Bonjour !  Ça va ? 

I can’t believe the school year is ending!  This last post will help us to remember all the things we did together, and it will give you some ideas of some things you can do to explore French and other languages more over the summer.

Here is a link to all of the posts from this year of your distance-learning lessons and posts about the other activities we did when we were all in school together.  You can go back and scroll through to see all of what we did, or you can take a look at some of these highlights:

• Meeting Arthur and Emma
• A song to say our names and others’ names in French
• “Le crocodile croque” from our Winter Concert
• Fun stories of Trotro and Zaza in French
• Teaching our friend Emma more French words
• Activities with the vocabulary and story of P’ti coin coin
• Sharing languages of family and friends
• Languages around the world with the “Hello Atlas“
• Introduction to American Sign Language
• Exploring the famous French song “Promenons-nous dans les bois”
• Our “French surprise” Le ballon rouge
• Exploring Eric Carle’s La chenille qui fait des trous

We did so much together this year!  What was one of your favorite activities that we did together?

Over the summer, here are some things you can do to continue to explore languages and cultures:

• Review the posts from this year.  See if there are any distance-learning lessons you didn’t get to and enjoy those!
• Follow the suggested routines on the PS 58 DLP French Online Resources site as often as you can.  Especially if French is new to you, just doing some short, fun activities in French on a regular basis can really help to be sure you will feel confident in your skills in French for when we come back together in September!
• If you are able to take a walk around your neighborhood, or if you are able to safely travel anywhere, listen and look for new languages around you.  Do you hear them?  Do you see them written?  Can you name what language it is?  Can you understand what you see or hear, or do you have a guess about the meaning based on certain clues (pictures, gestures, context, …) ?
• Have a conversation with a friend or family member who speaks a language that is new to you.  Ask if they can teach you a few words in that language.  Also ask if they can share any information about the culture of the place they come from, or from some place where people speak that language.
• Watch a familiar movie, but put on a different language track.  You might be surprised how much you can understand, and what words you might pick up!  For anglophones, putting on the French-language track would be an especially good way to practice listening to French in a fun way with a favorite movie!

Have a wonderful summer!  I can’t wait to see you all in the fall and hear all about the languages you explored during your vacation.

Au revoir !  Bonnes vacances ! 

Ms. Patterson

 

Bonjour !  Ça va ?

Note: Again, you are welcome to explore this lesson over the next two weeks, so please use the time you have available as a family to engage with any or all of the resources here, and once you are ready, please use the Google Form linked here and at the bottom of the page to share your thoughts and work with me.

Kindergarteners, this week, I would like to read you a classic picture book.  It was first written in English, but it was later translated into French and many other languages.  Do you know what “translated” means?  It means that you are reading the same story with the same pictures, but the words are now in a different language.  You might know the story already in English and/or in French.  Here it is:

Do you recognize the story?  Have you read it before in French?  Have you read it before in English?  What happened in the story?  Tell a family member what you understood from this read-aloud, or from what you remember of hearing the story before.

For those of you who are still new to French, there are some mots clés, or “key words,” in this book that I would like to share with you.  Understanding these key words will help you to learn these words in French and to understand the structure of the story even better.  For those of you who already speak French and understand the story very well, you might choose to skip this — up to you!  Anglophones: please watch me review the French key words and story of Eric Carle’s La chenille qui fait des trous.

What are some of the key words in French in the story?  Do you think you can repeat some of them?  Why are the days of the week important in the story?  Why do we hear the numbers in French so often in the story?

Now that you are more familiar with the key words of the story, you might try listening to the story again.  You could me watch me reading it again in the first video of this lesson, or you could choose to listen to a new version, such as this one with the story read by children of the French International School in Sydney, Australia, or this one read by an adult with a song at the end about the same subject as the story:

Did you notice anything different in these new versions of the read-aloud?

