Introduction
Throughout the month of March, students celebrated the richness of the French language through a multitude of creative, cultural and literary projects. From audiobooks to posters, from meetings with francophone authors to breadmaking, each class explored the many dimensions of the French-speaking world. From Pre-K 3 to 5th grade, students traveled through accents, countries, emotions, stories and visual arts. This magazine reflects this incredible month of discovery and linguistic pride. Enjoy the journey of reading through the month’s activities and cheers to francophonie!
Laurent Debenay French Program Director - Lower School
Preschool
Pre-K 3
Creation of a Student-Made Audiobook Based on the French Illustrated Story
“Bon Appétit Monsieur Lapin”
In a recent Pre-K 3 language and reading session, students delved into the delightful story “Bon Appétit, Monsieur Lapin“ by Claude Boujon. They explored the captivating story, expanding their vocabulary along the way. After gaining a solid understanding of the narrative, students were excited to bring the story to life by recording their own audiobook, to accompany the story's beautiful illustrations. It was a fantastic opportunity to enhance both their language skills and creativity!
Click here or on the image to discover the audiobook made by our students and teachers.
Pre-K
Hands-On Activities Based on the Story
“La Grosse Faim de P’tit Bonhomme”
Our students recently embarked on a tasty adventure by reading the story “La Grosse Faim de P’tit Bonhomme” (Little Man's Big Hunger), where the main character sets out on an exciting quest for bread! From the baker’s to the miller’s, then to the farmer’s and all the way to the river, the story inspired our Pre-K students to dive deeper into the process of bread-making in a hands-on way. In class, students explored the different stages of making bread and learned about the origins of its ingredients. Students then worked together to create informative posters explaining the history and process of bread production. To cap off the sequence, students had a hands-on experience and made their very own bread. This was a delicious conclusion to the class's learning journey!
Click on any image to see our students making bread.
Kindergarten
Drawing the Storyline of a French Story
Click on any image to see our students working on their own “Visibiléo”.
Kindergarten students engaged in a creative activity called “Visibiléo,” where they created drawings based on stories they had read in class with their teachers. This activity encourages students to visually organize both specific and implicit information from the story, showcasing how they have internalized and structured the narrative. There are many benefits to this exercise: it helps support memorization and comprehension, encourages students to create mental images, and assists in articulating events in a clear chronological order. Moreover, it fosters an understanding of the deeper, implicit meanings within a story, all while expanding students' vocabulary. The “Visibiléo” activity was a fun and effective way for students to engage with stories on multiple levels!
Elementary School
1st Grade
Exploring Francophone Countries
Our 1st grade students engaged in an exciting journey learning how French is spoken in different countries around the world. With several students in our class originating from Switzerland, Belgium, Ivory Coast, and Canada, it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and share the beauty of the French language. The students also explored various accents from different French-speaking areas, expanding their understanding and appreciation of this global language. What a fun and educational experience for all!
1st Grade
Short Film Festival
As part of the Short Film Festival, our first graders not only engaged in meaningful discussions about dreams and aspirations through the theme "My Imaginary World", but they also enthusiastically took on the role of the wolf in a mini-play titled "C'est moi le plus fort" (I am the strongest).
Click on any image to see our students participating in the Short Film Festival.
1st Grade
Reading of African Stories and Meet-and-Greet tap
Click on any image to see our students participating in this enriching meet-and-greet.
Our 1st grade students were fortunate to virtually meet and interview children author, poet, and literacy advocate, Alain-Serge Dzotap, all the way from Cameroon! He is the author of “Le Cadeau”, a beautiful African tale that the students had the chance to learn about. Inspired by their conversation, the students promised Mr. Dzotap that they would write their own story, "The Leopard Without Spots", and send him their first draft! This was one component of the Albertine Project that will be discussed further in this issue.
rade arning About Emotions
Story “Le Manteau”
After reading the story “Le Manteau” by Séverine Vidal in English and French, our 2nd grade students explored emotion processing and definitions.
Students created a “portrait” for each emotion using a bilingual chart.
To make the emotions come to life, students completed sentences like: “For me, if sadness were an action, it would be... If joy were an action, it would be...”
Click on any image to see our students participating in this enriching activity on describing emotions.
2nd Grade
Meet-and-Greet with Élise Fontenaille, the
Author of “Les Poings Sur Les Îles”
As part of the students' participation in the Albertine Prize, our 2nd graders had the opportunity to virtually meet the French author of “Les Poings Sur Les Îles”, Élise Fontenaille.
