Bonjour! Quoi de neuf en classe de Français!

Hello! What’s new in the French class!

 

After the break, we moved forward to new learning at all levels. From learning a poem about the school (5^th grade) to telling about the joy of going back to school (4^th grade) and moving to colors and shapes in (2^nd grade), the pace is slightly higher. This is a great period for us to get the most of the learning. Here are some insights happening at grade level:

 

2^nd Grade:

 

Keeping the practice with the greetings, we are still working on counting till 20 and writing the numbers in letters also. Next, our efforts are not only to remember the shapes and the colors but to associate the colors and the shapes together in the sentence. Please keep an eye on the color:  it is placed after the noun.

 

3^rd – 4^th Grade:

From the morning routine and telling time, we are practicing all parts of a classroom. After reviewing rapidly all objects, we are using our numbers and the new vocabulary to tell what we have in class in a complete sentence in parallel of knowing some helping prepositions. Please remember the difference between “nom masculin” and “nom féminin”, masculine and feminine nouns. We use each of the objects with its article in a sentence. Our goal is to remember the correct article paired with the vocabulary word to master the genre of the noun.

 

5^th Grade:                

As we learned different places in the city and what we can find in some stores, we are going now to use the European currency (un billet/ a bill) (coins, pieces) (pennies/centimes) to buy things at those places. For this purpose, our efforts are to master the big numbers and keep the practice going at all times. The key words to this process are:

Je voudrais/ I would like

J’achète/ I buy

Combien ça coute?    How much is it for ……?

Ça fait combien ?       How much is it for ……?

I believe that good listening, repetition and practice are key ingredients for success. Please remind your children to pay close attention, to think about the context of the lesson and to participate often in class. This will help them complete the required activities independently and efficiently.

 

Et chez vous! …… And at home!

 

I encourage all students to review their vocabulary daily and repeat the words 5-10 minutes while you are listening. Google/translate can be a big help if you have a doubt on a pronunciation.

Have fun with the learning and always remind your children to do their best at all times.

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Yes, it is the last week of September. Finally, the students have now their activity books to use and apply what they have learned so far.

Here are some insights on the learning happening in French class.

2^nd Grade:

-        We learned about the members of the French family (the father is Luc Legrand, the mother is Jeanne Legrand, the brother is Léo, the two sisters are Alice and Maggie).

-        The students can introduce themselves using 2 ways:  Moi, c’est ……

or

            je m’appelle   ………

-        We practiced our first name (le prénom) and last name (le nom) and we learned to count up to 12 in numbers and in letters.

 

 

3^rd grade- 4^th Grade:

The students learned all actions retaining to the morning routine (la routine quotidienne). They also learned to tell the time. They are able to  draw the designated time and write a complete sentence about it. Here are some helpful details to remember:  

o’clock/pile

      : 15 minutes/et quart

      : 30 minutes/et demie

      : 45 minutes/moins le quart 

5^th Grade:

The students learned to recognize the different places in the city. They can follow and give directions to find a place. They worked hard to make correct sentences using the right preposition with the masculine and feminine nouns.

Et chez vous! … And at home!

 

Your child’s notebook is your guide to check the learning happening in every grade. Please partner with me and together we can instill the habit of taking the French notebook home to study.

 

Yes, I encourage all students to review their vocabulary daily, repeat the words 5-10 minutes and quiz themselves using the flash cards made during class.  Google/translate can be a big help if you have a doubt on a pronunciation.

 

Dear Archway families,

                                      it is  K-2 Curriculum Night

You are cordially invited to our K-2nd grade Curriculum Night, taking place on Wednesday, August 23rd (grades K-2 only). 

The event starts at 6:00 p.m. in the Arete gymnasium, with opening remarks from Mr. Gillingham, Ms. Pantalena, Mrs. Mason, and Mrs. Wilson. 

The purpose of this event is to acquaint you with the school's curriculum and individual classroom procedures across all grade levels. Teachers will give parents an opportunity to ask questions. (Please note, this is a parent only event.) We look forward to seeing you there! 

