Chez Renée

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...