National French Week in MN 2004
2004 NATIONAL FRENCH WEEK IN MINNESOTA
«MnAATFNet» E-Mail Service Reports
~~~~~~ National French Week in MN 2004 Report Set 1 ~~~~~~~
Sent: 9-NOV-2004 15:04:01.09
From: mcassavante@blakeschool.org" "Michele Cassavante”
To: MNAATF@stthomas.edu"
Subj: The Miser & Théâtre de la Jeune Lune
Dear all
Our students at Blake just returned from seeing The Miser (Molière)
presented by Théâtre de la Jeune Lune.
In a nutshell it was FABULOUS
If you get a chance to go, please do This is one not to be missed...
and if you have never seen a play at Théâtre de la Jeune Lune,
this would be a wonderful first experience.
The students were engaged the entire time. As one reviewer stated " The
Minneapolis Company.....infuses so much comedy into Molière's bitter
1668 play that one viewing is hardly enough....On full display is the
troupe's extraordinary talent at weaving acrobatics and clowning with inventive,
dramatic acting to create an exhilarating work unlike anything else."
You will find reviews of this wonderful interpretation of Molière's play
in both the Pioneer Press and the Star and Tribune. It plays through
Jan. 2, 2005
PS There is a lot of scatological humor and if you choose to go, it would
be wise to apprise the parents of that fact.
Michèle Cassavante
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Sent: 10-NOV-2004 08:07:06.30
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:07:01 -0600
From: Amy Lemme <alemme@hill-murray.org>
Subject: celebrating National French Week
To: "American Association of Teachers of French (MN Chapter)"
Bonjour ! We have been celebrating National French Week at Hill-Murray
School this week with many different activities.
With our French classes:
- cheese-tasting
- guest speakers about careers using French
- crêpe fêtes
- Henri Matisse - lesson and art project
- films
- games
- student-designed posters on every French students' locker
School-wide:
- French coffee & Napolean pastries in the cafeteria
- decorations around school, French labels in cafeteria
- trivia for all students
- trivia for staff/faculty
- special middle school activities
- school prayer & other morning prayers read in French
- French music played between classes on Friday
- all faculty/staff who speak French or have traveled to France received
a special poster to display
Bonne Semaine Nationale du Français à vous!
Amy Lemme et Liz Marin
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~~ NATIONAL FRENCH WEEK IN MINNESOTA 2004 REPORT 2 ~~
Sent: 10-NOV-2004 14:25:50.07
From: kasak-saxlerm@stillwater.k12.mn.us "Mary Ellen Kasak-saxler"
To: MNAATF@stthomas.ed
Subj: La semaine du français
For teachers who have not yet had a moment to plan activities for the
week, voici quelques idées très simples...
- Prepare a simple petit déjeuner for staff members on Friday and
have students do the serving.
- Have all French students wear rouge, blanc and bleu (scarves,
hats, glasses, boas, capes, face paint, anything extravagant)
- Show a film after school and serve crêpes
Mais surtout amusez-vous !
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~~~ NATIONAL FRENCH WEEK IN MN REPORT 3 ~~~~
From: casamels@mahtomedi.k12.mn.us "Cynthia Samels"
Sent: 11-NOV-2004 09:27:46.74
To: mnaatf@stthomas.edu"
Subj: National French Week
Mahtomedi High School National French Week Lunch Activities :
Monday- Chocolate Mousse eating contest
Tuesday- Eiffel Tower card building contest
(didn't really work !)
Wednesday- Haute Couture Fashion Show
(a parent printed out 4'x2'pictures of
runway models wearing extravagant dresses
and the boys had to hang them around their
necks and strutt down the cafeteria runway
to techno music. It twas great !)
Thursday- Guess That Cheese contest
Friday- MC Solaar dance-off contest
French Club members are selling fundraiser candy all week and
all French students researched and presented information on a
famous French person.
We are having a great week !
Cynthia Samels
French, Mahtomedi H.S.
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~~~~~~ National French Week in MN 2004 Report 4 ~~~~~~
From: cfisk@lakecountryschool.org "Carolyn Fisk"
Sent: 19-NOV-2004 17:16:17.55
To: MNAATF@stthomas.edu
Subj: News about National french week
At Lake Country School in Minneapolis our Junior High celebrated
La Semaine Nationale du Français by inviting to our class a French
speaking parent for a press conference interview. We prepared
questions the day before and at the interview every student asked
a question. The students also took notes on a grid I provided. From
their notes they will write in French a paragraph of information
they learned about our guest.
At the Junior High level we also invited in a French nanny who
comes from Limousin. I provided a series of maps showing the provinces,
the départements, the cities, the products, the cheeses and wines of
France. She used the maps to talk about her région, Limousin. It was
a combined listening activity and geography lesson. I also took
pictures from the Internet.
Traditionally we have always had a French speaking lunch every day
during National French Week. Baguettes,fromage et Nutella are served.
Our Elementary classrooms had a Blague du jour. It caught fire as
the week progressed, especially since there was a bonbon reward for
the correct answer!
I put the students on their honor not to share the answer once they
figured it out so you would have to devise a system for rewarding
those who truly figure it out. Here are the blagues I used (You have
to think both English and French! but I have to say they learned a
lot of dictionary skills looking up words and sometimes it required
knowing English spellings of (pare, pear, pair) to get to the right
answer.)
1. Quel est le fruit préféré d'un vampire?
(une nectarine !)
2. Pourquoi est-ce que le citron ne veut pas traverser la rue?
(Il est trop jaune.)
3. Quelles chaussures sont faites des bananes?
(les pantoufles)
4. Quel fruit est-ce que Noé a invité dans son bateau?
(les poires)
5. Quand on laisse tomber une tomate, quel légume reste?
(une gourde ou une courge)
We also assigned one day as costume day and elementary students
were invited to dress as a French person. We had many Amélie
Mauresmo, some Marcel Marceau, Jean Claude Killy, Roger Federer,
Thierry Henry, Justine Hénin Hardenne, Claude Monet.
The energy around National French Week is so positive and fun,
I encourage everyone to try an activity next year!
Carolyn Fisk
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Webpage created: 20 November, 2004
URL: http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/mlwolsey/MnAATF/mnNFW04.htm
Last update: 21 November, 2004