Target Language Warm-up Chants, Part 1
¡Hola! Bonjour ! We hope that your school year is off to a great start. For me, the beginning of the school year usually marks a recommitment to using the target language with my students. I let things slide a lot during COVID, and I am proud to say that I have now returned to my pre-COVID levels of TL instruction. Not only that, I think I have surpassed my pre-COVID levels of student use of the target language, even with the youngest of my students.
One of my approaches to encouraging my students to speak only French in class was to have them repeat after me, “Je ne parle pas anglais, je parle français !” I would use a very grumpy face when I was talking about English and a very happy face when I would exclaim, “Je parle français!”
This was a good phrase to use to redirect the class to TL use. However, even better is being able to use this chant with the students:
It’s been a big hit with our students, and for better or worse, it’s catchy!
Our friend and colleague Caleb Howard kindly made a Spanish version:
We encourage you to begin your classes with the chant, and we would love to hear how it goes! Stayed tuned for Part 2 ! :)
If you would like to have posters or fun “Yo hablo español”/ “Je parle français” badges for your student, check out this TPT product that goes along with the chants:
Product description:
Keeping your French or Spanish class speaking in the target language can be a big challenge. We created these catchy chants to begin your classes with a reminder to refrain from speaking English and to use only the target language. It also reminds the students that learning a new language is super fun!
In this resource, you will find:
- links to these fun chants (feel free to embed them in a google slide show to avoid showing ads in class!)
- fun posters in Spanish and French to post the lyrics in your classroom.
- a small size copy of the lyrics that can be distributed to students (and even pasted on a folder or workbook!)
- cute badges that the students can wear while in your class
Check out the chants here:
