Teaching in French when presenting a writing activity is more about the delivery of the lesson and less about creating a brand new activity. It’s attainable. It’s realistic.
Part 5 in this teaching strategies series is about how to structure French writing activities to keep teaching in the target language. Some of the previous topics include:
- Teaching in French – How to Lesson Plan Listening Activities
- Teaching in French – How to Lesson Plan Speaking Activities
- Teaching in French – Beginning Levels 1 and 2
- Teaching in French – Levels 3 and above
The most effective language teaching strategy will be patience, intentional planning, and consistency in the delivery of the lessons as you make a shift towards speaking 90% or more when teaching French, Spanish, and other World Languages. Patience, grasshopper.
Teaching in French (Step 1) – Where do I find more planning time?
Excellent question. Time is limited so what does a world language teacher “give up”? I dedicated an entire blog post on “How to assess (or not) grammar?”. Less grading on my part give me more planning time. This is where I have found extra time during prep periods and at home and during class. There are many French writing activities that I give to my beginning and advanced students … and I do not grade them all.
Less grading = less stress on my part = more time to intentionally plan writing activities = I am more prepared to speak in French when I present the writing activity. That is where I find the time and focus for teaching my writing activities completely in French.
Teaching in French (Step 2) – What about teaching grammar in French?
Careful! Teaching grammar in French is not the same as presenting a writing activity in French. Those are two completely different lessons on different days. This blog post is about presenting a writing lesson in French. I have a separate blog post about “How to teach grammar in French?”.
Teaching in French (Step 3) – How to structure the writing lesson?
I am able to keep teaching in French because of how I structure my writing lessons: OPDC.
- O = Overview (3 or 4 minutes to activate what they know how to SAY about the topic)
- We have just finished 2-3 days learning how to speak about the topic that we are about to write about.
- Did we learn how to insult someone? Describe someone? Rank least to most favorite? What was the speaking task that we now want to put into writing?
- P = Prime (5 or 6 minutes to review what this task looks like in writing)
- This is also where necessary French vocabulary is reviewed and supports such as sentence starters or vocabulary word banks are provided.
- Model the desired outcome (length, purpose, and timeline) and check for comprehension as you say all of this in French. Keep the daily writing goal attainable for students to finish in class.
- D = Drill
- The drill is the activity that I have prepared: write a paragraph to compare 2 family members (family unit) or insult what I am wearing today (clothing unit).
- I always provide in-class time to write on paper. I walk around to help and keep students on task.
- Instead of writing for two 50-minute class periods, students might write for three or four 25-minute classes.
- C = Check
- I stay in French because I circle back daily to remind them of our desired outcome (paragraph or comparisons) and provide them time to work. My examples are simple, clear, and intentional to get them to the next day.
My detailed blog post about OPDC can help with any world language lesson planning.
Teaching in French (Step 4) – Pace yourself and model more
I pace myself with the French I use each day of writing and the French I expect them to use (written or spoken). Over the course of three days, the material is broken into smaller chunks (scaffolded) and this is more manageable for me as well as my students to keep us all in the target language.
With an increase in the intentional language that I model and that students practice, there is a greater chance of teaching in French. This is a process for everyone to get used to: me and my students.
That is not to say that I never speak in English. When I feel there is a huge breakdown in communication and I need to switch to English, I go back later to reflect on how I arrived there. What was missing that my students struggled with understanding my French? Scaffolding the language? Too large of an expectation for their language production (written or spoken)? Lack of comprehension checks?
Reflect. Analyze. Change. Repeat. Stay consistent in your delivery. Stay patient. Heck, just take 5 minutes at the end of class some day and just ask them in English where is the missing piece? Listen. Listen more. Reflect. Analyze. Make a shift. Stay consistent.
Teaching 90% or more in the target language is a journey for the teacher and the students. Patience over time + intentional planning based on their writing needs = more success for the students and the teacher.
My name is Lisa and I enjoy being your new French colleague. How can I help you tomorrow?
(Looking for video versions of my blogs? Check out my YouTube Channel: L’Essentiel French Resources.)
