French

May 18, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

Can you believe that this is the last week of classes for this year? Thank you so much for taking the time to practice French at home. I hope that it has been an enjoyable experience for you! We will finish the year with a little more practice with our nature vocabulary. Get ready for a fun song and an awesome scavenger hunt!

Please know that I miss you and that I wish you all the best for this summer break! I hope I will “see” you at the fun End-of-Year Events next week!!

Au revoir!

-Madame Ibarra

Week Nine, Session One:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. (K)
  • Watch this video of Madame Ibarra talking about things you will see during springtime. Do the actions with her to practice the vocabulary!
  • Watch this video of the song that Louis and Josée sing about spring! As you watch, listen for the vocabulary words that we have learned!
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

Week Nine, Session Two:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. (K)
  • Watch this video of Madame Ibarra and her children completing a scavenger hunt outdoors!
  • Now it’s your turn to go on a scavenger hunt! Print out this document or copy it on a separate sheet of paper. Read it to a family member and make sure that you understand what it says. Then, go outdoors and find the things for each square! When you find one, place it on the proper square. When you’re done finding all of the items, take a picture of your sheet with all of your treasures and send it to me!!
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

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May 11, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

Wasn’t it fun to learn about some of the beautiful things you can find outside in nature? This week we will continue our outdoor exploration. Our first lesson will be held via Zoom, and you will need to prepare a Bingo game beforehand. The second lesson will feature another story performed by last year’s second grade. I hope you enjoy it- they did a great job!

-Madame Ibarra

Week Eight, Session One:

This lesson will be held via Zoom. I will email the link to parents. Beforehand, please prepare this Bingo game. If you don’t have a printer, you can create your own on a blank sheet of paper. Just draw a 3×3 grid and write a different vocabulary word from this list in each space. Mix them up- don’t just write them in the order in which they appear on the handout, or else everyone’s Bingo board will be the same! Also be sure to have nine pennies or buttons on hand to use as Bingo markers! Can’t wait to “see” you soon!!

Week Eight, Session Two:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. (K)
  • Watch this video about pollination and a flower family who is helped by a bee and a butterfly. 
  • Play this online flashcard game to practice this week’s vocabulary (this set contains the target vocabulary from the story). Click on the flashcard to hear the sentence and see a picture of the meaning. You can also play practice games by clicking on the links to the left of the page.
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

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May 4, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

Thank you so much to those who joined me during our Zoom meeting last week! It was truly a delight to see my students and to have class with them. I hope that they had fun practicing farm animal sounds in French! For the reminder of the year, we will be studying nature vocabulary. By the end of the unit, I would like for students to be able to identify natural items they can see, hear, smell and touch when they are exploring outside. Just in time for warm, sunny Spring weather!

Take care,

Madame Ibarra

Week Seven, Session One:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. 
  • Watch this video of Madame Ibarra exploring the garden. What does she see, hear, smell and touch? Don’t forget to do the actions with her when she introduces key vocabulary words! 
  • Play this online flashcard game to practice the vocabulary. Click on the flashcard to hear the sentence and see a picture of the meaning. You can also play practice games by clicking on the links to the left of the page.
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

Week Seven, Session Two:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson.
  • Watch this video of a story about a nice bunny in the garden. This story was acted out by last year’s second graders! I hope you enjoy it!
  • Draw a garden scene with four or more of the vocabulary words listed on this document. Label those objects in French!
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

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April 27, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

I hope you enjoyed the story about the kitten and the farm animals and that playing the flashcard games was fun for you! Don’t forget that repetition is very important when learning a language, so play with the vocabulary as many times as you want and in different ways, whenever you can! This week we will continue to learn about farm animals, including the sounds that they make. Did you know that animal sounds are often imitated differently in different languages? For example, French speakers imitate the rooster by saying “Cocorico!” instead of “Cock-a-doodle-dooo!” I hope you enjoy this week’s lessons! 

**NEW THIS WEEK: I am sending one lesson for you to do BEFORE we meet for the second lesson, which will be held virtually via Zoom!** I will email the link to parents early this week.

Can’t wait to “see” you soon! -Madame Ibarra 

Week Six, Session One:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. (K)
  • Watch this video about a little chick who is looking for his parents.
  • Watch this super-funny video and dance and sing along! You can watch it once at normal playback speed and then slow it down so that it is easier to understand by clicking on the “settings” button (which looks like a gear), and choosing “.75 speed.”
  • To prepare for our virtual Zoom lesson, draw one farm animal from this list of animals, on a blank sheet of paper. Please draw a conversation bubble and write the sound that the animal makes in French as well. Be sure to have your drawing handy but not to show it until instructed to do so during our meeting! 
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

Week Six, Session Two:

For our second lesson, we will meet via Zoom! The lesson should last about 20 minutes, and the class will be recorded and saved.. Please click on the link that I will send to you via email. There will be a “waiting room,” so please be patient as I let everyone in. Merci!

