L'Etoile French Immersion School

In Cycle 2, our students build on what they learned in Cycle 1. They practice reading longer stories and improve their phonics skills. Reading lots of different books helps them love reading and enjoy it for fun. When writing, our students start making longer sentences and learn how to find the subject and verb in each sentence. They pay attention to organizing sentences correctly with a focus on vocabulary and spelling. Our 1st grade students begin learning how to change verbs (like “run” to “ran”), and they practice this more in 2nd grade.

Children also practice their oral skills by saying rhymes and poems from memory. They focus on using the right rhythm and tone. They learn new words by repeating them and practice how to talk to others respectfully. They also share ideas in small groups.

In English class, our students read a variety of books including fiction, non-fiction, and chapter books. They have Writer’s Workshop time to write stories, work on drafts, and edit their work before finishing. They also learn grammar, punctuation, and phonics.

They sing songs that teach social skills and patriotic American songs including “The Star Spangled Banner.” For homework, they practice spelling words, writing sentences, and doing creative writing. Our 1st graders have 4.5 hours of English class each week. Our 2nd graders have 6 hours.

In Cycle 2, our students practice adding, subtracting, multiplying and solving problems. They also build on the geometry they learned in Cycle 1. They learn how to plot complex shapes on a grid, to recognize and describe planes and solids, and to use instruments and techniques to reproduce figures. Repeating these lessons helps them remember new math words.

Our students learn about measuring things like length (meters and centimeters), weight (kilograms and grams), and capacity (liters). They also study time (hours and half-hours) and money (euros and cents). They solve simple programs about size, weight, time, and cost. Students will also begin organizing numbers and data into charts, tables, and graphs to explain their ideas. Later in Cycle 2, they practice solving word problems that use all the math skills they have learned so far.

Our students learn more about how time works and its repeating patterns. They practice using calendars and clocks to understand days, months, and hours. They also discover that time can feel different in different parts of the world, like when the sun rises and sets.

Students study the life cycle of living things, learning about birth, growth, reproduction, and death. They also learn about what animals eat and how they live in their habitats. They explore how animals adapt to changes in the environment, like seasons or weather.

Our students also learn about solids and liquids by doing fun experiments to see how things can change, including water freezing or melting. They also make simple models and build electric circuits to see how electrical devices work. Students study temperature and how it can change the environment, like melting snow or making things warm.

Students learn about significant events and influential contributors leading to the founding of the French Republic. As part of this learning, students also explore broader historical periods using timelines and calendars to develop their sense of chronology. They learn to identify and place events within the major historical periods: Prehistory, Antiquity, and the Middle Ages.

Students broaden their basic concept of familiar surroundings: the classroom, school, neighborhood, village and town. They compare these familiar settings with other settings and more distant places. They study common forms of portrayal of their world (photographs, maps, world maps, a globe).

Students exchange videos of their classroom work with fellow 1st and 2nd grades students in France. The students learn about where the students reside with respect to a map.

Students sing, listen to, and move to music in a variety of meters. They imitate rhythm patterns using instruments and learn to keep a steady beat. They begin to recognize upward/downward movement of pitch and differences in tempo. Dedicated music instruction takes place once a week in French.

Focus is on the exploration of techniques and media (collage, pastel, gouache/acrylic, clay), the acquisition of artistic gestures, and the development of the sleight of hand. This is done through the study of famous artists as examples and source of inspiration. The basics of geometry are applied through 3D projects where the students understand the importance of distance, proportion, and symmetry. For example, our students make an Egyptian pyramid containing a treasure (a secret object of their choice). Field trips to museums reinforce lessons learned in the classroom.

Our students take part in individual and group activities that promote motor skills, working as a team, and social interaction. For example, in the context of badminton, our students move forward and sideways, changing direction quickly in response to a signal. They are taught to adapt sequences and patterns to their movement depending on the activity. A certified PE teacher instructs the class in French twice a week.