This French translation of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a wonderful way to review the words for numbers, the days of the week, and some foods in French.  It is also a great retelling of the life cycle of how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.  Do you know what the steps are?  You can see a diagram in French on the right to remind you.  You might also enjoy watching this next video in French to see how it really looks in nature:

Wow!  It is amazing to see how it looks when a real caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

Eric Carle’s story is so well-loved that not only has it been translated into French and many other languages, it has also been made into many animated versions.  Here, for example, is one made by teachers and students in a public school in Champformier, France:

Was there anything you noticed about this animated version that was slightly different from the picture book?  Here is another animated version of the story made by students, teachers, and artists:

Did you notice anything interesting, different, or new in this version?  I find it so interesting to compare different versions of the same story!

Now let’s talk about how you might respond to this lesson.

Please choose one or more of the activities below to share with me.

Please note that some activities are more appropriate for anglophones, and some more for francophones.  Please choose what you think will be best for you.

This famous story has inspired many projects and activities.  There are free worksheets in French about the book available here under the “apprentissage langage – lecture” section.  This activity, for example, asks students to put the events of the story in order.  There are many other activities available here that review different concepts of the story.  The directions and activities are all in French, so these might be best for French-speaking families, or other families who might like a challenge in French.  Please feel free to choose any activities that look interesting to you.

There is a whole packet of activities available for free here that focus on the sounds of words in the book that could support students’ reading and writing skills in French.  These activities also are entirely in French, and they include some activities in cursive, which we do not focus on in NYC schools, but some families might like to explore at home together.

Livre puzzle : découper et rassembler les images et les phrases du livre La chenille qui fait des trous. 

Oh là là !  Quelle catastrophe !  All of a sudden, all of the words and pictures of the story have gotten all mixed up!  Can you put them back together in the right order?

Here are the materials you will need to solve this “Book Puzzle”:

The pictures of story found in this 1st set of images AND this 2nd set of images.

A simplified version of the text appropriate for your language background:

text for anglophones — with key words and hints

text for francophones

You might like to print out, cut out, and glue together the images and words onto new pieces of paper to make your own copy of the story La chenille qui fait des trous.  You could also choose to make an electronic version of the book by copying and pasting the sentences and pictures.

Remember that you have the videos above of the read-alouds and key words which might help you to solve this puzzle.  Bon courage ! 

Anglophones: make your own drawings to accompany the text of the book.

Now that you know the story of La chenille qui fait des trous so well, maybe you can make your own illustrations to show what is happening!  You can find a simplified version of the text in order here.  You could print out and cut out each of these sentences, and glue them onto new blank paper where you can make your own drawings, and put them all together to make your own version of the story.  Will your chenille look slightly different from the one in Eric Carle’s book?   Will you add any other new details to your version?  It’s up to you!

Francophones: Ecrire une histoire qui raconte des événements qui se passent pendant chaque jour d’une semaine.

In La chenille qui fait des trous, we see the events that happen on each day of a week.  Now it’s your turn to write your own story about what happens on each day of one week!  It could be a true story about your last week; for example, one thing you ate each day (just like how we saw what la chenille ate each day), or one thing you did each day (took a walk, played a game, baked cookies, etc.).  It could also be a fictional story about you or a different character.  It’s up to you!

Once you have had some time to explore the videos, resources, and ideas above, please use this Google Form to share your work with me.  Remember that you will have time this week and next for this lesson, so please feel free to take your time to explore the activities.

I can’t wait to hear from you!  Bon courage !  A bientôt !

Mademoiselle Patterson

Bonjour !  Ça va ?

Note: Again, you are welcome to explore this lesson over the next two weeks, so please use the time you have available as a family to engage with any or all of the resources here, and once you are ready, please use the Google Form linked here and at the bottom of the page to share your thoughts and work with me.

Kindergarteners, this week we will be exploring a famous and fun French song that some of you might know already very well, and some of you might be hearing for the first time.  Some of you might take more time to learn the song in this lesson, and some of you might jump ahead to some of the extension activities.

