Many notes!

Please be sure to check the communication folder tonight, there were many notes distributed today.
A few conversation starters...

• What are you working on in art?
• What sound are you working on? Can you remember some words with that sound in it? ('ou')
• What happens in the book L'arbre aux ballons?
• What did you have to do in your last math interview?
• Who played the piano today?
• What was our surprise at the end of the day Friday?

... and one question you can help your child think about, in preparation for next week:
What are some special moments that have happened in your life so far?
(e.g., going on a trip, getting a baby brother/sister, moving homes, taking a first step etc.)

Have a great weekend!

Audio Resources on this Blog

Happy Wednesday!

I thought it might be good to introduce you to a few of the resources that I have linked to this blog, which you may not have checked out yet. Several resources in the Language section have a French audio component, which is really great for developing vocabulary. They are definitely worth a look! In class, at least 2 students use the computers every day. When it is their turn, I help them get started on one of these sites.

Centre Soleil
When you click on Centre Soleil, you immediately meet Carmen who sings an introductory song. She speaks to you using fairly simple language, and not too fast. I think many children will understand her instructions, but if not, it's an easy site to navigate. You can colour, play games, or read stories. When you click on the bookshelf, you then have the choice of 3 books to read with Carmen. Once you've clicked on the book you want, she asks you if you want her to read you the story, or, if you want to play with the pictures and the words. If you ask her to read to you, the words light up, karaoke-style, so you can follow along. If you ask to play with the words, you can click on underlined words to hear them, or click on the pictures to hear the associated word. This is an amazing site!

Themed Dictionary
When you click on Themed Dictionary, you get a list of themes (e.g., l'école, l'hiver, l'alphabet etc.). When you select a theme, there are pictures of commonly used words for that theme. As you run the mouse over them, it will say the name of the object to you. This is very simple for learning vocabulary at home.

Grade 1 Vocab (with audio)
When you click on Grade 1 Vocab (with audio) you see a user-friendly menu with choices like songs, sight-words, the sounds of the alphabet and much more. Click on the image beside the choice to continue. If you select sight-words, the numbers, or the alphabet (possibly others), you just scroll over the word Écoute, and it will speak to you. Click Prochain to move on to the next word. If you select songs and poems, it will give you another list of choices to listen to. Again, this sight is great for beginners, and children can probably use it independently after they know how to get on.

BBC French
When you click on BBC French, you are taken to a visual menu where you can select what you want to hear, they have the numbers from 0 - 21, and other key phrases, such as "Quel âge as-tu?" What I like about this site is that it is children speaking, and each bit of spoken text is accompanied by a little animation which makes it fun to watch and understand.

The other fun site is Stories with Sam, however, all the children have now had a turn on this site, so I don't think I need to explain it. This site is super fun for them, there are videos with French narration, and games to play. The only drawback is that there is no written text with the videos, so you can't follow the words while you listen. Still fun though, and there is more variety of stories on this site than any other. Also check out the Toronto Public Library site, linked. They have a "Hear a Story" section, and if you follow the prompts, you can find French stories on there too!

I hope that this encourages you to check out these sites and use them at home. I know that a long list of links seems like a lot to explore, so I thought giving you a little tour might help you decide where you want to begin.

Have fun!

Bonne Année!

Happy New Year and welcome back!

First, thank you again for all the treats. I was really spoiled by this class with beautiful gifts and delicious chocolate! Wow!

This week we are finishing up a few things so that we can move on to new units. We are doing some math check-ups on the data management unit we spent last month on and we are doing a bit more graphing, specifically of pictographs. Ask your child what the difference is between a pictogramme (the one with the pictures) and a diagramme à bandes (the one with the towers)! Next week we will move on to some geometry.

We are also going to finish up our social studies unit, where we have been discussing families, friends, and activities that we do together. We have a few more puppet presentations to do on that topic and then we will jump right into our second science unit on structures in the community.

In language, I would like to spend a bit more time having group discussions and developing vocabulary for the units we're working on, for example, right now we can work on learning what our winter clothes are called in French, and what buildings in the community are called in French. It's time for us to do more of our in-class talking in French!

The new words of the week are:

on, suis, sur, sous, pizza, jeudi

I had the class draw a table with "sur" on top and "sous" underneath so that they would remember what those two often-confused words mean. Remember - "sur" makes the tight 'u' fish noise, while "sous" makes a rounder 'oo'.

This week we have new desk spots and new reading buddies. Ask your child who they sit with and who their new reading buddy is! We are also beginning a montre et raconte routine. A note will come home tomorrow explaining how it works. See advance online copy below.

I will send home the January Scholastic packages as soon as they are ready. Orders will be due back on Thursday the 17th. Thanks!

Have a great week!
Tamara

Aire 24 Montre et Raconte (Show & Tell)

Due to popular demand, we have set up the following schedule for montre et raconte. On his or her Friday, your child is invited (but not required) to bring an item to share and talk about. Occasionally, children like to show me books or items that relate to what we have been studying. This is encouraged at all times, not only on their show & tell day. Otherwise, please remember Dewson’s rule of home toys stay home. If your child is absent, or forgets, they may bring something the very next Monday, but please try not to forget – we will make this part of our Friday routine. Thanks!

vendredi le…	élèves
11 janvier	Jack, Alyssa, Max
18 janvier	Caleb, Anabel, Ella
1er février	Amara, Cassius, Edie
8 février	Gabriela, Iain, Keira
22 février	Kaylee, Liam, Maisie
1er mars	Malcolm, Mia, Nuan
8 mars	Margot, Milo, Ruby
22 mars	Seaton, Sofia, Spencer

vendredi le…	élèves
5 avril	Jack, Alyssa, Max
12 avril	Caleb, Anabel, Ella
19 avril	Amara, Cassius, Edie
26 avril	Gabriela, Iain, Keira
3 mai	Kaylee, Liam, Maisie
10 mai	Malcolm, Mia, Nuan
17 mai	Margot, Milo, Ruby
24 mai	Seaton, Sofia, Spencer