Using the French-English Dictionary But the word I am looking for is

Using the French-English Dictionary
There are instructions for using the dictionary in the handbook.
Imagine that as a French Immersion student, you are given the following assignment:
Questions to ask yourself:
What are the instructions asking? How do you know?
Can you figure out the assignment without using a dictionary? What is going to help you?
How will you use the dictionary to help you?
LE CORPS
Décrivez les parties du corps en écrivant les mots sur les lignes:
Le Banc des
Mots
le genou
le coude
les cheveux
le coeur
le pied
l’estomac
la joue
la main
Look for the word genou in your dictionary:
What information is this telling you?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Be careful to distinguish the translation of the word from the
part of speech! Every dictionary is different!
But the word I am looking
for is NOT in my dictionary!
If you have this problem,
consider the following solutions:
* you are looking up the article
(le, la, un, une)
* you are looking on the wrong
side of the dictionary
* you have spelled the word
incorrectly
* it is a conjugated verb!
Using the Bescherelle (Verbs)
Learning about verbs and their conjugation is ongoing experience for French Immersion students.
What is most important is that students learn to recognize verbs, and understand that they MUST
make the effort to conjugate verbs correctly.
In the dictionary, verbs appear in the form of infinitif, that is with their natural endings intact. In this form
the word describes an action; for example, marcher means to walk. In most cases, the verb must be
changed to reflect the person engaging in the action. This is called conjugation.
Consult the back of the Bescherelle for the verb ‘marcher’.
Where does it ask you to look?
Other observations or notes:
_________________________________
_________________________________
What do you notice on that page?
_________________________________
_________________________________
What verb tenses might you wish to use?
_________________________________
_________________________________
What do you have to do to correctly conjugate the verb?
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Most of the time, students in a French
Immersion classroom at the
elementary or junior level will be
conjugating verbs in the following
tenses:
INDICATIF
- present
- futur proche
- passé composé
- imparfait
Students will learn much about verbs
as they gain more experience. As a
parent, you can provide students with
a Besherelle and insist that they use it!
Use your new skills to conjugate the following verbs. Then provide a translation.
1. Tu (aimer) ___________ le pizza.
__________________________
2. He (etre) ________ intelligent.
__________________________
3. Sam et Chuko (avoir) ____________ des chiens. __________________________
4. Nous (aller) __________ chez Tim Hortons.
__________________________
5. Je (reussir) __________ aux devoirs!
__________________________
How to get the most out of the internet
There is no doubt that the internet has opened up
the world to students. This means that students now
have access to many more resources in French than
ever before!
There are a few precautions when using the internet.
Please refer to the handbook for more information.
En francais,
s’il vous plait!
This activity can be done at home with your children:
1. What French search engines are available in Canada? List three sites.
Hint: Start with www.google.ca, try an advanced search using French as the language, try
searching only francophone pages or click on Try Google in French.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. What other countries offer French search engines? List two sites other thanYahoo.
Hint: Start with www.yahoo.fr.
______________________________________________________________________
3. There are many translation sites available on the internet.
a) What would be an inappropriate use of one of these sites?
____________________________________________________________
b) What would be an appropriate use of one of these sites?
____________________________________________________________
4. The internet can be used to access libraries all over the world, as well as independent
web sites. Discuss the legitimacy of the following sites:
www.joesprojectaboutstars.com
____________________________________
www.nasa.gov __________________________________________________
www.si.edu ____________________________________________________
5. You can also use the internet to read up-to-date scientific (and other) journals and newspaper
articles. You may wish to use an advanced search to find a recent article about the following
topics. List the title of the article, the date of the article and the web site where it was found.
West Nile virus______________________________________________________
The situation in Israel__________________________________________________
Gene therapy ___________________________________________________
Participant Evaluation of Workshop
Thank you for participating in this Workshop for French Immersion parents. In the interest of
improvement, please answer the following questions honestly:
1. What did you find most useful about the workshop?
2. What did you find the least useful about the workshop?
3. Please list any suggestions for improvement of the workshop.
4. Please list any suggestions for improvement of the handbook.
Using More French at Home
One of the techniques your child’s teacher may use in
the French Immersion classroom to teach vocabulary is
to label objects or pictures in the room.
This technique reinforces vocabulary when it is visible
daily over a long period of time. You can work on this
project as a family, and add new words as your child’s
vocabulary grows. Please be sure to include the article!
French around the house...
une armoire
un bureau
une chaise
des oeufs
des patates
le mur
des
tomates
la porte
le fromage
la fenetre
la cuisine
Use your new skills to complete the following activity:
Merci à Line pour le texte:
Picard, Line. (2004). Mille Mots. Beauchemin, Canada
_____________________________
Terry Fox es né à Winnipeg, au Manitoba. Il a grandi en Colombie Britannique, plus
précisément à Port Coquitlam, petite ville située prés de Vancouver. Adolescent, Terry Fox
est très actif. À 18 ans, les medicins diagnostiquent un cancer des os dans son genou
droit. En 1977, ils amputent sa jambe au-dessus du genou.
Durant son séjour à l’hôpital, Terry est très affecté par la souffrance des autres patients.
Plusiers patients atteints du cancer sont des enfants. C’est alors que Terry a décidé de
courir d’un bout à l’autre du Canada. Il veut amasser des fonds pour la reserche sur le
cancer. Il appelle cette course le Marathon de l’espoir.
1. Answer the following questions in French:
a. Comment dit-on ‘né’ en anglais?
b. Où est né Terry Fox?
c. Donnez un titre au texte.
2. List a minimum of five ‘mots amis’ and what you think they mean.
3. What strategies did you use to understand this text? List three.
4. Find three verbs in the text and underline them. Why do you think they are verbs? how
would you find thier meaning?
5. Find five words you don’t know in the text and underline them. Look up their meaning and
record that information here.
6. Write a brief résumé in English of what you have read. If you are brave, you may try it in
French!