French as a Second Language

Games and Activities: Useful Expressions for the Classroom

Theme: Welcome

Level: Grades 2 - 9

Submitted by Caterina Sotiriadis

Objective: To introduce simple, practical vocabulary for classroom use.

Material: paper 4" x 11 ½" ; bristol board

Method: The teacher acts out a situation in which the French expression is needed. For example : The teacher hands a student a pencil and asks the student to say        " Merci ". The teacher answers " De rien". The teacher repeats these actions with 2 or 3 other students in order for the class to grasp the meaning without translation. The teacher then shows and repeats the words as he has printed them on the laminated 4" x 11 ½" strips. To verify comprehension, the teacher distributes the strips to two students and asks them to mime the actions so that the rest of the class can guess the expressions. When more expressions are taught and placed on the strips, the teacher may wish to display them on the bulletin board or place them on bristol board and laminate it for longevity.

The teacher should act out an expression before presenting the written words. No more than 2 to 4 expressions should be taught at a time. Add other expressions as needed.