Oh hey there fellow French teacher! You are in the right place if you are a Core French or French Immersion teacher looking for inspiring & practical French resources for the classroom. This blog is the perfect place to find inspiration, ideas, and practical resources for the French classroom.
Who am I?
I am the proud daughter and grand-daughter of my parents and grandparents who immigrated from Punjab.
Punjabi is my first/second language and therefore French is my third language.
I was introduced to the French language when I was 13 years old in an introductory FSL course in High School and I immediately fell in love.
What is my teaching philosophy?
French class must be fun and engaging
As a French teacher, I strive to make my classes engaging and memorable.
I focus more on fun and creative activities and projects. Additionally, I focus more on francophone cultures than the perfection of grammar and the memorization of lists of vocabulary.
We do tons of fun assessment, games, and memorable projects. One of my students’ favourite projects is a music video on Compagnie Créole’s music!
Anti-racist French resources are not optional
Anti-racism isn’t just a topic for Social Studies. French language education has deep colonial roots which must be decolonized. First of all, it is a well-known fact that there is a lack of representation in French picture books.
This is a troubling pattern that must be interrupted. The people who speak French are incredibly diverse. The teaching material and content must represent this diversity. We must do our students’ justice and not only provide mirrors for them. These opportunities are also windows for our white students to learn about cultures other than their own.
Our French classrooms must also have mirrors and windows.
Over the past two years, I have heard French teachers say that there are no resources to address these issues in French. That is not true!
There are tons of French resources & French activities on my blog addressing Black Lives Matter, Anti-Asian hate, Indigenous representation, and racism in France. I also have a Facebook group of amazing French teachers sharing resources from their very own classrooms.
Consequently, if you are looking for antiracist French resources for the classroom, this blog is the perfect place for you!
Francophone cultures are not a “side dish”, they are the main meal!
When I started teaching in 2016, I began teaching “francophone culture units”. I no longer do that!
Nowadays, Francophone cultures are the “meat and bones” in my French classroom. For example, we read about a variety of cultural topics such as racial identity in France, Haitian Vodou, the French Antilles, impressionism and more!
Modern & engaging French resources for the classroom
In summary, French class should not be boring! My students look forward to attending French class because of all of the exciting French activities we do in class. Focusing less on grammar acquisition and vocabulary and making culture the “meat and bones” of your pedagogy is transformative.
The best part is that you do not have to reinvent the wheel. You can find tons of inspirational and practical French resources for the classroom here on this blog!
