Dessinez...

I'll start my first post with a very simple idea that I use on an almost-daily basis.  Whenever I give a short assessment (whether I collect it or have students peer-check, if it's a small assignment), I tell the students that when they are finished, they should doodle something on the back of their paper.  Sometimes I ask for suggestions, and I usually take the first thing a student calls out: "A turtle!"  With upper-level students, we'll add on to the idea: "A turtle at a party!"  If the students can't think of anything, I make something up off the top of my head.  I write the word(s) on the board in French and encourage the students to label their drawings so that they remember the vocab.

Dessinez un gorille qui porte un chapeau!

At first my students seemed confused as to why we do this doodling activity.  I explained to them several reasons:

1.  I love doodling.
2.  It's a chance for the students to learn a new vocabulary word that they probably wouldn't encounter in the classroom.  Tell me, do your lessons include the word "octopus" very often?
3.  The students get a chance to learn the word for something they like.  Students often shout out their favorite animals or hobbies, and I've definitely seen them insert those words into later exercises.
4.  It's a great "sponge" activity for the quicker students who finish first.  It's the easiest way to keep them working on something while everyone else is finishing up.  Instead of preparing a second activity for them to work on (which I often do after big assessments), it's fast and easy and can take as much or as little time as the rest of the class needs to finish.  (And you don't need to grade it!)
5.  It's a fun way for the students to be creative and do something silly.  Not everyone gets to take art class, and even the kids who "can't draw" manage cute little stick figures sometimes.

Sometimes, if we have extra time, we look at some of the best ones on the document camera.  The kids love seeing their artwork up on the board!  Sometimes when I'm grading, I'll doodle something extra (ex. I'll give the party turtle a birthday hat) to make them smile.  Sometimes when the grades are depressing to look at, the cute images on the other side cheer me up and remind me that they're just kids after all.

Dessinez quelque chose qui me fait rire!