Category: Course Prep

Making Custom Crossword Puzzles

Using crossword puzzles in the classroom can run the risk of seeming too juvenile. I picked up a couple of crossword vocabulary books in Paris and admittedly, their target audience is probably around the age of ten or twelve, with cartoon…

French Fonts

Have you noticed that something as quotidien as handwriting can vary dramatically between those schooled in France and in the U.S., even though we use the same characters? It seems so trivial, but a font can immediately remind you of…

Using Gallica to Find Course Materials

In spite of the very public criticism of Google Books by the administrators of the Bibliothèque Nationale, the latter has engaged for years in a similar digitization project called Gallica. Ironically, you can often find texts on Gallica that are…

Organizing Course Materials

You may want to file this one under “The Obvious,” but this was a revelation for me: After many years of piles collecting and covering every flat surface in my surroundings, I’ve finally settled on a way to keep my…

Microsoft Word Templates

The first day of a course I’m teaching is fast approaching and I’ve been thinking about the importance of organization and the communication to students of what is expected of them each day. Microsoft Word Templates simplify the planning of…