In part 3 of this series of tips on teaching in French, this blog focuses on listening comprehension activities for all levels of World Language and all languages. Whether it is a new group of French 1 students or your new shift to speaking more French in levels 2 and above, students might feel insecure and lack confidence in what they are able to understand when I teach in French. How do I provide language support in a low-stress environment while still teaching in French? This key question is often asked when the discussion about teaching in the target language arises.
There are best practices and ACTFL recommends 90% or more teaching in the target language as a best practice. There are never right and wrong methods – only techniques that await adaptation, through trial and error, to fit your personality and style of delivery. The hardest part about teaching 90% or more in French is my consistency, intentionality, and patience (with myself). When I give up on speaking and teaching in French, then my students give up, too.
Of course, just because I am teaching in French 90%+ of the time does not imply that my students understand me or are speaking French themselves. There is a delicate balance between teacher use of the target language, student listening comprehension, and student use of the target language. All are intertwined and what follows with listening comprehension ideas often wiggles into student speaking activities. Listening precedes speaking. The two modes of communication definitely overlap and their separation becomes fuzzy. That’s okay. Stay consistent, intentional, and patient with your use of the target language. Your students will follow your lead.
Teaching in French with TPR (French 1-5)
I cannot say enough about using TPR at all levels of language learning! If students are not used to hearing 90%+ in the target language, then start with TPR. They listen and follow the directions as I speak 100% in French. TPR is low-stress for students because they do not have to speak. They listen and do the actions.
If this is your first time using TPR, I’d suggest a script or set of bullet points about what you want to say so that you stay on point. Check out these blog posts dedicated to TPR in the World Language Classrooms. They are applicable to any level where you are looking to begin teaching 90% or more in the target language:
- Back-to-School Ideas for the Level 1 World Language Classroom
- 3 Tips for Maximum Success with TPR in the World Language Classroom
Teach in French with TPR in Level 1: When I use TPR at the beginning of the year, I never make students repeat the words. I never include the words on formative or summative assessments. I never present the grammar (imperative form) associated with TPR. I use TPR to keep me teaching in French while introducing directions in French 1 (stand up, sit down, open/close, turn to your partner and say, etc…).
After the initial French 1 directions are learned, I continue teaching in French with TPR as the listening phase which precedes their speaking. These command forms let me know that students understand the concept or vocabulary word without the need to translate. In short, TPR is a French listening comprehension activity. The forms I use most often for listening comprehension are:
- Show me, point to, draw, act out
- Choose, pass, take, give
- True / False (thumbs up thumbs down), yes / no questions
- Students have flashcards or chatmats for visuals
Teach in French withTPR in Level 2: When I use TPR, I begin with listening, move quickly to speaking, and then to reading and writing. For example, as we learn the clothing words, I introduce them in the context of “What to wear in the summer” or “What to wear when it’s cold” and then use TPR to check for understanding (show me shoes or draw me a hat or “Do I wear boots to the beach?” yes/no questions). Again, I never quiz them on the command form or have them copy the direction words (give, take, draw, etc….).
Teach in French with TPR in Level 3 and above: I use TPR to introduce characters with flashcards in a book. For example, before starting a book about Le Petit Nicolas, we have a character and author study. I know we are ready to begin the book because my formative assessment uses TPR:
- Show me Alceste
- Write the friend’s name who is the teacher’s pet
- Etc…
Once I can see from their answers that students understand me (or the new vocabulary), I immediately move into speaking activities for them. Sometimes this is after 10-15 minutes, and sometimes this takes 2 days depending on the complexity of the topic or vocabulary.
Teaching in French with Visual supports
Yes, all of the above listening activities require visual support or the use of gestures. Students make their own flashcards or I make them on low-cost sturdy card stock to laminate. Yes, it is time-consuming and then I use them year after year but it helps keep me teaching in French because now students have items to hold. (As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Besides making French flashcards, I also have the old-fashioned picture-file. Students can hold, pass, point to, give/take, etc… these large pictures as well. The flashcards and picture files work well as I move them into speaking activities. Basically any vocabulary word that is concrete is worthy of a flashcard or picture on card stock. These carry more expectations than an iPad or a Xerox copy of vocabulary when it comes to the speaking activities because students can’t hide behind the paper or technology when talking. Even though this idea seems to be about the student activity, it helps me stay in the target language.
Specific ideas for teaching in French at level 2 and above:
- Consider a listening / speaking review of the previous level before (or instead of) the written review
- Read an authentic movie review out loud. Ask them to listen and write down the title, actors, when and where it’s playing and whether or not people recommend it.
- Same idea as above but read a restaurant review or a book review.
- Check for listening comprehension on big ideas on one day and small details on the next day. Who says you can’t listen to the same audio over and over for different purposes?
- Find a video in any language about the current unit topic and turn off the volume. This opens me up to finding many more YouTube videos for class. I control the speed, the vocabulary, and the scaffolding of the language. We watch the video each day on silent as I provide more and more details each time.
I use videos on silent all the time. I know what level my students are at and I explain the video with French that I know they will understand but also introduce new concepts and vocabulary. I carefully choose vocabulary words and other language supports (gestures, pictures) so that I can scaffold their listening and check for comprehension along the way. All of these strategies keep me teaching in French.
Comprehension Checks in French
I can’t wait until the end of class or the end of the week to realize that my students are not understanding me. I start with fast yes/no and either/or comprehension check questions about the big idea concepts and words. This keeps the pace moving on my part. I even use yes/no questions to check for understanding of my TPR directions at all levels before sending them off to complete a partner activity or small group work. Comprehension checks everywhere all the time let you know that my teaching in French is being understood.
Scaffolded comprehension checks before they start an activity include:
- Yes / no questions
- Either / or choices
- Model the activity
- Open-ended questions (not for everyone because student answers slow down the pace of getting students started)
When to speak English? When to speak the target language?
I use English in French 1 with intentionality. What am I trying to do?
- Teach in French (speak in French)
- Talk about language learning or explain the logistics of their first speaking test (speak in English)
In French 1 during the month of September, 35-40 of 50 minutes are spent with me always teaching in French during the activities. The other 10-15 minutes are clumped at the beginning or the end of class with English and we talk about learning language or my routine for how to grade the assignment. I am intentional to not flip/flop back and forth between languages during the lesson or activity. If a student has a question that needs English, I write it in the corner of my board and answer it at the end.
Listening precedes speaking. Who will they listen to? Me. In French. Then we move to speaking as soon as possible. Start with their listening skills as the key move to start teaching more in French. This doesn’t mean that I never speak English to students. Flexibility is key. Consider listening to the video version of this blog on my YouTube Channel: L’Essentiel French Resources.
My name is Lisa and I enjoy being your new French colleague. How can I help you tomorrow?
