On parle français ici?
Mais oui! Enfin, on essaie!
Bonjour!
This is the "Wasatch French Program" page....... Hello!!! Hello to you checking us out from near and far... Indeed, you may be calling from Salt Lake City or from ..... Belgium or French Polynesia, from Morocco or Vietnam, from Quebec or Cameroon.... One question we try to answer here is : "Why study a foreign language and particularly why study French?" First of all, we recognize that English is or is fast becoming the ‘lingua franca' (the common language) of the world. Nothing wrong with that! Millions of students all over the world choose to learn English as a second language. It helps when you are anywhere in the world to have a common bond, a common language....... and that is English. So! Why study another language? Well, because you will meet people in your world travels who do not speak English and with whom you will want to speak in their native language.... Russian, Swahili, Japanese, Spanish, Tongan etc... One of the several objectives of the French program at Wasatch is precisely to learn and practice the technics which would allow you to communicate in any language, anywhere in the world for just one day or for several years. No one knows which culture and which language we will encounter in the years to come. It is therefore essential that we acquire the skills to communicate in any language. But...... French? Why study French Well you may know that, with English, it is the official language of... The United Nations and world diplomacy, the European Union (15 countries, 375 million people), the Olympic Movement, several countries such as Canada to the North of us, basically 500 million people throughout the world on all continents...
On parle français au Québec, Canada .........
On parle français au Cameroun, en Afrique.....
On parle français au Vietnam, en Asie.........
On parle français à Bruxelles, en Belgique........
On parle français au Maroc, Afrique du Nord...
On parle français dans le Pacifique Sud, à Tahiti par exemple........
At Wasatch, we learn French in an immersion environment. During the instructional time, no English is spoken and both teacher and students speak French. (Exceptions are made when a student wants to respond in English.) In addition, the material used is authentic and was not originally designed for American students to learn French. The basic text is a reader which has been used in French schools to teach French 2nd graders about their country: France. The central characters are Max and Julie and we "discover" France with them.
We see them going to school
visiting their grandparents in the south of France... ... Ils vont à l'école...
learning about vineyards and grapes...
Ils partent une semaine chez leurs grands-parents dans le midi...
Les vendanges en automne... discovering the Alpsvacationing on the Atlantic coast... ... En classe de découverte à la montagne...
The text is supplemented by video excerpts which M. Baigue has accumulated from the French international television network: TV 5. In addition, TV 5 is used to present to the students current events as they happen in France and other French speaking countries. We also use the Internet extensively, especially in the advanced classes, to read about those current events. To assist in the learning process, we have acquired the necessary equipment ranging from large screen tv, video-visualizer, complete sound system with four speakers, remote microphone for teacher etc...
En vacances au bord de l'océan Atlantique...In addition to the written materials, an extensive program of oral communication is used in the French class. "15 minutes" are short audio-visual programs through which we interact with young junior-high school age French students who reside in the city of Rouen, Normandy. We discover their culture in the city, at home and at school. In the second year, we spend some time practicing speaking using the audio-visual portion of "Discovering French" by Valette & Valette. The students keep a French notebook in which they insert hand-outs as given by the teacher. Most of the work is done in class and active participation is a good guarantee of success. The role of the teacher is to make himself understood using pictures, gestures, role playing with students etc.. The role of the students is to understand and participate. Of course, the students are well trained in the various technics which will help them achieve these goals. In conclusion, here are a few comments written by successful students of the Wasatch French program: "This class is very enjoyable and fun. It is a laugh in a packed, hard worked day at school. You learn at a normal pace and it does not require large amounts of homework." (Daniel B.) "It's cool and you learn a lot of it (French) without having the usual ‘vocabulary list'." (Tiffany H.) "We get to learn not only the language but the history, the traditions and the culture. The best part of that, Mr. Baigue makes all of this fun and exciting." (Elizabeth D.) "I cannot believe how fun a language could be to learn. Mr. Baigue makes French challenging and educational but most of all fun. It is one of the hardest classes because he really believes you can succeed but makes it enjoyable." (Ellesse S.) "I had taken one year of French after school. I learned nothing, absolutely nothing. But here, I learn to speak French and I have fun while I'm working. Mr. Baigue is really funny and he kind of tricks you into learning. You may think you can never get it (I felt like that) but after a few weeks you start understanding what is being said." (Alix W.) "French is great... because I have a great teacher. There is a positive learning environment. Not all by the book, Mr. Baigue teaches to accommodate our learning abilities." (Whitney P.) "Mr. Baigue is the best teacher in the school. He sometimes is in a bad mood, but most of the time he is a funny giggling clown. He makes the whole class laugh. He is really, really funny." (Spencer N.) "French class is fun! We laugh a lot and can express our feelings freely. I wouldn't say it is easy, but it's not difficult if you pay attention in class and make mental notes of the lessons. You also must be willing to learn." (Jennie C.) "What I like about the French class is that the teacher doesn't let us give up and always encourages us. I also like how the teacher makes jokes about what we're learning about so then it helps us remember." (Anna M.) "The French class is great because there's hardly any homework, and it's done in a unique learning style so it's easier to learn." (Amanda H.) "I think French is fun and you get to be able to say you are different. You don't speak Spanish like so many others do. I, for one, enjoy being different." (Heidi M.) "The French program taught here is superior to many other French programs that came before. My mother took French and can remember one work. This will stay with me." (Tristan B.) "I love French because I come from a boring class and my energy just disappears. When I come here, I just have a great time." (Matt W.) For questions or comments, please write to me... 
