Next Step en Français 207: Learning at My School - Episode 207

Information for the Teacher

From the time they enter kindergarten, at age three, until they complete high school, French students go through four different schools.

1. L’école maternelle     3 to 5 years old
2. L’école primaire     6 to 10 years old
3. Le C.E.S. (collège d’enseignement secondaire) 11 to 14 years old
4. Le lycée      15 to 18 years old

Description of the Video Lesson

Mme. Dubois is at the board. She draws certain school objects on the board that the children have to guess: a book, a ruler, a pencil, scissors, an eraser, some glue. She also tells them what you do with them: you read, measure, write, cut, erase and glue.

Video Clips    
At school, Months, School subjects

Mme. Dubois asks the children what their favorite school subject is. Matt prefers art, Lauren soccer and Ryan math. Mme. Dubois then teaches the children how to measure in centimeters: a hand, a foot, a knee, a book and a crayon box. Then they ask Mme. Dubois what her favorite class in school was. It was music.

Video Clips   
At school, Fractions,         Counting apples (21-25)

Matt has to leave. The two girls left have cleaned up for the teacher. Mme. Dubois then explains to them how you compare things or people in French. They compare each other’s height, hands and mouths. Mme. Dubois has the biggest mouth.

Song
Nous aimons l’école (We like school)

Video Clip
School Supplies

le crayon         le livre             le papier         les ciseaux la règle   la colle lis dessine      colle

écris                découpe          efface              mesure compte

Follow-up Activities

1. Use the Next Step French Again video lesson to review the emphasized vocabulary.
2. Create cut outs with the name of each month. Then scramble them and have the students put them back in order.
3. Have the kids make a classroom 12-month calendar in French. Depending on the size of your class, assign one month to a pair of children. They need to illustrate each month with something representative of that month. After the children are done with their month, you can either tape the 12 months separately on the wall or staple them together to create a calendar.
4. Using the calendar the children made, go over the date every day, in French. You will ask “Quelle est la date?” The children will say the day, either “lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, or dimanche”, then le (number) (month).
5. Hot/Cold Pronunciation Game: Create a flashcard for each school supply vocabulary item. Choose a student to go out into the hall, while one of the cards is hidden. When student re- enters to search for the hidden card, the class says the vocabulary word LOUDER as the student gets progressively closer to it. (Ensure that students use the vocabulary word, in lieu of “hot/cold”, in order to practice their vocabulary pronunciation.)
6. After these follow-up activities, let students view the video lesson again so they can respond and practice with the children in the lesson.

Supplemental Activities

1. Each child creates a weekly calendar. Children fill it in with their weekly school schedule. Have them put art, music, PE, computer, Math, French (in French).
2. Teacher or children can ask each other “Qu’est-ce que tu prends le (day)?” (What do you take on   ?). Student responds “Je prends.....” (I take...) l’arte (art), l’education physique (P.E.), la musique (music), les maths (math) le français (French), etc.
3. Have children measure classroom objects in centimeters and tell you in French how many centimeters the object measures.
4. Group several classroom objects (books, pencils, rulers, crayons). Ask “Il y a combien de?” (How many            are there?) Students respond in French.
5. Have a grid with removable numbers. Take one number out at the time. Ask which number is missing or “Quel numéro manque?” Children respond in French.
6. Roll 2 or 3 dice. Have kids tell you total number was rolled.