A teacher's experiences in teaching French to mixed-ability fourth- and fifth-graders have contributed to the development of an instructional approach that meets the challenges of this age group. The method devotes two-thirds of instructional time to language and one-third to culture. All language activities are conducted in French, and cultural content is presented in English. Vocabulary is learned through games, with active participation earning students extra points. In planning games, attention is paid to providing a variety of competitive, collaborative, sitting, running, individual, partner, and group opportunities in each lesson. All activities incorporate speech. Creating games has been relatively easy, while developing activities to emphasize particular grammatical points is more difficult. Students record all new material in a graded notebook for reference, and oral tests using materials used in class are useful for evaluation. An effort is made to bridge the curriculum methods to those used in later grades. Cultural courses content has been most popular with parents and colleagues. Students systematically learn about significant events in French and medieval history from Roman Gaul to 1945, and all events are linked to American culture. Most is taught through stories with miming, team games, worksheets, and projects involving parents and other teachers following. (MSE)