Using EdPuzzle to Build Listening Skills

If you teach French, you’ve probably wrestled with how to get students comfortable listening to authentic French when native speakers talk at lightning speed.

I’ve found that EdPuzzle is a game-changer if you use it the right way.

How the app supports Language Learning

Let’s be honest: listening comprehension is hard. But when students can interact with videos and get immediate feedback through EdPuzzle, something clicks. They’re more engaged, and that engagement translates to better comprehension and retention. [1]

Here’s what I love most: sharing authentic French cartoons and TV shows opens up a whole world of cultural understanding. My students notice things like overnight train compartments, schools and homes surrounded by walls and gates, families making crepes for holidays, and chocolate mousse served in the school cafeteria. These details matter. They give students a richer, more complete picture of French culture.

Meeting Students Where They Are

At the Novice level, we’re not expecting students to catch every word. That’s not realistic with authentic content where speakers talk at natural speed and use vocabulary that’s way beyond beginner level.

Instead, students listen for words they recognize, not full sentences or complete thoughts. They use context clues to piece together meaning. These are the fundamental listening skills that become building blocks for Intermediate proficiency down the road.

The Secret: Lower the Stakes

Here’s my biggest tip: don’t use EdPuzzle as an assessment tool, especially at first.

For me, EdPuzzle activities are formative interpretive activities that we puzzle through together. I want students to practice listening without the pressure of high-stakes grades, competition with classmates, or the general anxiety that so many students carry today.

When you lower that Affective Filter, students actually learn. They take risks, make guesses, and engage with the material instead of shutting down.

Setting Students Up for Success

Before diving into an EdPuzzle activity, give students some scaffolding:

Preview the characters in the story
When creating an EdPuzzle, ask questions that are about the main idea and some of the most important details
Pre-teach vocabulary that appears in the questions (not necessarily all the vocabulary in the video itself) or ask questions in English to avoid confusion
Talk with students about how they will not understand every word, but that they should listen for words they will understand
Explain your grading system so students know your expectations of them

I assign EdPuzzles as whole class activities using the Live mode. It’s super simple: copy the EdPuzzle, create a class, and share the link through your Learning Management System. From your assigned video page, click Live Mode, students follow the link, and you’re off.

Rely on the community of teachers

You don’t have to create activities yourself. Start with EdPuzzles that other French teachers have already made and assigned successfully. See my list below. Copy them into your account, then tweak the questions to match vocabulary your students know.

The key is making these activities accessible and low-pressure. When the videos are beyond their comprehension level, make the task at their level. When students engage, that’s when the real learning happens.

Le Petit Nicolas