Quarter 1 Updates!
Bonjour tout le monde ! Monsieur
Gaudin ici avec des mises à jour sur le premier trimestre—that is, Monsieur
Gaudin here to keep you up to date with our progress in the first quarter! So
far this year, we have made fantastic leaps and bounds in our lessons:
Kindergarten is currently
working on the parts of the body (the head, arms, legs, stomach, and chest) and
we will begin soon on the finer points (the hands, feet, and parts of the face).
We have also introduced vocab for boys and girls—les garçons et les filles—and
we have practiced how we greet one another accordingly. It is my hope that
students are coming home saying “Bonjour” and “Au revoir,” and that they are
practicing their polite ways of asking how others feel— “Comment ça va ?” We
have also covered the modes for giving our names and asking the names of
others, and have set ourselves up well for the numbers, colors, and shapes. The
practice of these skills will carry us through the end of this first quarter
into the second.
A quick roadmap:
09/24/18-10/05/18
Garçon / Fille
- Garçon ou une fille ?
- Est-ce que c’est… ?
- Heads Up 7 Up
Les parties de corps
- Jeu de « Jacques-dit », « Alouette »
- Portrait de soi
10/23/18-11/02/18
La compte de 0 à 10
- Quel âge as-tu ? et réponse
- « Qaat »
- Je compte / compter
Combien ?
- Les chiffres de 0 à 9
- J’écris / écrire
When we are not in class, it’s not uncommon
for us to gather on the playground around the guitar, singing “Je te dis
bonjour” and practicing our conversation. The kids, as always, are a delight,
and help to brighten each day with a short and sweet “Bonjour, Monsieur
Gaudin!” They are bold, brave, and well behaved, and showing amazing growth as
they navigate the ins and outs of being in school. I am so proud of what they
have accomplished, and I have highest hopes for the months to come.
In 1st Grade, our work has progressed nicely through the
first full lesson of Les Loustics, “Moi c’est Léo, et toi ?” Students have been
practicing the informal modes of address, comparing and contrasting them with
the polite greetings we picked up in Kindergarten. Ideally, they are coming home
and sharing with you the neat tricks and shortcuts of “Salut,” “Ça va,” and the
six-word conversation they create: “Salut, ça va?” — “Oui, ça va.” They have
also added to their arsenal new ways of introducing themselves, and new ways of
asking about the names of others.
1st Graders are now
moving, however, into the study of French numbers as figures, words, and tools
of description. This year our goal is to work at least to the number 21 (vingt et un), but I imagine that we will
be able to push even farther (maybe to trente).
Prepare yourself in the coming weeks for your kids to begin counting toys,
books, cars, and even friends and neighbors in French, and be ready to hear a
new ear-wormy song “1, 2, 3”! We plan to spend another week or so on speaking,
hearing, and whiteboarding these new concepts before we transition back into
our workbooks.
A quick
roadmap:
09/24/18-10/05/18
Leçon 2 : Il y a combien de doigts ?
- Counting from 0 to 12 (compter de zéro à douze)
- Figures and numbers (chiffres et nombres)
10/23/18-11/02/18
Leçon 3 : Comment tu t'appelles ? Tu as quel âge ?
- How to say first names and ages (prénom et âge)
Speaking of our workbooks, I have been wildly impressed with the work
ethic and the respect our students are showing for their new materials—I am
proud to say that our Lesson 1 workbook check was an all-around success! And if
you have not yet purchased a copy of the workbook, please do check the links on
my blog, and contact me with any questions or concerns. For a fuller layout of
the year’s work, please also check my curriculum page at http://aretefrancais.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html!
Thank you so much for subscribing to my blog, and for taking the time to
work on French with your children. Although it is not a skill in high demand
here in AZ, it makes all the difference to me that we are giving our kids this
opportunity and support! Je vous souhaite des bons jours, et merci pour
tous !