Are you a Core French teacher looking for effective and engaging French bell ringers? In this blog post, I share some of my favourite French bell ringers for the French classroom.
But first, what makes a good French bell ringer?
When planning bell ringers for French class, I like to do multiple French bell ringers. For example, I do Question du jour every single class. Since Question du jour is a speaking activity, I follow it up with another brief reading, writing, or listening bell ringer.
I actually go into detail in terms of how I plan my French routines in this blog post.
Question du jour – A French Speaking Bell Ringer
Question du jour is, in my opinion, the BEST French bell ringer out there. Seriously, if you’re not doing Question du jour — you need to start immediately.
I begin every one of my French classes (from French 8-11) with a question of the day. Students write down the question projected on the board and their responses.
I also ensure that students understand how to pronounce any new words.
Finally, I take attendance and every single student has the chance to say their answer.
I did Question du jour with a specific group of students for four years. Over the years, the questions steadily became more difficult.
Here are the results I achieved with this group of students:
- they had the best French accents out of any group I’ve ever taught
- their comprehension of French was sooo good
- they had acquired an extensive vocabulary without vocabulary lists or forced memorization
- they understand French verbs, conjugations, and tenses better than any group I’ve ever taught
Francophone Fact of the Week
This next French bell ringer targets the developing of French reading skills.
The concept is simple. Each week, you introduce your French students to one new fact.
Students write down the question on the slide. Lastly, they answer the question on their bell ringer handout.
Et voilà!
This is great way to combine reading and culture!
French Idiom of the Week or French Slang Expression of the Week
Teaching French idioms does not have to be overwhelming or even a “unit”.
Gradually introducing your students via effective French routines is an effective way to teach these important expressions!
My students love, love, love to learn French slang. In fact, I will confidently say that this is their favourite French bell ringer!
They look forward to learning new French slang expressions every Tuesday. And the best part?
They put them to use RIGHT away!
What more could we want as French teachers?
