How to Teach French Verb Conjugation - Part 2
This is the second part of my “How to Teach French Verb Conjugation” series of blog posts. Be sure to check out part 1 to learn how I teach verb conjugation to my middle schoolers.
We all know that students don’t particularly love French grammar or French verb conjugation! Let’s be real, even for me, French grammar was not my favorite thing when I was in elementary school in Paris. I can only imagine how my middle schoolers feel. I usually like to teach grammar in context, but having the basic foundation for French beginners is very essential, so with this in mind, I spend a lot of time thinking of different ways to teach and review grammar to make it interactive and fun.
Activities to Teach French Verb Conjugation
Today I will discuss two activities that I have found to be extremely popular amongst my students.1. MAZE ACTIVITY
After turning my boring worksheets into a popular video game-inspired activity, my kiddos suddenly started to love conjugating verbs! First, you have to watch for their reactions, the first time you hand out the maze activity. It’s like zombies becoming alive!! Then, you will hear them loudly exclaim “Oh cool!” Yes, that’s the cool factor that makes students want to participate, even the usual reluctant students, they jump into the wagon.
This activity is inspired by the video game Mario. Students need to help the main character move through the maze to reach the end pipe in this Maze activity.
(Example with multiplications)
Students will conjugate the verbs as they move along the path and they will need to highlight the path that leads them to the exit. By incorporating video games into your French grammar lesson, you will increase engagement. Your students will love completing the activity.
In the event that your students need extra stimulation, I created this activity with an extension version as well. In the extension version, students need to conjugate the verb and translate the sentence.
(Example with the verb Avoir)
This activity can also be used as an exit ticket. I tend to choose 5 - 8 sentences or verbs and ask my students to conjugate them or translate them.
Is it offered as a digital resource?
Yes, it is!
You can download the .pdf and print the activity for in-class teaching. For online teaching, this resource is also compatible with TpT’s Easel activities, giving you more options to suit your students’ needs.
In Easel, for activity 1, students use the highlight tool to mark the route that the character uses to escape the maze. In activity 2, students type in their answers inside the textboxes. You can assign this activity to Google Classroom.
2. COLOR BY VERB
That’s right, another of my students’ favorite activities is the classic color by code! It’s interesting to see that coloring is perfect for any age! Coloring has such a soothing and relaxing effect, students really enjoy switching off for a bit and working quietly on their color-by-code activity.
During this simple activity, I give my students choices. I usually allow them to either sit with their friends and work together or they can choose to do it independently. This is the only activity that I allow my students to use their phones. They can listen to music as long as they complete their work. Surprisingly, 90% of them choose to work with music! I get it …being a middle schooler is not easy, so having an activity where students can have some down time but yet can do some productive work is important!
French Verb Conjugation and french Culture
My students really enjoy this activity. They enjoy practicing conjugating verbs with this fun, relaxing, and engaging Color by Verb activity. I decided to extend the activity by introducing my students to French culture and landmarks. For example, I use the Eiffel Tower, the Arc of Triumph, the Louvre, etc .. as the image to color in all the color by verb resource.
So if you are looking for mind-breaks/brain breaks, center activities, subfolders, and early finishers resources, this activity is perfect for you! In addition, beginners will have fun learning how to conjugate verbs and discovering the French landmarks! This activity is perfect for in-person learning or hybrid learning.
Some of my products have two versions included to teach French verb conjugation.
Version 1: Students match the conjugated verb with the subject pronouns. They then color the spaces accordingly to using the assigned colors.
Version 2: Students create/design their own Color- by-Verb color combinations. They can assign/choose the color for each subject pronoun.
Teach French grammar and language to beginners using this color by conjugation worksheet. Opt to print the worksheet or complete it using TpT’s digital Easel option. Students can use the color pen or highlighter tool in Easel to color their worksheets.
<You can view the full bundle here for the year-long French Color-by-Verbs Activities.>
Be sure to check back to learn more ways that I teach Verb Conjugation to my students. Have a fabulous week!
