Sixth Grade French Class, Bonjour et bienvenue !
Welcome to the French class, and congratulations on your choice of French as a foreign language.
I am Madame Chambers, I am a citizen of France and I have been living in the United States for ten years now. My family originates from Morocco, which makes my background very diverse: a mixture of European, African, and now American cultures. I speak four different languages and I have a passion for traveling abroad.
The class will be in French and you will be immersed in the language the first week of school. We will study French culture by me giving you insights about my country’s traditions in art, music, literature, and many more subjects.
In our exciting exploration, you will be challenged to use French in many ways. We will be listening, speaking, writing, acting, and surfing the web a lot. While the study of language is exciting, occasionally, it can be frustrating. Never be discouraged; it is a natural part of the learning process, and I am here to help you through it. (NB: Your teacher, me, Madame Chambers, is still learning English so, we are all in the same boat!)
French is a vibrant language spoken by over 300 million people all over the world in over 50 countries. It is a very powerful language and it is the official language of many international organizations such as the United Nation, European Union and even the International Committee of Olympic games. Did you know that French was the second most influential language in the world after English?
IN THE CLASSROOM:
Participation is very important when you learn a foreign language. You will need to try to speak as much as possible to make your French better, but I will not expect you to speak until you are comfortable. As an ex-English student, I understand how some of you might feel.
In the classroom:
- Participate! Participate!
- Speak French when addressing the teacher and your classmates. I will give you plenty of key phrases to use that will help you with this.
- Be responsible; turn in all work on time.
- Be on time, prepared and excited to learn
HOME PREPARATION:
You are expected to be prepared before class. Activities at home reinforce what we work on in the classroom. It is a good practice that helps you to work independently at and will help you have a rewarding and productive experience.
Home assignments will be due on the following class (unless otherwise stated) and will include the following:
- Practicing using the new vocabulary online daily by listening and repeating. You can also practice using new expressions with a friend using Skype for example!
- Completing online interactive assignments through the textbook website and other websites listed on the class portal
- Completing assigned written exercises in the workbook, Cahier d'exercices.
- Writing and correcting compositions
Please check the online PCR page for home assignments work, as well as useful links to review or practice on my portal page.
CLASS ASSESSMENTS:
To validate our new vocabulary, you will have a set of new words and expressions to review and practice on every day. You will have different class activities to give us an idea on how well you:
- Express yourself orally and in writing: L’expression orale et écrite
- Understand small written messages in French: La compréhension de l’écrit
- Comprehend native speakers in small conversations through online exercises with questions to answer: La comprehension de l’oral
These activities will be given throughout our units or when I feel the class is ready. Class assignments will be visible on PCR marked as “E” for evaluation. Note that sometime it is possible that activities could be given to you without prior notice on any day following a home preparation.
It is your responsibility to find out what you have missed as soon as possible. Make arrangements with me ahead of time or see me immediately upon your return.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at 859-254-1361 ext. 403 or by e-mail lchambers@sayreschool.org.
Be sure to practice your French because the more you practice, the better you will become.
