School Launch

Parent guide · Grade 2 French · Unit 1

Lesson 1.2 Les Accents

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
Recognize the accents é, è and ê and the cedilla ç. Say école, père, fête and garçon. Hear that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.
You need
  • A French children’s book, a food label in French, or the word list below
  • Four small cards marked é, è, ê, ç
  • A sketchbook or plain paper, and crayons
  • A King James Bible
Print
Worksheet A · the lesson page (it also has a short video (1:44))

Steps

  1. Do this together: Sing the French alphabet from last lesson. Today you learn the little marks French puts on top of (and under) some letters.

  2. Read aloud: The story. The last book of the Bible was written by the apostle John, in Greek. The Greek alphabet begins with alpha and ends with omega. At the very end of the Bible, Jesus says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Before anything was made, He was there, and He will be there forever. Every alphabet, Greek, Latin, English or French, has a first and a last letter, and every one can remind us of Him.

    Read aloud: How French sounds. The marks tell you how to say a letter. The sharp accent leans forward: é says ay, as in école (ay-KUL). The heavy accent leans back: è says eh, as in père (PEHR). The little hat ê also says eh, as in fête (FET). The cedilla is a little hook under c: ç says s, as in garçon (gar-SOHN).

    Read aloud: Say it and move. Lean your arm forward like / for é! Lean it back like \ for è! Make a roof with your hands for ê! Curl your finger into a hook for ç!

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

    • l’école [lay-KUL]: school
    • le père [luh PEHR]: father
    • la mère [lah MEHR]: mother
    • la fête [lah FET]: party; feast
    • le garçon [luh gar-SOHN]: boy
    • l’accent [lahk-SAHN]: accent mark

  4. Show: How do you say école?

    Say this: “é says ay.”

    Say this: “cole says KUL.”

    Answer: ay-KUL.

    Show: Why does garçon say s and not k?

    Say this: “There is a cedilla under the c.”

    Say this: “ç always says s.”

    Answer: Because ç says s: gar-SOHN.

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

    Ask: What sound does é make?

    Listen for: Ay.

    Ask: What sound does ç make?

    Listen for: S.

    Ask: What is the little hat on ê called?

    Listen for: The circonflexe (circumflex).

    3 more on the lesson page.

  6. Read aloud: Hunt for accents in French words and sort them.

    Steps:

    1. Lay out the four cards.
    2. A parent writes these words on slips: école, été, père, mère, fête, forêt, garçon, français.
    3. Read each word together and place it under the right card.
    4. Say each word out loud with the right sound.

    Tips for you:

    • Look on a jar of French jam or cheese for more accents.
    • Make the accent motions as you read.

    Done when your child can say:

    • I sorted eight words.
    • I can say what sound each mark makes.

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

    1. Copy é, è, ê and ç in your French notebook, each with one word: école, père, fête, garçon. Draw a little picture beside each.

  8. Read aloud: The cedilla started in Spain, where it meant a little z. French printers began using it about five hundred years ago so readers would know when c says s.

    • Ignoring the accent. The mark changes the sound: é is ay, but plain e is often uh or silent.
    • Saying garçon with a k sound. The cedilla makes it s.

  10. A parent says a word, like école, père, fête or garçon. Make the right accent motion as fast as you can: forward arm, back arm, roof or hook!

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

    Listen for: Recognize the accents é, è and ê and the cedilla ç.; Say école, père, fête and garçon.; Hear that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.

  12. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

    Revelation 22:13 (KJV)

    In the French Bible of Louis Segond (1910), this verse reads: <i lang="fr">Je suis l’alpha et l’oméga, le premier et le dernier, le commencement et la fin.</i> Jesus is the first and the last letter of every alphabet: the beginning and the end of all things.

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. 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.