First, let’s see if you recognize the song.  Take a listen here:

Do you recognize it?  Do you know the name of it and what it is about? Have you heard a different version of this song before?  It’s such a famous song that there are MANY versions you can hear!  Each version might be slightly different.

If the song is new to you, are you able to recognize some French words in it?  Do you notice the different voices in the song?  Who do you think are the different characters in the song?  You might listen to it a second time to try to listen for some words you know and to make a guess about who is singing.

After making a guess about the story and characters of the song by just listening, you can watch this video that will show you what is happening in the song.

Do you have an idea now what the song is about?  Do you know who the characters are?  Do you know where they are?  Do you know what they are doing?

In case this song is still new for you, let me tell you a little information about the meaning of the song:

Let’s watch another version of this song in the video below.  Now you might be ready to start singing along with some of the words, or you might just be listening and watching.  Notice how the wolf at the end of the song is dressed!

Did you see how the wolf was dressed at the end of the song?  What a silly wolf!  I like how this version shows that the song is just a story.

The song is so famous that there are many, many versions you can listen to!  Some versions might have slight differences in the words, especially in the pieces of clothing the wolf puts on, but the story is the same.  If you might like to watch a couple more versions, you can see a couple more here and here.

For those of you are are still new to the song, let me spend a few minutes teaching you how to sing the song:

In the two videos I made, I used a Slides presentation I made to show some of the important words of the song.  You are welcome to take a look at it here.

Here are the lyrics of the song if you are ready to practice singing them with a family member at home, maybe while following along with the audio recording:

(Les enfants : )

Promenons-nous dans les bois

Pendant que le loup n’y est pas

Si le loup y était

Il nous mangerait

Mais comme il n’y est pas

Il nous mangera pas

Loup, y es-tu ?

Que fais-tu ?

M’entends tu ?

(Le loup : ) Je mets ma culotte / mon pantalon / mon tee-shirt / mon manteau / mes bottes / mon chapeau … et j’arrive !

 

If you’d like, you can print out the lyrics from this document here.  It might be helpful to follow along with the words as you listen to the song from the recordings above.  This is a great way to practice literacy skills while exploring the song.  Try pointing to the words with your finger as you listen and sing, just like you do when you read.  You might also try to find some words in the song: sight words such as les, nous, le, pas, tu, or some important vocabulary words such as les bois, le loup, and the different pieces of clothing like mon tee-shirt, mon pantalon, mon manteau, etc.

I bet that by now you ALL know this song very well!  Now I would like to read you a couple of books that are based on the same story of the song.  You will notice that there are some things that are the same as the song, and some things that are different.

Here is Loup, loup, y es-tu ? by Mario Ramos.  Who are the characters in this book?  What do they say to each other?  Is it the same as what the characters say in the song, or is it a little different?

Did you see what le loup was doing before he went to go into les bois ?  In the song, he was focused on putting on different pieces of clothing, but in this book, he also needed to go through some daily morning routines to get ready.  Do you do the same things when you get ready in the morning?

Did you see who the characters really were at the end of the book?  This makes me think of how we can act out the song and the story with our family and friends.  Let’s keep that in mind for later.

Here is another book that is related to a certain part of the song: Je m’habille et … je te croque ! by Bénédicte Guettier.  What words do you notice that are the same as in the song?  Which words are a little different?

Both of these books have given me some ideas about how you can respond to this lesson at home!  Below are some ideas for you based on your French language background.

Please choose one or more of the activities that you think will work best for you:

An activity especially helpful for anglophones who are still learning French: Make a drawing to show the important characters and words in the song.  Here are some words you can show the meaning of using your own drawings: les bois, le loup, les enfants, ma culotte, mon pantalon, mon tee-shirt …. Remember that you can see all of the lyrics in this document.  Some versions of the song might have slight differences, such as the different pieces of clothing, so you can choose which words you might like to draw.

