Wednesday, December 16, 2015

DAC Intermediate French Weeks 11-12

Bonjour à tous!

Happy holidays!! Vacation has started, and unfortunately, due to a TA'ship conflict, last week was my last week as a regular teacher for T.A.L.K. I've really enjoyed working with these kids, and I wish them the best in their future endeavors.

During the last couple of weeks before break, we covered some of the basic verbs that follow a regular conjugation pattern: the verbs that end in "er." I was pleased to find that somewhere along the way, the kids seem to have already learned the majority of these words already just by assimilation, which has helped immensely with their listening comprehension.

In addition to knowing the basic words, I've also been introducing some conjugations. As I told them, you wouldn't say "I are studying French" or "She am my mother." So just like in English, we change the words depending on who or what we are talking about. Fortunately for the regular "er" verbs, the endings follow the same exact pattern every time! And here it is:

Parler / To speak
Je parle / I speak
Tu parles / You speak
Il/elle/on parle / He/she/one speaks
Nous parlons / We speak
Vous parlez / You speak
Ils/elles parlent / They speak

In this class, I've only covered the singular forms and the "vous" form. I did not spend time on the "nous" or the "ils/elles" forms because they are more complicated and the "nous" form is rarely used in spoken French anyway. One thing to note is that in French, consonants at the end of a word are very rarely pronounced. As a result, all of the above forms, aside from the "-ons" and the "-ez" endings, are pronounced exactly the same (and this is why even native speakers struggle with spelling and grammar).

Here is a list of words that I covered that follow the same conjugation pattern:

Les verbes en "er": aimer (to like), adorer (to love), parler (to talk/speak), écouter (to listen), danser (to dance), téléphoner (to telephone/call), chanter (to sing), chercher (to look for), trouver (to find), entrer (to enter), rester (to stay), demander (to ask), étudier (to study), dessiner (to draw), souligner (to underline), jouer (to play), donner (to give), porter (to wear), laver (to wash), sécher (to dry), voler (to fly), inviter (to invite), voyager (to travel), regarder (to watch), travailler (to work), enseigner (to teach), nager (to swim), dîner (to dine), manger (to eat)

The only slight exceptions in the above list are "nous mangeons" and "nous nageons" because if they were spelled without the "e," it would change the pronunciation of the "g" to a hard "g."

Aside from some fill-in-the-blanks and our weekly mountain tag, I had the kids draw what I asked them to draw, to practice the verbs. The results were somewhat interesting and fully demonstrates the kids' imagination.

Une pomme qui travaille à New York
Une pomme de terre qui étudie le français (pour conquérir le monde)
On Tuesday, I also decided to do a game in which the kids had to roll a cube to see if they would have to draw, write, answer, translate, search, or act. I then gave them a question or sentence based on the result of their roll, and the kids worked together to find the answer or do whatever they are told to do. I drew an ugly picture of myself on the board. If the kids got the question right and could tell me which body part to erase, then they got to erase one of my body parts (which Chloe decided to replace with stitches). By the end of class, this was left. Yikes! Gotta beware! These kids are really something!


In addition to our normal learning objectives, we added a couple of other activities to stay with the holiday spirit. The first was a scavenger hunt that we did on Friday. The kids absolutely love these scavenger hunts, especially when they get to keep the prizes. For prizes, I gave out oranges, plastic candy canes with Reese's pieces inside, sports erasers, cookies and personalized Christmas cards. I hope the kids took the right cards! I wrote them all in French. Ask your kids how much of it they can read!

The second activity involved the song "Silent Night" in French. I apologize for not checking with the parents over the Christmas theme, but I assure you, this song and the holiday treats are about as Christmas-y as we got. This is actually not the traditional French version of "Silent Night" but an easier and less religious version. I only did the first verse in class.


Douce nuit, sainte nuit / Gentle night, holy night
Sous le ciel de Noël / Under the sky of Christmas
Une étoile est bien seule aujourd’hui / A star is rather alone today
Une étoile a besoin d’une amie / A star needs a friend
Elle attend la naissance / She waits for the birth
De espérance infinie / Of infinite hope

With that, I have to say that these kids have taught me a lot over the past year and a half. Thank you to all the parents for trusting me with them. They are all a very talented bunch, and I hope that they will continue their French studies in the future and maybe, just maybe, we will run into each other ten years down the road and start conversing in fluent French.

À la prochaine!

Friday, December 11, 2015

Hello Parents of Teacher Shelley's ASL Class!


