I don’t believe you, Lisa. I use French 4 songs and you’re telling me that my students might tune out? How can that be possible if they love this French bellringer activity that has been a part of our daily routine for French 1, French 2, French 3, and now French 4?
Oh. The French 4 songs are a part of my bellringer routine throughout French 1, French 2, French 3 and now French 4. Students are not tired of the French 4 songs – they love French music, have French Spotify lists on their phones, and say “Remember that French 2 song….?” as we reminisce.
However, my French teacher routine from French 1, 2, and 3 is old:
- pronounce the vocabulary words together for the first few days
- play the song once each day
- swap out the alphabetized vocabulary list with a categorized verse-by-verse list
- finish after 8-12 days
The only parts of the routines they still like about French 4 songs is:
- that we do this daily
- if I sing (howl) a verse to help them (but not slowly – I sing it fast but clearly)
- if I let them sing a completed verse in French to their partners (not everyone chooses this option)
- when I sing the entire song (howl) in English after we have finished it
This blog about French 4 songs lays out 3 tips to keep our upper level students engaged and lists some of the songs that I use. As always, take these tips and adapt them to your instructional style, your students, and their personalities.
French 4 Songs – Tip #1
Instead of repeating after me, I direct students to pronounce all of the vocabulary words with a partner for the first three days of each new song and ask me “Comment est-ce qu’on prononce ___?” Afterwards, I do a choral pronunciation check by asking them to pronounce all the words from the list that start with the letter “B” or all of the words that start with the letter “L”.
I correct them, if needed. Yes, they are French 4 students but I assume nothing and continue random pronunciation checks for the first few days of a song.
Additionally, I continue to explain the reason why pronunciation of these new words is key: if they don’t know how the words sound out loud, it’s tough to correctly hear it in your head, hear it in the French 4 songs, find it on the list, and copy it into the blank.
Listening skills continue to develop all the way through our upper levels.
French 4 Songs – Tip #2
Each of the French 4 songs lasts about 5-8 days each and this is quite different from the French 1, 2, and 3 songs. The upper level students move through the French 4 songs more quickly and more than 8 days on one French 4 song can be a stretch.
What makes it go faster? I let French 4 students listen to the individual song with their earbuds because:
- they might want to focus on a particular verse and replay it over and over for one day instead of listening to the entire song
- they might want to hit “repeat” over and over on a 10-second section of the song
- they know the strategies that I’ve been using in French 1, 2, and 3 and are able to self-pace / self-regulate with the vocabulary
When I see the French 4 songs dragging, I might reduce the daily routine to 3-4 days per week and pick up a new Friday routine (like vidéo vendredi).
Also, we take a break when there is a test or we are reading a novel. For novels, I reduce this routine to Mondays and Tuesdays perhaps.
We ALWAYS take a one-month break in March / April for the fabulous Manie Musicale and students are out-of-their-minds with this music bracket competition.
French 4 Songs – Tip #3
Where is the sweet spot between too easy / too difficult for the French 4 songs and students?
Too easy? After French 4 students have pronounced the words for the first two days with a partner, we continue a quick word study for the next four or five days. Each day brings a new push from me to challenge them to look closely at the words for 3-5 minutes before we listen to the song:
- Find 7 verbs from the vocabulary list and change them back to their infinitive.
- Find 7 adjectives or adverbs.
- Find 7 words that you know and explain 2 of them in French to your partner.
- Find 7 words that you enjoy pronouncing.
- Find 7 words that you’ve never seen before and look up their meaning.
- (The number 7 is random and holds no significance.)
