Tuesday, October 23, 2012

La Nourriture!

jokes/puns=blagues/jeux de mots


1. Why are French omelettes made with only one egg?
2. Why do French people eat snails?
(Answers to be discussed in class)

These, like most jokes about an entire country, rely on word play and stereotypes - please be aware of this. As you consider the answers, think: what stereotypes do you have of the French? Where do these stereotypes come from? What stereotypes do you think other countries have of the U.S.?

If you figure the answers out quickly, please try to come up with your own food joke, using your list of French food vocabulary. Feel free to draw a picture to illustrate it! Be warned: avoid puns or jokes using french fries and french toast. I would like you to use the French words - not items in English that are made to sound French!

Borrowed for educational use from http://www.kawaiikitchen.com/jokes/cartoon-french-toast-joke.htm

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Useful links and notes for 8th grade stations

Here is a great resource to use as you and your group move through the 'stations' in class on Thursday:

http://quizlet.com/1243684/les-animaux-flash-cards/

There are flashcards to practice with and if you scroll down, there is a complete list of the 32 animals (in French and English) that we will focus on the most.

For those of you who remember these well from last year, feel free to challenge yourself by including these additional animals in your station activities:
  • le serpent: the snake
  • le requin: the shark
  • le pingouin: the penguin
  • la baleine: the whale
  • la colombe: the dove
  • la souris: the mouse
  • le kangourou: the kangaroo
  • le chameau: the camel
The Stations: 
1.      L'objectif: sculpter (The goal: to sculpt)
Take turns sculpting an animal! While one person sculpts, the others guess in French what animal they are creating. Once someone guesses correctly, the sculptor passes the play dough on to a new artist!
 
2.      L'objectif: écrire (The goal: to write)
As a group, come up with 3-4 sentences in French. Pretend that you are an animal, and tell us your name, what animal you are, and your age. The fourth sentence can be a response to an interview question, or anything you like! When you have all reviewed the mini-story, please write your names on it, fold the paper up and submit it into my cardboard story box!

Example: Je m'appelle Marie. Je suis un oiseau. J'ai 3 ans. J'aime le bleu. (My name is Marie. I am a bird. I am 3 years old. I love blue.)

3.      L'objectif: dessiner (The goal: to draw) 
This is like Pictionary: take turns drawing animals. Those who are waiting for their turn to draw, guess what animal is being drawn. Try to guess before the picture is complete! For added challenge, tell the artist what color the animal is. (Example: "C'est une vache jaune!"/"It's a yellow cow!")
 
4.      L'objectif: parler (The goal: to speak)
Here, split into pairs (or a group of three if necessary) and practice asking and answering your interview questions.

5.      L’objectif: jouer des charades (The goal: to play charades)  
This is just like it sounds! Pick animals at random, and take turns acting them out. Feel free to act at your comfort level - some students will prefer small gestures, some may move around the desks and make sounds. Either way is great, as long as guessing is in French!


6.      L'objectif: utiliser l'ordinateur (Use the computer)
Look up any animals you want to learn that are not on the list (be sure to write them down!), practice animals using the Delicious page (tag: animals). I find links 3 (AudioFrench) and 7 (Les Animaux Flashcards) really helpful. Link 2 (Hear how animals sound around the world) is really fun, but please either use headphones for this, or keep the volume low enough to not distract your peers.

Can't wait to try this all out!


Miss G

Homemade play dough

Sharing this recipe, since I love how it came out:

I found this recipe at http://fun.familyeducation.com/sculpting/recipes/37040.html

It requires cooking (please use caution with boiling salt water), but comes out very well! It is fun to dye in lots of colors, and as 7th grade showed me today (and 8th will try tomorrow), is a great way to practice animal vocab.

I split the batch and added 2 or 3 drops of food dye for blue, and 2 or 3 drops for green play dough. If you choose to split the batch too (to dye smaller amounts of different colors), be sure to mix ingredients proportionally.

Be careful to stir the wet and dry ingredients before kneading, as they start out very hot. If you're eager to knead it right away, try a potato masher or hefty spoon until it's cool to the touch.

Kool-Aid Playdough
Materials

  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 cups water
  • Saucepan
  • Food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid powder for color
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 2 tablespoons alum
Directions
  1. Combine salt and water in saucepan and boil until salt dissolves.
  2. Remove from heat and tint with food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid.
  3. Add oil, flour, and alum.
  4. Knead until smooth.
  5. This dough will last 2 months or longer.
Have a great day!
Miss G

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The more cultured side of animals...

la dinde BD
These fantastic photos borrowed for educational use from: http://www.telleestmatele.com/categorie-10759787.html

http://a405.idata.over-blog.com/500x354/0/51/65/79/Cinema/172065_490325911637_188333486637_6498771_5314942_o.jpg


dindy-warhol.jpg