Soyez motivés ! Get motivated to read, write, listen and speak French

This particular post as well as a couple of other recent posts are part of a final project for a course I am taking right now, but I figured I might as well share it with you, as I think most of you will find it very useful. My project answers the question "How can I get students motivated to read, write, listen, and speak in French?" I made a brochure for teachers to distribute to prospective and current French students that illustrates the ways in which learning to communicate in the language can be fun and interesting. I also interviewed a retired French teacher, who coincidentally, I had for 9th grade French, about her ideas on literacy motivation. The third part of my project is this comprehensive list of links to past and recent posts from my blog and a variety of external links that answer my question.

The Brochure


Click here to view the brochure full size!


French Corner Posts

External Resources
  • TV5 Apprendre.TV - Practice your French through games and videos from this international French language TV station.
  • TV5 Enseigner.TV -The teacher version of this site! Find lots of fun reading and listening activities for your students.
  • TV5 Jeunesse - Explore fun and games in French targeted at youth.
  • TV5 Musique - Tons of audio and video to explore, and the best part is, they explain what the lyrics to popular French songs mean, beyond just a simple translation!
  • Carole D. Fredericks Foundation - I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet Carole Fredericks' sister, the director of this foundation. Carole was an American singer who sang in French and died tragically in 2001. This foundation sells materials to teach her songs in French classes.
  • Recoins de France - This French language site has recipes and walks from every region of France! The adorable graphics and pictures give a glimpse at what the areas look like.
  • La chanson francophone - This French teacher in Spain created games with the lyrics of popular French songs (it's a little addicting!) for various levels. You can listen to the songs in crisp audio as you play the games.
  • Jouons en français - Have a little fun with these youth-oriented games in French!
  • Interactive Novel - Try your hand at an interactive novel in French.
  • Do-Ré-Mi Deux - The music and lyrics CD and booklet set created by the teacher I interviewed!
  • Total Physical Response - Colorful boards and stickers to use in the classroom. TPR promotes learning French through actions, and is especially useful in developing speaking skills.

Posted by Samantha on Sunday, May 04, 2008 0 comments

French learning and language podcasts

If you're a busy person, you'll love the modern version of "learn French in your car" CDs or cassettes: "learn French on your iPod" podcasts! Podcasts, if you're not already familiar with them, are like blogs you subscribe to, except every new episode is downloaded automatically to your iPod or MP3 player. They are almost always free, and some of them are even in video form, for those of you with iPod video screens. Listen to specially made French language learning podcasts or French language podcasts. Here are a few I found:

Posted by Samantha on Sunday, May 04, 2008 1 comments

Practice Your French Tip: French TV & Radio

You don't have to be living in France to watch television or listen to the radio in French! Many French television networks and radio stations broadcast their programs with streaming media (meaning you watch or listen to a program live through a media player) or, in the case of many television stations, episodes and news clips are available to watch after they have aired. It's a great way to practice your French (to really make the most of these sites, you will have to put your French skills to the test, because naturally they are not available in English!), and at the same time you are learning a thing or two about French culture. Explore these links to French TV and radio you can watch or listen to online. You may wish to download RealPlayer and or Windows Media Player if you don't have them already, as you may be prompted to do so in order to play much of this media.

  • Listenlive - This site has a comprehensive list of French language radio stations from all over France. Go to the site's homepage to see other radio stations from all over Europe.
  • TF1 - This popular French TV channel has trailers for movies and TV shows, news clips, and episode clips.
  • INA - View a large selection of French TV and Radio archives from throughout the 20th century!
  • RFO Radio - Listen to radio stations broadcasting to French overseas territories such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Polynesia.
  • RFO Journaux - Watch news stations broadcasting to these same territories.
  • Radio-Canada - Watch news clips from this Québécois TV station.
  • Radio-Canada Baladodiffusion - Subscribe to radio programs in the form of podcasts, which you can listen to on your MP3 player. For more on podcasts, see the upcoming post.
  • France 2 - Watch videos from this French TV station.
  • France 3 - Another French TV station.
  • France 4 - Yet another French TV station.
  • France 5 - Still another French TV station!
  • VivaCité - A Belgian radio station.
  • Musiq3 - Another Belgian radio station.

Posted by Samantha on Sunday, May 04, 2008 0 comments

An Interview with a Retired French Teacher

I recently interviewed one of my high school French teachers, Barbara Lynaugh, for a school project. I asked her questions about promoting French literacy, and I thought I might share her answers with you! Just to give you a little background information, Ms. Lynaugh taught at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, NY, and since her retirement she has kept busy, among other things, producing a CD of French songs with lyrics for French students called Do-Ré-Mi. Click here to purchase Do-Ré-Mi online.

