Part 1:
Been there! Done that! And boy is it nerve wracking!!!! Nothing like having 25 plus eyes on you and nothing for them to do!
It is not an ideal situation, but it does happen from time to time, and for a new teacher this could be their worst nightmare. I know when I first started teaching I was terrified of this happening! However, as an experienced teacher you learn to go with the flow and adapt quickly! You will learn quickly to have plan A, B, C, D, E….Z!!! 😂
That’s why I recommend to always have some go to activities on hand to fill up the rest of class time. It will look like you planned this activity all along and the students won’t have a clue!
Here are some of my favorite go to activities to use for the rest of class time, that are not a lot of work for you.
Whiteboards:
Supplies needed: Whiteboards (I would place a piece of blank paper in a sheet protector, not only was this cheaper but a lot easier to store)/ Dry Erase Markers/ Erasers (for each student).
- Simply pass out a whiteboard, marker and eraser to each student.
- Have them conjugate a verb, translate vocabulary, etc.
- Once you have given students ample time to write their answers, have them show you their answers.
- You may say “Un, deux, trois! Montrez-moi!”
- Simply look around the room and check for student comprehension. I always like to clarify the correct answer as a whole for those students who did not get the correct answer.
- Play until you have gotten through your content or class time is almost up.
Jacques à dit:
Supplies needed: You & your students.
- This is your simple game of “Simon Says”. So you just need you and your class and have fun!
- Have everyone stand next to their desk.
- You say “Jacques à dit, touche ton nez”, touche ton genou, etc.
- When students complete the task and they did it correctly they stay standing.
- If you did not say” Jacques à dit”, and they completed the task, then they are out! (It always makes me laugh how seriously they take this game! Even in high school 😆).
- Continue until there is a winner or two! Or class time is almost over.
Quizlet Live:
Supplies needed: Projector or Smart-board/ Students will need an electronic device/ Quizlet
This is a great way to have students review their vocabulary!
- As a teacher, create a Quizlet account.
- Pick the Quizlet you want your students to practice (there are thousands to choose from!).
- You will then click the live button.
- From there the code should be projected on the board and students will join the game.
- Once students are signed in, they will then enter their names. Depending on the class and or importance of the game, I have them use their real names or sometimes they could create funny ones 😜.
- But nicknames beware…teachers you have the ability to kick inappropriate names out of the game, and yes it will happen!
- Once everyone is in, you are all set to play! It randomly generates the teams for you which is a wonderful feature. At the end of each game, I would generate new teams so that all students would have a chance to interact.
- You may have them stay in their seats and play or get up and mingle as a team.
Memrise:
Supplies needed: Students will need an electronic device/ Memrise
This is a great way to have students review the French language in regard to vocabulary and grammar, however it will take some pre-planning on your part to make sure your groups are already set up!
- As a teacher, you will need to create an account yourself.
- Create the groups for each class of students to join.
- I would label my groups by period and class to keep things straight 😊.
- Once you create the groups for each class, you will then assign activities for them to do.
- Look around before you create your own course! There are so many courses to choose from for students to do already.
- Students will also need to create an account if they don’t already have one, and then they will join your group.
- I would put the link on google classroom or some other platform that you use for them to join the correct group.
- Once all students have joined your group, you then tell them what course you want them to complete.
- You are able to check student progress under the members tab.
As always, I hope you found these games and advice helpful to you!
Check back on the blog next week for even more of my favorite go to activities!
Merci,
Amanda