Notes of Lessons: Advanced French, Class III

[We have thought that it might be of use to our readers (in their own families) to publish from month to month during the current year, Notes of Lessons prepared by students of the House of Education for the pupils of the Practising School. We should like to say, however, that such a Lesson is never given as a tour de force, but is always an illustration or an expansion of some part of the children’s regular studies (in the Parents’ Review School), some passage in one or other of their school books.—Ed.]

Subject: Advanced French (Gouin) • Group: Languages • Class III • Age: 13 and 14 • Time: 30 minutes

By C. N. Heath
The Parents’ Review, 1903, pp. 227-228

Objects

I. To teach the children a new poem in a foreign language.

II. To increase their French vocabulary and enable them to have a more ready command over the words already acquired.

III. To establish relations with the past of a foreign country, by arousing their interest in Christophe Plantin.

IV. To give them a good pronunciation in French.

Lesson

Step I.—Tell the children about Christophe Plantin, who was born at St. Avertin, near Tours, in 1514, and settled at Antwerp in 1549, where a few years later he started his work of printing and publishing, his greatest work being the Biblia Polyglotta. He died in 1589, the work being, however, carried on by the firm which consisted chiefly of his sons-in-law.

Show the children the postcards illustrating the house, which has been preserved to this day exactly as it was in Plantin’s time.

Step II.—Put the title of the poem on blackboard, and make a word-picture of the poem, to fix the subject clearly in the minds of the children.

Step III.—Describe the verbs in the first verse in such a manner that the children can supply their French equivalents, and have them written on the blackboard by one of the pupils.

Step IV.—Treat the remaining words in the poem in the same manner, speaking as much as possible in French.

Step V.—Repeat the verse two or three times clearly and distinctly, and then ask the children to say it themselves. When they know it, show them the copy of the poem printed exactly as in the author’s time, and with the actual type used in his day.

Treatment of the Verbs

Avoir: verbe auxiliaire qui signifie de posséder à l’Infinitif.

Tapissé: verbe employé pour expliquer que le plancher est couvert d’une étoffe en laine.

Posséder: verbe pour exprimer qu’une chose vous appartient.

Le Bonheur de ce Monde

Avoir une maison commode propre et belle,

Un jardin tapissé d’espaliers odorans,

Des fruits, d’excellent vin, peu de train peu d’enfants,

Posséder seul sans bruit une femme fidèle.