Videos are an amazing resource in the second-language classroom. I am constantly amazed at how something that takes less than ten minutes can have such an impact on the students! The videos we watch in class amuse us, make us think, and most important of all, get us talking!
The first video I am posting today is a favourite of the six to eight classes, called "Foux Da Fafa". Before watching this particular Flight of the Conchords video, we had a great discussion about stereotypes. The students helped me brainstorm lists of French and Canadian stereotypes, and we had an excellent conversation about whether stereotypes are true and false (all in French, bien sûr!). Then we watched the video, and tried to see how many stereotypes they managed to cram in there! I'd be interested to see how many stereotypes you can find!
The second video is from a series that is VERY popular with the five to eight classes - Têtes à claques! There are lots of videos out there, but the students' favourites tend to be those involving two school-aged children and the trouble they get into, and the frustration they cause their teachers and neighbours. They are an excellent resource to use to hear the Québec accent! This video is probably my favourite, as it certainly presents a new way of thinking about those pesky word problems in Math!
The third video I am linking to today is Téléfrançais. The grade one to six classes enjoy this 80's classic, with Ananas, M. Pourquoi (Superdétective) and les Squelettes (a rock band). You can catch the first episode here.
I will post more videos later - the students all have different favourites! What about you? Do you have any great French videos that you like to watch?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
La musique, c'est très importante!
In French class, we listen to a lot of music. It's a great and fun way of exposing the students to different accents, cultures, and ideas. I thought today I'd post three songs that the kids really enjoy listening to. By request, these ones most often make an appearance during seat work, and it's not unusual to hear the class singing along.
The first song is J'aime la vie, by Billy Obam. We first listened to this song last year, right before March Break. It's come to mean quite a lot to the students, and its positive message of what is really important in life definitely struck a chord with them. So much so, that I emailed M. Obam to let him know how much we enjoyed his music in class, and he emailed back - twice!
The second song has a retro feel, and the the students (and the Grade Six class in particular) enjoy Soulman, by Ben L'Oncle Soul. The video itself is also very cool, but we don't watch it often, as the students are usually working while they are listening!
The third song I am posting today is our most recent addition to our class playlist - the French version of Party Rock Anthem by PA Beaudoin. I will admit that there is a lot of singing (and perhaps a bit of dancing) accomplished when this one makes the rotation!
The first song is J'aime la vie, by Billy Obam. We first listened to this song last year, right before March Break. It's come to mean quite a lot to the students, and its positive message of what is really important in life definitely struck a chord with them. So much so, that I emailed M. Obam to let him know how much we enjoyed his music in class, and he emailed back - twice!
The second song has a retro feel, and the the students (and the Grade Six class in particular) enjoy Soulman, by Ben L'Oncle Soul. The video itself is also very cool, but we don't watch it often, as the students are usually working while they are listening!
The third song I am posting today is our most recent addition to our class playlist - the French version of Party Rock Anthem by PA Beaudoin. I will admit that there is a lot of singing (and perhaps a bit of dancing) accomplished when this one makes the rotation!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Have you visited the French room?
If you haven't had a chance to come visit us in the French room (or are a little intimidated by that ligne magique!), then feel free to check out our classroom on YouTube. You will even hear an explanation of how a regular class period runs! Just click here: Mme Croyle's French Classroom at Lee Academy
Bienvenue and Welcome!
Welcome to my classroom blog! I am excited to post some of the amazing work that my students do, and I hope that you will enjoy browsing this blog and seeing what we do in class.
Here at Lee Academy, we use the AIM (Accelerative Integrated Method) to teach French. This means that our French lessons are conducted entirely in French (well, maybe there's some franglais to be found from time to time!) and we use gestures to accompany every word, to help the students better understand. The units are story-based, as opposed to the traditional theme-based approach. We also use a "pared down language" to effectively and simply communicate. If you're interested in the AIM, you can find more information here on AIM Language Learning's Official Website, or here on About.com's AIM information page.
Our students start French in Junior Kindergarten and have French class for 20 minutes every day. This routine continues into Senior Kindergarten. In Grades One and Two, the students get a 40 minute lesson every other day. Grades Three and Four get three 40 minute lessons every four days, and Grades Five to Eight get French for 40 minutes every day.
The main goal of this blog is to post student work. My students work very hard, and produce amazing work! So, consider this the French class version of your refrigerator at home. I don't have magnets to post their papers, but I think this blog just may work the same way!
Here at Lee Academy, we use the AIM (Accelerative Integrated Method) to teach French. This means that our French lessons are conducted entirely in French (well, maybe there's some franglais to be found from time to time!) and we use gestures to accompany every word, to help the students better understand. The units are story-based, as opposed to the traditional theme-based approach. We also use a "pared down language" to effectively and simply communicate. If you're interested in the AIM, you can find more information here on AIM Language Learning's Official Website, or here on About.com's AIM information page.
Our students start French in Junior Kindergarten and have French class for 20 minutes every day. This routine continues into Senior Kindergarten. In Grades One and Two, the students get a 40 minute lesson every other day. Grades Three and Four get three 40 minute lessons every four days, and Grades Five to Eight get French for 40 minutes every day.
The main goal of this blog is to post student work. My students work very hard, and produce amazing work! So, consider this the French class version of your refrigerator at home. I don't have magnets to post their papers, but I think this blog just may work the same way!
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