FOOTBALL FEVER: French through football. Miniflashcard Language Games. pound;29. PO Box 1526, London W7 1ND.
You’ll have to be quick to make the most of Football Fever - it is intended to stimulate pupils’ interest in French by making the most of their interest in football and specifically the World Cup.
It’s amazing how much of the language teacher’s stock-in trade can be linked to the theme: countries, transport, clothing, colours, prepositions, asking the way, buying snacks, healthy eating (on the part of the players), and much more.
The format is familiar - a ring-bound collection of photo-copiable pictures and a wealth of suggestions for using them in group or class activities, including bingo, happy families, noughts and crosses, charades. There are also hints for using them with an overhead projector as well as general ideas on how football captures pupils’ interest.
As with other Miniflashcard resources, the authors dredge up some wonderful vocabulary. Your pupils are sure to be impressed when you give them the French for “shin guard”, “away strip” or “he has an impressive left foot and reads the game well”.
* Richard Marsden is head of languages at The Minster School, Southwell, Nottinghamshire.