French Quotations

Most language teachers find that there is a bit of dead time during class. This may occur at the beginning of class, as the students are arriving; at the end of class, as they are thinking about leaving; and right in the middle of class, when transitioning from one lesson to another. During this dead time, the best option is to spend five or ten minutes on a short, interesting activity, like this one with French quotations.


Set up

Choose a French quotation by someone who you think your students will recognize. (You might want to do a bit of research about the person and/or the quotation itself - where and when it was used, etc.) Write the quotation on the chalkboard.


Activity

Discuss the quotation:

• Who said it?
  
• What do the students know about this person?
  
• Where/when was the quotation used (in a book? at a conference?)
  
• Why is this quotation important?
  
• Who can come up with the best English translation?
  
• What does it actually mean?

Useful for

• Culture
• History
• Literature

Notes

This activity can be used once in a while or on a regular basis. It's an easy yet interesting way to incorporate a bit of francophone culture and history into the classroom.

Interested in more warm-up activities and fillers? Take a look at the index.

What kind of warm-up activities work best in your language classes? Let us know!