Another activity especially helpful for anglophones who are still learning French: Make a drawing of yourself and label the clothes you are wearing.  In the song, le loup names each of the pieces of clothing he puts on.  Could you name the pieces of clothing you have on today in French?  Could you name the colors of your clothes also?  Now see if you can draw yourself wearing your clothes today, or maybe in a different outfit — up to you!  And be sure to write labels in French for the clothes, and maybe the colors, too.  Take a look at my example, here on the right.

If you are looking for French words to use for your labels, you can use this Quizlet set of clothing words, and you might also use this Quizlet set of colors.  These sets are a great way to practice listening, speaking, and reading some basic vocabulary words in French.  You can also practice saying the words in the Quizlet sets by using the “Flashcards” and tapping on the sound icon to hear how the words are pronounced and repeating them.  You could also do some of the other activities to quiz yourself on them.  “Match” is my favorite one.

If you are still looking for certain words in French to describe what you are wearing, I would encourage you to use an online dictionary like Word Reference to look up other words, such as leggings, or scarf.  Note how on Word Reference, you can listen to how the word is pronounced (by clicking on the French entry of the word), which you can then repeat to practice saying the word.

Here are a couple of activities that could be well-suited to francophones, but could also be a good challenge for anglophones in case you would like:

In the book Loup, loup, y es-tu ? by Mario Ramos that I read you in the video above, we saw that le loup was not real, but one of the pigs dressed up like him.  This made me think of how we can act out this song with our family members at home.  Choose who will be le loup and who will be les enfants.   What will le loup be doing to get ready?  Will he be doing some of those morning routines that we saw in Mario Ramos’s book, or will he be putting on his clothes like we heard in the song and Bénédicte Guettier’s book?  What clothes will he be putting on?

Could you make your own version of the song?  Maybe it will have the same chorus, but maybe you will change some of the words that le loup says as he gets ready to go into les bois.  What different routines does he need to do?  Eat breakfast?  Pack his bag?

Maybe you will change more of the characters or setting of the song.  Here is an example with a character you might know, Maya l’Abeille.  Notice how it’s still the same melody with the same basic story, but the characters and some of the word they use are different.

If you decide to act out the song, or make a new version of the song, please consider making a video of your work to send to me.  I would love to be able to share it with your classmates on the Kindergarten site!

Once you have had some time to explore the videos, resources, and ideas above, please use this Google Form to share your work with me.  Remember that you will have time this week and next for this lesson, so please feel free to take your time to explore the activities.

I can’t wait to see what drawings and videos you do!  Bon courage !  A bientôt ! 

Mademoiselle Patterson

Bonjour !  to my Kindergarten DLP friends.  Ça va ? 

This week I would like to share one of my favorite books with you: P’ti Coin Coin.  It’s a very sweet story about a maman cane (mother duck) and her cinq canetons (5 ducklings).  P’ti Coin Coin is the littlest duckling who needs to build his courage to jump into the water like his brothers and sisters when his mother says it’s time.  Can you see him here in this picture?  He looks so worried!

You can listen to me read the story aloud here:

Wow!  How wonderful to see the canetons find their courage to jump into la mare by the end of the story — even P’ti Coin Coin !

Now you can do some activities to further explore the story.  The first one is to focus on some of the words in the book, and the second one is to try acting out the story with your family members at home.

Parents and caregivers: Please use the prompt below appropriate for your child.

Anglophones: There may be some words in the book that you did not know, but I’m sure there are some words that you do know very well.  How about the number words?  If you might like to practice those, you could use this Quizlet set of the numbers from 1-10 in French (and your families can find information about how to use Quizlet here).

You might listen to the read-aloud again, and this time, you might pay careful attention to the number words.  For example, when you hear one of the words, you could give a thumbs-up, or, for an extra challenge, when you hear one of the words, you could show that number on your fingers.  For example, how many fingers would you hold up if you heard “deux” ?

