The "escargot" is a good reminder to us all that acquiring a language takes time.

BIENVENUE!

General Information 

I hope your children will have as much fun as I do in French class!  I meet with your children for 30 minutes on Tuesday and Wednesday.  

What's Happening in Class

Before February break the 4th graders decorated a king cake. We also played a game of jeopardy based on Mardi Gras facts.

The fourth graders created their own story with my help. The main character is a narwhal that wants a mannequin. He searches in several places before finding one. You can see the story here. Be sure to ask your child to help you understand the story. It is quite the original tale!

We watched the short video "Raccoon and Dog Jump in Pool." As usual I narrated the video and asked questions about the video and about the students (Do you like raccoons? Do you like to swim? Do you swim with a raccoon?...). We have played games and done activities related to the words and phrases. 

When I choose a video I look for one that will interest students and will provide the opportunity to re-use many of the words and phrases they've seen and heard previously while introducing a few new words and phrases. 

I have begun assessing students on what they understand and what they can tell me about the story using screen shots from the video.

We've continued to use the words and phrases from the short video we watched (Android: Rock, Paper, Scissors) through games and today through a storyboard. I hope your children will share their work with you this evening at Open House. They will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning through a few activities in the hall.

We watched Android: Rock, Paper, Scissors (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk5yeiydxV4), a short video about a piece of paper that finds a friend in a pair of scissors. They then come to the rescue of a rock. As I always do with short videos we watch in class, I narrated the video in French, stopping frequently to ask questions. The key vocabulary is posted on the wall and most of what I use in narrating students have heard in previous stories. It's all about keeping in comprehensible! 

Phrases and Sentences from Android: Rock, Paper, Scissors (Caillou, Feuille, Ciseaux)

Il y a:  There is

une feuille: a piece of paper

Elle est à l'école.: She is at school.

Elle marche: She's walking

Elle est timide.: She is shy.

Il y a beaucoup de ciseaux.:  There is a lot of scissors.

Elle a peur.: She is scared.

Les ciseaux regardent la feuille.: The scissors look at the piece of paper.

La feuille ne regarde pas les ciseaux.: The paper doesn't look at the scissors.

Il y a trois feuilles.: There are 3 pieces of paper.

Elles sont méchantes.: They are mean.

Elles regardent la feuille.: They look at the piece of paper.

Une feuille méchante pousse la feuille timide.: A mean piece of paper pushes the shy piece of paper.

Le feuille timide est triste.: The sky piece of paper is sad.

Il y a des ciseaux.: There are scissors.

Les 3 feuilles courent.: The 3 pieces of paper run.

Elles ont peur.: They are scared.

Les ciseaux aident la feuille: The scissors helps the piece of paper.

Il est sympa.: He is nice.

Il marche avec la feuille.: He walks with the piece of paper.

Ils sont amis.: They are friends.

Après les classes, la feuille et les ciseaux marchent.: After school the piece of paper and the scissors walk.

Il y a 3 cailloux.: There are 3 rocks.

Deux cailloux sont méchants: Two rocks are mean.

Le petit caillou est triste.: The little rock is sad.

Il veut son  sac à dos.: He wants his back pack.

Les grands cailloux taquinent le petit caillou.: The big rocks are teasing the little rock.

La feuille timide est fâchée.: The shy piece of paper is angry.

Elle marche vers les cailloux.: She walks towards the rocks.

Les cailloux ont peur.: The rocks are scared.

Les cailloux courent!: The rocks run!

La feuille aide le caillou.: The piece of paper helps the rock.

La feuille est sympa.: The piece of paper is nice.

Le petit caillou donne une fleur aux ciseaux.: The little rock gives the scissors a flower.

We played the "Je ne sais pas" game today. One student leaves the circle and closes his/her eyes. The other students close their eyes also. I walk around the circle and tap one child on the head. I sit down and tell the kids to open their eyes and call the other student back to the circle. The returned student asks a question, for example, "Tu aimes la glace?" (Do you like ice-cream?). In this game it was always a "Tu aimes...?" (Do you like) question as we had used "J'aime" (I like) and "Je n'aime pas" in the last class. The students answer whether they like the thing they are asked about (J'aime or Je n'aime pas). However, the student who was tapped replies "Je ne sais pas." As soon as the kids hear a student say "Je ne sais pas" they have to find another place to sit but not in a seat next to where they were sitting. It's a fun game that allows the kids to hear and use phrases that have been introduced.