Sunday, December 11, 2016

K-2 French Update Quarter 2 Week 9

Bonjour tout le monde!

I hope this finds everybody enjoying the end-of-semester festivities and preparing to enjoy the holidays with family and friends.  This week we will be reviewing material to solidify it before the break.

Kindergarten:

This past week, we began a unit on weather to follow the unit on days of the week and months of the year.  We have been working through a brief book that they will eventually be putting together to take home.

Below, you will find the vocabulary we have been learning:

Il pleut.: It is raining.
Il fait froid.: It is cold outside.
Il neige.: It is snowing.
Il fait chaud.: It is hot outside.
Il fait beau.: It is nice outside.
Il y a du vent.: It is windy outside.
Il y a du soleil.: It is sunny outside.


1st/2nd Grade:

We will be wrapping up the lesson on some new verbs and classroom objects.  Below, I have have listed the poem we are learning in class, "S'il te plait," as well as some of our new vocabulary.

"S'il te plaît"

S'il te plaît, mon amie Alice
Prête-moi! Prête-moi!
Des ciseaux, un taille-crayon,
Une gomme et un crayon.
J'ai oublié ma trousse et mon cartable.
Merci, mon amie. Tu es formidable!

Un taille-crayon: A pencil sharpener
Un crayon: A pencil
Des crayons de couleur: Colored pencils
Ranger: to arrange, organize
Prendre: to take
Poser: to put down
Prêter: to lend

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a conference after the break, feel free to e-mail me at gruchames@archwaylincoln.org. Until then, joyeux fêtes et bonne année!

Sunday, December 4, 2016

K-2 French Update Week 8

Bonjour tout le monde!

The semester is wrapping up quickly, and it's wonderful to look back at the knowledge we have accumulated thus far during the year. As we close out the semester, we will be starting some new material while reviewing older concepts.

Kindergarten:

On Tuesday, we will wrap up the months and seasons unit and move on to weather.  I have been particularly impressed with the students' grasp on the names of the seasons, and I look forward to starting new material.

1st/2nd Grade:

This past week, we concluded the lesson on classroom objects and gendered objects, so we will be moving on to a unit that expands upon this classroom vocabulary with some new verbs, and a couple new objects as well.  While learning this material, we will also learn the poem "S'il te plaît," which I hope you will start hearing at home as the week goes on.

2nd Grade only:

I am still missing many signed tests.  If you have lost the original test or thrown it away by accident, please let me know.  However, returning the signed test to me does count as a grade, so please try and get them back to me as soon as possible.

Please don't hesitate to contact me at gruchames@archwaylincoln.org with any questions regarding the material.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

K-2 French Update Week 7

Bonjour tout le monde!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break full of food, family, and great memories!  This week in French, we will be picking up right where we left off and looking to finish the semester strong.

Kindergarten:

This week, we will continue with the months and the seasons.  If you still have it, feel free to use the wheel your child colored to review the vocabulary.

1st Grade:

We will continue working with classroom objects and our gendered adjectives.  Last week, we learned that if a word's article is une, which makes it a feminine noun, the adjective modifying that word typically has an -e at the end (e.g. blanche, verte, noire, bleue).  If the article is un, which indicates a masculine noun, we use the color adjectives that we learned before.  For example, a green pencil case would be une trousse verte, but a green backpack would be un cartable vert.  We will continue working with this concept through the end of the week, and we will begin lesson two of our second unit next week.

2nd Grade:

We will be covering the same material as 1st Grade (see above) with a particular emphasis on learning the written forms of the words.  Whenever we do copy work in class, I often check it and allow students to take it home with them.  If you would like to help your student practice writing and spelling the vocabulary, redoing this copy work with the class copy as a guide could be helpful.  If you are unsure about anything, please feel free to get in touch with me.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break, and I look forward to seeing your students again tomorrow!

A bientôt!
Mme Ruchames

Sunday, November 20, 2016

K-2 French Updater Week 6

Bonjour tout le monde!

This week we will mostly be reviewing our current material to solidify it before we go on Thanksgiving break.

Kindergarten:

We will be finishing up the months of the year, and we will practice with the vocabulary we have already learned on Tuesday.

1st/2nd:

We will continue reviewing the classroom objects from Unit 2, Lesson 1.  In addition, I will be introducing the concept of masculine and feminine adjectives.  The gender of the adjective depends on the noun it is modifying, and sometimes the feminine adjective is spelled differently from the masculine.  Below are the pairs with different forms, listed with the masculine first, followed by the feminine:

bleu, bleue: blue
violet, violette: purple
vert, verte: green
blanc, blanche: white
noir, noire: black

I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and enjoy the R&R weekend coming up!

A plus tard,
Mme. Ruchames

Sunday, November 13, 2016

K-2 French Update Week 5

Bonjour!

I hope this finds you at the end of an enjoyable weekend!  This past week of French, we have been getting into new material while reviewing the old, and having fun along the way.  

