Month: July 2026

This comes up a lot, especially with teachers who are teaching Core French or stepping into French for the first time. The short answer is: you do not need to be fluent to teach it well. What matters much more is how you structure your classroom and how students interact with the language. Focus on routines, not perfection When students know what to expect, French class runs much more smoothly. Simple routines like centres, matching activities, oral language games, and predictable tasks make a big difference. You are not trying to explain everything perfectly in French — you are building repetition and familiarity over time. Students learn through doing, not just listening. Keep language simple and repetitive You do not need complex sentences or perfect grammar in every instruction. Short, consistent phrases used over and over are often more effective than constantly changing language. Students pick up meaning through context,…

Not all centres are created equal. Some run smoothly, students stay engaged, and you barely need to step in. Others fall apart quickly, require constant support, or turn into something you have to reteach every time. Over time, I’ve found it usually comes down to a few key things. 1. Students already know how it works The biggest factor in whether a centre works is familiarity. If students have to stop and ask what to do, or if you are explaining the same directions over and over, the centre is not going to run well independently. The best centres are the ones where students already understand the routine. You are not teaching the activity — you are just changing the content. 2. The expectations are simple and consistent Centres work best when expectations do not change every time. Students should know: what it looks like to start what they are…