Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

We had an eventful and fun week, finishing and presenting birthday cards in French to those who would be celebrating birthdays over the holidays. 

 We also finished our popsicle stick crèche craft for our Christmas trees.  You can find the popular French carol "Il est né, le divin Enfant" as well as other carols by clicking on the link on the right-hand side of this blog.

Grades 5/6 and 7/8 spoke a total of 1455 sentences in French in December!  What an accomplishment, considering how busy and short our month was!  To celebrate, Gr. 7/8 enjoyed some baguette (French bread) and 5/6 savoured croissants.

 

Que c'est bon!

 

 

 

A few students also were able to find the time to make "illustrated words for our bulletin board.  Here are a few:

 



 

 

 

Thank you to all students and parents for their Christmas wishes, cards and gifts.  I wish you all a fun-filled, memorable holiday!  See you in 2014!

 

Mme Christensen

French Friday and some crafts!

This is our second "French Friday"!  The French version of O Canada is played Friday morning.  After the Lord's Prayer, one student (chosen in a draw) gets to announce the date and weather, en français of course! 

Bravo!

 

 

This week in all classes we have busy with reading evaluations.  It's also a good time for some Christmas crafts while I listen to individuals read from their journal entries.

 

 

 

Some students made a "crèche" or manger scene to decorate their Christmas tree at home.  A manger is where cattle eat their hay and it is the place where the Baby Jesus was placed when he was born.  In French, "manger" is also a word; it is a verb, meaning "to eat". 

 

 

 Other students put together "une Tour Eiffel".  Our Eiffel Towers are decked out in true Christmas form, with the music of "Il est né, le divin Enfant" on the exterior!  Here is the carol:

 

 

 

 

The "Word of the Week" will be back in January.   We look forward to lots of Christmas activities this coming week.   Bonne fin de semaine!

 

Mme Christensen

 

 

 



 



Noon hour French Club

We had our second session of French club this past Wednesday and the results were once again delicious!  The recipe is posted once again below these photos.

The batter is poured in a well-heated, cast-iron pan.

 

 

Batter is spread quickly to form the round shape of a crèpe.

 

The assembly crew is hard at work!

 

Voilà!

 

 

Crèpes de Memère  (Grandma’s crepes)

Passed down in the family for many generations, this recipe is often enjoyed in our home, especially at Christmas.  Multiply this recipe by the number of people being served.  The recipe below can make about 3 large or 5 small crèpes.

 

1 egg

Pinch of salt

Flour (approx. ½ cup or so; whole wheat works well too.)

Milk (approx. ½- ¾  cup; whole milk is best.)

Butter

 

Possible ingredients for fillings or garnish: Whipping cream, fresh fruit, yogourt, powdered sugar, brown sugar and butter, scrambled eggs and ham; the possibilities are endless! Great for brunch buffets; guests can build their own crèpes.

Beat egg well with electric beater.  Add salt and flour gradually until a thick paste forms. (Turn off electric beater. Generally, if the batter is thick enough to cling to the beaters when you raise them out of the bowl, you've added enough flour and batter is thick enough.)  

 

At this point, thin the batter by adding milk slowly, beating until batter is a smooth creamy consistency.  Melt butter in a cast iron frying pan over medium heat; make sure the pan is well-heated and the butter is bubbling a bit.  Pour about ¼ cup of batter in the pan. Spread with the back of a spoon to make a thin, round crèpe.  When crèpe has lost its shine and starts to bubble a bit, turn it over and cook for a minute or so more.  

 

When cooled, add fillings and garnish.  Crèpes freeze well. 

 

Mme Christensen

 

p.s. We are reviewing material and having oral evaluations in this coming week.  We are taking a break from posting a "Word of the Week" but will resume in the New Year!