Prospect, Rolling Meadows students participate in French Immersion Day
Earlier this month, more than 100 people from 20 area schools and seven universities participated in the 11th annual Journée Intensive en Français, an all-day French immersion program uniquely for high school students.
Prospect and Rolling Meadows high school students and teachers participated in the event, where everyone spoke only French for the entire day.
Several guests attended, including M. Martin Dionne attaché aux affaires publiques et gouvernementales de la Délégation du Québec in Chicago, and Tom Sapp, president of the American Association of Teachers of French Chicago/Northern Illinois chapter, which sponsors the program.
The participants had a French breakfast of croissants et un jus de fruit, passed through customs, played board and linguistic games and learned and sang French traditional and pop songs.
They also attended two of the three formal classes which centered on the culture of the Francophone world, either on cathedrals, chocolate, fairy tales or life in the Maghreb. In addition, students played several linguistic games that furthered communication in French.
A special event rounded out the day. Idy Ciss and his Senegalese drumming, singing and dancing group, who teaches at Old Town School in Chicago, not only entertained but involved the students in their singing and dancing.
All of the classes and activities helped the participants attain the program's and their personal goals of furthering their competence in the French language and of enhancing their knowledge of many of the facets of French and Francophone cultures.
The local and national American Association of Teachers of French organizations, the Alliance Française du North Shore sponsored and supported this effort with monetary grants.
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