Discover your voice: In the classroom

French

Our goal for every student at Waring is fluency in speaking, reading and writing French. Classes, from beginner through advanced, are conducted entirely in French by native or near-native speakers. Our program begins with a partial immersion in 6th and 7th grades. In 9th grade, students may participate in a 4-week exchange program in Angers, France. Each year in January all students compete in a poetry recitation contest called le concours de poésie. Everyone develops a repertoire of French pop songs, which we sing throughout the program to aid in developing pronunciation. Our frequent all-school French meetings challenge the performers as well as the audience. In addition to skits, we regularly perform full-length plays in French. End Term groups often travel to Quebec. At the advanced level, students read unabridged literature including poetry, plays and novels by authors such as Molière, La Fontaine, Hugo, Flaubert, Maupassant, Gide, Camus, Ionesco, Senghor, Diop, and Emmanuel Schmitt. Classes also make full use of Internet resources, video and French films. Our program is rooted in French classics, but fully engaged in contemporary French and Francophone culture.

Partial Immersion

Our program is conducted in French from the first day. Beginners enter a classroom where French is spoken, but not written. Only after a semester of oral French do we introduce writing and reading. French classes are always centered on French conversation. In addition to the four periods per week of French instruction, 6th and 7th graders have an additional four periods per week of immersion classes. They study Humanities, Math and Music in French. These classes act as a complement to the classes they take in English. They are activity based so that students understand French in the context of hands-on activities. In Music they dance, sing and compose. In Humanities they study geography and cultural traditions of Africa, India and China. In Math they practice number sense, algebraic manipulations, and geometric concepts. This program gives them an initial boost in their study of French, and helps them move ahead rapidly in our program.

Angers Program

In 9th grade Waring students have the opportunity to participate in an exchange with our partner school, the Lycée David d’Angers in France. Students who participate in this program host French 9th graders in October and November and travel to France in March to stay for four weeks in the homes of their partners. During this time, students visit French classes, carry out Waring assignments under the guidance of chaperone teachers, and take various trips related to their curriculum. This program gives another substantial boost to our French program by increasing students’ fluency and comprehension at any level. It also gives students a real experience of another culture and a practical way to use their new language, which frequently leads to new and lasting friendships.