French I and II students got the full French experience, and they didn’t even have to leave campus.
The French Immersion Day, or “Journée d’Immersion Francophone” took place on Friday, November 3, 2023. It was an all-day event that showcased different francophone countries/territories cultures. Of the many, six were chosen. There were trailers dedicated to Morocco, Quebec, Vietnam, Middle East, French Antilles and, of course, France.
Students from French SL I and II came together to immerse the lower-level french students in a day of francophone culture. It had food, dances, folk tales, and french interactions. It was a learning experience for both students and their “teachers.” SL I and II students worked to exercise their French skills with the lower-level students and associate certain words with actions, which will assist them with their overall fluency in the language.
Junior and French SL I student Kayla Pennington describes the day as very successful, because of the “large participation from students and the joy that they expressed.” She was a part of the France trailer and played a part in the French re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. She believes that having students present allowed the audience to relate more and feel more motivated to participate. She detailed that she is looking forward to similar events in the future.
Each trailer had assigned students to them and they worked together to paint a picture of an example of what life is like in that country/territory. There were articles of clothing and cultural artifacts that the students discussed and used to tell stories indigenous to their location. Culinary students also provided common food from that region for students to taste and enrapture their taste buds.
Senior and French SL I student Pedro Lima details his experience in being a part of the French Immersion day as “amazing.” He believes that learning French is more fun when it is interactive. “I feel that lots of people enjoyed the event or found it entertaining, which made me glad as it was different from sitting in class,” Lima said.