• 6:00-6:15 Gym
• 6:20-7:05 Individual classrooms to hear from your child's teachers (last name A-L) or MPR to hear from specialists (last name M-Z)
• 7:10-7:55 MPR to hear from specialists (last name A-L) or Individual classrooms to hear from your child's homeroom teachers (last name M-Z)

i will see you there!

Et chez vous! … And at home!

Your child’s notebook is your guide to check the learning happening in every grade. Please partner with me and together we will instill the habit of taking the French notebook home to study.

Yes, I encourage all students to review their vocabulary daily, repeat the words 5-10 minutes and quiz themselves using the flash cards made during class.  Google/translate can be a big help if you have a doubt on a pronunciation.

 

Have fun with the learning and always remind your children to do their best at all times. Please reach out to me if you have any question or concern: sgebara@archwayarete.org

 

Thank you for your support in the learning of the French language!

 

                It is going to be an amazing year!

 

La classe de Français de Madame Gebara

Expectations and Procedures

Expectation # 1: Students are to pursue Truth, Beauty and Goodness in all endeavors. All their efforts are to adhere to the 9 virtues listed in the family handbook and in class.

Expectation #2: Students should be in their seats ready to start and everything else should be  PUT AWAY when the teacher arrives to class.

Expectation #3:  Students should leave their workbook (2^nd- 3^rd- 4^th) in their desk and bring their French notebook to class every time we have French class, and take it home EVERY DAY to study.

Expectation #4: Students are expected to sit tall and straight during instructional time and refrain from visiting with their neighbor. During group activities, students are expected to use soft voices.

Expectation #5:  students are to follow directions the first time they are given.

In this class, we only speak French…. Studies and researches show that translation is not a good method to learn a different language. There won’t be any translations to English. We will relate the vocabulary words and conversations to images, visuals, and modeling.

Procedures

·         When the teacher enters the room: students are in their seat with their desks clear and ready to learn.

·         When the student arrives late: student enters quietly and gives their late pass to their teacher. They sit in their seat, check the board to follow the plan of the lesson and take out material as needed.

·         When Students ‘attention is needed: teacher will clap 3 times and students clap back 3 times and everyone is quiet waiting for further instruction.

·         Bathroom: Students are allowed to use the restroom and have a water break only if it is an emergency. They have ample opportunity in the homeroom classes to use the restroom and drink water as needed during specific breaks. French class is only 40 min. and we need to make the best of it.

·         New student: when a new student comes to French class, they are seated close to a friend who is going to help them often make connections and follow smoothly during class. This can be for a limited time only as they are encouraged to pay close attention to all clues given to have a solid understanding of the lesson, seek help when needed and strive to get gradually comfortable and independent

·         Homework:  students are to study their vocabulary 5-10 minutes daily.

·         After an absence:  Student will ask the Teacher assistant for any papers that they might need. Make up tests will be given.

·         The notebook should always be clean and orderly. Sometimes I am going to check them and give a grade. I will do this without any notice, so students are to make sure it is organized and up to date at all times.

·         Class discussion: all students should participate otherwise the teacher is going to call up on them to include them in the conversation. I want to hear what they have to say and check for understanding and consolidation. They are to raise their hand voluntarily and wait to be called upon to speak. They are to ask questions and make comments that are related to what we are talking about.

·         Moving around the class: Students must ask permission to get out of their seat for any reason. They cannot ask the teacher to get out of their seat during instruction or discussion, unless it’s an emergency.

·         Quizzes/tests: On the day we have French, students are to write on their planners the lesson to study so parents can retrieve the dates of the quiz/test. Once the quizzes are corrected, students are to glue it onto their notebook for later review.

·         Activity book (2^nd- 3^rd-4^th): this book is to stay at school at all times. Upon special request, parents can come to school and check the work done in class.

Please take a moment and read those helpful guidelines with your students and always remind them to do their best at all times.

 Thank you for your support!

Bonjour à toutes les familles d’Archway Arete!

Welcome back to another exciting school year in French class.

I am looking forward to seeing my students back in the classroom and am excited to meet our new families and friends. For the next two weeks, we will be reviewing simple words, phrases, and songs as we bring the French language back into our school routine. As the weeks progress, we will be studying different thematic units at each grade level. 

