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.

      

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.)

                                                                                                                                                  

 

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:

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:

          

                                                 

                                     

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?

Kids Euro Festival

Quelle Heure Est-il?

10th Agers are learning how to tell time in French. Learning numbers in a foreign language is extremely important. With numbers, you can discuss quantities, prices,  phone numbers, addresses, schedules, zip codes, page numbers; ask for directions; do computations; . . . as well as ask for and tell the time of day. Students will also be learning about military time.
Military time is used by the U.S. military, as well as most of the world. Military time is a way of reading a clock on a 24-hour system instead of the standard two 12-hour systems in a single day. The purpose of military time is to avoid confusion between a.m. and p.m.  Only a few countries, including the United States and Canada, still use the 12-hour clock on a day-to-day basis.

Interesting fact: 

The term "o'clock" comes from the French, "a la cloche", which means "at the bell." A long time ago, if people didn't have watches or clocks at home, they would rely on the bell ringing from the bell tower ... so it was said "It is nine "a la cloche" (at the bell) and over time it transformed into the English form "o'clock".

Calvert Chefs

French Club was busy this week! With the help of Madame Cooke, Madame Pinkard, and Madame Whitman, Club members created their own crêpe batter to take home to their families. They measured, they poured, they stirred, they cracked eggs; and best of all ... they had fun. After all of this hard work, students were treated to tasty crêpes made on the spot and prepared with a variety of  fillings: le jambon (ham), le fromage (cheese), le chocolat (chocolate), and la confiture de framboise (rasberry jam) ... délicieux!

Merci Madame Pietrowski for being our photographer!

Je parle français!

10th Age students are be coming quite the French speakers. This week's morning challenge is a short conversation in French. Interested students may stop by the French classroom and speak with Madame - no English allowed. Here are some typical conversations between students and teacher:

Mini Skits

10th Agers have finished writing original French mini-skits, involving two characters with a minium of three lines each, as well as vocabulary and expressions learned in class. Here, in Calvert script,  are some examples:

C'est Moi

8th Agers are learning a lot this year by  reading, writing, and speaking French. Listen to these students introduce themselves with their French name, age, and nationality. Bien fait! (Well done!)

  

  

Un, Deux, Trois, ...

7th Agers have been learning how to count from one to ten, in French. They are also learning how to write these numbers in French. Here's a sampling of their work: