Foreign Language at Mass Academy is taught by Mme. Wildfong. Students have the option to enroll in either French or Spanish. A placement test is administered in the spring to determine whether a student will be in an advanced class versus an intermediate class. Students with no prior experience in either language are able to indicate a preference to Mme and will be accommodated based on the class sizes. All Foreign Language classes at Mass Academy are immersion-style classes, meaning that they are conducted entirely in that language and there is no English allowed. Immersion helps increase exposure to that language as well as a proliferated amount of speaking practice. Mme. Wildfong incorporates many different forms of media into classes which provide unique opportunities for participation and class engagement. Over the course of the year, students are able to watch movies in their target language, participate in class and speak with their classmates, produce their own short films, write essays and stories, and play fun games (i.e. Monopoly, Guess Who, Clue, and more!).
One of the first writing assignments we completed in French was the creation of an original fairytale. This assignment was really fun because we had the ability to get creative while also working with the necessary tenses for storytelling. I enjoyed creating characters and pushing myself to try to build more complex sentences rather than just saying what I already knew how to say. My fairytale is about a girl named Eleni who likes the most popular boy at his school Jaques, however, he is dating the most popular girl, Chloe. One day as Eleni was walking, she stumbled upon a genie who granted her a wish. She wished that Jaques would see her as the perfect girl. Her wish comes true, however, Jaques does not see her for who she truly is. She meets another boy who likes her for who she is.
One of my favorite activities from this year so far has been the potluck we held in December. Each student chose a recipe from a Francophone country and prepared it for the class to try together. This was a fun way to learn more about some of the Francophone countries and their typical dishes. I enjoyed trying new foods I would normally never have the opportunity to. Each student also prepared and delivered a presentation to the class about the process. I made Beef Bourguignon, a dish from Burgundy, France.