Hello Lyonsgate Families,
Well, another bit of a surprise snow day today. Hopefully that is the last one for this school year. This week, your Casa and Toddler children’s French language assistants are speaking to how they use Montessori materials in their French instruction.
The Elementary students were finally able to embark on their first field trip in quite a while. Please see the Elementary section below for an explanation of the importance of learning beyond the classroom for the Elementary-aged student.
Toddler
Hello families!
In our Toddler community we have such a beautiful array of materials and activities which makes our classroom so exciting (especially when you get to really watch the children work!).
On our shelves we have many activities that can easily be shown in French, for example, we have colour sorting (yellow, red, and blue), we have an activity where I present to a child the difference between hot and cold (froid et chaud), we learn the difference between wet and dry (a lot of water works these days😊), and the basics of big and small — activities that help Toddler students’ development, and that prepare them for activities and materials in Casa.
I like to make sure I give clear instructions since I am speaking another language, so keeping the activities concise helps keep their engagement with what we are working on, and we never forget to HAVE FUN and keep it light!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mme. Craigie
Casa North
Bonjour la famille Casa North!
This time I will talk a bit about the use of Montessori materials in French.
French is integrated into the work cycle. It is both a separate subject and something the students are exposed to daily and feel secure and confident about.
I use Montessori materials such as Colour Boxes, Classified Cards, Sandpaper Numerals, Number Rods, Numbers & Counters, surveys, and many more, and use the Montessori 3-period lesson that the Casa students are comfortable and familiar with.
I also use materials that I have created that are only French materials, such as a Phonetic Object Box, Phonetic Cards, Phonograms, “Ou est?” classroom labels, and fruit/vegetable basket, pizza, and lunch box identifiers and vocabulary builders.
We are a team in Casa North. When a student has mastered a lesson in English, we communicate to ensure they are also given the presentation in French.
Merci!
Mme Murati
Casa South
Bonjour! Salut tout le monde!
Comment ça va?
I am so grateful for the bright and welcoming environment our classroom offers! It is a rich environment filled with diverse, educational, and engaging materials. As their French teacher, I appreciate the opportunity to use them for my presentations. A favourite for our group is Colour Box 2. During this activity, I say the colour. The child repeats it. I then ask, “Fait le tour de la classe et trouve-moi 3 choses bleues, rouges, oranges…”
Another class favourite is “gros, moyen, petit”. It is a lesson where I present 3 similar items of different sizes to the students and they have to sort them into their corresponding sizes (gros, moyen et petit).
I like to switch up the materials to make it more exciting and to enrich their vocabulary.
Bonne semaine!
Mme Renée Perazzo
Elementary
It’s been a joyful week on the Elementary campus with lots of anticipation for our field trip to Beyond Van Gogh! We explored his ¾ portrait style this week and students continued with a variety of still life and landscapes. Opportunities to explore beyond the classroom are essential to the elementary child. They need to experience the world with their peers separately from their parents. The sense of wonder and curiosity are shared from a child’s perspective, instead of being imparted from the adult’s point-of-view. For many of our younger students, it was their first time riding a big yellow school-bus, with the excitement of no booster seats, big bumps, and sitting beside a special friend. For older students, the experience was one of greater freedom and independence in a public space. These outings enable them to discover their capabilities, share their knowledge with each other, and allow their self-esteem to blossom!
Everyone’s favourite part of the exhibit was the immersive room. The students were amazed by familiar paintings projected as moving works of art surrounding us. We were amazed by their passion for van Gogh and their joy in time spent together.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,
Marissa and Michelle
Photos
