Tadpole Telegram December 2-6, 2013
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, was completed in 1250 and is more than 700 years old. Notre
Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The South Tower
houses the cathedral's famous bell, “Emmanuel”. The bell weighs over 28,000 pounds. The bell is Notre Dame's
oldest, having been recast in 1631. The grand Gallery connects the two Towers, and is where the cathedral's
legendary gargoyles (chimaeras) can be found. The West Rose Window is a remarkable stained glass window 33
feet in diameter.
Monday – Bonjour! We started our exploration of France and some different aspects of French culture. Students worked
on counting in French, creating a French flag and creating a large map of France for our bulletin board in the hall. Using
maps and a globe we studied France’s geography. Our morning routine now includes the students using his or her picture
to create a bar graph in response to a question. Each morning students will work on a different question. After the graph
is complete, the students will be asked to analyze the data. Students started learning how to count to 12 in French and
worked on their French Number Book. The class is getting very good at logging into the IXL math program and the
iRead Scholastic program by themselves. The students are enjoying earning the awards for their hard work.
Tuesday –We used a graph to determine that in our class most of the students have been on a plane. The surprise box
contained a stained-glass holly wreath with pictures of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Everyone designed and started their
stained glass windows. Their creativity shows in the variety of shapes and styles they chose. We finished our stained
glass windows and were surprised after they were laminated that by overlapping colored tissue paper we created new
colors. These beautiful stained glass windows can be seen on our French bulletin board in the hall. Students used colored
pencils to help fill in the details on a map of France and Oscar was chosen as Artist of the Week.
Wednesday – Mrs. Hutchinson came to our room to discuss how students can recognize and deal with a bully.
Examining four different gargoyles helped us with creative ideas for designing our own Model Magic gargoyles. We read
the story, Night of the Gargoyles, where stone gargoyles come awake at night! In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved
stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building. A chimera, or a
grotesque figure, is a sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only as an artistic ornament. These figures
are also called gargoyles in laypersons' terminology, although the field of architecture usually preserves the distinction
between gargoyles (functional waterspouts) and non-waterspout grotesques. Although most have grotesque features, the
term gargoyle has come to include all types of images.
Thursday –Everyone worked on creating their sign prop for the song presentation during Friday’s assembly. The
beginning segment of the Hunchback of Notre Dame video provided some great views of the cathedral and gargoyles!
We discovered our gargoyles were dry and ready for a coat of gray paint. Everyone is very excited to have the opportunity
to paint their gargoyles and have each one come to life. I love the diversity and creativity students generated with their
sculptures. The students have been practicing French; bonjour (hello), au revoir (goodbye), merci (thank you), and s'il
vous plaît, (please). Our new fireplace and flickering fire in the classroom help to set the mood for an old fashioned
French Christmas celebration.
Friday – Everyone enjoyed our assembly this morning. Happy St. Nicholas Day! Widely celebrated in Europe, St.
Nicholas’ feast day, December 6th, keeps alive the stories of St. Nicholas’ goodness and generosity. December 6th is still
the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. We left our shoes out to see if he would visit us with
treats, and he did! The video, Families Around the World, allowed us to see inside the life of one French family. The
class practiced counting to 12 in French. Homework for the weekend is to read their new book with at least two people. I
finished adding the end of trimester assessments data for literacy and math. All the different assessment results will be
available to parents through the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus to clarify the final grade on the report card.