French Focus
Bonjour à tous!
It has been an exciting start to the year in the French program with a brand new ‘salle de classe française’ – ‘French classroom’.
Year 5 & 6 Students
Students have been developing their skills in translating texts from French to English, applying reading strategies such as ‘using prior knowledge’, ‘making connections’ and ‘inferring’ to make meaning from French texts they read. They are increasing their proficiency in using bilingual dictionaries efficiently.
Year 3 & 4 Students
Students have been learning about ‘les bandes dessinées’ – comics – which are of huge cultural significance in France and other French-speaking countries such as Belgium. Students have translated some simple comics from French to English and are now in the process of writing their own ‘bandes dessinées’.
Year 1 & 2 Students
Students have been working hard to create class French picture dictionaries. They have been working in pairs as ‘dictionary detectives’ to find words which start with a certain letter on posters around the French room and in picture dictionaries. Each class will end up with their own picture dictionary, which they can refer to throughout the year.
Foundation Students
Students in the Foundation classes have begun their journeys as French learners at Fairfield Primary School this term. They have started by learning about where France is and about some iconic landmarks in France. They then began working on simple phrases such as ‘bonjour’, ‘merci,’ etc. through drama games. Foundation students are now beginning to learn the names of some of ‘les couleurs’.
Catch Up French
Catch up French is open on Monday lunchtimes for students across the school in the French room. Students from Foundation to Year 6 are very welcome to come to Catch Up French if they wish to work on ongoing French projects, finish off work, or create displays for the classroom. Catch up French is also intended to provide an opportunity for students who would like some general quiet indoor time to do calm activities such as drawing, reading and playing card games.
Please feel free to pop by the French room if you have any questions or just to say ‘bonjour’!
Harmony Week
In addition to their language-based learning this term, students in Year Six worked tirelessly to plan and run lunchtime activities on Fairfield Primary School’s Harmony Day, on Thursday 18 March. Students were provided with a brief that there needed to be some kind of connection to the meaning of Harmony Day ‘Everyone Belongs’. This was a voluntary task that students could work on during French lessons and their own lunch times. Félicitations – congratulations!
Students across the school focused on cultural identity in their French sessions during Harmony Week. Children in the 3 – 6 classes developed their knowledge of phrases such as ‘Je suis australien et chinois’, ‘I am Australian and Chinese’, etc.
~ Emily Lindsay-Smith, French Teacher