French with Madame Carmen
Our students learn French with Madame Carmen from Prep through to grade 6.
The linguistic skills of listening, comprehension and conversation in the French language are emphasized in prep to grade two through stories, games, songs and role plays. In the later years reading and writing in the language are added. Students are encouraged to participate actively in their L.O.T.E. studies.
We use A.I.M. (Accelerative Integrated Methodology) in our program - which is gesture-based methodology to teach vocabulary. It is a hands-on, engaging, verb-based method to teach French.
“Gestures are used to introduce and reinforce vocabulary and enable a target-language only environment. These visual and kinaesthetic props allow new words and associated grammar to pass directly to meaning, so there is no need to translate back into the first language.” (AIM Language Learning)
French Day at East Bentleigh
Each year around Bastille Day we take the opportunity to celebrate all the children's hard work in French class and, of course, all things French. Various French-themed activities happen in the classrooms and the day culminates in a whole school assembly where each class performs songs, poems or plays they have learned in Madame Carmen's class.
Why learn French?
Your child already knows many words in French since English shares many cognates with French – that is, words that are spelled exactly the same, or almost the same, and as the same meaning.
It has always been said between 50% to 60% of English and French words are very similar in vocabulary – considering all the cognates (words that are similar in both languages).
Test yourself with those examples:
Melvyn Bragg in his book The Adventure of English estimates that over 40,000 French words became anglicised during and after the reign of William the Conqueror. Our understanding of our own English language is enriched immeasurably by a study of French.
Your child would like to travel one day.
French is a very useful language both in communicating abroad and in understanding the derivation of our English words. In addition to French, there are more than 40 French-speaking countries in the world, where more than 100 million people speak French on a daily basis. Whether your child travels for business or pleasure they would be able to use their French on tropical islands, lush rain forests, snow-covered mountains, fortified ancient villages where history comes to life or high tech bustling modern cities where the future rapidly unfolds.
Your child has musical ability.
French is one of the leading languages of opera and classical music. Bizet, Gounod, Massenet and Saint-Saëns were all French composers.
Your child loves to dance.
French is the key language for ballet. ‘Plié’, ‘pas de deux’, and ‘sautez’ are just three of the many French terms with which your child will be familiar.
Your child loves art.
French is the home of some of the wonders of the artistic world. Whether it is the more classical and historical form of art found in the Louvre, the fresh and original examples of painting found on the Left Bank, or the contemporary sculptures of the Centre Pompidou- French is the key.
You want your child to have global skills.
France, a leading nation in the European Union, has the fourth largest economy in the world, take advantage of it! Haute couture (high fashion), perfume, leather goods, precision instruments, automobiles, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, and jewellery are all thriving French industries. The computer giant Hewlett-Packard has its headquarters in Grenoble.