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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abisproduction237 advanced beginner479 autonomouslearner238 becomeamember235 beginnerplus168 boost220 cicommunity115 comprehensiblefrench277 comprehensibleinput272 comprehension286 consistency172 consistent173 dailyfrench226 determined168 discipline164 disciplined179 engage186 fle305 french for fun44 frenchbeginner171 frenchcommunity264 frenchforall229 fun449 fvr53 inputaloneissufficient259 intensive183 interact219 intermediate743 keepmotivated209 lacoste2 language acquisition265 learner253 lefrancaisensemble242 lisenfrançais218 listen319 motivate187 motivated179 motivation237 natural201 novice high277 novicehigh362 online learner223 reading288 reboot101 slow french347 speakfrench213 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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