Chez Renée

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 ...

Part of the adopt an escargot  project which I've spoken of in earlier posts involves students creating a dwelling for their baby snails.  Dwellings can be made of virtually anything the student desires to use!  So, the variety tends to be endless, which I greatly enjoy.  Here are some of the houses my students made. This baby, named Pickle, lives in an empty pickle jar. A closer view of baby Pickle in her cosy bed! Marcel the Shell lives here.  If you've seen the video of Marcel the Shell, you'll understand the significance of this house.  (See my earlier posts for the video!) This next snail is named Destiny's Child :). If you look closely, you can see the baby snail on the far right.  The student cut a hole where the face should be so the  snail could be inserted.  The head of the woman in the middle is a photo of the mother of this snail. This baby lives in a mailbox! We built the city of Escargotvill...

We've been learning what one might say at the doctor's office and how to describe pain in various parts of one's body.  So I've been using my classroom mannequin Jacques to help teach this.  I told students that Jacques was in the Tour de France last weekend (yes, I know it's not really held in March).  I also told them that it wasn't really Lance Armstrong who won the race...it was Jacques, of course :).  Did you notice Jacques' really awesome, authentic maillot jaune (yellow jersey)?  I paid a lot of money for that... I saw it at a store in the mall once and I knew exactly how I'd use it!  I told students that Jacques fell off his bike during the race and that's why he's wearing bandages. I acted out a conversation between Jacques and the doctor.  I played the part of the doctor, and the part of Jacques' voice as well! Jacques told the doctor that his nose, mouth and arm hurt.  The doctor told him to take two aspir...