Stromae! GIMS! Black M! Oh my!
Students and teachers love popular French music. Every year, French classrooms across the country listen to French music to start class, to end class, or during homework time. In a nutshell, tens of thousands of students and their French teachers tune in, listen, and enjoy French songs every year – all the time.
Yet, how do I keep the momentum going for more than just “Musique Mercredi” once a week or song competitions that are only once a year? How can I use popular music as a teaching tool to improve their French listening skills while also engaging them for life (in case they find a favorite artist)? A tried and true method that I’ve used for over 20 years is fill-in-the-blank listening activities using popular French songs and artists. These daily bellringers in French 1 through French 5 have started my classes and become an activity that I’m known for throughout the school. What better way to engage and hook student interest than with current French music?
Fear not, fabulous colleagues! Improve your students’ listening skills with popular French songs year round:
- Why not September to start the school year?
- How about during the 4th quarter when we are all dragging low and need a pick-me-up with popular French music?
- How about every day, every week, all year-long? (Maybe you pause in March to vote with other classrooms. I know that I pause to join the competitions that are put together by my colleagues.)
Here are 3 steps to start using popular French music as daily bellringers and listening activities in your traditional or French immersion classroom at any time of the year.
French Music Step 1:
- Find your favorite French song in my TPT Store: L’Essentiel French Resources – I’ve got many French listening activities that teenagers love to listen to year after year: Stromae, GIMS, Vianney, Black M, Soprano, Bigflo & Oli, etc…
- Don’t forget about famous French artists from the 1970s and 1980s – my favorite is Francis Cabrel. Kids today need to know the Neil Diamond of France.
- Try out one French song listening activity or the entire bundle to start with.
French Music Step 2:
- Plan your French music daily bellringers for all levels – each French song can be used at any level. Why? How? Popular French music helps me as a bellringer each day.
- Set aside the first 5 minutes of every day to listen to the song once. Do this for 7-12 days in a row as students fill in the blanks little by little. Choose which version and which vocabulary list to give students.
- Each French song has 2 different versions.
- a simpler version with fewer blanks to fill in
- a challenge version with more blanks to fill in
- Each French song has 2 separate vocabulary lists
- a simpler list which is limited to the missing words in a small section
- an alphabetized list which includes all missing words in the song
- This is differentiation at its best! If it is your first time zeroing in on their listening skills, maybe pick an easy song and the easy vocabulary list. Or let your students decide??? As my students’ listening skills are honed and sharpened, I only give out the categorized list of vocabulary towards the end of our two weeks of daily listening. Some students don’t want the categorized list and prefer to challenge their ears. You know your students best.
- With the first song, try the same simpler version and the same categorized vocabulary list with French 1 and 2. Maybe give French 3 and French 4 or your French immersion students the challenging version with the easier vocabulary list? You can mix and match the song version with a choice of two different vocabulary lists.
French Music Step 3:
- Take a look at my two pages of suggestions (included with each song) on how to introduce the first French listening activity.
- Decide if the French music listening activity will start or end the class? What is your routine?
- Will you watch the music video before or after they fill in the blanks?
- Will you let them watch the music video each day (some kids get SUPER distracted – I don’t recommend this)? I have audio only.
- Will they use their tablets and write the words in or will you hand out copies of the French song with blanks and the vocab lists?
- Participation points for completion or will you grade them?
- Recommended – completion points. See my two pages of suggestions for other grading tips.
Is it March? Then find the current Manie Musicale bracket and follow these steps (in French or in English) to introduce this awesome French music competition to your students. Watch video versions of each blog on my YouTube Channel: L’Essentiel French Resources.
My name is Lisa and I am so happy to be your new French colleague! How can I help you tomorrow?