Despite a break, difficult sound conditions over the internet, and the indisposition of one of the pupils with a ricked neck, we started Le Petit Prince today, after just six lessons. The pupils had, though, been practising reading Pas Maintenant Bernard, and are receiving excellent support form their mother.
As usual, anything that they happened to be doing or saying in English is used as a way into French, and the pupil with a sore neck needed a hot water bottle. I've never had cause to use such a thing in France and had to look it up. It is une bouillotte, with some alternatives - a stone one, my Harraps tells me, is un cruchon. Also as usual, I unpacked and explained every detail. Below is note of what we'd discussed.
After explaining the idea of time zones, and particularly the past zone, I read the first paragraph of the book and explained every detail of it. Pupils will study it, and we´ll go over it again next week. It contains imperfect and perfect tenses, with present introduced in paragraph 2.
Note.
(Q. If le petit prince had a sister, what would she be? And a big sister? P had to work quite hard to make all of the companion words match the gender of the noun)
Le petit prince. La petite princesse.
Le grand prince. La grande princesse.
Oir. Oyez. J'ai oui. - Oui! (Origin of French for Yes)
Entendre entente cordiale Cordialement ment = ly Amicalement un ami/une amie Exactement
Oui beau la beauté la belle
Bouillir bouillon bullion une bouillotte
Avec les aquarelles de l'auteur (aquarium -water- watercolour)
Voir Tu vois? Au revoir. ( Adieu.Adíos). Voilà Voici
Histoire history
Victoire victory
Une avalanche (le boa avale sa proie)