After reading the books in English and French, our students prepared questions for this meet-and-greet, allowing for a rich exchange between the author and the students on the author's profession as well as on the content of the book itself.
Click on any image to see our students participating in this enriching meet-and-greet.
2nd Grade
Voting for the Albertine Prize
As part of the Albertine Project, our 2nd grade students recently participated in a fun and educational voting activity, where they voted for their favorite book! This hands-on experience not only introduced them to the concept of voting but also highlighted its importance in a democratic society. Through this activity, our students learned how to make their voices heard and embrace the responsibility of performing a civic duty. It was a meaningful way to connect learning with real-world values!
3rd Grade
Meet-and-Greet with Louis Thomas, Illustrator of
As part of the Albertine Prize, our 3rd grade students had the privilege of meeting Louis Thomas, the illustrator of the story “Le Manteau”. He shared insights into his career and answered our questions about his profession and this remarkable story. This opportunity fostered a deeper appreciation for both storytelling and writing.
Click on the image to see more from this meet-and-greet.
4th Grade
Meet-and-Greet with Gaby Mazin, Author of “La Lithographe”
As part of the Albertine Prize, 4th grade students were fortunate to virtually meet Gaby Bazin, author and illustrator of “La Lithographe”.
Ms. Mazin shared the plot of the book with our class, as well as photos of the lithography workshop where her work was produced. Additionally, she gave us a virtual tour of her studio which was fascinating to see. Finally, she encouraged the students to draw with primary colors, inspired by her techniques and works.
The key learnings from this experience included an understanding of the lithography process and the importance of art in print. Students gained a deeper appreciation for the role of visual arts in communication and creativity, fostering both critical thinking and artistic expression. Click on any image to see more from this meet-and-greet.
5th Grade
Meet-and-Greet with Jonathan Garnier, Author of the Comic “Bergères Guerrières”
As part of the students' participation in the Albertine Prize, the students in 5th and 6th grades had the opportunity to exchange ideas via videoconference with Jonathan Garnier, scriptwriter of "Bergères Guerrières"/"Shepherdess warriors". After reading the French and English editions of Molly's amazing adventure, students had the opportunity to meet one of the authors. The students took advantage of the meeting with Mr. Garnier to inquire about the making of the comic book, the creation of the story and characters, and the unique profession of comic book author. Jonathan Garnier was kind enough to share all the secrets behind the making of the comic. We can't wait to read the other volumes of “Bergères Guerrières”!
Click on any image to see more from this meet-and-greet.
2nd - 5th Grade
Bayard Jeunesse Poetry Contest
More than fifty classes in the United States participated in a poetry contest organized by Bayard Jeunesse. Our 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students took part of this poetry challenge as well!
As part of their participation in the contest, our students wrote their poems based on paintings by French-speaking artists:
Our 2nd and 4th grade classes wrote a poem inspired by the French painter Henri Rousseau.
Our 3rd grade class wrote a poem inspired by a painting by Canadian artist Alfred Pellan.
Our 5th grade class wrote a poem inspired by a painting by Senegalese painter Papa Ibra Tall.
This activity encouraged students to think creatively and make connections between visual art and written expression. This activity also helped students develop their artistic voice, improve their descriptive language, and appreciate the power of art in storytelling.
Click on the image to see more from this activity.
5th Grade
French Expressions Art Activity
Our 5th grade students explored fun French expressions in Art class with their Teacher Mr. Chudeau. They took quirky sayings like "raconter des salades" (telling salads which means to lie) and "rire comme une baleine" (laughing like a whale which means to laugh loudly) and transformed them into colorful, creative watercolors. It was amazing to see how our students interpreted these expressions in their own unique ways, blending language and art with a great sense of humor!
Click on any image to see our students participating in the activity.
Other Francophonie Month Events
The Great French Dictation to Parents
Seventeen parents and two teachers took part in this fun spelling contest in French. The text presented different levels of difficulty and our participants were absolutely excellent! The results will be shared soon, and the top three contestants will be rewarded. Well done to all participants for daring to take part in this undertaking!
DELF Exam
(“Diplôme
d'Études en Langue Française”)
Our 5th grade students have taken their first exam! The French DELF exam (A2 level) validates students’ knowledge and mastery of the French language. They took four tests: oral comprehension, written comprehension, oral production and written production. Congratulations to our students for approaching this exam with determination and concentration!
