Teaching French in K-12 Schools

Teaching French in K-12 Schools

Discover free, high-quality teaching resources to inspire K-12 students to learn French.

As the second most widely taught world language in American schools, colleges, and universities, French opens doors to global opportunities in diplomacy, business, arts, and sciences. Learning French not only connects students to 300 million speakers worldwide and 28 countries across five continents where it serves as an official language, but also enhances critical thinking skills and cultural awareness essential for success in our interconnected world.

Recognizing the vital importance and difficulty of teaching world language in the United States, Villa Albertine has curated a collection of training and free, high-quality educational resources to support French language educators across the country. We hope to help you make teaching and learning French engaging, effective, and accessible for K-12 students of all backgrounds.

Explore our selection of free pedagogical resources for K–12 educators of French as a world language below.

Professional Development, Training, and Networks

  • French as a World Language Program (FWLP)

Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation offer the French For All Summer Institute for French as a World Language teachers. This professional development opportunity promotes a sense of community, best practices, and strengthens teaching practices. Costs for training, lodging, and meals are covered (transportation costs are the responsibility of participants).  Click here to view the 2025 call for applications.

Additionally, the French as a World Language Program (FWLP) supports French language education in U.S. public schools by providing funding and resources to enhance learning and cultural exchange. Through this annual call for projects, schools receive support for teaching materials, language certifications, and student exchange programs.  Click here to find the 2024 – 2025 call for projects.

The program is also dedicated to enhancing language learning through schools pairing processes to foster cultural exchanges and improve pedagogical methods.

  • AATF – American Association of Teachers of French

AATF, the American Association of Teachers of French, is devoted to the needs of French teachers at all levels. Be sure to follow them on social media to be informed of events, webinars, and access curated resources HERE.

Additionally, AATF created a powerful platform to collect and share resources with teachers. Find just what you’re looking for, searching by level, activity type, theme, etc. HERE.

  • Alliance Française in the United States, Professional Development, and Resources

Alliances Françaises d’Amérique du Nord and Federation of Alliances Françaises USA both support French language and culture across the continent and the United States. Throughout the United States, they represent over 100 Alliance Française chapters.

Each year, the Alliances Françaises d’Amérique du Nord collaborates with Villa Albertine to provide free online professional development workshops. All listed workshops have unlimited capacity.

Click here to learn more.

  • CAVILAM – Alliance Française, Discover FLE Teaching with Free Online Training and Tools

CAVILAM offers a free, annual training course in French for beginner teachers, delivered online and asynchronously, titled “Découvrez l’enseignement du français langue étrangère ” (Discover Teaching French as a World Language).

It also provides access to a platform called “La Fabrique” which features ready-to-use educational content for teaching French as a world language. While full access is subscription-based, users can access six resources for free by creating an account.

Additionally, a free virtual classroom facilitation kit is available to support online teaching here.

  • France Education International Platform and Training

France Education International (FEI)—a public institution under the French Ministry of National Education—offers a wide range of pedagogical resources and training opportunities for teachers on its FEI+’s platform.

In addition to their online training modules on FEI+, France Education International also offers with the CNED (National Centre for Distance Education) the PROFLE+ online training.

PROFLE+ focus on the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully carry out the responsibilities of a teacher of French as a World Language (FLE). This program offers three training pathways.

The first pathway, called the “Discovery Pathway/Parcours Découverte,” allows participating teachers the opportunity to test the content for free, with online registration open year-round.

Last but not least, France Education international organises the BELC (Bureau d’études pour les langues et les cultures).
BELC is a flagship in-person, paid training initiative that offers high-level professional development for educators involved in teaching French as a world language (FLE).

The Summer BELC (BELC d’été) takes place annually in France in July, while the Winter BELC (BELC d’hiver) is usually held in February and is offered online, with both asynchronous and synchronous learning options.

  • LISEO, France Education International’s Observatory and Resources

LISEO stands for stands for Langues, International, Systèmes éducatifs, Observatoire. This portal managed by France Education International aims to inform you about education policies and the teaching of French around the world.

In addition, it offers access to thousands of references, including publications, conferences, pedagogical resources, and methods for teaching French as a foreign language (FLE), French for Specific Purposes (FOS).

LISEO allows users to subscribe to thematic alerts and monthly newsletters once they create a free account, keeping them informed about the latest developments and resources in their areas of interest. We strongly encourage you to register to their monthly Ressources pédagogiques pour l’enseignement du français et en français, and Politiques linguistiques et didactique des langues.

