Teaching Core French often means teaching multiple classes, juggling different ability levels, and constantly looking for activities that are engaging without requiring hours of prep.
Sometimes you need a five-minute activity to start class. Sometimes you need a speaking game that will actually get students using French. And sometimes you simply need something meaningful for those students who finish everything before everyone else!
That’s exactly why I created my new FREE Core French Teacher Starter Kit.
This printable toolkit includes 30+ ready-to-use activities, routines, games, and planning tools for Grades 4–8 FSL teachers—and you can download it completely free!
[GET THE FREE CORE FRENCH TEACHER STARTER KIT]
A Free Core French Resource You Can Use All Year
One of the things I’ve learned from creating resources for Core French classrooms is that teachers don’t always need more activities.
They need flexible activities they can reuse.
Instead of learning a brand-new routine every week, students can become familiar with a handful of activities while you simply change the vocabulary, question, or theme.
That’s the idea behind this toolkit.
The activities can be adapted for topics such as la météo, la nourriture, les animaux, les vêtements, l’école, les passe-temps, les saisons, and just about any other beginner Core French unit.
Start French Class Without the Scramble
Having a predictable way to begin class can make those first few minutes much easier.
The Starter Kit includes simple Core French bell ringers and classroom routines that encourage students to start thinking and communicating in French right away.
You’ll find ideas such as:
- Question du jour
- Photo du jour
- Mot du jour
- Une phrase par semaine
- Quick five-minute French activities
Once students understand the routines, you can use them with new vocabulary and topics throughout the year.
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| Question du Jour routine includes a worksheet! |
Get Your Students Speaking French
Getting beginner FSL students to actually speak French can sometimes be one of the biggest challenges.
That’s why I included several low-pressure French speaking activities and games in the toolkit.
Students can practise with activities such as Tu préfères… ?, Trouve quelqu’un qui…, Four Corners, conversation cards, Dice Talk, Devine mon mot, and charades.
These activities provide students with a reason to communicate without making every speaking opportunity feel like a formal oral assessment.
And because the activities are reusable, you can simply change the questions or vocabulary as students learn more French.
Meaningful Activities for Early Finishers
We all know the student who finishes before you’ve even finished helping everyone else get started!
Rather than reaching for another worksheet, the toolkit includes French early finisher activities students can complete more independently.
There’s an Early Finisher Choice Board along with activities such as vocabulary challenges, Draw & Label, and Write About It.
The goal is to give students something meaningful to do that continues reinforcing their French—without creating additional prep for you.
Core French Games and Vocabulary Practice
Vocabulary review doesn’t have to mean memorizing another list of words.
The Starter Kit includes simple French vocabulary games and review activities that can be adapted to almost any unit.
Use them as:
Bell ringers • learning centres • brain breaks • partner activities • unit review • early finisher activities
Because students already know how the activity works, you can focus on changing the language, rather than constantly explaining new directions.
Planning Tools for FSL Teachers
I also wanted this freebie to help with the part of teaching students don’t see: the planning.
Inside, you’ll find an FSL Weekly Routine Planner to help you organize a predictable rhythm for your French classes.
There’s also a “What Do I Teach Next?” roadmap to help you think about moving students from introducing vocabulary to listening, speaking, reading, writing, and eventually applying their learning more independently.
And for those days when your carefully planned lesson suddenly isn’t going to work?
There’s even a no-prep Emergency French Lesson you can keep on hand.
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| Example weekly planner included! |
Low Prep. Reusable. Beginner Friendly.
I created this toolkit specifically with Grades 4–8 Core French classrooms in mind.
You don’t have to use every activity.
Choose a few that work for your students, establish them as familiar classroom routines, and return to them throughout the year.
Keep the routine. Change the content.
It’s one of the simplest ways to reduce your planning while giving students repeated opportunities to hear, read, write, and—most importantly—use French.
Get Your FREE Core French Teacher Starter Kit
If you teach Core French and would love to have a collection of reliable activities sitting on your computer—or printed and tucked into your teacher binder—you can grab the entire toolkit for free.
You’ll get 30+ Core French activities, routines, games, early finisher ideas, and planning tools for Grades 4–8 FSLdelivered straight to your inbox.
[YES! SEND ME THE FREE FSL STARTER KIT]
I hope it becomes one of those resources you keep nearby and reach for whenever you need a quick idea for your Core French classroom.
Bonne classe!
Jennifer
The French Nook