Then you might do some drawings to show what the words mean.  Here is an example of what a drawing might look like for “Trois petits canards dans la mare.”  What other drawings could you do?  Could you show the different numbers of canetons in the water, or in le nid (nest)?  Could you draw the whole family of canards?  What French words from the story could you write to label your drawings?  I have included some ideas for you here in this document.

Francophones: One reason I love this story is the interesting words that are used to describe the actions of the canetons.  The author doesn’t always use the word sauter, for example, to say how the canetons get into the water, or “ils se serrent” always to say how the canetons are snuggling up in le nid.  Did you notice those words during the read-aloud?  If not, you might watch the video again and see if you notice them this time.

I have made a list of some of the interesting words in the book in this document.  Take some time to discuss these words with your family, especially the ones that might be new for you.  You might do some drawings to show what some of the words mean, or to make comparisons between certain words that are very similar.

For all students: Wouldn’t it be fun now to act out this story?  If you have enough people in your family, each one of you could be a character in the story.  Or, if you don’t have enough people, don’t worry!  What could you use for the characters?  Do you have stuffed animals you could pretend are the maman cane and les canetons?  Could you draw pictures of them, cut them out, and make them into little puppets to move to tell the story?

Now, what words could you use as you act out the story?  You might already know the story well enough to act it out in French.  Or, you might like to have some ideas to start with.

Families: On the documents referenced above for anglophones and francophones, you can find at the bottom of each document a sample “script” which you can use with your children.  Of course, please feel free to adjust it as you see fit with your own child.

I would love to see what work you did this week!  Please feel free to use this Google Drive folder to upload drawings you did or videos you made of your “shows.”  J’ai hâte de les voir !  Bon courage ! 

Bisous,

Mademoiselle Patterson

 

Bonjour aux élèves de la grande section de la maternelle !  Hello to my Kindergarten friends!

I wanted to share with you a message from a special little friend of mine, Emma.  Do you remember her and the books we read about her?  Do you remember where she took her long journey to?  Do you remember what was her problem when she got there?  Tell a family member at home what you remember about her.

Now, take a look at this message she sent me:

Do you think you could help Emma?  What words or phrases could you share with her in French?

Parents and caregivers: please use the prompt below appropriate for your child.  If you’re unsure of whether your child is francophone or anglophone, please reach out to me or to your child’s teacher.

Francophones: You already know so much French.  Think about a person who knows very little French and is living in a place where she has to speak to French to everyone around her.  What words or phrases do you think it would be helpful for her to know?  Think about what words or phrases you use all the time with your family, your friends, or your teachers.  There are so many things you can teach Emma!

Anglophones: You have been learning so much French in Kindergarten.  I bet there are lots of words you could teach her, such as ways to say hello and goodbye to someone, or to say the names of some numbers, colors, or animals in French.  If you’d like to get some ideas of words that you probably already know in French, take a look at these  Quizlet sets about greetings, numbers, colors, animals, or families.  You and your family can see more about how to use Quizlet here.  The sets might help to remind you of words you know.  You can also do some of the activities and games on Quizlet to practice some of these French words at home if you like.

For all students: Now that you have some ideas of what you’d like to teach Emma, there are a couple of different ways you can share them with her:

Drawing with labels: make some drawings to show what your words or phrases mean.  Write your words in French to label your drawings.  Here is an example of ways to ask someone how they’re feeling, and different ways to respond.

Video message: make a video of yourself, maybe with someone at home, saying the words for Emma in French and telling her what they mean, or showing her what they mean.

You can add pictures of your drawings or video messages to the Google Drive folder on the K Site, and I will be sure to pass them on to Emma.

Then think to yourself: do I know anyone else who is learning French who I could also send these to?  Maybe another friend at school?  Maybe a family member?  I bet so many people would love to have you as their French teacher!

I know Emma can’t wait to hear from you.  Bon courage !  A bientôt !

Bisous,

Mademoiselle Patterson