In my previous blog post, I outlined my Core French routine and described my opening activity for Fridays as a game for students to practice numbers and French vocabulary. The following is a list of games my students enjoy participating in.

Pomplemousse

Pomplemousse is the French word for grapefruit, however the game has nothing to do with grapefruits. It is a number game for students to practice their French numbers and math. The teacher pics a number between 1 and 10. For example, let’s say the number is 5. Students stand in a circle and one student begins counting, starting at 1. Students with the number 5, has the number 5 in it, or can be divided by 5 cannot say the number, instead they say “pomplemousse!” and the next student continues counting. The game finishes when you reach 100 (or a different number determined by the teacher). For example: 1, 2, 3, 4, pomplemousse, 6, 7, 8, 9, pomplemousse, 11, 12, etc.

Dix

Dix is the French word for the number 10. Students stand in a circle and a student begins counting, starting at 1. Each students takes a turn, saying the number in consecutive order. However, each student can say up to 2 number at a time. For example, the student who starts can start by saying “1, 2” and the next student can follow by saying “3, 4”. Once the the students get to 10, the student who says 10 is out. This means that students can get themselves “out” if they wish by saying “9, 10” to avoid getting their peer out. This game can be extended by also having, what my students call “take down, bring back”. This means that when the student says “10”, that student can pick someone else in the circle to “take down” with them to be “out”, OR, that student can pick someone who is already “out” and bring them back into the game. When students are “out” they sit in the circle, while students who are in the game stand. Once the student is “out” for the second time, they are out for the rest of the game and can go back to their desk.

Qui Esce-que

Qui Esce-que is like the human version of the board game “Guess Who”. A student volunteer will be picked to go out into the hallway. While that student is in the hallway, another student volunteers to be “it”. Make sure you know what the student is wear, what colour their hair and eyes are, and if they have a favourite sport or activity. Then, each student sits on their desk, safely, with their feet on their chairs. The student in the hallway is invited to come back into the classroom to ask questions to see if they can determine who is “it”. For example, if the student who is “it” has brown hair and the student who is asking questions asks, in French, “does he/she have brown hair?” the class, in unison, will respond “Yes, there is brown hair”. Then, the students without brown hair will sit on their chairs, while the students with brown hair will continue to sit on the desk. The student asking questions will continue to ask questions as it is a process of elimination.

 

Tell me about the games you play with your students in the comment section below!