8 March 2022 Newsletter

Here’s what’s new today and what’s coming next:

LA JOURNÉE INTERNATIONALE DES FEMMES

March 8th is International Women’s Day. This important milestone marks the impact and contributions women around the world have made and are continuing to make. Click here for a short article in easy French, on Planet French: https://planetfrench.com/courses/nouvelles-actualite-cette-semaine/lessons/8-mars-journee-internationale-des-femmes/

L’ÉRABLIÈRE (sugar shack)!

This fun unit is available on Planet French in digital format with videos, activities and an eBook that features texts at 3 levels, beginner to advanced.

There is a comprehensive teacher’s guide available to you at the beginning of the unit. The guide has 10 activities leading up to an end-of-unit summative task.

We recommend you do 2 units per week starting now, which takes you to the middle of April. There’s plenty to do with this unit and your students will really enjoy it.

Here is a link to the demo video for this unit: https://vimeo.com/259029137

Here is the link to get to the unit itself: https://planetfrench.com/courses/bienvenue-a-lerabliere-course/

There are also printed books to go along, if you are interested in augmenting the online experience, which you can purchase here: https://rr112.infusionsoft.app/app/storeFront/showCategoryPage?categoryId=27 Since you won’t need the DVDs the prices are a little cheaper than advertised.

Email guy@planetfrench.com for details.

We visit 2 radically different sugar shacks. One does things the old way while the other is a huge facility. Which is better? They both share one thing: Deep French culture!

We also visit a maple syrup co-op with hundreds of maple products.Your students will meet authentic and colourful people. Come and join us for a real sweet taste of French culture!

BEGINNER TRACK:

New lesson: Les pièces de la maison. This very easy video goes over the rooms of the house, and features a fun little game with a cat at the end.

Here is the link to this lesson: https://planetfrench.com/courses/la-maison/lessons/les-pieces-de-la-maison/

It’s part of the unit LA MAISON.

ALL TRACKS:

-Episode Tempête Manitoba/La Relâche (Spring Break)/Ski Mont Tremblant/Ours Colombie-Britannique

Dans cet épisode:

• Au Manitoba, l’hiver n’est pas fini
• Quoi faire pendant la relâche du printemps? On visite le ski au Mont Tremblant
• Colombie Britannique, des ours cherchent de la nourriture dans les poubelles. Qu’est-ce que la ville de Coquitlam va faire?
• Voici le lien: https://planetfrench.com/lessons/tempete-manitoba-la-relache-spring-break-ski-mont-tremblant-ours-colombie-britannique/

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED TRACKS:

To be honest, I had something else in mind for this week’s episode. Then the world went crazy…Again… So, last weekend we took our cameras and went out to meet Ukrainians. They spoke to us, in French.

In this video which we released Monday on Planet French, we tried to make this complicated situation as simple as possible, and age/level appropriate of course.

The level in parts is easy, but there are sections that are intermediate and advanced. You can dovetail this into our course on bullying. We’ll also be posting an activity set on conflict resolution strategies in the coming days.

Les animaux de la ferme: La foire agricole de Brome

ALL TRACKS:

Voici une vidéo de la foire agricole de Brome. C’est une des plus grosses foires agricoles au Canada. Elle existe depuis plus de 160 ans !

Planet French rencontre beaucoup d’animaux et leurs propriétaires, et beaucoup de gens intéressants.

Voici le lien vers la vidéo: https://planetfrench.com/courses/nouvelles-actualite-cette-semaine/lessons/foire-agricole-de-brome/

BEGINNER TRACK:

We learn about our home, and everyone knows the heart of the home is the kitchen. In this brand new beginner video students learn the vocab of kitchen objects and appliances and structures like Voici, qu’est-ce que c’est, c’est…

We will be adding more to the existing videos in this unit very shortly.

Here is the link to this video lesson: https://planetfrench.com/courses/la-maison/lessons/la-cuisine/

Cours: La maison

Many teachers are covering the theme of “La maison” in February since it’s cold outside and many Canadians spend their time indoors. This unit is designed for the young learners, K-3 but can be used with older students as they’ll appreciate the comedic tone.

Here is the link to this course: https://planetfrench.com/courses/la-maison/  We are continuously adding more content to this course, and welcome your suggestions.

You can do this course over the next several weeks, depending on your student’s levels.

Ma santé: Facile!

We’re starting a new course for the K-3 called “MA SANTÉ”. Here are the first 2 videos.-Qu’est-Ce Que C’est? C’est Une Pomme-C’est Une Banane, And LES POMMES ET LES FRUITS, which focus on basic structures

-Episode “LE FAT BIKE”: Le Fat Bike: Le vélo pour l’hiver!

Tu as un vélo? Voici un vélo qui va partout: Le Fat Bike. Il va dans la neige, dans la boue, sur la terre, dans le gazon, …partout !!!

Tout le monde peut monter ce vélo: des vieux, des jeunes, …tout le monde!

Voici le lien: https://planetfrench.com/courses/les-sports-dhiver/lessons/le-fat-bike-le-velo-pour-lhiver/

-I just watched the movie “King Richard” with Will Smith last night. It’s about Venus and Serena Williams and their father. These two girls were arguably the best tennis players to ever play the game.

Well it turns out Canada also has two stellar female sisters in the sport of skiing. The Wurtell sisters, and here is their story, in simple French: https://planetfrench.com/courses/les-sports-dhiver/lessons/lhistoire-du-ski-2e-partie/

This video is part of the unit Les sports d’hiver (activity suggestions are provided for the unit).

Last kick at winter: LES SPORTS D’HIVER!

This 4-week planner works for in-person as well as for remote learning. All your French students have access to Planet French with their own accounts. More on that later.

You can see the 4 week planner by clicking here if you’re already logged in to your Planet French account.

To login, visit www.planetfrench.com or click here and enter your username and your password. If you are a Planet French member, you should see your username and password Guy emailed you this week. Please check your spam folder. If you don’t see that email, please contact guy@planetfrench.com for all the relevant links.

The activities, videos and eBooks provided herein are designed to maximize oral communication opportunities around topics relevant to them. They expose students to authentic French speakers and engage students in meaningful tasks.

YOUR STUDENT LOGINS AND REMOTE LEARNING

We’ve made student access to Planet French easier still.

Your students get access with their own accounts. If you haven’t already registered your French students, it’s easy. Just give them the link and password Guy emailed you in January. Please check your spam folder. If you don’t see that email, please contact guy@planetfrench.com for all the relevant links. 

You can assign Planet French content to all registered students. They can access and open it REMOTELY. All you do is share the target page’s URL with your students.

TUTORIAL VIDEO FOR TEACHERS

See how other teachers use Planet French, check out this tutorial for teachers, specifically at 9:09 and at 9:58 to see how to share assignments and how to register your students, or better still, watch the whole video and you’ll fly with Planet French. It only takes 10 minutes!