Susan Bartels
Welcome to French class. This school year will give us opportunities to learn about another language and another culture. Allons!
The next few weeks with Madame Bartels agenda
French IV students will be reading a French history book called Tresors du Temps and some imaginative stories, but the emphasis will be on speaking. Students can expect to summarize history lessons, to discuss why these historical events are important and to write an imaginative story along with daily check-ins to gain fluency.
French III students will be reading and translating short stories from Le Petit Nicolas, a series of short stories about French preschool that is narrated by a preschooler. This book is the first book that they have studied that was written for French speaking people. It combines the many verb tenses and grammar concepts that we have studied previously. The vocabulary is very challenging for the first few stories because it is not a graded reader, it is an authentic French book. Students will enact one of the stories, draw story boards for others and make vocabulary quizzes for each other.
French II students will be working on the imperfect (imparfait ) verb tense. This tense describes actions in progress in the past, repeated actions in the past and descriptions in the past. The formation is easy but deciding when to use this tense is not always easy. Students will be doing a number of activities to make the usage clear. The final one is a timeline for each individual.
French I students will be busy learning greetings, common questions, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, and weather expressions. They are also learning some common verbs and the names of animals. We use songs and chants and daily checks for understanding. On Friday September 6, students will need to show me a three ring binder. This is essential for keeping organized notes from French class. When I give notes, I explain where they should be in the binder. (I have binders if a student does not have one.) Students will need to be able to recite the subject pronouns to me orally. We also practice this every day in class. Near the end of September, there will be a written quiz about verbs, common questions and numbers. I will let the students know the exact date when I feel that they are ready for the quiz.
English II
We will be reading I Heard the Owl Call My Name. Students will learn about the native Kwakiutl culture. The final assignment will be a comparison of one of the aspects of the Kwakiutl culture with the individual’s culture. There are daily assignments and class discussions to check for understanding. Parents can ask students about the ordinary daily lives of the Kwakiutls. How are their lives the same as the students’ lives and how are their lives different. What are some of the Kwakiutl values? How do people earn respect?