A Parkland School Division Blog Site

French club is an after school club for students that are willing to practice thieir French, improve their French skills, or just have fun. Once a week, on Mondays, our group of about a dozen Jr. High students meet to do several fun activities that encourage French speaking. They have made hot chocolate, organized a bake sale, and most recently, made Christmas cards. I, being a member of this group, have stayed after school to participate in this. It is always fun and really improves French skills. ~Lucille~

Grade 5 classes have begun journal writing in French. To start, students were shown the formula for a sentence using shapes – triangle, rectangle, oval.
The triangle represents the who or what of the sentence (the superstar). Rectangle is the verb or action word. Oval is the object of the sentence or commonly known as the blah, blah, blah. After modelling the formula using simple vocabulary taught, students were off writing their own sentences.
Students are strongly encouraged to move around the room and use the posters and other resources in the room when working in their journals.

We have started learning our play “Le Chat et La Lune”. In the journals, students drew the setting and labelled some key vocabulary.

What’s the Buzz
“We are also playing seven up in french languege and it is alot of fun!” Kendra
“Je sais how to count the numbers in French.” Sydney
“Je like that francais is challenging sometimes. Je like francais parsca it is fantasitic.” Samantha

The spirit of Halloween has crept into the French 5 and 6 classes. We have been using common Halloween words to play games such as 7 débout (7-Up), Bingo and 4 corners. Students have also been learning the song “C’est l’Halloween” and “Les Zombies et les Loups-Garoux “.

To support the learning of body parts, grade 6 students have created monsters and wrote a brief description. Students are expected to follow the formula for a sentence and use the resource sheets to assist their writing.

A few girls in grade 6 decided to help decorate the room by making a poster over a lunch hour.

Quote of the day:

“I’m learning French so I can come up with secret plans.”

French Club will be start November 7th after school! Join us to explore French cooking, crafts and most importantly to “jaser en Français”.

When most people think of French as a Second Language, they usually get images of verb conjugations accompanied by dozens of worksheets and learning numerous nouns. Learning to having authentic conversations were non existent. Not at Blueberry School.

Seven years ago, I attend a session about AIM (Accelerated Integration Methodology). AIM is a methodology where gestures are used to assist the learning of vocabulary. This approach to teaching language is great to target auditory, visual and kinestetic learners. Students are taught verbs from day 1 to allow them to express themselves and ask questions. Students learn the language through authentic context and through plays, songs, and games. Speaking only French in class enables students to gain fluency and confidence.

The success of my students depend on establishing a positive and supportive environment. In my class, students are told to take risks, to make mistakes and encourage one another. Using humour is one way I engage the students in their learning. Grade 5s enjoy when I “forget” their names and to have them practice “Je m’appelle”.  There are those days when students ask to play a certain game, so I change my plans for them; allowing them to have a voice in my room. Building relationships with students is just as important to class success.  I ask them about their family,  their interests etc… during our routine times to use vocabulary and teach sentence structure.  In turn, they learn about me. We talk about my cats, my niece, they know my quirks, my favourite music etc… They see me make mistakes. At times,there are some jokes made at my expense, but  it  all leads to  authentic communication experiences. 

What makes me smile in a day:

- watching my grade 5s enter with enthusiasm; wondering what song they will learn.

- hearing the invented expression for high 5 – grand cinq – grade 6 boys created out on the soccer field.

- having a student who struggles say how much he/she loves French.