at a written description of their object as they spoke, but in my opinion, this activity was less like a memorized presentation and more like informal conversation.  Informal speaking is one of those areas that is difficult to assess, and I think this activity was ...

I learned about this review game at a conference and tried it out with my students.  It's called  Organized Chaos.   It would work well for any subject!  Here's what you do: Write 8 questions that cover the topic you want to review. Make 8 copies of each question (so you'll have 64 sheets of paper). Give a few sheets of paper to each student. Ask students to crumble up each individual piece of paper into a ball. Tell students to throw the balls onto the floor, in the center of the room. Ask students to get out a sheet of paper and number from 1-8. Tell students to get up and start uncrumbling paper balls.  They write the answer to the question they find on their sheet of paper.  Then they crumble up the paper into a ball again and throw it back into the center. Repeat until they've found all 8 questions and answered them all. Collect their answers or go over the correct answers as you see fit. Put the garbage can in th...

I tried a new project with my 4th year students this year, and I was very pleased with the results.  Students cut individual words out of French magazines.  After we had a large assortment, I spread the words out on cookie sheets so it was easier to see the words.  I gave one cookie sheet to each student.  Students used the words to write a whimsical poem.  After arranging their words into a poem, they checked their poem with me.  Then they glued the words to construction paper.  This project also had a simple art component to it.  Each student was given an coffee filter on which they drew a design with water-based markers.  They laid the coffee filters on their construction paper and used paintbrushes to moisten the filters with water.  This process transferred the designs to their construction paper.  The result looked a lot like water color.  Here are some examples: Translation:  My Boutique I have a little b...

If you've been reading this blog you know that every student and teacher in my high school has the iPad2 this fall!  I've been using an app called Doodle Buddy quite frequently in many of my classes.  It works well to review any concept quickly.  This app is essentially a whiteboard that students can use to draw on in different colors and styles.  They can vary the thickness and style of their line (brush, chalk, etc.) and they can add effects such as glitter or they can smudge a line they've drawn.    Today I was reviewing for a unit test that students will take tomorrow in French III.  One of the things they learned in this unit was to describe a person physically.  To review this vocabulary with them, I asked them to open their iPads to Doodle Buddy and draw a face that matched the description they heard me give in French.  Here's what they drew (this is a screenshot of a drawing in Doodle Buddy): ...

Keep interesting gadgets on your desk and around your classroom and create a stimulating atmosphere to set the tone for learning!  I found this unusual fake butterfly in a jar this summer for my desk.  It's attached to a very thin wire which is battery-operated (the battery is under the lid to the jar).  The wire simulates incredibly realistic movements of a real butterfly caught in a jar.  Here it is: Yesterday a few of my students noticed this, and before long I had a crowd gathered around my desk.  Several students wanted to know where I had bought it and how much it cost, because they wanted to buy one for their bedrooms.  But the best reward of all for me was seeing a group of football players hunched over the jar, saying "That's awesome!"  I'm glad I bought it...it was worth it :).

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...

I'm in the middle of planning a trip to France & Spain for the world language students at my high school!  When school starts again in a few weeks, I want to promote the trip as widely as I can because the registration for the trip will close in September.  Since I only announced the possibility of the trip on the last day of school in June, I really need to advertise as much as possible!  So I decided to make this video.  We took this exact same trip a few years ago, so I used photos from that trip.  This movie was made on my iPad  with iMovie , and with photos only...no video clips at all.  It was easy to make!  Really!  Here are the results:  The video will be shown on the first day of school to the whole student body.  I also decided that it would help me spread the news if I created a QR code (Quick Response code) of this video and put it up around the hallways.  If you aren't familiar with QR code...

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...

I mentioned in an earlier post how excited I am about finding ways to use my new iPad2 in the classroom!  I also mentioned my favorite app so far, called Face Jack.  Here's an example of how students could use the Face Jack app on their iPads in conjunction with the adopt an escargot  project which I currently use in my third year French class. If you're unfamiliar with adopt an escargot, it involves students "adopting" a snail shell and inventing the life of the snail.  My students love it!  I used one of the shells that came in my adopt an escargot kit in this video.  I also used one of the profiles that came in the kit to describe this particular snail.  I plan on asking my students to make a video about their adopted snails next year, and to use Face Jack in the video.  Obviously, students would be speaking French in their videos.  What do you think? 

