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Section One:
L’Action de grâce
DAY ONE
In this lesson, I will learn about different Thanksgiving traditions.
1. Open Section One, Day One of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 1 on the Module 5 CD. Use the following pictures to help you understand.
Context: Jean-François and his family are celebrating Thanksgiving together. They discuss different things associated with this time of year and each one says what they are thankful for.
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In 1621, pilgrims celebrated their first harvest in what would become the United States. During the American Revolution, many Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada and brought this tradition with them. In 1879, the Canadian Parliament declared
November 6 a day of Thanksgiving. Over the years, the date of Thanksgiving changed several times until January 31, 1957. On this day, Parliament declared that the second Monday in October be a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in
November which makes sense as their growing season is longer than ours.
L’Action de grâce commemorates the harvest, la récolte, and is known as a holiday of abundance since we have so much to be thankful for. To wish someone a Happy Thanksgiving in French, we say
“Bonne fête de l’Action de grâce!”
DAY TWO
In this lesson, I will be introduced to vocabulary associated with Thanksgiving.
1. Listen to Track 2 on the Module 5 CD and take some time to learn the vocabulary related to Thanksgiving. Use the following pictures from left to right to help you follow along. Listen a second time and repeat each sentence after you hear it. Then record yourself saying the vocabulary words. Compare your pronunciation with the track. Practice saying any words that are giving you difficulty again.
la corne
d’abondance le dindon la récolte les courges
Pg 5 Did you notice that the verb manger was used in the track above to
describe the different food items that one eats at Thanksgiving? The verb is written differently, depending on who is doing the action. Look at how this verb is conjugated below.
Je mange Nous mangeons
Tu manges Vous mangez
Il/Elle mange Ils/Elles mangent
Remember to look at the personal pronoun so that you use the correct form of the verb.
When using the verb manger, we also need to ensure we use the correct preposition (du, de la, des) before the name of the food we are eating. Notice how the preposition takes the place of a definite or an indefinite article.
The preposition du is used when we are talking about a food item that is masculine, for example:
Je mange du maïs.
If we are talking about a food item that is feminine, we use the preposition de la, for example:
Il mange de la tarte à la citrouille.
Finally, when we are talking about more than one item, we use the
preposition des regardless of whether the item is masculine or feminine. For example:
Vous mangez des petits pains.
You ask the question “Qu’est-ce que tu manges pour l’Action de grâce?” when you want to know what someone eats for Thanksgiving. You answer this question with:
The tradition of the cornucopia or horn of plenty comes from European farmers who filled a curved goat’s horn with fruit and grain to give thanks for their good fortune and abundance of food. La corne d’abondance is a symbol associated with Thanksgiving.
Perhaps the most well known symbol seen at Thanksgiving is the turkey. Le dindon is considered a symbol of virility and fertility by the North
American Indians. So where did the tradition of eating la dinde at Thanksgiving come about? One story from the 16th century tells of Queen Elizabeth who was eating
roast goose at a harvest festival. When she received news that a Spanish ship had sunk on its way to England, she ordered a second goose to celebrate. Thus geese became the favourite bird at harvest time. However, when the pilgrims arrived from England, roasted turkey replaced the goose as they were more abundant and easier to find.
2. Open Section One, Day Two of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, 3, and 4.
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DAY THREE
In this lesson, I will review the verb aimer and make a pumpkin pie.
1. Open Section One, Day Three of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 4 on the Module 5 CD. Use the following pictures from left to right to help you understand.
Context: Jean-François, his mom and dad are working in the kitchen getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. As they prepare the various items, they discuss which foods they like and dislike.
We use the verb aimer to express what we like and dislike. This verb is conjugated the same way as manger and porter. Study the different forms of this verb below.
J’aime Nous aimons
Tu aimes Vous aimez
Il/Elle aime Ils/Elles aiment
Let’s take a look at some examples as to how this verb is used. Tu aimes la dinde.
(You like turkey.)
Nous aimons la tarte à la citrouille. (We like pumpkin pie.)
Je n’aime pas les patates douces. (I don’t like sweet potatoes.)
Ils n’aiment pas la sauce aux canneberges. (They (m) don’t like cranberry sauce.)
Remember that the words ne/n’ and pas surround the conjugated form of the verb when the sentence is negative.
3. Open Section One, Day Three of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, and 3. Then complete the second Reflection.
