French Fun at Calvert

Monday, October 17, 2011

Lights, Camera, Action!

10th girls presented a humorous skit in French class today that they had read over the weekend for homework. The conversation is between two friends, one of whom is anxiously waiting for her date. Much to the other girl's surprise, when the date arrives, it turns out to be her brother!

Say Fromage!

8th Agers were treated in class today to a French cheese tasting. Each student was given a bite-size sample of three French and Swiss cheeses: Camembert, Brie, and La Vache Qui Rit (The Laughing Cow). After sampling each cheese, students were asked to rate the cheese with one of the following comments: J'aime beaucoup! (I like a lot!), J'aime. (I like.), J'aime un peu. (I like a little.), or Je n'aime pas (I don't like.)

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Je parle français aussi!

8th Agers continue to learn how to describe themselves in French. Here are some students telling their French name, age, nationality, and the languages that they speak:

Je parle français aussi!

8th Agers continue to learn how to describe themselves in French. Here are some students telling about their French name, age, nationality, and the languages that they speak. Here are some more examples of these amazing students:

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

French is Everywhere

As a continuation of last year's awareness of the French that is all around us, 10th Agers are focusing this year on specific categories of French influence. Each month, a different theme about French is featured on one of the classroom bulletin boards. For the month of September, the theme was French Words Used in the English Language. Students were encouraged to bring in words that they found in magazines, newspapers, brochures, etc. to display on the board. Some examples of the words they found are: ballet, blonde, croissant, revolution, bistro, vogue, armoire, faux, addition, opera, chic, Grand Prix, epilogue, prologue, genre, unique, mousse, rendez-vous, debut, premier, tour, boutique, antique, nation, duet, art, conversation, justice, petite, buffet, document, violet, ... just to name a few.

For the month of October, the theme is French in Food and Cooking. So far, students have found a lot of pictures and words for the bulletin board. French definitely plays a significant role in the world of food. Here are some samples of what students have brought in:

Monday, October 10, 2011

Loto!

7th Agers are having fun with numbers this week as they learn to play French Bingo, known as Loto. Working with a partner, students must listen to, understand, and then find the number called on their card. If they get three in a row, they raise their hands and shout "Loto!" They must then call back the winning numbers in French. Special stickers for the winners. Let's play again!

Facts About France

8th Agers are learning about France this week. France is a little smaller than the state of Texas. It is the largest country in western Europe. It borders three bodies of water and six countries. Some say that France has it all: beautiful beaches, magnificent mountains, rolling countrysides, quaint villages, awesome castles, and modern cities. ... just to name a few. France has more visitors each year of any country in the world. Students are also learning about a few things in France: the Tour de France, the Grand Prix, the popular sport of soccer, the TGV - one of the world's fastest trains, Mont St. Michel, Carcasonne... Did you know that over 350 kinds of cheese are made in France?

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Why Study French?

First of all ... learning French is fun!

Ask any Lower School student who is taking French. We sing songs, play games, do fun projects, perform skits, read, write, and speak French. French Club, available to 8th and 10th Age students who are taking French, is one of the Lower School's most popular after-school clubs. After finishing Lower School French, students are well prepared for further study in the Middle School. Calvert French students then go on to place very well at the high school level.

Secondly ... did you know ... ?

French is spoken in 55 countries by over 200 million people.

French and English are the only two languages spoken on five continents.

French is second only to English as the world's most influential language.

French provides the base for over 50% of modern English vocabulary.

Knowledge of French has been shown to enhance performance on standardized tests.

French is one of the official languages of international organizations such as the UN, NATO, UNESCO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Union, and the International Red Cross.

French plays an important role in the national and international job market in disciplines like business, medicine, aviation, law, transportation technologies, global/international distribution, and luxury goods.

French has had an enormous influence on American culture, art, music, fashion, cuisine, architecture, literature, history, philosophy, and language.

FRENCH IS ALL AROUND YOU!!

National French Contest

9th Age French

Classes meet three times a week for thirty minutes. Continued emphasis is placed on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
Students learn through stories, skits, songs, games, and various hands-on activities.
Material learned in the 7th and 8th Ages is reviewed and incorporated into this year's topics: numbers 61-100, sports, places, directions, menu vocabulary, ordering expressions, value and use of the euro, transportation, travel vocabulary, and an awareness that French is everywhere (in art, history, dance, music, science, fashion, literature, architecture, politics, sports, consumer goods, the English language, and countries around the world.)

10th Age French

Classes meet three times a week for thirty minutes. Continued emphasis is placed on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Academic grades are given every other marking period. Students learn through stories, skits, songs, games, and various hands-on activities. Material learned in the 7th, 8th, and 9th Age is reviewed and incorporated into this year's topics: French accents, telling time, dates on a calendar, adjectives, directions, regular "er" verbs in the present tense, irregular verbs "être" and "avoir", how to form the negative, house vocabulary, French holiday customs, and French-speaking countries around the world. Students participate in Le Grand Concours, a national French contest.

More French Fun in Baltimore

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

February and March

Fifth annual Tournée Festival brings seven French feature films to the Homewood campus.

THE CHARLES THEATER

Cinema Sundays

Le Cinémathèque, built in collaboration between La Maison Française at the Embassy of France, the French-American Cultural Foundation and the Charles Theatre, is a French cineclub that provides a great opportunity for Baltimore movie-goers to discover the newest of French films. Indeed, every month - typically the third Tuesday of the month -the program features one of the latest films from France. As a member of Le Cinémathèque (the subscription is FREE), you will be among the first informed of upcoming events and you will enjoy one free film after attending five screenings! Join and discover the latest French movies!

THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART

One of the best Impressionist collections in the country. The internationally renowned Cone Collection of modern art is the crown jewel of the BMA. In the early 20th century, Baltimore sisters Claribel and Etta Cone visited the Paris studios of Henri Matisse and began assembling one of the world’s most important art collections. They acquired an exceptional collection of approximately 3,000 objects, which were displayed in their Baltimore apartments. The highlight is a group of 500 works by Matisse, considered the largest and most significant in the world. The sisters also acquired masterpieces by Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent Van Gogh.