Steve: Well this evening I have with me my three grandchildren. They are, first of all, and she's giggling, so we'll go to my grandson. Kyle: Kyle.
Steve: And what's my oldest grandchild? Annie: Annie.
Steve: And Annie; and my youngest grandchild?
Olivia: Olivia.
Steve: Olivia; the three of you. And why are we here this evening?
Annie: It's grandma's birthday. Steve: It's grandma's birthday and did we have a nice cake? Annie: Yes.
Kyle: It was mushy.
Steve: It was a nice cake. What present did grandma get?
Annie: Flowers and an iPod.
Kyle: And we got her cards.
Steve: You guys actually drew the cards yourself, right?
Annie: Yeah.
Kyle: Yeah.
Olivia: Yes.
Steve: Aha and, of course, today is Saturday, so Annie what did you do today?
Annie: I went to the library and I took Gordie for a walk.
Steve: Gordie is your dog?
Annie: Yes, Gordie is my dog and that's kind of it. Steve: What do you have planned for tomorrow?
Annie: Well I have a 7:30 soccer game tomorrow morning.
Steve: So that means you have to get up early?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: Aha, do you like playing soccer?
Annie: Yup.
Steve: Okay. What other sports do you play?
Annie: Well in the spring I play field hockey and I…yeah, that's about it. Steve: Field hockey and soccer?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: And you play tennis? A little… Annie: Yeah, a little and I ski. Steve: And you ski. Do you like skiing?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: Aha, okay and Kylie what about you, did you play any sports today?
Kyle: Yeah, in the morning I had a soccer game and then we had a hockey practice.
Steve: Oh really?
Kyle: Aha.
Steve: What time was your hockey practice?
Kyle: Uhm, 12:45 maybe.
Steve: Aha, and then do you have a game or a practice tomorrow?
Kyle: No, but on Monday night we have another hockey practice.
Steve: Aha, but you have some practices early in the morning too?
Kyle: Yeah, Wednesday morning before school.
Steve: What time?
Kyle: Ah, 6:45.
Steve: Wow! And how about you Olivia, what sports do you like to play?
Olivia: Soccer.
Steve: Soccer? Did you play soccer this weekend?
Olivia: Today.
Steve: Today. How old are you Olivia?
Olivia: Six.
Steve: Six and Annie you are?
Annie: Ten.
Steve: And Kylie?
Kyle: Eight.
Steve: Six, eight and ten, okay. How about tomorrow Olivia, what do you have planned for tomorrow?
Olivia: I don't exactly know. Steve: Aha.
I think all three of you go to…what's the name of your school Annie? Annie: Pauline Johnson.
Steve: Pauline Johnson. What's special about Pauline Johnson? Annie: It's French immersion. Steve: And what does that mean?
Annie: We speak French.
Steve: So when you go to school from the minute you start in the classroom everything is in French?
Kyle: Yes, pretty much.
Annie: For me, no. When you start at grade four there's like a half an hour every day. There's an English period, so you kind of… Steve: …speak English? Annie: Yeah.
Steve: But, otherwise, all the classes you take in the different subjects are all in French?
Annie: Yeah, except for Music.
Steve: Except for music. Kylie you were going to say?
Kyle: And for some people in my class, Tuesday afternoons we get to go speak English in a little room to do separate work or something.
Steve: Aha, but otherwise. So how about you Olivia, this is your first year in French, doing everything in French?
Olivia: Second.
Steve: Second year. Did you have trouble understanding what the teacher was saying?
Olivia: Nope.
Steve: No?
Olivia: She talks sometimes in English.
Steve: In English, but when she speaks French do you understand what she's saying? Olivia: Yes.
Steve: So right away you understand? That's pretty good. Tell me Annie, do you have to sometimes write things in French?
Annie: All the time.
Steve: All the time?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: Do you sometimes have to get up and speak in front of the class in French?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: Did you have to speak on a particular subject?
Annie: Well my last one was on the forest industry.
Steve: Oh, so what did you say about the forest industry?
Annie: Well why it's important and what it does for us. Steve: And you had to say all of that in French?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: Aha.
Kylie, what do you do in French? Do you speak in French in class?
Kyle: Yeah and every Monday morning we have to recite a poem in front of the class.
Steve: Wow, in French?
Kyle: In French.
Steve: Do you have a book full of poetry?
Kyle: No, we have a binder and we have a little section where you put all your poems in.
Steve: Aha.
How about you Olivia, what do you do in class?
Olivia: Math.
Steve: Math? You do Math in French? Okay and so you sometimes speak in French to the class?
Olivia: Sometimes.
Steve: Aha, okay, but when you guys are with your friends at school, do you speak English or French?
Olivia: English.
Steve: English.
Annie: Well it depends.