My name is Salwa Gebara. Born and raised in Lebanon, I was educated in a French school, after which I pursued a BA in Child Psychology. During that time, I taught Kindergarten French and Math. When Lebanon began its long civil war, I left and went to France. Because of this I had to change careers. I attended “Pigier” Techniques and graduated as Head Secretary, and then took up a job as a Medical secretary for almost 5 years. I got married in the USA and established my life in AZ, where I have now lived for almost 21 years. When my children reached 18 months, they began Tutor Time, and so did I. I worked as their care giver for 11 years, before finally making my way to Great Hearts, where I am now in my 6th year teaching French, and my 3^rd year at Archway Arete.

Here at Archway Arete, we are committed to providing French classes where the children are fully immersed in French. We will continue to use a French program called “Les Loustics 1 and 2 ” throughout the grades. It is a fun, creative, action-oriented course full of visual and audio documents that reflect the lively world of children and gives them a zest for learning. It uses a gradual, spiral approach to reinforce learning from one lesson to the next. Each unit consists of five lessons offering a variety of activities and a glossary. 

And I am very excited about all the work that we are going to accomplish together. I would appreciate your help in providing a spiral notebook also for French. This will be their tool to repeat daily the glossary of terms learned in class. You may also use Google translate as a means of interpreting them. Google also has a pronunciation feature which can be useful at times. The French activity book (2^nd-3^rd-4^th) will remain always at school to help preserve the flow of the class.

If there are any questions or concerns regarding the class, please don’t hesitate to contact me at sgebara@archwayarete.org

The link to the blog is: gebaraaretefrench.blogspot.com:  Please check the blog often as I will inform you regularly on the content we are studying and the exciting things occurring in French class.

 I am looking forward to a wonderful year teaching your children.  

Bonjour à toutes les famille d’Archway Arete!

 

“Classes tant aimées,                my beloved students

Est-ce que c’est l’heure            is it already time 

De vous quitter?”                      to end the school year?

 

It was a fabulous year and the students worked with courage and perseverance to accomplish all assigned tasks. They gave me a multitude of joy and I cannot be more proud of all their accomplishments. I wish you all a great summer and know that I will miss your students dearly.

Please find here some helpful links to reactivate the vocabulary and sentences learned in class throughout the year.

 

Chers Parents,

C’était une année fabuleuse et vos élèves ont travaillé avec perseverance et courage pour accomplir toutes les taches demandées.

Ils m’ont procuré tellement de joies . Mes élèves, sachez que je suis très fière de vous!

Oui, C’est le moment de nous séparer pour l’été: Passez de bonnes vacances et reposez-vous bien. Vous allez me manquer!

Au revoir et à bientôt.

 

Bonjour à toutes les familles d'Archway Arete!

                     Bonne fête Maman!

I hope that all mothers had a wonderful day last Sunday and the students gave you a nice surprise and recited to you their French poems. They worked hard in class to retain all their lines and the pronunciation was almost perfect. I cannot be more proud of their accomplishments.

Here are the poems by grade:

2^nd Grade:

Un bonbon, que c’est bon!

Deux bonbons, que c’est bon!

Trois bonbons, que c’est bon!

Mais ton Coeur

contre mon petit Coeur

C’est encore meilleur!

Bonne fête maman!

 

3^rd Grade:

Les petits enfants

En ce jour charmant,

Ont pour leur maman

Un beau compliment.

Le mien n’est pas grand:

Trois mots seulement

“je t’aime maman”

Bien, bien tendrement.

 

4^th Grade: une fleur pour maman

Si j’étais jardinier,

Je ferais pousser une fleur

En forme de Coeur!

Elle serait pour maman

Qui la garderait longtemps

Car maman saurait que la fleur

C’est tout l’amour de mon Coeur!

 

5^th Grade:  Maman

J’ai des mains pour te toucher

J’ai des bras pour te serrer

Des pieds pour courir vers toi

Pour t’appeler, j’ai ma voix

Et puis, j’ai mon Coeur bien grand

Pour t’aimer bien fort maman!

 

Yes, we are wrapping up our last days in school and the students are asked to continue to work hard, stay focused and persevere. We need to finish strong  our school year.

Merci beaucoup!