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DAY FOUR
In this lesson, I will learn how to use the expression “Je dis merci pour” to say what I am thankful for.
1. Open Section One, Day Four of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
2. Listen again to Track 1 on the Module 5 CD. Pay close attention to what each character says he/she is thankful for.
Each family member said what they are thankful for in the dialogue you just heard. The expression they used is Je dis merci pour Look at a few examples to see how this expression is used.
Je dis merci pour la bonne nourriture.
Je dis merci pour mes grands-parents.
Je dis merci pour ma belle maison.
Jean-François was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family in the dialogue you heard on Day One. Who do you celebrate Thanksgiving with? Do you remember how to say the names of different family members in French? Look at the pictures below to refresh your memory.
Look at the sentences below that tell what different family members are thankful for.
Mon père dit merci pour sa maison. (My dad is thankful for his house.)
Mon demi-frère dit merci pour son chat. (My half-brother is thankful for his cat.)
Pg 11 Thanksgiving is a time for people to say what they are grateful or thankful
for, such as good food, friends and family. Many Canadians also thank God for all that they have. They say une prière (a prayer) before they eat their Thanksgiving dinner and some even go to l’église to celebrate. Churches are decorated with pumpkins, corn and wheat, which are
referred to as les fruits de la terre (fruits of the earth).
4. Open Section One, Day Four of the Workbook and do questions 2, 3, and 4.
DAY FIVE
In this lesson, I will review different colours in French.
1. Open Section One, Day Five of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
When colours are used to describe something, they are adjectives.
Therefore they take the masculine or feminine and singular or plural forms of the nouns they describe. Look at the following examples:
La courge est jaune.
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The chart below shows the different forms of colours that are associated with Thanksgiving and autumn.
Masculine
Singular Feminine Singular Masculine Plural Feminine Plural
blond blonde blonds blondes brun brune bruns brunes jaune jaune jaunes jaunes orange orange orange orange
rouge rouge rouges rouges roux rousse roux rousses
vert verte verts vertes violet violette violets violettes In French, the spelling of some colours is the same whether they are
masculine or feminine. Other colours have a different spelling when they are feminine. The plural forms of most colours take an s. The exceptions are orange and roux. An s is never added to the plural form of orange and roux stays the same for masculine plural and takes an sses for feminine plural.
Remember: Always look at the noun in order to determine if the adjective should be written in masculine or feminine and singular or plural forms.
2. Open Section One, Day Five of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, and 3.
DAY SIX
In this lesson, I will review different kinds of clothing we can wear in autumn and the verb porter.
1. Open Section One, Day Six of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 7 on the Module 5 CD. Use the following pictures to help you understand.
Context: Jean-François is going for a walk at the park with his
half-brother Martin and his friend Émilie. They discuss what the weather is like and articles of clothing they wear during the fall.
Pg 15 The characters mentioned different articles of clothing in the dialogue you
just heard. We tend to change what we wear when seasons change. Take a minute to read the names of the articles of clothing we typically associate with autumn.
We use the verb porter to describe what someone wears. The verb is written differently, depending on who is doing the action. Look at how this verb is conjugated below.
Je porte Nous portons
Tu portes Vous portez
Il/Elle porte Ils/Elles portent Study the following sentences:
Je porte un gilet rose. (I wear a pink sweater.)
Nous portons des chaussures noires. (We wear black shoes.)
Elles portent des manteaux violets. (They (f) wear purple coats.)
Notice how colours are used in the above examples to describe the different articles of clothing. Remember that colours must agree in gender and number with the noun they are describing.
When you want to know what someone wears in the fall, you ask: Qu’est-ce que tu portes à l’ automne?
Possible answers to this question include: Je porte un chandail.
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Qu’est-ce que tes cousines portent à l’automne? (What do your cousins wear in the fall ?)
Elles portent des gilets.
Qu’est-ce que vous portez à l’automne? (What do you (plural) wear in the fall?) Nous portons des casquettes.
Notice how you use a pronoun (il, elles, nous) to replace the person/people you asked about in the question.
DAY SEVEN
In this lesson, I will review different kinds of weather that occur during the fall.
1. Open Section One, Day Seven of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
2. Listen again to Track 7 on the Module 5 CD. Pay close attention to the different kinds of weather that are mentioned in the dialogue.
Did you recognize any of the weather expressions that were used in the dialogue? Take a minute to see how many kinds of weather illustrated below you can name in French.