Happy Holidays Everyone! 

I wish the students and their families a wonderful New Year! 

But, before you go, let me tell you about what we been doing this last month! 



Deaf Culture Lessons
Students were introduced to two restaurants that are staffed by ALL DEAF and HARD-OF-HEARING WORKERS! One is called “Signs” in Toronto and another is "Mozzeria" in San Francisco! 

I invite you to visit Mozzeria and meet the friendly Deaf owners! 
P.S. I highly recommend the Italian Sausage Pizza!  
http://www.mozzeria.com




ASL Lessons
This last month we focused on building communication in the class room. One example of this is our T.A.L.K. Restaurant. Below is the skit we used to put on a play. The students took turns playing the chef, server, and either customer A or B.

T. A. L. K. Restaurant 

Scene #1

Server: WELCOME T.A.L.K. RESTAURANT! YOU HAVE RESERVATION? 

Customer A: YES, MY LAST NAME ________________ HAVE RESERVATION FOR 2.

Server: O-K, FOLLOW ME, PLEASE. 

- Go sit at the table -


Scene #2 
Customer B & Customer ATHANK YOU.

Server: YOU’RE WELCOME. MY NAME ______________. I YOUR SERVER. CAN START TWO-OF-YOU WITH DRINK?

Customer B: WATER, PLEASE.  

Customer AME TOO, PLEASE.

Server: SURE, I COME-BACK 1-MINUTE. 

Customer B & Customer AO-K, THANK YOU. 

-Server walks a way why customer A & B looks over menu-


Scene #3
Server: HI, READY ORDER? NEED MORE TIME?

Customer AI READY. 

Customer B: ME TOO.

Server: WHAT? YOU LIKE. 

Customer AI WANT __________Pick From the Menu__________

-Server Writes Order on Mini Whiteboard-
Server:  GREAT. YOU FINE WITH WATER?

Customer A:  YES, THANK YOU. 

Server: WHAT? YOU LIKE. 


Customer B: I WANT __________Pick From the Menu__________
-Server Writes Order on Mini Whiteboard-

Server:  GOOD CHOICE, YOU FINE WITH WATER TOO?

Customer B: NO, CAN ORDER __________Pick a Drink From the Menu__________ TOO.

Server:  SURE. 

-Server gives the board to the chefs-


Scene #4
-Server brings meals prepared by chefs-
Server: HI, I HAVE _______________________ & ________________________.

Customer B & Customer ATHANK YOU.
-Customer B & A pretend eat meals prepared by chefs-

-Customer A wave down the server-
Customer AMAY HAVE CHECK.

Server: YES. 
-Hand them the check-

Customer B: I PAY. 

Customer AREALLY? WOW. THANK YOU. 

Customer B: NO PROBLEM. 

-Customer B Pays the Server-
-Server picks up the check-

Server: THANK YOU FOR COME-IN. HOPE SEE BOTH-OF-YOU NEXT TIME.

- Customer B & Customer A waves good-bye to server-


Until Next Time...
Vocabulary and sentence structure for the student's family tree, emotions, and his or her daily routines will be introduce in January. 

Lastly, I will be mailing out the students drawings to Koko the Signing Gorilla!


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Beginning Spanish, Birch Lane

Hola padres!

I wanted to do a brief recap of what we have been doing in Spanish class these last couple of months! All of your children are always cheerful and intelligent; it is my pleasure to work with each one of them. Here are a few of the vocabulary words they have learned, hope it helps you practice Spanish with your children! J

Los colores

Amarillo = Yellow
Anaranjado/naranja = Orange
Azul = Blue
Morado = Purple
Verde = Green
Café = Brown
Rosa = Pink
Blanco = White
Negro = Black
Dorado = Gold
Plateado = Silver


Las figuras

Circulo = circle
Triangulo = triangle
Rectangulo = rectangle
Diamante = diamond
Trapezoide = trapezoid
Cilindro = cylinder
Estrella = star
Corazón = heart
Ovalo = oval
Hexagono = hexagon
Pentagono = pentagon
Octagono = octagon

Los números

1 = uno                                                  
2 = dos
3 = tres
4 = cuatro
5 = cinco
6 = seis
7 = siete
8 = ocho
9 = nueve
10 = diez                                                 
11 = once
12 = doce
13 = trece
14 = catorce
15 = quince
16 = dieciseis
17 = diecisiete
18 = dieciocho
19 = diecinueve
20 = veinte
21 = veintiuno
22 = ventidos
23 = veintitres
24 = veinticuatro
25 = veinticinco
26 = veintiseis
27 = veintisiete
28 = veintiocho
29 = veintinueve
30 treinta


