CHANTONS
-- LET’S SING
CHANTONS
-- LET’S SING
Suggestions
for the use of these songs in the classroom.
Besides their purely musical aspects, these songs can serve as leads into
lessons on culture and community or as linguistic tools. In general, singing
them properly will help improve French pronunciation and intonation, the use of
“liaison” and elision; it will also help increase the student’s vocabulary
and their experience of varied tenses.
Keep in mind that the translations are not always literal or word for
word. It is important for learners of a second language to understand that
different languages may not always use the same expressions or structures to
communicate similar ideas, feelings or impressions.
The following are a few ideas for each of the songs on the CD. The uses
suggested are not for the same age group or ability levels.
Anne Moreau-Burg
1. Du nanane
Grammar lessons
Beginning
level:
commands – the second person singular imperative
Intermediate level: the
use of the relative pronoun “qui”
the use of the direct object pronouns “les” and “l’”
the use of the past tense [passé composé]
agreement of the past participle “fait/faits” with a
preceding direct object pronoun
Social Studies
This song, in which the father has made the side
rails of the cradle and the mother has made the quilt, offers a lead into a
discussion of the self-sufficiency of many of the families living on farms. What
were they obliged to produce for their own use? What could they buy, and when
did they have an opportunity to buy goods? With what did they pay for the goods
they bought?
2.
Planter des choux
Vocabulary
major body parts
the use of “à la mode”
Grammar
lessons
Beginning
level:
the use of subject-verb inversion in some questions
the flexible meaning and use of “on”
the use of an infinitive verb after “savoir” [to know how to]
Social Studies
This song lends itself to a lesson on the importance
of cabbage as a food staple and the reflection of that importance
in French and Franco-American cultural mythology.
Tangential topics for discussion: the myth that
babies are found in cabbage patches under the broad leaves; the widespread use
of the endearment, “mon p’tit choux”; the relationship of this explanation
of birth to the Cabbage Patch Kids® dolls [to show the influence one culture
can have on another]; the alternative Franco-American explanation of birth
involving an Amerindian [to show how the actual circumstances of a community can
influence aspects of its culture]
3.
Monter sur un éléphant
Basic
concepts “haut” –
“bas”
counting from 1 to 5 [could be extended to 10]
Grammar
lesson using an infinitive verb as a
noun designating an action
4.
Mon Papa
Grammar
lessons
Beginning
level:
the use of the negative “ne... pas”
Intermediate
level: the use of
the future tense
the use of the subjunctive after “vouloir”
Advanced
level: the
use of the relative pronoun “que” with the antecedent “ce”
Social Studies
This could lead into a lesson on the importance of
dance in social interaction and in building the sense of community. [The varied
uses of dance in other cultures (African, Amerindian, etc.) could then be
explored.]
5.
Si mon moine
Grammar
lesson
Beginning
level:
the use of commands – the second person singular imperative
the use of the negatives “ne” and “ne... pas”
the use of infinitives after “entendre” and verbs of perception
Intermediate
level: the use of
the indirect personal object “lui”
Advanced level:
the use of the imperfect [“imparfait”] and of the present conditional
in a
contrary-to-fact conditional sentence
the alternative use of the pluperfect [“plus-que-parfait”] and the
present
conditional in a contrary-to-fact conditional sentence
6. Le coq est mort
Basic concepts
rhythm
time frames: the past – the future
Grammar lesson
Beginning level:
the use of the negative “ne... plus”
Intermediate level: the
past tense [passé composé] of “mourir”
the use of the future tense, third person singular
7. Bonhomme! Bonhomme!
Grammar lessons
Beginning level:
the use of subject-verb inversions in questions
the use of onomatopoeia
the use of the demonstrative adjectives “ce... -là” and “cette...-la”
Intermediate level:
the use of “y” [there]
the use of the infinitive after “savoir” [to know how to]
Social Studies
This song could lead into a
discussion about the importance of music in Franco-American culture.
Why did the instruments
mentioned in this song become particularly popular among Franco-Americans?
8. Un crapaud
Grammar lesson
the use of the negative adverb “pas” with an adjective
9. Frère Jacques
Grammar lessons
Beginning level:
the use of subject-verb inversion in questions
commands: the second person plural imperative
the use of “voilà”
Social Studies
Since the first verse
refers to the ringing of morning prayers, which would also signal the beginning
of the working day for many people in Europe in the Middle Ages, this song could
lead to a discussion of the way in which Catholic worship with its seven
canonical hours [matins and lauds, prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, compline]
structured the days for the entire community. The discussion could be expanded
to the topic of how different religions and forms of worship have helped to
shape different societies and their cultures.
10. La bastringue
Grammar lessons
Beginning level:
the use of the subject-verb inversion in questions
the immediate future construction using “aller” and a second verb in
the infinitive
the use of “il faut” and another verb in the infinitive [necessity]
the intensifying use of “en” in the verbal expression “en avoir”
Intermediate level:
the polite use of “vouloir” in the present conditional
11. Hier au soir
Linguistic lesson
In this song, one can see some differences between the standard or
“written” language and the colloquial or “spoken” language.
Examples:
“hier soir” / “hier au soir”
“Il y avait” / “y avait”
“chat” / “minou”
“froid” / “frette” [This
particular colloquialism is Franco-American]
12. Michaud est tombé
Grammar lessons
Beginning level:
the use of the interrogative “où”
the use of the suffix “-ier” after the name of a fruit or flower to
designate the tree
or plant that bears that fruit or flower
commands: the second person singular imperative
Intermediate level
the past tense [passé composé] with “avoir” as auxiliary verb
the past tense [passé composé] with “être” as auxiliary verb
Other lesson
This song could lead into a discussion about safety and learning from
your mistakes [or not making the same mistake repeatedly].
13. Bonsoir, mes amis
Basic speech acts
saying goodnight, and saying goodbye
Grammar lessons
Beginning levels:
the use of the interrogative “pourquoi”
the use of an infinitive verb after the interrogative “pourquoi”
14. Dodo, p’ti bébé
Grammar lessons
Beginning level:
commands: second person singular imperative
the use of infinitives after “écouter” and verbs of perception