Susan Bartels
Welcome to French class. This school year will give us opportunities to learn about another language and another culture. Allons!
Madame Bartels Agenda
French IV This lovely group has been working together to decipher the adventures of a pig who is enchanted with speed and has an unfortunate experience in the countryside. It is demanding because it is fanciful and full of fun vocabulary. You might enjoy hearing about these adventures from your student.
French III students are reading Le Petit Prince, a classic by Antoinne de Saint- Exupery. This philosophical story encourages thoughtful discussions about the importance of building and maintaining friendships. It is written in French for French people so increased vocabulary and comprehension are a natural result. You might enjoy asking about two or three things that the little prince learns from the fox.
French II students are tackling a Canadian folk story about a beast with seven heads. Studying this kind of material helps students to better express themselves by using common words or phrases that help connect thoughts thus leading to more complex sentences. The text naturally includes words like, however, now, the next day, before, and at first. When students can use this type of vocabulary, they vastly improve their fluency. You might enjoy learning how the hero earns the special powers that help him defeat the beast.
French I students have been working on the idiosyncrasies of the French language. We are just finishing a study of avoir expressions. These expressions are a special set of verbs that don’t include the meaning of avoir (to have) even though avoir is the first word. They are called idiomatic expressions. Along with avoir expression, they have also been working on negative expressions. The simplest task they have mastered is the clothing vocabulary. I am happy to say that these students quickly and thoroughly grasped the vocabulary and these two complicated concepts and are ready for the quiz on Wednesday, March 25. You might enjoy learning about the fashion show we held in class and who your student represented.
Sophomore English students have just started to read To Kill a Mockingbird. This classic is a highlight of sophomore English. The story unfolds through the narration of an innocent child. This contributes charm and humor to the chilling events that make up the plot.
I will soon be asking them to take my three To Kill a Mockingbird challenges. These challenges will be good topics for conversation! I look forward to sharing this wonderful story with your student.