In Intermediate French Immersion, Mrs. Wildfong conducts a class entirely in French. Parler dans anglais est interdit dans la classe. Everyday is something new and creative in this class - we've watched movies, played board games, listened to music, read, and are even working on a short film project right now. They say speaking a language is the best way to gain fluency, but I never realized to what extent this could be true until I was forced to communicate solely in French. It's definitely frustrating sometimes, but it's so worth it at the end of the day.
The first non-English essay of the year was a simple description of the rooms in our houses. We described the various items and layouts as a way to get comfortable with household vocabulary and prepositions. For example, the first two sentences of my essay read: "Dans le cusine, il y a un frigo noir. Sur la porte du frigo, il y a beaucoup des photos." In English, I'm saying: "In the kitchen, there is a black fridge. On the fridge door, there are lots of photos." I've definitely had to learn to keep things simple because of my limited lexicon, which has been a unique challenge.
One of the most entertaining assignments this year has been La Recette, or The Recipe. It's definitely been my favorite. Everyone in the French section, both Intermediate and Advanced students, got to pick an appetizer, entree, or desert to make from a Francophone country. We then had a potluck-style lunch, where everyone brought in their "assignment". I made Chtitha Batata, a spicy potato stew from Algeria (10/10 would recommend). I've always enjoyed cooking (and eating), so I had a great time all around. Check out my recipe and try it for yourself!