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 :).

All students & teachers in my high school will have the new iPad2 next fall!  The teachers were given their iPads last week, and then we had 3 days of training on how to use them.  My amazing colleagues John and Karen shared their vast knowledge with the rest of us and inspired us to figure out how to use them effectively in our classrooms.   My favorite app so far is called FaceJack.  I can't wait to make some new movies about Jacques the mannequin to use in my classroom.  Here's what you can do with FaceJack: It's simple, easy and in my opinion, INCREDIBLE!  In addition to making videos about Jacques, I've thought of a few more ways to use this: Students could make FaceJacks of French or American celebrities or historical or political figures, or even of anonymous people.  They could be asked to say, "hello, my name is...., I'm x years old, I'm american/french..." (or more, for advanced students)....

My first year students were learning to name methods of transportation, which inspired me to write a story about Jacques, the classroom mannequin.  In the story, Jacques is trying desperately to get to his girlfriend's house to pick her up for a date.  He tries various methods of transportation, but each one fails for one reason or another.  In the end, he has fallen off a bike and broken his leg, so he walks the rest of the way, dragging his broken leg behind him. When he arrives (late, obviously), his girlfriend's dad opens the door and says, "I'm sorry, but Suzette isn't here..." Students were asked to write a 5 line ending to the story.  They worked in groups of 2, and were instructed to write out their lines on paper.  Then they had to act out their endings for the class.  Here are some photos of their endings. These students borrowed some crutches for Jacques (left).  Suzette's father is on the right.  Notice the smile...

It's always exciting when students reach the point in their language study when they are able to read an original piece of literature in its original language.  For me, this happens in French III when students read Le Petit Prince.   To help them figure out the meaning of the book without resorting to English is also a challenge.  One thing I've tried is to create 3-D representations of things that happen in the book.  For example, I created the planet that the Little Prince lives on out of a Styrofoam ball, and I hung it from the ceiling. In the book, the Little Prince travels around the universe visiting various unusual planets.  I created those as well and hung them from the ceiling. Here's the planet of the drinker. And here's the planet of the lamplighter. And here's the planet Earth and the airplane of the pilot, one of the main characters in the book. Having these planets hanging from the ceiling...

I've collected a box of old clothing to use when students learn to name articles of clothing.  A fun thing to do in class once they've learned the words is to have a fashion show and have students model various items.  I allowed students to choose a few things from the box, and then they figured out how to say what they were wearing in French.  I made a "runway" out of butcher paper which I laid on the floor, and I put on some French music in the background.  The more outgoing students even tried to walk like models.  Here are some photos of my first year students. Once students walked down the runway, they told the class in French what they were wearing and also mentioned what color it was.  I gave them a grade on their spoken French for this activity. I know this is a pretty common activity for world language teachers to use, but I wanted you to see how much my students enjoyed this anyways.  I did no...

My third year students have just finished reading the beloved book entitled Le Petit  Prince (the Little Prince)!  For those of you who aren't familiar with this book, it's full of philosophical quotes.  I asked my students to write their favorite quote from the book on a paper star which I provided for them (stars are discussed frequently in the book).  I hung the stars from the ceiling, where they now brighten up the room and remind us of the genius of Antoine de Saint-Exupery :).

 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...

Jacques DUBOIS, my classroom mannequin, just turned 16!  So we had a birthday party for him in French I.  Students were asked to bring Jacques a present for the party.  It had to be something they made or something from home they could give away, but they weren't allowed to buy anything for him.  Students wrote descriptions of what they were giving him and why in French, and on the day of the party, they presented their gifts to Jacques in front of the class.  Here are some examples: This young lady is giving Jacques a wig, because he's bald :). This young lady is presenting Jacques with a scarf. One student made Jacques a French driver's license! My students got really excited about giving Jacques a present!  It continues to amaze me how easily I can get them to buy into the whole story.  It reminds me that they're still really just kids at heart (and maybe I am, too :). Students also enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to ...