The first week of French class sets the tone for the entire semester. It’s your chance to build community, establish routines, and most importantly, show students that French class is going to be fun, inclusive, and engaging. Whether you’re teaching Grade 7 Core French or AP French in high school, here are 6 effective activities to kick off your first week of French class with confidence.
Name Tag Introductions
Have students make name tags with their name on it. On their paper, they can write their name in the middle and then for each of the corners, get them to write three things that they like (in French if possible). In the last corner they will write their favorite French word (ex. Pamplemousse)
Students can then go around introducing themselves and explaining a little bit about themselves.
Materials: Index Cards or template, markers, pencil crayons, and tape
Hint: do an example for the students by going first (Ex. Bonjour ! Je m’appelle …. J’aime … Mon mot française préféré est … )
Deux vérités et un mensonge
Get to know your student on a deeper level and have them come up with two truths and a lie about themselves in French. I usually assign their examples for homework the first day, and then we complete a few of these throughout the first week of French class.
Classmates want to try to guess the lie out of the three statements, which leads to great interaction and speaking practice. Students will also practice listening comprehension and critical thinking as they analyze what could be true or false amongst their peers.
Materials: optional template and scoring sheet
Hint: Encourage students to keep it simple! They don’t need to create an elaborate sentence in French. Start with the basics – French present tense and simple sentences so that they are not tempted to use Google Translate!
Make it extra fun: keep a running tally of who the best guesser is in the class – this adds a whole new layer of competitiveness
Trouve quelqu'un qui
Want your students to mingle? Try a trouve quelqu’un qui activity where students will practice asking their peers questions in French and get to know the diverse qualities of their classmates!
Materials: Here is a trouve quelqu’un qui printable worksheet ready to go for you !
Hint: go over sample question and response sentence starters so that students have the confidence to approach their peers in French!
Make it extra fun: give the student who completes the most squares a special prize!
Chassez l'intrus
This activity is a great way for students to start thinking in French right away and allows them to reflect on their prior vocabulary. During the first week of French class, present students with a group of four words – three that belong in the same category and one that does not (ex. Chien, chat, grenouille, maison). The task is to identify the odd one out and explain why.
This activity sparks discussion, builds category vocabulary and allows students to use their logic and reasoning skills – all in French! This is a great bell-ringer activity or quick review game
Materials: Slideshow with pre-chosen words. Here is an option for your classroom or you can make your own!
Hint: Try to use vocabulary geared to your students’ proficiency level. I would recommend thematic words for beginners or vocabulary taught from their previous year
Make it extra fun: Divide students into pairs or teams and award points for correct answers and creative justifications!
Why Do We Learn French Activity
This reflective and purposeful activity is perfect for the first week of French class! Ask students to brainstorm or journal about reasons to learn French. You can guide the discussion with prompts like: Why is learning another language important? How can French benefit you in your future? Follow up with a group discussion or collaborative poster activity where students share their ideas with others.
Materials: journal, paper, collaborative poster or computers for a digital format to the activity
Hint: Provide sentence starters to support all learners (Ex. J’apprends le français parce que…). Get them to think about social connection, travel, jobs, culture or music. I try to get my students to brainstorm at least 30 reasons
Four Corners
Another staple for the first week of French class that gets your students moving and speaking! Label each corner of your room with options such as A, B, C, D. Then ask a question in French (ex. Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire pendant l’été ?) and have a designated answer for each corner. Students will then move to the corner that matches their answer.
Once in their corner, students can turn and talk to someone nearby about why they chose that option. It’s a great way to build community and practice opinion-based speaking
Materials: Presentation with pre-made responses for each corner. Enjoy this freebie!
Hint: Practice response sentence starters ahead of time so students are prepared to speak when they get there
Identity Collage
This creative activity will allow students to use the target language right from the first week of French class. Students create a mini-poster or digital slide that includes photos, drawings or clipart along with simple French sentences describing themselves (Ex. J’ai 15 ans. J’aime lire. J’adore la musique).
Materials: Paper or digital slides, markers
Hint: provide some sentence starters for your students to give them the confidence to complete this task in French. Encourage students to stick to basic present tense verbs and use familiar vocabulary to avoid Google Translation
Make it extra fun: Display these identity collages throughout your classroom to help create an inclusive environment for all!
Conclusion
These low-prep activities give you a range of ideas on how you can start your first week of French class with your students. The best part? They are easily adaptable to any proficiency level and help you build a safe, welcoming classroom environment where students feel excited to participate. Start strong, build relationships, and lay the groundwork for meaningful language learning all year long.
Bonne chance,
Emily
PS: If you are starting a new semester, be sure to also check out my blog post on 10 Essential Tips Before Starting a New Semester