Okay, so Thanksgiving’s not French. I know, I know. But from my years of teaching in preschools and elementary schools, I realize that as soon as Halloween is over, the focus shifts to turkeys, pilgrims, and Native Americans. Why not tap into the excitement of the season and use Thanksgiving as a context for storytelling and talking about foods in French?
Foreign Language House recently published Thanksgiving for French Learners: Story, Games, Songs, and Coloring for PreK-Grade 2. This downloadable unit revolves around a sweet and simple story called “A Dinner at Plymouth Rock.” You’ll meet Jane, Running Strong, and Eleonore (a turkey—une dinde.) We’ve written four songs/finger plays to accompany the story, and we’ve included three language-learning coloring pages, comprehension activities, vocabulary games, flash cards, and suggestions for using Total Physical Response (TPR).
We’re busy working on the Spanish version, as well as Thanksgiving units that are suited for older learners. I’ll let you know as soon as our other units are ready to roll.
Happy Turkey Month!
Photo Credit: by George Bosela at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1084671
