School Launch

Parent guide · Grade 1 French · Unit 1

Lesson 1.1 Maman et Papa

Written for the parent. The Read aloud parts are written to your child; read them as they are. Do this parts are for you. Answers for you are marked Listen for.

At a glance

Time
3 sessions of 15–20 minutes
Goal
Say maman, papa and la famille. Say je t’aime (I love you). Sing a little song for mothers in French.
You need
  • Two pieces of paper folded in half
  • Crayons or markers, stickers
  • A sketchbook or plain paper, and crayons
  • A King James Bible
Print
Worksheet A · the lesson page (it also has a short video (1:37))

Steps

  1. Do this together: Who is in your family? Name everyone who lives in your house. Today you learn to say Mom, Dad and family in French.

  2. Read aloud: The story. Berthe Morisot was a French painter who loved to paint her own family. One day she painted her sister Edma sitting beside a cradle where Edma’s baby daughter was asleep. A thin white curtain hangs over the cradle like a cloud. The mother leans her chin on her hand and watches the baby breathe. She does not want to wake her. That is what a maman does: she watches over her children with love. In French, a child says maman and papa, and je t’aime, I love you.

    Read aloud: How French sounds. In maman, the second an is hummed through the nose: mah-MAHN. French leans on the last part: mah-MAHN, pah-PAH. In famille, the ill sounds like y: fah-MEE.

    Read aloud: Say it and move. Rock a pretend baby: maman! Stand tall and strong: papa! Spread your arms wide to hug everyone: la famille! Cross your hands over your heart: je t’aime!

  3. Do this: Say each word clearly; your child says it back twice. Point to a picture or the real thing when you can.

    • maman [mah-MAHN]: mom
    • papa [pah-PAH]: dad
    • la famille [lah fah-MEE]: family
    • je t’aime [zhuh TEM]: I love you
    • voici [vwah-SEE]: here is
  4. A young mother in a dark dress sits beside a cradle draped in sheer white curtains, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the sleeping baby inside, with soft pink and white light around them.
    The Cradle, Berthe Morisot, 1872. Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

    Do this: Look at the picture together for a quiet minute before anyone talks.

    Read aloud: Berthe Morisot painted her sister Edma watching her baby daughter, Blanche, sleep. Morisot was one of the first women to show her paintings with the French Impressionists. She painted the white curtain with light, quick strokes so it seems to float, and she made the mother’s face calm and loving.

    Point and find:

    • Find the baby. What is the baby doing?
    • Where is the mother looking?
    • What is over the cradle?
    • Is this a loud picture or a quiet one?

    Ask:

    • “How does someone in your family take care of you?”
    • “What would you whisper to a sleeping baby?”

  5. Show: How do you say Mom in French?

    Say this: “Mom is maman.”

    Say this: “Hum the last part: mah-MAHN.”

    Answer: Maman.

    Show: How do you say I love you?

    Say this: “Say je, then t’aime.”

    Answer: Je t’aime.

  6. Do this: Ask out loud. Let your child try first; help only after a real try.

    Ask: Say Dad in French.

    Listen for: Papa.

    Ask: Say Mom in French.

    Listen for: Maman.

    Ask: Say family in French.

    Listen for: La famille.

    3 more on the lesson page.

  7. Read aloud: Make a little card for Maman and one for Papa that says je t’aime.

    Steps:

    1. Fold each paper in half to make a card.
    2. On the front, draw Mom on one card and Dad on the other.
    3. A parent writes maman or papa on the front and je t’aime inside.
    4. Trace the words and decorate with hearts.
    5. Give each card and say Je t’aime, maman! Je t’aime, papa!

    Tips for you:

    • Make one for a grandparent too.
    • Say the words slowly as you trace them.

    Done when your child can say:

    • I made two cards with French words.
    • I can say je t’aime.

  8. Do this: Your child picks one or more; you write the date.

    1. Draw Mom and Dad. A parent writes maman and papa under them.
    2. Draw a big heart and write je t’aime in it.

  9. Read aloud: Berthe Morisot and her sister Edma both learned to paint as girls. Edma stopped painting when she married, but Berthe painted all her life, and her daughter Julie often sat for her pictures.

    • Saying the n in maman. It is hummed: mah-MAHN.
    • Saying the ll in famille as l. It sounds like y: fah-MEE.

  11. A parent hides a family photo or a doll. Ask Où est maman? (Where is Mom?) and hunt for it. When you find it, shout Voici maman! Take turns hiding.

  12. Say this: “Tell me what you learned today.”

    Listen for: Say maman, papa and la famille.; Say je t’aime (I love you).; Sing a little song for mothers in French.

  13. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

    Exodus 20:12 (KJV)

    In the French Bible of Louis Segond (1910), this verse reads: <i lang="fr">Honore ton père et ta mère.</i> God gave us the commandment to honor father and mother. In French, honore means honor. We honor maman and papa when we listen, obey and say je t’aime.

Spread over the week

3 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

  1. Session 1. Warm-up, then read and teach the new idea and the new words. Picture study and show how.
  2. Session 2. Practice together, then start the project. Finish the project, then the sketchbook.
  3. Session 3. Narration, the game and the Scripture.