How did you come up with the idea for Do-Ré-Mi?
The idea for Do-Ré-Mi was easy. I like to sing; students generally enjoy singing. Words, in this case vocabulary words, are much easier to remember when put to music and pronunciation is enhanced tenfold! Quite importantly, as a foreign language teacher, I designed the songs to represent a multitude of topics which students need to master in their basic acquisition of French.

What have your students said about Do-Ré-Mi?
Students appear to enjoy the Do-Ré-Mi songs because they can all participate at the same time without being individually self-conscious about their pronunciation. Some thoroughly like to "ham it up" while other who are somewhat shy may barely vocalize the words. A rule I use is that as I pass by each student's desk, I want to see a mouth moving and hear some noise...not in English though!

How does Do-Ré-Mi promote student interest in French literacy?
More is done with the songs than just singing them. Vocabulary lists are provided for prior study and verses are translated aloud by individual students or as a choral activity. The songs are usually introduced to the class after a particular topic has been covered. (Each song has been written with a specific vocabulary or grammar topic.)

You used TPR a lot in class when I had you. How does this motivate students to listen and respond in French?
TPR is a great vehicle through which to teach a second language. Involving the students in active hands-on activities energizes them and helps then to retain learned materials for a longer period of time. TPR teaching and learning is enjoyable and stimulating for both the teacher and the class.

In what ways can a textbook promote student interest in French literacy?
While many teachers prefer not to teach from textbooks, they offer a valuable tangible resource for students to have as needed. The instructional progression of materials in a well designed textbook can always give students a resource to fall back on for review purposes, misunderstood topics, etc. Too much reliance on textbooks alone however, diminishes a teacher's creativity, leads to student disinterest, and results in mundane lesson planning and lessons in general.

A lot of the students in the class I was in when I had you were already independently motivated to read/write/listen/speak in French. What do you do when you have a mixture of motivation levels?
It is quite a challenge to teach students with varying motivation and ability levels. Someone always loses our. Those at the lower end of the scale experience frustration and frequent failure, while those at the upper end are deprived of challenging learning opportunities. A truly candid response from me...I am pro, pro, pro ability grouping and tracking. I have done it all...both mainstreaming and tracking over the years and will always place my money on the tracking mode of teaching!

The children we worked with were naturally excited about everything. How do you get high school students to feel the same way?
High school students do not take an interest in all their subjects. Many of them have 1 or 2 subjects that really matter to them, i.e., that they see any value in. When a subject is taught with depth, color, purpose, enthusiasm and a combination of levity and seriousness, students tend to feed off those qualities. Students must be encouraged to believe that what they are learning has value either in the present or in the future for them. If a subject can be related to specific events in one's life, the material is of more interest to that person. In second language learning, the opportunity to travel or to encounter native speakers of another country in one's own town is very motivating.

Can you share any other techniques you have for motivating students to read/write/listen/speak in French?
I am very convinced that originally created products are very helpful in teaching ANY subject. Teachers know what their students need to learn, how they respond to various activities, what works and what doesn't work. A very important part of motivating students is to continually look for ways to praise and encourage them...but not so much that the words are over used and appear shallow. A great way to inspire students is to invite French speaking peers or community members into a classroom exposing students to the authenticity of the language. Preparing culturally based lessons can be helpful as well, as students like to compare similarities and differences with students of their own age in another country.

Posted by Samantha on Sunday, April 27, 2008 0 comments

The French Corner's First iGoogle Gadget!

I have just debuted a gadget that you can add your iGoogle homepage or any webpage. The Random French Phrase gadget shows you a new French phrase every time you load it, with an English translation underneath. This is a great way to acquaint you with the language without having to even set aside any more time out of your schedule. Feel free to tell your friends about it, add it to your iGoogle homepage, or put it on your own blog or webpage! Another gadget is in the works!

Posted by Samantha on Thursday, March 13, 2008 2 comments

Update on iGoogle Theme

Well, I have great news on the iGoogle Theme I created a couple of weeks ago! It has been approved by Google! You can now select it as a theme here! There are already almost 200 users!

Posted by Samantha on Saturday, March 08, 2008 0 comments

iGoogle French Corner Theme

I just put the finishing touches on The French Corner's new iGoogle Theme. It has not been approved by Google yet, but if you set your homepage to the page you land on when you click the link, you can use the theme still! Hopefully Google will approve the theme so it will reach more people. The theme draws from the main graphic I used in the layout of this site. I would love some feedback on it! Leave your comments here!

Posted by Samantha on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 3 comments

Links Roundup: 2/3/08

Here's the latest and the greatest from the blogosphere on French language and culture!

Posted by Samantha on Sunday, February 03, 2008 2 comments

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