Kindergarten:

We just started learning the months of the year after finishing up the days of the week.  This upcoming week, we will be focusing on the seasons and the months that make them up.  If you would like to review the vocabulary with your student, he or she should have brought home a wheel that has all the months on it, as well as the seasons.  In addition, here is a link to a song we will be learning this week to reinforce the months:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoenOMxQZ60&list=PLzvm3N3P7TcqnRuGLuffXrchdLIfkoIcR&index=11

1st Grade:

Last week concluded our first unit of Les Loustics and began learning various classroom objects.  This week we will be building on that and learning a couple new colors as well.

2nd Grade:

Last week's test went well, and now we are moving on to our lesson on classroom objects.  Please note that your student must return his or her original test, signed by one parent, to me by Thursday, as well as any test corrections that have been done.

For 1st/2nd Grade:

Here is a link to a video that pronounces the vocabulary.  There are subtitles in French to follow along, and I'll include a list of the vocabulary below as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzxcbNktIA

Une trousse: a pencil holder
Des ciseaux: scissors
Un stylo: a pen
Une gomme: an eraser
Une règle: a ruler
Une colle: glue stick
Un livre: a book
Un cartable: a bag/backpack

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday, and please feel free to reach out with any questions!

Toute la meilleure,
Mme. Ruchames


Sunday, November 6, 2016

K-2 French Update Week 4

Bonjour tout le monde!

I hope this post finds you at the end of a restful, enjoyable weekend!  This past week I have started to notice some students coming out of their shells and working harder to participate as they grow more comfortable in French class.  Hopefully, this trend continues as we move forward.

Kindergarten:

For the past couple of weeks, we were working with the days of the week, and this past Friday, we started learning the months of the year.  To start with, we only learned the first six, listed below, but this week we will learn the rest of the months as well:

Janvier: January
Fevrier: February
Mars: March
Avril: April
Mai: May
Juin: June

1st Grade:

This week we wrapped up the first unit of Les Loustics!  We will still be using and reviewing the actions we learned in the last lesson, but we will now be moving on to classroom and household objects.

2nd Grade:

The test this past week concluded both lesson 5 and the first unit of Les Loustics.  We will be moving on to classroom objects this week.  You should expect to see your student's test by Thursday at the latest.  It will need to be signed at the top of the first page to let me know that you have seen it.  I did not write in the correct answers for anything your student missed on the test, since corrections will be available once again.  If your student is doing corrections on his or her test, he or she must hand them back, along with the signed original, on the class period after receiving the test.

I hope this finds you all having a restful weekend, and I look forward to another great week in French class!

A plus tard,
Mme. Ruchames

Sunday, October 30, 2016

K-2 French update Week 3

Bonjour!

After an enjoyable fall break, it has been nice to get back into a steady rhythm as we all settle back into our routines at school.  In French class, we have been diving right in and starting with fresh material which I hope your student has been sharing with you.

Kindergarten:

We have continued practicing the days of the week these past sessions, and I am proud to say that the students seem to have built a pretty solid understanding.  Please feel free to practice these with your children at home using the train craft I sent home.  If your child does not have one, please feel free to e-mail me, and I can send you either a copy to do at home or a worksheet with English translations for your benefit.

We also learned a new song, which a native French speaker told me she learned as a child.  It has been a big hit with the kids, and we always share a lot of laughter while singing it.  Here is a link to the Youtube video if you would like to share that with your student.  There should be lyrics in the video so you can sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-EQdZnoaKQ

1st/2nd Grade:

This past week we solidified our knowledge of some French verbs by doing, reading, and saying them.  Your students have been doing a great job practicing with them, and we have gotten to review songs from previous lessons as well.  This upcoming week, we will conclude our first unit of the book and review colors and shapes as well.

2nd Grade only: 

We will have a test on Thursday on the verbs from Lesson 5, as well as the colors and shapes we learned in the previous lesson.  Your student should have the worksheet with the leaves on it, which has all the colors they will need to know.  In my last blog post, I had listed the vocabulary for the shapes, but here it is again:

un triangle: a triangle
un rectangle: a rectangle
un rond: a circle
un carré: a square

In addition, your student has a homework assignment due this Monday.  I will check it for completion during Monday's class, but will allow them to hold onto it in order to study.  Below are some links to Youtube videos with the pronunciation of the vocabulary:

For pronunciation of the actions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf-Zqn1LI-Q&list=PLzvm3N3P7TcqnRuGLuffXrchdLIfkoIcR&index=12

For pronunciation of the colors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkQGN86qTag

On this video, we did not learn rose (pink) or brun (brown), and it excludes violet (purple).  You would pronounce violet as follows: vee'-oh-lay.

As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, or if you would like more practice material for your student.  I would also like to note that some students in 1st and 2nd grade still do not have their workbooks.  Since a lot of the activities utilize stickers found in the back of the book, your child cannot fully participate without it.

I hope this finds you having a restful weekend, and I will see you around campus!

Toute la meilleure,
Mme. Ruchames

Friday, October 28, 2016

2nd Grade Test Thursday 11/3!