 

Bonjour à toutes les familles d’Archway Arete!

Here is the learning happening in all grades.

4^th-5^th grade

As we finished all school and playground activities, we did review the family members (including the cousins, uncles and aunts) and told each other about own Birthdays.  We continued with the seasons and the weather related to it. We are moving forward to learn about the body parts, physical appearance (particular features and accessories), express emotions and tell where we have aches and pain.

Using all the vocabulary learned, the students are taking turns to introduce themselves and telling (first and last name, gender, nationality, their age and when is their birthday, their siblings, country they live in, language they speak, what they like about school and activities on the playground).

Here it is:

Je m’appelle ………………………………………………

Je suis un / une ………………………………………….

Je  suis ……………………………………(nationality)

J’ai ……………………………………… ans.

Mon anniversaire, c’est ……………………………………….

 

J’ai …………………….. frère (s)   /    je n’ai pas de frères.

J’ai …………………….. soeur (s)  /   je n’ai pas de soeurs.

 

J’habite …………………………………………………………………

Je parle  ………………………………………………………………..

A l’école, j’aime …………………………………………………….

Pendant la recreation, j’aime ……………………………………

 

2^nd    -     3^rd Grade

After finishing the school activities and playground activities, the students are learning about the French Family. We follow them at home (defining the location) and move with them into their own space (identifying all connections within the family and also learning the interior of the house). As we master the house and its interior, we are going into the child’s bedroom to identify all objects found. We keep practicing to have a solid grip on the prepositions that can be helpful to make simple and short sentences.

Here is the vocabulary:

La mer/the beach

La montagne/ the mountain

La campagne/the country side

La ville/ the city

La cuisine/ the kitchen

La salle de bains/the bathroom

La chambre/the bedroom

La salle à manger/the dining room

Le salon/the living room

 

et chez vous! ....... and at home!

 

I request your help to encourage and support the learning. Please ask your child to bring their notebook home, practice counting and review the vocabulary taught for 5-10 minutes daily. This will allow them to remain strong in their knowledge and able to accomplish any challenging task.

 

 

Bonjour Archway Families!

Mark your calendars for this year's Fine Arts and French Night:  Friday, April 7th from 5:30 to 8:00.  You will have the opportunity to view your child's artwork, participate in an art workshop, and enjoy a video of French songs and poems, as well as a live presentation by the French Club.  Look for the flyer coming soon which outlines the schedule for the evening or click here:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSuyHM9YtLNS3E5NlFvYWRKaVU/view?usp=sharing

 

 NOTE: there will be TWO sessions, divided by last name.  Please arrive only during your session to ensure sufficient parking. 

Hope to see you there! 

MERCI!  A bientôt!

Bonjour à toutes les familles d’Archway  Arete!

4^th-5^th grade

They finished the unit 2 “Vive l’école”of “Les Loustics”.

After learning the objects of the school and all subjects taught, we focused on class activities and recess activities. We also learned to tell our preferences. We keep practicing writing the date independently. We are working hard to retell a story, theme (la routine quotidienne, l’école) related, using the vocabulary that we already know. I cannot be more proud of their efforts.

Here is the vocabulary:

  * Activities during class

Aller à l’école                                                            to go to school

Je vais à l’école                                                        I go to School

Lire un livre                                                               to read a book

Compter                                                                     to count

Chanter                                                                       to sing

Réciter                                                                         to recite

Dessiner                                                                      to draw

Faire du sport                                                           to play sports

Être avec les copains                                    to be with the friends

et les copines           

J’aime                                                                I like

Je n’aime pas                                                  I don’t like

* Activities during recess:

Jouer                                                                  to play

Jouer au ballon                                              to play with a ball

Jouer aux billes                                               to play with marbles

Jouer à la marelle                                          to play hop scotch

Sauter à la corde                                            to jump rope

Jouer à cache-cache                                     Hide and seek

3^rd Grade

The students finished learning about all activities (check above for the vocabulary) we do in class and at recess.  We are shifting toward learning about the family. Also, they are practicing writing the date correctly and recognizing all numbers (in letters also). The goal for us is to reach 30 quickly.