Find their latest newsletter here.

  • CANOPé, the Educational Resource and Training Arm of the French Education System

CANOPé offers online training, podcasts, and videos for teachers:

    • Podcasts, from the mini podcast “Extra Classe” uploaded weekly that invites teachers to inspire and share their experiences, to the monthly podcast “Parlons pratiques, l’émission des pratiques pédagogiques inspirantes.”
    • Online Training, designed to support all teachers, whether beginners or more experienced, from pre-school through high school. Accessible for free with any email address, these training modules combine research and teaching practices and can be directly applied in the classroom.
    • Webinars and Videos, short, practical training courses are freely available to enhance your skills. CanoTech offers hands-on training to help you grow professionally day by day. Explore a range of on-demand content, updated monthly.

Cultural and Media Resources

  • CinéSchool by Villa Albertine for Students Aged 4-18

CinéSchool, launched in 2021 by Villa Albertine, and Albertine Foundation, is an educational film program designed specifically for students aged 4-18. These films help develop language skills while exploring diverse Francophone cultures with curated French-language cinema accompanied by comprehensive educational resources. The program is open to French teachers in public and private schools, accredited networks, Alliances Françaises, and FLAM (French as a Mother Language) programs across the country.

  • TV5 Monde, Teach with Authentic Videos and Cultural Programming

The French-language network TV5 Monde contains numerous online resources: categorized by levels and topics, including educational videos, articles, and authentic documents.

TV5 Monde also offers rich programming, including premium films, new series, and engaging documentaries changing every month. Villa Albertine publishes a monthly round-up of must-see programs.

Find over one thousand of TV5’s teaching guides for teaching French as a world language HERE.

  • RFI français facile, Learn and Teach French Through News and Podcasts

RFI (Radio France International) has all you need to learn French with international news, podcasts, exercises, and language tests to learn and practice French, for all levels. Also check La salle des profs  sharing ready-to-use lesson plans, tips for teachers, and podcasts. It even contains an interactive map to listen to different French accents!

Culturethèque is a digital library offered by the Institut français and accessible through Alliance Française centers worldwide. It provides members with 24/7 access to a vast collection of French-language resources, including e-books, audiobooks, comics, magazines, podcasts, and educational materials for learners of all ages. Sign up for a membership at your local Alliance Française.

  • ARCOM Directory to Find Free Legal Books

ARCOM, short for Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique, is France’s regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication.

ARCOM maintains a comprehensive directory of legitimate platforms offering digital books, including eBooks and audiobooks for youth. The purpose of this directory is to guide users toward authorized services, thereby promoting the development of legal digital content offerings.

These platforms, such as Livres pour tous  with over thousands of books for kids and teenagers from 20 000 lieux sous les mers to Le Compte de Monte-Cristo, are vetted to ensure they respect copyright laws and provide legal access to content.

We can also recommend VousNousIls, which makes available to teachers a corpus of 200 copyright-free works to discover or rediscover the great classics of French, as well as foreign literature. These e-books available for download can be used in class or recommended to your students.

  • 1 Jour 1 Actu, Explain the News to Children Aged 8–14

1 Jour 1 Actu is designed to provide current events to kids with accessible, simplified, and pedagogically structured contents. You can create a teaching account for free and download pedagogical resources, such as a weekly poster covering culture, science, history, politics, environment, etc.

The website helps students not only learn the language but also think critically about what’s going on in the world.

  • Alors on chante!, a Collaborative Initiative by the Institut Français and the Centre national de la musique

The Institut Français and the Centre national de la musique have teamed up to develop the Alors on chante! program.

This initiative offers a collection of Francophone music, accompanied by teaching resources designed to facilitate the integration of music into French language instruction. The songs are categorized by proficiency level, and the teaching materials are downloadable, providing song lyrics, artist introductions, and questions for pre-listening, during listening, and post-listening activities.

Additionally, we encourage you to explore the What the France website, which features a wealth of engaging articles, documentaries, and news related to Francophone music. The site also offers excellent playlists, such as the Playlist of the Month and French Hits in France.

  • (Canadian Resources) Francolab by TV5Unis to Find Short, Engaging Videos Designed to Reflect Canadian Francophone Culture

Francolab (for ages 13+) and Francolab Junior (for younger kids) are free platforms by TV5 Québec Canada offering authentic French videos rooted in Canadian Francophone culture.

