Full confession - while there is no actual holiday during which everyone gets together and celebrates cheese and chocolate (although... wouldn't that be amazing?), planning a classroom experience like this is an opportunity to showcase certain aspects of French culture that are fun, interesting, easy to compare to others, and very popular with my high … Continue reading
My two teaching areas are English and French. I haven't taught English for some time, but there are some pretty reliable tools available now to catch incidents of plagiarism. Translator use is considered plagiarism in second language classes, and it's no exaggeration to say that plagiarism is rampant in high schools. Simply put, work completed … Continue reading
Last summer, I read a book that was a game changer for me. The book was called Writing Circles, written by James Vopat. Mr. Vopat has developed a system similar to literature circles, using peer-led small groups and micro lessons focused on skills and strategies to do the following: lead students from practice to progress as … Continue reading
My collaboration partner and I have been using stations (sometimes also called centers) in our secondary level French as a second language classes over the past year. When we tell our colleagues what we're doing, reactions vary. If we're talking to secondary teachers, the reaction is somewhere between asking us what we're talking about to … Continue reading
One of the big shifts in education in BC has been the transition from a content-based curriculum to one that is skills-based. There are many subject areas that are heavily driven by content (math and science, for example). Second languages are a relatively easy place to make the transition to skill-based instruction, but it is … Continue reading
Our languages department recently celebrated Carnaval at our school for the first time, and I wanted to share what we did for others who are planning cultural celebrations. For those who may not have heard of it, Carnaval is celebrated in a few parts of the world, and this quick video (in French) explains its … Continue reading
I wanted to write this blog post to share a strategy that has worked well this year to help my students progress in their speaking skills. The big four language competencies are speaking, listening, reading and writing. Of those, speaking is the one that probably causes the most stress and anxiety for students. They have … Continue reading
The week before Christmas holidays is usually a busy one in schools, and often a time when students' attention may wander. There are many Christmas-themed worksheets and quick activities available, but this year my collaboration partner and I have put together a series of stations for our students to explore some cultural aspects of the … Continue reading
Having taught French for 20 years, there were certain things I thought I knew. For example, the best place to start with verbs is present tense, because (a) it's easier for students to understand, (b) it gives them lots of things to say about what's happening right now, and (c) it's easier for them to … Continue reading
The more I am working on moving to more skill based instruction, implementing BC's new curriculum redesign, the more I am finding that using stations are a good instructional design to allow students to practice those skills using communicative activities, and receive feedback in class. The more I use them, the more they are becoming … Continue reading
