Contributor:
A Visitor
A selection of tips and tricks for use during language lessons…
Role Play
Role Playing is an excellent way of encouraging children to use French words in particular contexts. For example, you might set up a shop (e.g. boulangerie) and ask individuals to come into your shop and purchase some items. It might be helpful to show a list of items which you sell (and the French word for each item) on the board so that children can refer to it during their “shopping”. If you do this as a whole-class activity, with individual children entering your shop while the others watch and listen, the whole class will learn (not just the “shopper”). You can also use the shopping context to discuss French money and numbers.
Concentrate on other things… (contributed by Anne Laure Humbert)
A great way to eliminate self-consciousness while learning a foreign language is to make the children concentrate on something else. For instance, revising vocabulary is made so much easier if you throw a ball to the children while you ask a question. Simple but very efficient…
Pictionary… (contributed by Jo)
For introducing vocabulary, as well as the standard flashcards (some made by the children too), I also use a variation of Pictionary – it makes poor drawing skills look deliberate.
Noughts and Crosses… (contributed by Jo)
Flashcards can also be stuck on the board and displayed in a noughts and crosses grid for half the class to play against the other half by choosing the card, saying it in the target language and then replacing it with a nought or cross.
Dominoes… (contributed by Jo)
Instead of simply copying vocabulary and pictures, ask the children to fold an A4 sheet of paper in half lengthways and then two more folds the other way. When unfolded, you should have eight rectangles. Now fill these with the pictures/vocabulary and cut up to play snap, pairs or even dominoes.