Joyeuses Fêtes!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Encore, encore!

10th Age boys also presented French skits to their classmates this week. Here are some highlights:

Lights, Camera, Action!

Here are just a few of the entertaining French skits that 10th Age girls presented to their classmates this week:

8th Agers have been taking French since they were in Pilot Class. They have learned a lot of vocabulary through songs, games, and writing activities. Students are able to describe themselves, the weather, objects in the classroom, 

What Do 7th Agers Know?

Current 7th Agers are taking French for the first time this year. Classes meet once a week for thirty minutes. What have they learned so far? Lots! Students know how to describe how they are doing; are able to introduce themselves; can say hello, goodbye, please, and thank you; are able to count from 0 to 10; know how to say the French words for colors, body parts; and can recite the letters of the alphabet . This week, students are learning how to describe the weather. Topics are reinforced through speaking, writing, and reading activities. Students also play games and do fun projects to enhance their learning. And they love to sing! Songs learned thus far are: "L'Alphabet", "Frère Jacques", "Tête, Épaules, Genoux, et Pieds", and "Vive le Vent."

Les Sketches

10th Agers worked hard this week preparing skits (les sketches) that they will soon present in class. Each pair of students was given a short skit to translate and to practice reading aloud. After working on correct pronunciation, students added dramatic flair to their skits and planned for props and costumes. Let the drama begin!

La Salle de Classe

8th Agers have been learning lots of French words for things in the classroom. Students are able to name objects in the room as well as describe them using color and size words. Here are some of the words that they know:
Voici la salle de classe (Here is the classroom), le stylo (pen), le cahier (notebook), le crayon (pencil), l’élève (student), la règle (ruler), la craie (chalk), le livre (book), le panier (basket) , le drapeau de Québec (flag of Quebec) , le papier (paper) , le drapeau canadien (Canadian flag), le drapeau français (French flag), la gomme (eraser), la Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower), la dictionnaire (dictionary), le drapeau suisse (Swiss flag), la chaise (chair) 

Students have also learned: la télévision (television), la pendule (clock), le tableau (board), la table (table), l'ordinateur (computer), la lampe (lamp), and le professeur (teacher), la porte (door), la fenêtre (window)

Singing for Grandparents' Day

8th Agers delighted an auditorium full of grandparents with several renditions of À la Claire Fontaine, a traditional French-Canadian song. Encore, encore!

C'est Moi

8th Agers have been writing about themselves in their French notebook (cahier) and can easily read their self-descriptions. Here are some students telling their French name, age, nationality, languages they speak, and their favorite season:

Cuckoo for Clocks

  French Club members have been busy making imitation Swiss cuckoo clocks. Switzerland, where French is one of four official languages, is known the world round for its clock-making craftsmanship. The cuckcoo clock, which originated in the forest of Germany, was made popular at the end of the19th century by the Swiss who created clocks in the shape of chalets adorned with trees, birds and other wildlife, as well as people. Pine cones dangle at the end of the clocks' chains. The traditional Swiss cuckoo clock plays music and often has a bird that pops out of a hidden compartment when the clock strikes each hour. These French Club masterpieces are on display this week in the hallway across from the French classroom.

    

Les Élèves du 10ième Âge

The students of 10th Age have been learning how to use possessive adjectives. In French, there are three ways to say "my" (ma, mon, mes),  and which one used depends on the word that follows. In class, students created self-portraits to demonstrate their understanding of this grammatical concept. They labeled body parts from their head down to their shoulders, using the correct form of the possessive adjective "my".  Here are some samples:

Bienvenue au Zoo

7th Agers are learning French words for body parts. So far, they have learned head (la tête), hair (les cheveux), eyes (les yeux), ears (les oreilles), nose (le nez), and mouth (la bouche). For fun, and to help remember the words, students were given an animal face to trace, draw, and then label in French. Students are also learning additional vocabulary for body parts with the French version of the song Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (Tête, Épaule, Genoux, et Pieds).

