Bienvenue! Welcome to Madame Harris's website!

I am so excited to return to Archway Arete and to continue developing our French program! I will be working with our youngest students in kindergarten and first grade. Each student will have French class twice per week, for forty minutes each class. Classes will be taught in the immersion method. Proven effective, children quickly become accustomed to French sounds and words, and will be engaged in fun activities that make the new language feel natural. These include songs, games, coloring, stories, skits, and TPR (Total Physical Response--physical imitation and response to verbal commands.) The goals of the French program at Archway Arete are that the students become comfortable with and enjoy learning another language; build a foundation of phrases, vocabulary, and simple grammar, which will help them in their future language studies; and appreciate the cultures of France and the French-speaking world. The topics we will cover this year include greetings and expressions of courtesy, school, colors, numbers, the family, animals, adjectives, the calendar, weather, the house, and verbal commands. I look forward to introducing your students to the world of French! Please feel free to contact me with any questions that might arise throughout the year.

NOTES ABOUT PRONUNCIATION:

I will often put the pronunciation of vocabulary words in parentheses after the word. Please follow these notes to help you:

* indicates a nasal sound--hold your nose while saying it to practice the sound.
^ indicates a tight U sound--say the letter E while puckering your lips to get the sound.
ZH indicates a soft J sound, as in Jacques or the S in measure.
The French R is in the throat, almost as if gargling, but softer.



FIRST GRADE FRENCH CURRICULUM
The following units are based on the new curriculum, Les Loustics

Unit 1: “Bonjour” (August-September)
Greetings and taking leave, Classroom commands, Saying one’s age, Numbers to 12 (+), Shapes, Colors, Days of the Week


Unit 2: “Vive l’École” (October-December)
Naming school objects, Numbers to 20 (+), the Possessive adjectives MY and YOUR, Months of the year, Indicating preferred activities, the Alphabet


Unit 3: “La Famille LeGrand” (January-March)
Introduce one’s family and pets, Say where one lives, Name objects of one’s bedroom


Unit 4: “In Shape?” (April-May)
Parts of the Body, Emotions, Facial Features, Say what hurts



KINDERGARTEN FRENCH CURRICULUM

August-September
Greetings, Expressions of Courtesy, Classroom Objects, Numbers to 7, Colors (Ongoing), Classroom Commands and Action Verbs (Ongoing)
Songs: “Bonjour Madame,” “Violette à Bicyclette”

September-October
Parts of the Body, Days of the Week, Numbers to 10
Songs:
“Jean Petit Qui Danse,” “Les Deux Pieds Font,” “Tête, Épaules, Genoux, et Pieds” (“Alouette”)

November-December
Months, Seasons, Weather, Numbers to 20
Songs: “Tu Chanteras,” “La Neige Tombe”

January-February
The Alphabet, the Family, the House
Songs: “A-B-C-D,” “Frère Jacques,”

March
Food, Preferences
Songs: “1-2-3, J’irai dans les Bois”

April-May
Animals, Simple Adjectives, (Prepositions)
Songs:
“Saute la Petite Grenouille,” “Sur le Pont d’Avignon,” “Bisous d’Esquimau”


Stories—These are repeated during the year, and include reinforcing activities.
Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood)
Les Trois Petits Cochons (The Three Little Pigs)















Friday, November 14, 2014


Here are the French Words of the Day for this week and next:

11/10
 
Il fait chaud
It’s hot (weather)
Il fait froid
It’s cold (weather)
Zut!
Rats!
Chouette
Cool
11/17
 
Génial
Great
Magnifique
Magnificent
Fantastique
Fantastic
Formidable
Wonderful
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This week we will review for next week's test on the parts of the body.  Please know that written test scores are mainly for me to gauge comprehension of the class and are not a major component of a student's evaluation.  However, if your student would like to practice at home, here is the vocabulary being assessed (pronunciation in parentheses):

Kindergarten:                                                     First Grade:

la tête--head   (la tet)                                          All words to the left, PLUS:
le nez--nose    (luh nay)
la bouche--mouth   (la boosh)                            l'oreille--ear   (loray)
le pied--foot   (luh pyay)                                    le ventre--belly   (luh vontr)
la main--hand   (la mah--nasal)                          le bras--arm   (luh bra)
les yeux--eyes   (lay zyuh)                                 la jambe--leg   (la zhamb)


Students will also learn a new chant:

Les deux pieds font tap tap tap                     The two feet go tap, tap tap
Les deux mains font clap, clap, clap             The two hands go clap, clap, clap
Un pas 'ci, un pas là,                                      One step here, one step there
Un petit tour, et puis voilà!                            One little turn, and there you go!

La tête fait nick, nick, nick                            The head goes nick, nick, nick                           
Les petits doigts font click, click, click         The little fingers go click, click, click
Un pas 'ci, un pas là                                       One step here, one step there
Un petit tour, et puis voilà!                            One little turn and there you go!

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Monday, November 3, 2014

The French Words of the Day for this week are:


Le soleil
The sun
La lune
The moon
Une fleur
A flower
Une montagne
A mountain
Il fait beau
It’s a beautiful day
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We are winding down our learning of the parts of the body, and have been enjoying drawing faces and whole bodies on individual white boards. This week students will draw and label (first grade) their self-portrait, and will present it by saying what color eyes and hair they have.
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