Steve: Aha.
Annie: Like at recess we speak English.
Steve: Right.
Annie: And usually we speak English, unless it's like you really have to or you don't really like your partner. Steve: Tell me more, if you don't like your partner? Annie: Then you usually just speak in French like you're supposed to, but if, you know, if you're friends you just speak in English. Steve: Aha, okay, but you like school?
Kyle: Yes.
Annie: Kind of.
Olivia: No.
Steve: You don't? Olivia, little Olivia doesn't like school? Yes you do.
Olivia: I don't. Steve: You don't, okay. Olivia: I do lots of things.
Steve: Now tell us a little bit about your dog.
Annie: Gordie.
Olivia: He's very big and… Annie: He's black. Olivia: I don't know how much old. Steve: How old?
Olivia: In eight more days he's one. Steve: I beg your pardon, yes?
Kyle: He's half Lab and he's quarter Golden Retriever and quarter Flat-Coat Retriever. Annie: And his name's Gordie. Steve: What happened to him just recently?
Annie: He got sprayed by a skunk.
Steve: Wow, was that pretty stinky?
Annie: Yeah.
Olivia: It was nasty.
Steve: It was nasty. What is Gordie's personality like? Annie: He's scared of a lot of things. Kyle: And he likes to play with puppies.
Annie: And he's really nice. Steve: But he's scared of most things? Annie: Some things and he's very protective. He barks whenever he sees something happening around us.
Steve: Aha, oh really?
Annie: Yes.
Kyle: And he also growls.
Steve: What does he growl at?
Annie: Birds.
Kyle: If he sees the neighbors coming into the gate then the lights go on and he growls.
Steve: I see.
But that's nice that he's protective, do you think he would be a good guard dog? Annie: Yeah, he would.
Olivia: Of course.
Annie: Except scared, he runs inside after.
Kyle: He just barks and acts like he's tough, but then he just runs away. So they think that he's tough, but he's not. Annie: He's scared. Steve: He's scared. I understand that the mailman or the lady that delivers the mail is afraid of Gordie.
Annie: Kind of.
Well there's a newspaper man and since we live on Gordon Avenue he calls him Gordon. He has dog treats and so Gordie kind of knows him, but he barks at him anyway.
Steve: Aha.
He doesn't treat him nicely even though he gets the dog treats? Kyle: Sometimes.
Annie: Well after the dog treat he just runs away, but before he growls until the guy gives him one.
Steve: I see.
Olivia: He's a very naughty boy sometimes. Steve: A very naughty boy, okay.
Olivia: But just sometimes.
Steve: Alright. And tell me, what book are you reading right now Kylie?
Kyle: The Hardy Boys.
Steve: Uhm, the Hardy Boys. That's a very popular series of novels. What's it about? Kyle: The one that I'm reading right now is about people stealing cars and they have to found out who stole the car and stuff. Steve: So it's like a detective story? Kyle: Uhm.
Steve: Annie, what are you reading right now?
Annie: Well I just finished a book. It was this camp book about a bunch of people at camp and they pulled pranks on each other and it's kind of funny. Steve: Uhm, what was it called?
Annie: Well there's a bunch in the series. Steve: What's the series called? Annie: Camp Confidential.
Steve: Camp Confidential, so what is your next book going to be?
Annie: I just went to the library today and I'm reading Asterisk and Obelisk . Steve: Do you like Asterisk and Obelisk ?
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: How about you Kylie, you like them?
Kyle: Yeah.
Steve: Do you read them in English or in French?
Kyle: In English.
Annie: There are some at school in French too, so I do both.
Kyle: But we just read them for fun.
Steve: For fun.
Annie: Yeah.
Steve: Olivia, what do you like to read?
Olivia: Junie B. Steve: Junie B. ? Olivia: Yup.
Steve: Okay and is that a book that has nice pictures in it too? Or is it… Olivia: No. Steve: No pictures.
Annie: Yeah there's pictures. Olivia: Just a couple, but they're black and white. Steve: They're black and white, okay. You know we've had a nice chat here for ten minutes. I've really enjoyed it. Do you have any questions you want to ask about what we're doing at LingQ? No?
Yeah?
Kyle: I do LingQ in French.
Steve: Hey, that's right, Kylie has been using LingQ in French, but you haven't done it for a while. Kyle: No.
Steve: No. Has Annie ever done it?
Annie: Well I've looked. Steve: Uhm, okay.
Kyle: She was looking at Spanish.
Olivia: I know how to say good evening.
Steve: In?
Olivia: German.
Steve: Well let's here it. Olivia: “Guten Abend.” Steve: “Guten Abend”. Okay, thank you then. That's where we're going to end it and let's say goodbye; everybody say goodbye. Kids: Bye!