Bon Jour de Grace

Did you know that Thanksgiving is also celebrated in Canada? It is earlier than in the United States - in October. Family and friends get together to eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal that is very similar to ours. For Grandparents' Day 8th Agers delighted all as they sang an old French-Canadian song called A la Claire Fontaine, first with a traditional version and then a jazzy version. Bon Jour de Grace (Happy Thanksgiving) everyone!

Joan of Arc

10th Agers have been learning about some well-known French people from history. Joan of Arc, is considered a national heroine in France, lived from 1412 to 1431. She was a peasant girl who led the French army to several victoiries against the English during the Hundred Years War, paving th eway for teh crowning of Charles VII. She was captured and burned at the stake at age 19. Years later, she became a saint in the Catholic Church. She is one of the patron saints of France.
This week, the story of Joan of Arc will be performed in French at Baltimore's Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. January will mark the 600th anniversary of her birth.

http://quizlet.com/_91xa

Bon Appétit!

Mousse au chocolat is a very popular French dessert - a light and fluffy version of pudding. Mousse, which means foam, originated in France in the 18th century.
French Club members were busy today whipping up this delicious after-dinner treat for their families. Everyone took home fancy cups filled with chocolate mousse, complete with a silver tray and a Bon Appétit! message.

Merci à Isabelle et Anne pour l'assistance.

French Canadian Song

This week 8th Agers will be learning about a traditional French Canadian song called À la Claire Fontaine. This popular French ballad was adapted by Voyageurs, French Canadian fur traders that used the waterways of Canada and the upper Midwest of the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Voyageurs are legendary, especially in French Canada, and are celebrated in folklore and music.

Canoe Manned by Voyageurs Passing a Waterfall, 1869
 by Canadian artist Frances Anne Hopkins

Facts About France

Here are some 10th Age students to tell you some facts about France:

The Magic of the Moment

7th Agers have been learning about French Impressionist, Claude Monet. With a few minutes to spare at the end of class, the students asked if they could draw their own versions of Monet's paintings. Here is what they drew with a moment's notice, magnifique!

Quelle est ta saison favorite?

7th Agers know their favorite season, what's yours?

What's in a Painting?

Well, as it turns out .... a lot. 10th Agers are using their knowledge of French to describe what they see in Impressionist paintings. They can describe the season, weather, people, animals, objects, clothing, nature, places, transportation, and food seen in the paintings. Not only are they learning about world-famous painters, they are also learning to use the French that they know in a fun and different way. Here are some 10th Age students reading detailed descriptions of Impressionists paintings:

Halloween with a French Twist

The French camera roamed the crowds at Calvert's Halloween parade on Friday, looking for French-inspired costumes. Here's what it found:

Madeline

a Can-Can Dancer

a Chef

French Toast?

A French Knight

A Monet Model

Monet Magic

7th Agers are learning about one of the world's most famous artists, Claude Monet. Monet lived in a pink house with green shutters in Giverny, France with his wife and eight children. Monet loved to paint outside and he had a beautiful garden with a lily pond. Over the pond was a Japanese bridge. These were Monet's favorite things to paint. What is most amazing about Monet, even to this day, is how he was able to paint with such an eye for color and show the effects of light so beautifully.
Students will learn more about Monet this week as they view a film about him, based on the children's book Linnea in Monet's Garden.

Les Quatre Saisons

8th Agers are learning how to say and describe the four seasons, in French. They are able to say what the weather is like in each season as well as tell which of the seasons is their favorite. Quel est ta saison favorite? (What is your favorite season?)

   

                                           le printemps                 l’été

                                              l'automne                  l'hiver

Lovely Lavender

French Club members were busy today honing in on their sewing skills. Students sewed two squares of material together and then filled the sachet pouches with dried lavender from France. Lavender is a purple flower that grows in many places around the world. Provence, France is the world's largest lavender producer. Lavender is used to make perfumes, soaps, shampoos, seasonings, and sachets. Not only does it smell good, it is said to have a calming, soothing effect.