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April 20, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Spring Break! So far I have not received any feedback from Kindergarten families. Please let me know if there is anything I can do or change to make French class the best that it can be for your child. I would love to hear from you!  This week we will learn about les animaux de la ferme (farm animals). Have fun!

Sincerely,

Madame Ibarra

Week Five, Session One:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson.
  • Use the following document for reference: Farm Animals 
  • Watch this video of a story about a kitten who discovers the other farm animals.
  • Watch and listen to this chant titled “Qu’est-ce qu’il y a à la ferme?” (What is at the farm?) and practice farm animals by chanting along. 
  • Draw a farm and four of your favorite farm animals and label them in French. You can email a photo of it to me if you would like me to check your work. 
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

Week Five, Session Two:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. (K)
  • Use the following document for reference: Farm Animals 
  • Watch this video and practice the farm animal vocabulary by seeing examples of various flashcard games. Then make your own flashcards using this document. Please note, the flashcard document has two pages- one has the vocabulary words on it and one does not. This is so that you can choose whether or not to have the words for your reference as you play. When you play Memory, one set will have the words and one set will not.
  • Play the flashcard games with your family, and don’t forget to use the vocab sheet as a reference if needed. 
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson. 

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April 6, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

I hope that you enjoyed practicing wild animal vocabulary last week! This week you will discover a mystery animal and listen to a story about that special animal. Next week will be our Spring Break, so there will not be any French lessons. 

I would really appreciate it if you could give me some feedback about French class so far. Do you think the lessons and activities are an appropriate length and level? Do you enjoy having two lessons per week, or would it be more feasible to do one? Are there any activities you would like to do or topics you would like to learn about? I will spend some time planning over the break and will definitely take into consideration any and all feedback that I get from families.

Merci beaucoup!

Madame Ibarra

Week Four, Session One

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. 
  • Watch this video about a mystery animal. Pay attention to the clues Madame Ibarra gives and try to figure out which animal it is!
  • Watch this video of a song from Congo in Lingala and French. Review the following actions and then dance along to the song. Have fun! Here are the actions you will do: 
    • Mets-toi à plat ventre! = get on your belly
    • Avance à quatre pattes! = crawl on all fours
    • Tu nages sous l’eau = you swim underwater
    • Je vois tes gros yeux = I see your big eyes
    • Ouvre grand la bouche = open your mouth up wide
    • Montre-moi tes dents = show me your teeth

Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

Week Four, Session Two

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson. 
  • Watch this video of a story about a crocodile making friends. 
  • Imagine an awesomely beautiful animal, whatever your heart desires! Draw and color this special animal and label the colors that you use in French. Use this Color Vocab sheet as a reference. Take a picture and email it to me!

Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

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March 30, 2020

Dear Kindergarten families,

Bonjour! I hope that this message finds you well as we continue our distance learning. This week we will be studying wild animals! Please do not hesitate to let me know how French is going for your child. I am happy to adapt my lessons according to the feedback I get from families. You can email me at aibarra@fredericksburgacademy.org. 

Have a wonderful week!

-Madame Ibarra

Week Three, Session One:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson.
  • Open the following document to use as reference: Wild Animal Vocabulary
  • Watch this story about a bunny’s adventures in the jungle! 
  • Draw your favorite animal from the story and write “J’aime _______” (write the name of the animal in French, referring to the vocab sheet)
  • Optional activity: Look at the vocab sheet and tell a family member which animals you like and which animals you don’t like, in French! For example, “J’aime le singe. Je n’aime pas le lion.”
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.

Week Three, Session Two:

  • Sing the “Bonjour” song to begin the lesson.
  • Open the following documents to use as a reference: Wild Animal Vocabulary
  • Watch this video of Madame Ibarra’s kids playing Jacques a dit (Simon Says). Make sure to do the actions with us as you watch the video, and then play with your family! Can you record a video and send it to me?
  • Now watch this video of her children going on a safari hunt.
  • Go on a wild animal hunt around the house with your family. What wild animals did you find? (Stuff animals, plastic toys, etc). Now you or your family member will hide these animals around the house or, even better, in your backyard, and you can go on a safari hunt! When you find an animal, say: “Bonjour _________” (name of the animal).
  • Sing the “Au revoir” song to finish the lesson.