Bonjour!

Just a quick update to let you know that there will be a French test for 2nd grade on Thursday, November 3rd.  The test will cover the actions (as explained in my previous post) as well as the following colors and shapes:

bleu: blue
jaune: yellow
vert:green
violet:purple
rouge:red
orange:orange
blanc: white
noir: black

un carré: a square 
un rectangle: a rectangle
un triangle: a triangle
un rond: a circle

We will review in class on Monday, but expect a blog post before then with some study tools to use in preparation for the test.

A plus tard!
Mme. Ruchames

Sunday, October 23, 2016

K-2 French Week 1-2

Bonjour tout le monde!

First of all, welcome back after what I hope was a restful, enjoyable fall break!  This past week we have been getting back into the swing of French and starting some new material all around.

Kindergarten:

On Friday, we began learning the days of the week, and you all should have seen the train that they made in class.  If you are interested in going over those days of the week with your child, please remember that the French week starts with Monday (Lundi) and continues until Sunday (Dimanche).  This week we will continue solidifying the days of the week and will also learn some Halloween vocabulary for the upcoming holiday!

1st/2nd Grade:

This week, we reviewed colors and then began the last lesson of Unit 1!  For the next week or two, your students will be learning the following phrases:

Il/Elle chante: He/she sings.
Il/Elle peint: He/she paints.
Il/Elle saute: He/she jumps.
Il/Elle téléphone: He/she talks on the phone.
Il/Elle apprends l'anglais/ le français/ l'espagnol: He/she learns English/French/Spanish
Il/Elle court: He/She runs.

As always, please don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions.  Thank you for your continued support at home, and I hope you enjoy your Sunday afternoon!

A plus tard,
Mme. Ruchames

Friday, September 9, 2016

Kindergarten French update

Bonjour!

Today wraps up another week in the adventure that is Kindergarten French.  Through a mixture of songs, poems, and other activities, we have been learning numbers through 20, as well as colors and basic greetings.  You have probably seen your children's butterflies and the poem to which they correspond.  I was very proud to see them reciting lines from memory after only one or two sessions!  "Les Papillons" was our introduction to colors, and then we expanded our color vocabulary, which culminated in singing "La chanson des couleurs" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zduapTwsSwA).

The past week or two we have been learning the numbers 1-20.  We started by counting up to five bunnies ("Un petit lapin") and then moved on to count up to 10.  We learned a brief rhyme to help remember the numbers 1-9 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db0hH90apiw), and also learned "Dix petites fleurs" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUWhcq2IDk).  On Wednesday we played bingo with the numbers we have been learning, which was good fun for all of the students.

It has been a joy working with your students so far, and I look forward to working with them further as we continue to parts of the body next week!


1st and 2nd Grade Update

Bonjour!

Looking back, it's hard to believe that we're already well into the first quarter!  Just yesterday, we finished up the second lesson in Unit 1 of Les Loustics: "Combien de doigts?"  We have been working on introducing ourselves and counting using the numbers 1-12.  For those of you who have been enjoying the CD included in the workbook, we have been singing "Je te dis bonjour!" and "1, 2, 3" during class, so I am sure your children would love to practice those whenever possible!

During class, I have noticed that some students still do not have the workbook.  While in some cases it is possible for students to share their books with another or for me to photocopy pages, class goes most smoothly when each student can do the activity for himself or herself.  Below I have listed the link to the Amazon listing of the correct book for both 1st and 2nd grade, which can be obtained fairly cheaply:

https://www.amazon.com/Loustics-Cahier-dActivites-CD-Audio-French/dp/2011559057/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473453611&sr=8-1&keywords=les+loustics+1+cahier+d%27activites

It has been a joyful time seeing your students begin to thrive in the immersion environment.  Please keep encouraging them to listen carefully and to keep an open mind during class.  I look forward to continuing our exploration of French language and culture together!

2ND GRADE ONLY: We will be having our first quiz on Wednesday, September 14th.  This quiz will cover the identification of the Legrand family (the characters on the matching homework from a couple weeks ago) and the numbers 1-12.  Your student should know how to recognize the written numbers as well as the connection between the numerals and the spoken words.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Bonjour!

Hello to all the parents out there, and welcome to Archway Lincoln!  I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to teach your students French this year, and hopefully they will enjoy it as much as I do.  I graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Arts in French in 2013, an experience that allowed me to familiarize myself with a wide and rich canon of literature, to travel to France, and to immerse myself in a new culture.  These experiences have helped shape who I am today, and I can't wait to share them with your child!

On this blog, you'll find weekly updates about what we are doing in class.  Any test dates will be posted here for your reference, as well as the general concepts that we will cover for the week.  If you ever have any questions that are not answered here, please e-mail me at GRuchames@ArchwayLincoln.org and I will be happy to answer them.  I hope your preparations for this school year are full of joy, and I look forward to meeting you all, as well as your children, in the upcoming week.

Toute la meilleure,
Mme. Ruchames