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Listen to Track 9 on the Module 5 CD to hear the weather expressions illustrated above. You can also refer to the Glossary if you had difficulty remembering any of them.
A typical fall day is partly sunny, with mild temperatures and perhaps a bit of wind. However weather in Alberta is quite unpredictable. One fall day might be hot and sunny like summer and another day snowy and cold like winter. For this reason, any of the weather expressions that you named above can describe fall weather.
3. Open Section One, Day Seven of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, 3, and 4.
DAY EIGHT
In this lesson, I will learn a few songs and rhymes about autumn.
1. Open Section One, Day Eight of the Workbook and complete the Reflection.
2. Listen to Tracks 11, 12 and 13 on the Module 5 CD. You will hear three different songs/rhymes about autumn. Follow along with the words below. The pictures that accompany each song will give you a better idea of what each one is about.
C’est l’automne C’est l’automne, c’est l’automne Nous jouons, nous sautons
Dans le tas de feuilles, dans le tas de feuilles Dans le jardin, dans le jardin
Pg 21 When you listen to a French song for the first time you may not
understand every word. It is more important that you have a general idea of what the song is conveying.
Here are a few things you can do to facilitate your understanding: 1. Look for visual clues in the pictures that accompany the lyrics. 2. Listen for words you already know.
3. Listen for words or patterns that are repeated in the song. 4. Listen to the song a few times to familiarize yourself with the
lyrics.
An important part of learning a second language is the ability to
remember and use vocabulary in context. The strategies below will help you learn and recall the songs you just heard.
1. Break down the song into lines and practice each line silently or
out loud.
2. Associate a few lines of each song with an image. 3. Repeat the entire song silently or out loud.
3. Open Section One, Day Eight of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Quand c’est l’automne Quand c’est l’automne, il vente, il vente Quand c’est l’automne, il vente énormément Quand c’est l’automne, il pleut, il pleut Quand c’est l’automne, il pleut énormément
DAY NINE
In this lesson, I will listen to poems about Thanksgiving and autumn and also write my own poem.
1. Read the context below then listen to Track 14 on the Module 5 CD. Use the following pictures to help you understand.
Context: The students in Mme Morin’s class have each written a short poem to share what they learned about Thanksgiving and autumn. A few students read their poems to the rest of the class.
Karine’s poem M est pour manger.
E est pour excellent repas. R est pour reconnaissant. C est pour citrouilles orange. I est pour il vente.
Émilie’s poem Il pleut, il vente.
Les feuilles sont rouges, orange et brunes. Je mange de la dinde. J’aime la tarte.
Pg 23 The students in Mme Morin’s class each wrote a poem expressing their
ideas and feelings about l’Action de grâce and/or l’automne. Did you notice how each poem was different yet they also had things in common? For example, they all used simple sentence structures and included
vocabulary that was covered in this section.
Writing from scratch in French is never easy, especially when it isn’t your first language. The first thing to do is brainstorm a list of ideas that you would like to include in your poem. For example, colours and foods we see at Thanksgiving. Then try writing a rough draft of your poem. Remember to use simple sentences and familiar vocabulary. Use a dictionary to look up any new words you may want to include. Double check your spelling in the Glossary or a dictionary when you have finished your rough draft. Then ask your teacher or a friend to read your poem and offer his/her feedback. Find out what they liked about your poem and what things you might improve upon. Finally, use this feedback to revise your poem before writing your good copy. Remember taking the time and effort to do a good job pays off in the end. You will be pleased with your literary masterpiece!
2. Open Section One, Day Nine of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, and 3.
DAY TEN
In this lesson, I will review concepts from previous lessons in Section One.
1. Before moving to today’s activities, take some time to review this section and be aware of all that you have learned.
Day One:
How do you say Happy Thanksgiving in French? Explain why we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada.
Day Two:
Name the foods and symbols related to Thanksgiving that are illustrated below.
Day Three:
Indicate two foods you like eating at Thanksgiving as well as two foods you dislike.
Pg 25 Day Six:
Use the verb porter to describe what the characters below are wearing.
Day Seven:
Describe three different types of weather we experience in the fall. Day Eight:
Sing one of the songs you learned in the Module about autumn. Day Nine:
Share the poem you wrote about Thanksgiving or autumn with a friend or a family member.
2. Open Section One, Day Ten of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2, and 3.