40 = cuarenta
50 = cincuenta

Los útiles

Tijeras = scissors
Papel = paper
Lápiz = pencil
Lapicera/pluma/bolígrafo = pen
Colores = colors
Borrador = eraser
Marcadores = markers
Carpeta = folder
Cuadernos/libreta = notebook
Libros = books
Pegamento/resistol = glue

Los animales

Gato = cat
Perro = dog
Caballo = horse
Tortuga = turtle
Oso = bear
Aguila = eagle
Ballena = whale
Tigre = tiger
Lobo = wolf
Delfin = dolphin
Pingüino = penguin
Pájaro = bird
Pez = fish
Jirafa = giraffe



La comida



Frutas/Verduras = fruits/vegetables
Manzana = apple
Piña = pineapple
Pera = pear
Uvas = grapes
Duraznos = peaches
Fresas = strawberries
Platanos = banans
Mangos
Tomates = tomatoes
Pepinos = cucumber
Cebolla = onion
Col = cabbage
Lechuga = lettuce
Espinaca = spinach



El desayuno = breakfast
Huevos = eggs
Leche = milk
Pan tostado = toasted bread
Jugo de naranja = orange juice
Jugo de manzana = apple juice
Salchicha = sausage
Tocino = bacon
Jamón = ham
Hot-cakes


Las partes del cuerpo = body parts
 
Cabeza = head
Hombros = shoulders
Rodillas = knees
Pies = feet
Ojos = eyes
Cejas = eyebrows
Nariz = nose
Orejas = ears
Boca = mouth
Manos = hands
Dedos = fingers
Brazos = arms
Codo = elbow
Piernas = legs

 

La familia = family

Mamá
Papá
Hermana = sister
Hermano = brother
Primo (male cousin)
Prima (female cousin)
Abuela = grandma
Abuelo = grandpa
Tío = uncle
Tía = aunt
Hijo = son
Hija = daughter






Las estaciones = seasons

Primavera = spring
Verano = summer
Otoño = Autum
Invierno = Winter
Flores = flowers
Árboles = trees
Calor = heat
Helado/frío = cold
Lluvia = rain
Hojas = leaves
Copo de nieve  = snowflake
Nieve = snow

Mono de nieve = snowman

-Maestra Elisa

Saturday, December 5, 2015

DAC Intermediate French Weeks 6-10

Bonjour à tous!

It's been while since I last posted. We've covered a lot of material over the past month or two. We've covered opposites, Halloween, parts of the body, Thanksgiving, and the months and days of the week. As we head into our final week before winter break, we will be getting into the holiday spirit and do a few celebratory activities and finish with our "er" verbs that I started last week. Here's a list of the words that we've covered during weeks 6-10.

Les contraires:

Grand(e) - big/tall Petit(e) - small/short
Bon(ne) - good Mauvais(e) - bad
Près - near Loin - far
Dedans - inside Dehors - outside
Devant - in front of Derrière - behind
Sous - under Sur - on top of
À gauche - to the left À droite - to the right
Chaud(e) - hot Froid(e) - cold
J'ai chaud - I am hot J'ai froid - I am cold
Le jour - the day La nuit - the night
Fermé(e) - closed Ouvert(e) - open
Vite - fast Lent(e) - slow
Vide - empty Plein(e) - full
Plus - more Moins - less
Beaucoup - a lot Peu - little
Avant - before Après - after
Avec - with Sans - without
Vieux/vieille - old Jeune - young

L'Halloween: la sorcière, le fantôme, le soir, le ciel, le nuage, la lune, gris(e), sortir, j'ai peur, tu as peur, les méchants esprits, le monstre, le squelette, la peur, la citrouille, les bonbons, le chaudron, la chauve-souris, le hibou

During Halloween week, I showed the kids the same video that we watched last year. I've already posted the video and lyrics in this blog, but for the sake of simplicity, here it is again (without the refrain):


Les sorcières sortent le soir / The witches go out at night
Les fantômes aussi / The ghosts too
Le ciel est tout noir / The sky is all black
Les nuages sont gris / The clouds are gray
Est-ce que tu as peur / Are you afraid
Des méchants esprits? / Of mean spirits?
Ô Monsieur, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui! / Oh sir, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

Pendant l'Halloween / During Halloween
Tu peux être ce que tu veux / You can be what you want
Un tigre féroce / A ferocious tiger
Ou un serpent bleu / Or a blue snake
Il se fait tard / It is getting late
Rentres-tu à la maison? / Are you going back home?
Ô Madame, non, non, non, non, non! / Oh ma'am, no, no, no, no, no!

