What to expect.
We work with the pedagogical team and elementary classteachers at LILA to offer possibilities for enrichment for your child studying French at elementary level.
Each month you will find suggestions for books to read, internet links and ideas for outings in Los Angeles, all of which will enhance your child's everyday learning experience. The suggestions are geared to the different cycles of the elementary program.
All books suggested are readily available in our own library, in Los Angeles public libraries or at booksellers such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Once your child is familiar with them in English, he/she can seek them out in French in the school library.
This month our focus is Art. At the ‘Back to School’ meetings, those of us with children in Cycle 3 saw the history of art books our children will be creating, as part of the new programs in France. It’s exciting stuff!
Cycle 1 Books
‘Mon petit Louvre’ by Violaine-Bouvet Lanselle and Marie Sellier. Published by Réunions des musées nationaux, these wonderful albums are available in French and English. The reproductions are of excellent quality and the text is engaging. A fun introduction to great art. There are guides to the Louvre, Orsay, Musée du Quai Branly and many more...
French versions available to buy here:
www.boutiquesdemusees.fr/fr/boutique/produits/34-jeunesse
English versions can be found at:
Dada - My first art review
You can read a summary of the current issue of ‘Dada’ here:
It deals with the ‘Renoir in the twentieth century’ exhibition in Paris. Those of you longing for more, can take out a subscription to the magazine, although the archives provide a huge amount of information and reading matter.
Cycles 2 and 3 Books
Anthony Browne was recently named‘children’s laureate’ in the UK. In ‘Willy’s pictures’, Willy the chimp presents his own versions of 16 masterpieces. A playful introduction to great art. This book is multi-layered. Children delight in finding Willy’s friend Millie and various pencils and pens in Willy’s version of these great paintings.
http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/Anthony-Browne
Art Fraud Detective
In the Musée des Beaux Arts, 30 out of 34 paintings are fakes! Armed with a magnifying glass, you have to compare the real catalogue item to the paintings hanging in the gallery to work out which group of forgers forged which picture. This ingenious book introduces youngsters to technical terms and to the history of art, whilst being great fun. A follow up volume, ‘The great art scandal’ focuses on modern art.
Both books are by Anna Nilsen.
Games
This site offers a wonderful interactive introduction to the history of painting.
www.bemberg-educatif.org/index.html
For the third cycle, some great games can be found here under the ‘jeunesse’ rubric. You can play with Andy Warhol or Picasso, or piece together prehistoric man.
These mainly encourage visual discrimination.
For all three cycles and parents too!
This is seriously addictive.
Outings
Take one trip. Visit the Norton-Simon Museum in Pasadena to see a world-class collection.
Open house is on Sunday October 4th from 12pm to 6pm. Admission is free for all on the first Friday of every month from 6pm to 9pm.
A note on the cycles.
The French primary school curriculum organizes the primary school experience into three cycles. It is important for us to understand that, whilst the programs do outline learning objectives for each grade, the French programs allow pupils the whole of the cycle to master the concepts and skills outlined.
Kindergarten is a transitional class between Pre K and Grade 1, straddling two cycles.
Cycle I - First steps.
Cycle II - Basic skills.
Cycle III - Refining knowledge.
| Age | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Grade | Pre-K | Pre-K | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Cycle | I First steps | I+II | II Basic skills | III Refining knowledge | ||||