Both provide videos with downloadable worksheets, interactive exercises, vocabulary lists, and transcripts. The difference? Francolab targets teens with more complex themes, while Francolab Junior introduces everyday situations for young learners.

Perfect for educators and students looking for engaging, age-appropriate French Canadian learning resources.

Teaching Materials

  • IFprofs, Access Content from the Institut français and its Members

IFprofs offers nearly a thousand pedagogical resources dedicated to teaching French, organized by level, by theme, by country, and more. Explore FLE – Culture et société and FLE – Communication, grammaire, vocabulaire et phonétique.

It also provides self-paced training modules for FLE (French as a World Language) on a variety of current topics, designed to support both learners and educators in teaching and learning French.

Create a free account to access all available content.

  • Lumni Enseignement, the Central Hub for Teachers in France with High-Quality Digital Resources

 The Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA), in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Culture, Education Institutions, Canopé, CLEMI, and public media organizations, such as France TV, have come together to offer a unique platform in the service of education: Lumni Enseignement FLE.

To access the full range of resources, you need to create an account Lumni Enseignement. However, registration is currently restricted to educators with a valid academic email address from the French Ministry of National Education.

Still, many resources remain accessible without authentication. This includes videos, articles, and educational materials that can be freely accessed by anyone, regardless of location.

You can also use Lumni. Accessible to students worldwide without the access restrictions that apply to Lumni Enseignement for educators. Potentially more tailored for DLI teachers, it is still an excellent resource with games, quizzes, and much more, connecting K–12 students with the French national curriculum.

  • La Boîte à outils pédagogiques, an open-access digital platform developed by the Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Français.

La Boîte à outils pédagogiques (BOP) is designed to support French language educators worldwide by providing a rich collection of pedagogical resources.

It offers a wide array of materials to assist teachers in delivering engaging and effective French language instruction, with teaching guides, exercises to enhance student engagement, cultural resources, and professional development tools.

The website also hosts the Grammaire actuelle et contextualisée du français, a collaborative online grammar resource developed by a group of educators and researchers from various countries.

  • Le Point du FLE, a Directory to Find Materials for Your Physical Class

Le Point du FLE is a directory containing 8,400 up-to-date links to free resources and teaching guides to help you prepare your lessons. Despite advertisements popping up, the website offers an overview of the great wealth of materials available online and highlights the remarkable work of resource creators:

    • Each link has pedagogical value and serves a purpose in the process of learning/teaching French.
    • Every exercise or activity can be completed independently, meaning that the elements it contains (audio, video, supplementary documents, corrections, etc.) and their corrections are accessible.
    • Each link is accessible for free, with no password or email address required.

The resources are well-organized and easy to navigate with “Activities/Languages competencies,” “Themes/Vocabulary,” “Grammar,” “Culture,” “Conjugation,” “Language Tips and Expression,” “Specific Audiences,” and “FLE universe.”

This website is worth spending time to explore to help create your next lesson.

  • Les Zexperts FLE, Worksheets and Games to Energize Your French Class

Les Zexperts FLE offer numerous ready-to-use educational resources for the classroom and online: grammar worksheets, conversation courses, games, and more. The free version provides access to 300 resources, while the paid version offers over 1,100 resources.

  • Fonetix, Specialized Resources for Phonetics Instructors of French

Website dedicated to training phonetics instructors. Focus is on improving pronunciation and listening comprehension of French, with free resources in addition to their paid training and a pronunciation training platform.

  • Graphoéducation, Specialized Resources to Learn and Relearn to Write

Graphoéducation focuses on teaching and correcting deficient handwriting techniques, including French cursive alphabet. You can find free PDF resources here as well as their Youtube channel here.

  • Podcast Français Facile, Audio Lessons and Printable Activities to Teach French

Podcast Français Facile, created by a French Teacher based in Japan, offers free content for learners of French. The platform provides a wealth of resources, including dialogues, texts, MP3s, PDFs, and exercises. It is designed to help users practice grammar, conjugation, and pronunciation. All materials are available at no cost, making it an interesting tool for FLE teachers with beginners and intermediate learners. Start here to navigate the platform.

  • (Canadian Resources) Thot Cursus, Canadian Platform to Support Educators and Foster Digital Literacy

Thot Cursus is a Canadian platform dedicated to promoting learning in all its forms, with a particular focus on the integration of digital tools and resources in education. For instance, they created this directory of educational videos: hundreds of sites, hundreds of channels, thousands of educational videos at your fingertips!.

Find all their directories here.