La lune, elle est pleine / The moon, it is full
Le hibou, il crie / The owl, it screeches
De toutes les branches / From all the branches
Pendent des chauve-souris /Hang some bats
Est-ce que tu as peur / Are you afraid
De cette nuit? / Of this night?
Ô Madame, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui! / Oh ma'am, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

Les parties du corps: la tête (the head), les cheveux (the hair), le cou (the neck), l'épaule (the shoulder), le bras (the arm), le coude (the elbow), la main (the hand), le doigt (the finger), la jambe (the leg), le genou (the knee), le pied (the foot), l'orteil (the toe), l'ongle (the nail), la queue (the tail), l'aile (the wing), le ventre (the belly/tummy), le dos (the back), le muscle (the muscle), la peau (the skin), le sang (the blood), l'os (the bone), le poumon (the lung), le foie (the liver), le rein (the kidney), le cerveau (the brain), nu(e) (naked), chauve (bald)

I showed this simply yet funny video when we were covering body parts. The kids got a hoot out of the wiggly muscles.


Tu as deux mains et deux pieds / You have two hands and two feet
Tu as deux jambes et un nez / You have two legs and one nose
Tu as une ventre et un dos / You have a belly and a back
Et des muscles sous la peau / And some muscles under the skin
Tu as une tête et un cou / You have one head and one neck
Deux oreilles et deux genoux / Two ears and two knees
Tu as deux yeux et deux joues / You have two eyes and two cheeks
Une bouche qui mange tout, et / A mouth that eats everything, and
Sous ta peau il y a des os / Under your skin, there is some bones
Des petits et des gros / Some small [ones] and some bigs [ones]
Des os, des os, il en faut / Bones, bones, we need them
C'est parce que tu as des os que... / It's because you have bones that
Tu as deux mains et deux pieds / You have two hands and two feet

...et ainsi de suite

One peculiar thing about the French word for bone "os" is that its singular and plural forms, thought spelled the same, are pronounced completely differently. When used as a singular noun, it has an open "o" and the "s" is pronounced...the phonetic transcription would be /ɔs/. When used as a plural noun, the "o" is a closed vowel and the "s" is silent, pronounced /o/.

We divided the body parts unit into two weeks, the first of which we covered the basic body parts, the second of which we did some review and covered some of the items that we had missed, notably the organs and some of the facial features. Here are the words related to the face that we have covered thus far. Note that the French word "langue" (tongue) is the same as the word for language. And the word "dent" makes you think of going to the dentist! One other weird singular-plural transformation is the word "œil" (eye), which becomes "yeux" (eyes) in the plural form!

Le visage: l'œil (the eye), les yeux (the eyes), le cil (the eyelash), le sourcil (the eyebrow), la paupière (the eyelid), l'oreille (the ear), la joue (the cheek), le nez (the nose), la bouche (the mouth), la lèvre (the lip), la langue (the tongue), le dent (the tooth)

We did a few artsy activities during this unit, which also allowed us to review the animals. The first was an animal with three heads and two wings. The third was a bear without a brain (although according to the kids, brains falling out counts as no brain).

Un animal avec trois têtes et deux ailes.

Chloé et Victoria en train de dessiner.
Un ours sans cerveau...en principe...

Thanksgiving: la famille (the family), le pèlerin (the pilgrim), le repas (the meal), la fête (the celebration), la citrouille (the pumpkin), la tarte aux pommes (the apple pie), la purée (the mashed potatoes), la dinde (the turkey), donner (to give), manger (to eat)

Les mois de l'année: janvier (January), février (February), mars (March), avril (April), mai (May), juin (June), juillet (July), août (August), septembre (September), octobre (October), november (November), décembre (December)

Les jours de la semaine: lundi (Monday), mardi (Tuesday), mercredi (Wednesday), jeudi (Thursday), vendredi (Friday), samedi (Saturday), dimanche (Sunday)

On a side note, I'm surprised at how much the kids learn without even realizing it. Sometimes it takes a lot of prodding to get it out of them, but they are very smart! I will make another blog post very, very soon, within the next week, but until then, stay warm!

À lundi!