How do I know when it’s too difficult for even my strong students? The French 4 songs, like all of my songs, are differentiated for all students within one class. Each song has 2 versions:
- one version has more blanks and is more challenging
- one version has fewer blanks and is less challenging
Each version has 2 vocabulary lists:
- one vocabulary list is alphabetized and is more challenging
- one vocabulary list is categorized by verse and is less challenging
I know my students well enough at individual levels and collectively as a class that I am able to choose the correct song version and also the correct vocabulary list. From French 1 songs to French 4 songs, I am able to shift in the middle of the song, if needed, in order to not let my students descend into frustration. The perfect differentiated level for any of my students is to have the perfect differentiated version or vocabulary list ready.
When I see that my strong students are struggling, I make a shift. When I see that my struggling students are about to give up, I make a shift. Sometimes the shift is for an individual student and therefore private, and sometimes I make a change for the entire class.
OR, I let students choose before and during whether or not they want to keep or change the song or vocabulary list.
French 4 Songs – The List
These French 4 songs are in no particular order and this is just a partial list with a quick reason of why or how I use each.
#1 – La Vie (Ichon)
This song is a student favorite every year. Smooth. Clear. Great tempo. Ichon ends up quickly on my students’ personal Spotify lists.
#2 – Je Veux (Zaz)
This song is a throwback to 2010. Her voice is unique and she sings clearly even though the tempo is fast. Students are able to keep up with this song when filling in the blanks.
#3 – Vois Sur Ton Chemin (du film)
This song always happens about 2 weeks after we watch the classic movie “Au revoir, les enfants” and students go crazy when they hear the first few notes of the song on day 1. Because we have already watched the movie, this is one of the very few French 4 songs where we analyze the lyrics and relate them back to moments during the film.
#4 – La Corrida (Francis Cabrel)
I can’t stress enough how strongly I feel about my favorite French artist, Francis Cabrel. He is the Neil Diamond of France and, for better or for worse, I work to bring the 1970s into the lives of my American teenage students.
In all honesty, this song is very appropriate because it covers a social justice topic. Is a corrida “culture” or “animal cruelty”? There is no official music video but several people have put picture montages together to the song to show the different aspects of a bullfight. This is also one song where, although we do not analyze the lyrics, we do have a debate on this topic when we have finished the song.
After the debate, we continue to study songs with social justice themes. Students relate this bullfight song, and Cabrel’s clear opinion, to current artists who take a similar stance on highly charged topics.
#5 – La Même (GIMS ft. Vianney)
Be aware of the official music video because you should watch it before showing your students. Showing this video beforehand is your personal decision based on your knowledge of your students, your school policies, and your community’s standards. As an option, if the video does not meet your standards, turn off the video, and use only the audio or find an audio only version. Err on the side of caution.
French 4 Songs – Final Thoughts
The key to incorporating French 4 songs into my classroom is keep students moving forward in their listening skills. Keep the interest going! Take some breaks, shift the daily routine to give students more independence during the French 4 songs. Do some analysis afterwards of the song’s meaning. Pair it with a movie. Pair it with an artist study.
Students feel very proud and knowledgeable about how they can sing French songs out loud in the car with their parents and siblings. It’s actually very impressive, right?!?!
Where are these fill-in-the-blank French 4 songs?
The eight songs mentioned above are in the “French Song activities” category of my TPT store: L’Essentiel French Resources. Consider purchasing one or two or purchase the entire growing bundle of 25+ French songs for all levels. Each song has 2 versions and each version has 2 differentiated vocabulary lists (one alphabetized list and one categorized list).
If you are interested in more detailed blogs about incorporating French songs into your classroom, consider these blogs on my website:
- “3 Tips for French Bellringer Activities”
- “4 Perfect French 1 Songs as Bellringers for Beginning French Students”
- “6 Effective French 2 Songs to Engage Students and Improve Listening Skills”
- “8 Memorable French 3 Songs to Improve Listening Skills”
Video versions of all my blogs are on my YouTube Channel: L’Essentiel French Resources or follow me on Instagram: @essentielfrenchresources and X: @EssFrResources. Please like this video and follow me on those mentioned social media platforms.
My name is Lisa and I love being your new French colleague. How can I help you tomorrow?