2^nd Grade

They finished learning about all activities (check above for the vocabulary) we do in class. We are shifting toward recess and all its activities. Also, they are practicing writing the date correctly and recognizing all numbers (in letters also). The goal for us is to reach 30 quickly.

et chez vous! ....... and at home!

 

I request your help to encourage and support the learning. Please ask your child to bring their notebook home , practice counting and review the vocabulary taught for 5-10 minutes daily. This will allow them to remain strong in their knowledge and able to accomplish any challenging task.

Happy New Year 2017 to all the families!

Thank you so much for your gifts: your kindness touched my heart and I am grateful for you. I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful break!

I am excited for all what is left to do and here is a look into the learning throughout the grades:

2^nd – 3^rd grade:

We reviewed the colors and the shapes. We practiced associating the nouns with the adjectives of color. We followed “la famille Legrand” in some of their activities. We found Madame Legrand singing, Léo painting, Maggie jumping rope, Marie learning English (for us at Archway, we are learning French) and Monsieur Legrand running.  Next, we learned about the objects of the school in regard of masculine and feminine nouns. We also practiced the objects with the color. To support all the learning related to the objects of the school, we are currently memorizing a poem called “s’il te plaît” – Please. Moreover, we can count till 20 and we are practicing writing the numbers in letters also.

All vocabulary words are found on your student’s notebook. The main vocabulary words of a lesson are given as flash cards to allow the students to quiz themselves frequently and master the material longer.

 

 

Here is the vocabulary:

Les couleurs/ the colors

Rouge - red,

Vert- green,

 Jaune- yellow,

Bleu - blue,

Noir- black,

Blanc - white,

Orange-orange,

Rose- pink,

Violet - purple

Les formes/ the shapes

Un rectangle/ a rectangle

Un rond/ a circle

Un triangle/ a triangle

Un carré/ a square

 

Les actions/ the actions

Il court/ he runs- he is running

Elle chante/ she sings- she is singing

Elle peint/ she paints- she is painting

Il saute/ he jumps- he is jumping

Il telephone/ he calls- he is calling

Les objets de l’école/ school objects

Un livre – a book

Une gomme– an eraser

Un stylo–a pen

Des crayons de couleur  –  colored pencils

Des ciseaux–  scissors

Un baton de colle –   a glue stick

Un cahier – a notebook

Un cartable – a backpack

Une trousse – a pencil box

 

 

The days of the week

Lundi – Monday

Mardi – Tuesday

Mercredi – Wednesday

Jeudi – Thursday

Vendredi– Friday

Samedi – Saturday

Dimanche – Sunday

 

The months of the year

Janvier   – January

Février   – February

Mars   -  March

Avril   -   April

Mai  -    May

Juin  -   June

Juillet  -   July

Août  -   August

Septembre  -  September

Octobre  -  October

Novembre  -  November

Décembre  - December

 

4^th-5^th grade

We finished learning about different countries; the students are able to tell about the nationalities (masculine and feminine) and the languages spoken. We learned also about the subjects taught in school, compared their schedule with a Canadian Student’s schedule. They are able to tell what is their favorite subject and the least favorite.

USA , Les Etats-Unis,       Américain, Américaine,           Anglais

France,  La France            Français, Française,                 Français

Mexico, Le Mexique      Mexicain, Mexicaine               Espagnol

Lebanon, le Liban             Libanais, Libanaise             Arabe, Français

Japan, Le Japon                 Japonais, Japonaise                     Japonais

Senegal, Le Senegal        Senegalais, Senegalaise       Wolof

                                                                                                   Français

 

Les matières scolaires/ subjects taught

Math                                 Les Mathématiques

Science                                Les Sciences

Languages                           Les Langues

Computer class                l’Informatique

History                                  L’Histoire

Geography                          la Géographie

Art                                          les Arts Plastiques

Music                                    la Musique

P. E                                         L’Education Physique, le sport

Lunch                                    le Déjeuner

Recess                                   la Récréation

                     

et chez vous! ....... and at home!

 

I request your help to encourage and support the learning. Please ask your child to bring their notebook home and review the vocabulary taught for 5-10 minutes daily. This will allow them to remain strong in their knowledge and able to accomplish any challenging task.