French the natural way: it’s Not the destination, but the journey!

Coucou les French learners,

I am back from a magical week in Pau, near the Pyrenees where I spent quality time with 11 dear members of our community. But more on that next week…

Ma soeur et moi à Pau !

For now,

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French the natural way: 5 tips to keep you engaged and progressing!

Coucou les French learners,

Discipline is often the secret ingredient behind achieving your French language goals. It’s what helps you stay focused even when you’re not as excited as you were at the beginning or when the newness of learning wears off.

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abisproduction230 advanced beginner472 autonomouslearner231 becomeamember228 beginnerplus161 boost213 cicommunity110 comprehensiblefrench270 comprehensibleinput260 comprehension279 consistency165 consistent166 dailyfrench219 determined161 discipline157 disciplined172 engage179 fle298 french for fun44 frenchbeginner164 frenchcommunity256 frenchforall222 fun442 fvr53 inputaloneissufficient252 intensive176 interact212 intermediate736 keepmotivated202 lacoste2 language acquisition258 learner246 lefrancaisensemble235 lisenfrançais211 listen312 motivate180 motivated172 motivation230 natural194 novice high270 novicehigh355 online learner216 reading281 reboot99 slow french340 speakfrench208 tennis3 upper beginner449

From story-telling to story-asking

I am reading TPRS with Chinese characteristics: making students fluent and literate through comprehensible input by Terry Waltz and I am learning a great deal! I definitely recommend this book if, like me, you want your learners to truly develop fluency and proficiency in another language and on the other hand you do not consider yourself advanced in TPRS and comprehensible input,

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The lion’s breath or how to refocus

Last year when I was teaching Spanish, I became a fan of brain breaks. According to Dr. Lori Desautels: “They refocus our neural circuitry with either stimulating or quieting practices that generate increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, where problem solving and emotional regulation occur.

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Another version of the story: ¿Dónde está mi cuaderno pequeño?

I simplified the story script I wrote about little Pedro losing his notebook to focus on “¿Dónde está?”, “No lo sé” and “es importante para…“. I also changed the ending to make it more surprising and funnier to my students.

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Reading to promote language acquisition

A few weeks ago, I was asking you for suggestions to order Spanish books for my school library. Over my teaching career, I have found that reading is a key skill, if not the main skill to learn a language. By reading texts and books, language “acquisition”

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