We know the holidays are approaching. We know we have only a few weeks before winter break. We know we want to do something in our secondary French classrooms to embrace cultures, traditions, and vocabulary of the holiday season. We know there are resources out there, but... But maybe you don’t know WHICH resources to use, HOW to use them in your classroom, or WHERE to find them. And that is when French with the Hobbs swoops in to help you organize and plan Noël activities for your core French, immersion French, middle school, and high school French classrooms. The needs of you and your students determines the resources that will best fit with the time you have. We believe the holiday season is a great opportunity to share and embrace traditions of francophone cultures. This is also a perfect time to introduce vocabulary that might not be as relevant in May (un renne!). And then, BOOM!, students randomly throw in “un renne” in their writing months later and you chuckle quietly to yourself. So where to begin? We’re here to help! FREE Let's start with FREE. Oui, this FREE matching activity is sure to adapt in your classroom because you have FOUR ways to implement (printable, fill-in PDF, Google Slides™ or TpT’s Easel feature). Or, try this digital escape game...it will be a hit with your intermediate and advanced secondary French learners! VOCABULARY For students to use holiday vocabulary, they need to be introduced to it. You could formally present and practice Christmas vocabulary with this presentation. Then, students could interact with the words through self-checking Google™ resources or Boom™ digital task cards. This really silly sentence resource helps students apply vocabulary in humorous ways! Or, try this digital, magnetic resource to help students’ creativity soar. DIGITAL RESOURCES Are you only searching for digital holiday resources? There are so many to choose between… How about this digital escape game? As Frenchified wrote, “your friend has bought you a trip to France for the holidays. But the tickets are locked inside a box and she forgot the combinations to open the locks! Learn something about the holidays in France while having fun playing a breakout game! This is a digital breakout game - each team will need a device/tablet/computer in order to play. Follow the clues and find the combinations that will unlock the box where the tickets have been placed for safekeeping.” This jigsaw puzzle is available as a Google Slides™ activity that can easily be shared with students virtually. The Beaming Teacher offers middle school students a variety of activities (NO PREP!) to practice vocabulary using games, mini-projects, speaking and writing. GAMES & ACTIVITIES Students LOVE games and activities where they can work with others, move around, use their hands, and engage in competition, so we always incorporate some sort of game or kinesthetic activity in our classrooms during the holiday season. This Christmas vocabulary jigsaw puzzle – printable or digital – allows students to kinesthetically match images with the French word to form a 4x4 puzzle. Students work extra fast when they know “un bonbon” is a reward to the winners! J’ai … Qui a…? is an easy to implement speaking and listening game. If you don’t know about this activity, you’re at the right place. This activity can be adapted for all vocabulary and contextual units. The Diamond Mom has a version HERE with 16 different cards or we have a version with 30 cards. The size of the deck really depends on your class size and personal preference. How about just singing some good old chansons de Noël? This resource includes lyrics to seven common Christmas Carols in French and YouTube links to videos with lyrics where students can sing along or read along to spread some Christmas cheer leading up to the holiday break. Have you ever caroled in the hallways the Friday before break? We have and it was such a fun experience for both French singer and listener! This low-prep group drawing game is sure to get your students engaged with Noël vocabulary. It is a favorite of our students and we keep coming back to it year after year! Or, get creative with these paper task cards – play memory games, put on word walls, use as writing prompts, or a partner matching game. READING COMPREHENSION Maybe you prefer to use this holiday season to implement reading comprehension with Noël vocabulary. Then, these two resources from Frenchified might be what you are looking for:
Les voilà!
Which resource will be best for you, your students, and your time this holiday season? Let us know, we LOVE learning what other French teachers are doing in their classrooms. Joyeux Noël, joyeuses fêtes et bonne année !
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Puzzles are a great way for students to get out of their seat after being introduced to the vocabulary.
This kinesthetic activity is great for students to practice their vocabulary in French. Students match the vocabulary picture with the word in French. Once all words and pictures are matched, it will be a 4x4 puzzle. Students can work in groups, pairs, or individually. We like to use this activity immediately after introducing the vocabulary because it gives the students a chance to get out of their seats and practice the vocabulary with others. Sometimes we offer “un bonbon” to the first group who correctly completes the puzzle. We use the puzzle again before assessments as a way for students to practice yet another time. You will need to decide if you want students to work in groups, pairs, or individually and then print off the necessary number of puzzles. We recommend cutting and putting each puzzle in a labeled envelope so they are easy to access later. Once they are cut and into envelopes, you can use them repeatedly. Our students love this activity…especially if “un bonbon” is involved. Our advanced students often enjoy going back to previous puzzles; it boosts their confidence on how much they have learned and/or reminds them of words they may have forgotten. A few of our puzzles include: Breakfast & Utensils Thanksgiving Christmas Winter (FREE via our store) Is it a headache to get students to move and work with a partner? Is it a struggle to get students to work with different partners? Do students cringe and feel excluded when they know a partner activity is approaching? We have a solution that can help! This idea is for the teacher who likes students to get out of their seats and interact with peers. We have created something called partner squares. This idea takes effort up front but once it is organized and laid out, the headaches and student anxiety are no more. Each student is given a block of four pictures. You explain the procedure and any stipulations before they get out of their seat. Then, students are free to roam the room finding partners. They are responsible for finding four DIFFERENT people who will serve as their partners. One person will be their "owl" partner, a different person will be their "bunny" partner, a different person will be their "duck" partner, and a different person will be their "butterfly" partner. It is during this time that you roam the room, verifying students are on task, looking for a shy student who needs guidance, and/or double checking students are understanding what is asked of them. We have more tips and strategies on how to introduce this idea, how to modify the second time you use it, and activity ideas to incorporate it into the classroom in our Multiple Partner Grouping Strategy product. That particular product also includes 35 different themed partner squares (seasons, holidays, food, sports, etc.) This idea works for all subject areas and mostly all grade levels. Lower elementary students might be overwhelmed or confused with it; they would definitely need more guidance. We used this in our French classroom and it was a great way to introduce students to new, random vocabulary. It was neat to see a beginner student use the word "hibou" in his/her writing or speaking. I would wonder, "Wow, how does he/she know that word? Oh right, it's a partner square!" |
Who are the Hobbs?Originally, we are from the Midwest and the East; however, our paths took us to Angers, France where we met and fell in love. Archives
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