05 February 2016

18 French Irregular Verb Posters - Le Présent

If you liked the FREE set of posters I mentioned in my recent post, you may be interested in a new resource I uploaded on my TpT store yesterday! It is a set of 18 posters on the most common French Irregular Verbs in the present tense! The set of 18 posters is just $1 for only 2 days so be sure to grab them now before the price goes up!!!

Click on the image below to view this resource on my store :)

02 February 2016

How to Use a Language Assistant - 12 Tips for Teachers


Whether you're a new teacher or an experienced teacher who's never worked with a language assistant, this post will hopefully give you a few tips on how you can use assistants effectively. If you do not have language assistants in your school, most of the tips can be useful if you have bilingual children or native speakers in your class :)

A language assistant is a perfect opportunity for your students to immerse fully in the language and try to communicate with someone in 'real life'. Assistants should not teach the whole class, but you can ask them to take a small group at a time for speaking practice. Of course, make sure you keep a record of who's already had a session to make sure everyone benefits from these sessions equally!


An assistant can make boring old listening materials come alive! Rather than playing audios, rehearse a few scripts with your assistant and act them out in class. Your students will LOVE watching you put on a mini show for them! You can then ask your students lots of questions to check their understanding.


It is funny just how much more interested children are in finding out about a country when they hear it from an assistant!!! Students will always want to know about this new younger person that's just entered their language classroom! Have your students prepare questions in advance so that they are confident during the 'interview' and have lots to ask! Ask them to prepare at least 5 questions so that, if one of their questions gets answered, they can still join in with the activity!


Before your assistant leaves their home country, make sure you give them a list of what to bring with them! This is your chance to get your hands on a beret or a nice print of Paris to display in your classroom! Also think of games such as 'Guess Who?' which can be used in your language class. Assistants can also bring photos of their home town, family members or old school to use in group conversations. Students will be able to learn the names of places in town while finding out about the country's culture.

Assistants will usually be younger so they can look for more up-to-date materials which may appeal more to your students. They can, for example, make your students discover new artists or celebrities you may not have heard of.

Assistants should all be given prior training and most will be able to create fun & engaging resources. Give them clear instructions of what you want and trust them from the start so that they get into good habits! An assistant can, for example, update old resources, find materials online from websites you may not know or create accompanying worksheets for small YouTube clips, etc. The possibilities are endless!

An assistant can offer 1:1 support to those who find languages difficult. They can also help students individually prepare for their speaking exams, practicing their answers and giving feedback on accuracy or pronunciation.

It is not easy to find authentic listening materials, so have your assistant record passages! They will usually know other language assistants and should also be able to record conversations.

Your assistant will come up with new games or might even design cards or other game pieces if they're quite creative! I remember, when I was an assistant myself, spending HOURS creating a board game I drew entirely by hand. I wish I had it today!

You can learn a lot from a language assistant! They can really help you improve your language knowledge and keep your teaching stay relevant and up-to-date. I am originally French, but living abroad for over 15 years now makes me completely out of touch when it comes to the latest reality TV show or the last expression 'à la mode'! 


As well as working with a number of students outside of the classroom, your assistant can sit with a group that will require more support and give them guidance & help when needed. Alternatively, they can work with your most able linguists in your class who will be able to get on with a more challenging activity while you teach the rest of the class.

It can be so hard to fit everything into busy schedules! Assistants should work up to 25 hours a week, which makes their timetable quite flexible. They could run a lunch or after-school club, but remember that the number of students should be fairly limited. 

Your assistant will most likely be able to link your school to a school they know in their own country. Setting up international partnerships can give another dimension to your lessons and the benefits are HUGE! The two schools can exchange emails, run video conferences, or set up exchanges. Letters are still popular as well, particularly with younger children who just love to receive 'real' mail!

I hope these ideas will be useful! If you have used your language assistant effectively in a way I haven't mentioned in this post, please share your wonderful ideas using the comment box below so that we can all learn from each other :)

30 January 2016

A New *FREEBIE* On My TpT Store!

No matter how many times I teach tenses and how often I revisit them with my classes, this grammar concept is always what my students find the most challenging! I always have tenses displayed around the room, particularly the present tense as it helps form so many other tenses! If all this sounds very familiar, you may like this cute little FREEBIE I've just posted on my TpT store. It is a set of 3 posters on how to form French regular verbs in the present tense.

You can download the set by clicking on the image below:
I hope you find this resource useful :)

02 June 2015

Currently June

Today, I'm linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade to share with you my currently for this month:
 
http://mmegauthiersfrenchclass.blogspot.com/2015/06/currently-june.html

Listening:
Kenya has been miserable and wet the past few weeks so hot cocoa, marshmallows & a nice fire are on the agenda in times like this!

Loving:
GOSH that took some time!!! Now I can look forward to the 100 report cards I have to write!!! I can't wait til this is all behind me and I can just enjoy the last 4 weeks of school... sigh for now!

Thinking:
Our aim when coming to Kenya was to get a chance to travel and discover new places. Bringing up our children in a multicultural environment has always been important to us and we feel so lucky that we get to carry on our adventure! We will be moving from Kenya... in less than 5 weeks! Where did the time go?!
 
We've accumulated so much over the last 5 years, there's a lot of sorting that needs to be done before the packing begins... Wish me luck!!!

Needing:
Honestly: THIS.IS.A.NEED! I am totally addicted to navy and my 4 year-old navy blazer is falling to pieces!!! Clothes are so expensive here and the choice is so limited that I have to wait another month until I get a new one while I'm in France :{
 
Summer lovin:
Before coming to Kenya, I used to take smooth roads, signs and lamp posts for granted. Now that I've discovered potholes and driving in complete darkness, trying to avoid bikes with no lights, sheep and sometimes even zebras(!), travelling on the smooth French motorway is a real treat!

I only get to shop for clothes twice a year (when I go to France, although that's about to change after we move!) so the Summer sales are an event not to be missed!

I'm also really looking forward to seeing my friends & family before we land in our new country in August!
 
If you want to know what other teachers are up to, click on the image below!
http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/06/currently-june-2015-and-helping.html


02 May 2015

*FREEBIE* Common Mistakes in French Posters

There are some mistakes which, despite my numerous corrections, seem to always persist in students' work! I am currently preparing my students for their end of year exams and have designed a very simple set of 7 posters to help them eradicate these mistakes once and for all!

You can click on the image below to download these posters for FREE :)

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