When your target audience inhabits a country of English Only laws, your educational institution is located in a monocultural area whose students have never ventured beyond their home state, locating French culture through food labs might help transcend these pedagogical challenges. This interactive presentation offers educators a cost and time-effective method for formalizing something many of us already do in the classroom, eat culture, affording it the same prominence as all other regular learning activities.
This session will introduce a school-wide, year-long Francophone country exploration, sharing guidelines for selecting and promoting the 3 P's of a target country, while adhering to regular curricular goals, and demonstrate how the nature of the project puts students' voices and interests at the forefront, leading to increased engagement while providing a more diverse lens into Francophone culture. The session will include a hands-on learning experience and a portion of the session for sharing resources amongst participants.
Learn how to invigorate French conversation with your students in class through the high-impact activity of structured debate. The format of debating, infuses enthusiasm into conversation, while building vocabulary, refining pronunciation, enhancing confidence, and improving fluency. Using video of your choice, documentary, serial, or feature film, as the starting point, students lead the discussion implementing the important elements of debate such as argument, evidence, refutation, and respectful communication. Debate sample lesson with activities and templates will be provided during this interactive presentation.
Enjoy learning about Senegalese "teranga" as two Chicago-based French teachers discuss their experiences traveling in Francophone West Africa with Vive L'expérience. This session will explore the itinerary followed, the relationships forged, the cultures shared, the lessons learned, as well as how these experiences have been incorporated into the classroom. There will be time for Q&A and more information for those interested in future trips to Senegal with Vive.
The Commission on Colleges and Universities’ annual session will focus on collaboration with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States. In conjunction with the office of Cultural Services, we will give higher education faculty an opportunity to articulate their concerns and learn about opportunities and support provided by the French Embassy.
Explore techniques to promote learning French and your program within your school and community, and discuss connections you can make to share the work and engage new advocates. Participants will also be given the opportunity to put heads together and give thought to resources they would like the commission to produce in the future.
Are parents, students, and administrators in your school and community aware of the academic and cultural experiences you provide in and outside of class? This session will explore how newsletters can serve as an effective tool to highlight the value of your French program, and to foster enthusiasm among current and future students. Presenters will share newsletter content ideas suitable for middle, high school and university instructors, ways to involve students in the creation process, and tips to keep the project manageable.
College and Career Readiness (CCR) is becoming an increasing focus in our country. Explore how world language programs can be strategically integrated to meet these goals and help preserve your program! The session will focus on leveraging language testing, particularly through the Seal of Biliteracy (SOBL) and ACTFL credentialing, to enhance and promote the value of language programs for students, educators, and employers.
Wonder why there are so many French names in the United States? Come explore the impact of early French exploration, commerce and politics on the development the northern US and the Mississippi Valley. A sample interactive unit will be presented, including a variety of resources that help the people and history come to life for our students, as we reflect on this history that continues to impact our daily lives.
This session offers curated information to teach students abroad from a guidebook being written by Ray Kleinlein, artist and art historian, with Joan McRae, French professor. Focusing on key elements from the architecture, art, history, culture, and customs of Paris, this is not Rick Steves, but is made so teachers have at hand the information needed when standing before the grand monuments, the art in the Louvre, the metro system or shopping in the Marais.
For those times when unplanned events occur, 25+ activities beyond the norm that you can use right away with no planning or materials needed, little stress and great results…come ready to try some!
