I have long aspired to increase the amount of reading my high school French 1 students did. I had a hard time achieving this goal because I had great difficulty coming up with readings that felt interesting and feasible. Sure, fairy tales are available in books and online. They are timeless and can be read on many levels, but talking animals and ogres aren't exactly top of mind for my Brooklyn 17 year olds.
I'm going to hunt down the juiciest and most accessible reads for beginning French students and share them here!
How about this for starters: If your students like CSI, have them read about and solve a murder mystery! Follow Detective Roger Duflair as he investigates a murder. What I love about this is that they have built in modifications for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners, making it appropriate for both absolute beginners and heritage speakers in your class. I love the way the French use the word "exploitation" to mean "ways to squeeze every last drop of value out of an activity" (my translation, obviously). Polar FLE has tons of great handouts already created, and of course you can modify them to meet your own goals and teaching style. Students can either listen to the story being read as a whole class activity, with you to interpret and guide along the way, or they can listen independently. This kind of activity is perfect for differentiating instruction for your struggling learners, because you can pre-teach and re-teach the lessons you create around this text very easily.
And how about putting on your own French play after completion of this unit?
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