Learn how to say "rake" in French

Learn how to say "rake" in French

Goal: Learn how to say "râteau" in French

**Recommended club documents:

• Étiquettes-mots géants-La pépinière
• Images à colorier-La pépinière
• Éduca-déco-La pépinière

**To use the documents mentioned above, you must have access to Club Educatout. Educatall Club members can join the French club at a low price.

Suggested activities: Print the "Étiquettes-mots géants-La pépinière" document for each child. For each copy, keep only the word "râteau". Glue each one on a leaf shape cut out of colourful Fun Foam. Purchase several plastic toy rakes in a variety of colors. You can find some at your local dollar store. Set them in a clean garbage can in your circle time area. If possible, add a few full-sized rakes too. If you prefer, hang the rakes from hooks in your circle time area. Once children have gathered around you, let them talk about rakes for a few minutes. Ask them if they have rakes at home, what they are used for, where they are normally stored, etc. Next, show them a copy of the word flashcard and tell them that in French a rake is called a "râteau".

You may click on the following link to hear the proper pronunciation of this word:

https://forvo.com/word/rateau/#fr.

Try to pronounce this new word as a group for a few minutes. Disperse the Fun Foam leaves on the floor within your circle time area. Invite children to take turns raking them up, saying "râteau" with every sweep. Once a child has raked up all the leaves, have him hand the rake to another child.

Print the second page of the "Éduca-déco-La pépinière" document for each child. Ask them to cut out the "râteau". Once they have succeeded, encourage them to show you the rake as they repeat the new word.

Print the first page of the "Images à colorier-La pépinière" document for each child. Let them color the page as they wish. When they are done, have them stick the "râteau" they cut out on the page, for example in the character's empty hand. Invite children to display their work on your bulletin board. Encourage them to say "râteau" as they hang it.

Collect several hardware store flyers. Let children flip through them in search of rakes. Every time a child finds a rake, he must say "râteau" and show it to the group. If you wish, have children cut out the rakes they find. They can glue them on your Fun Foam leaves. Display them on your bulletin board as a reminder of the latest addition to children's French vocabulary.

Set a large piece of white paper on the floor for each child. Set a small rake on the paper and have children trace its outline. Once this step has been completed, invite children to color or decorate their rake as they wish. Provide markers, stickers, glitter, etc. When they are done, help them cut out their paper "râteau". Hang them from the ceiling in your cloakroom. At the end of the day, children will proudly show their rake to their parents. This will provide them with the opportunity to share the new word with them too.

In your yard, set your toy rakes in plain sight, but out of children's reach so they must ask you for them if they wish to use them. Take advantage of their request to encourage them to say "râteau" once more.

You may also hide the toy rakes throughout your yard (under a slide, in a tree, in the tall grass, against a wall, etc.). Invite each child to find a rake and hand it to you as they say "râteau".

Patricia-Ann Morrison