Unit 9: C'est marrant!

Of all the K-5 subjects I've taught, French was my favourite, in terms of the curriculum and the delivery of the course. Students loved playing games, singing songs and exploring the new language through skits and plays. Every Friday we would have game day, an opportunity for students to apply their learning from the week during a variety of game activities. We played 'au coins' where one person covered her eyes, counted in French and called out one of the items in a corner of the room. The game participants would quietly move to a corner where I had placed a card. (We emphasized walking quietly so they wouldn't be heard as they walked, this also prevented running in the classroom and someone being hurt! 😉) The last person standing at the corner was the winner. This incorporated: counting in French (this varied by grade any group of numbers on a decade e.g. 20-30 if we were reinforcing that set of numbers), vocabulary and movement.
Bingo in any language is fun and covers all the vocabulary or verbs. Little prizes of pencils with French sayings, erasers, 'French' candies, were much coveted.
It was also easy to convert games like Jeopardy, $10 000 pyramid and Scattegories into French games. We even played sports like baseball in French and learned all the terms of the game (getting us ready for when the Expos come back to Canada!) I know people love to play electronic games but there is something to be said about the old favourites! I incorporated the games but we also spent time singing and acting.

French was also the only subject I would sing in! Who doesn't love belting out the Voyageur Song! The principal could hear us sing 'oui, oui, oui', 'non, non, non' down in his office.

Puppet plays and skits are an opportunity  for students to try out the language, in a real-life scenario but with an alter-ego. The child who would be too scared to answer a question in class would come to life as a puppet in a play, hidden behind the character.
I have a teacher at my school who is an amazing artist. She incorporates art into every component of her language teachings. Students have created some amazing French books on a variety of themes, all with original artwork.
Here is a link to some excellent suggestions to 'non-tech' games. 10 best games

How do I make learning fun? By teaching a language!!