Français langue étrangère
Teaching French as a Foreign Language
August 2017 - Present
Millbrook High School
Frederick County, Virginia
I am the only French teacher at Millbrook High School. Under my tenure, the French program has grown from having 90 students during my first year to over 130 in the 2019-2020 school year. I consistently teach French I, II, III, Honors French IV, and have worked with students who took AP French V on Virtual Virginia.
My Role at Millbrook
Being the only teacher of any subject at school of 1500 students was one of the main components to why I accepted this position. I love being able to work with students at the novice, beginning levels of language and journey with them all the way through the higher, more advanced levels. This not only allows me to create strong and lasting relationships with students, but additionally fulfills my desire to introduce the language and culture while still using the higher-level, more complex French that I love. Subsequently, as one of only five French teachers in Frederick County, I am able to have a voice within our creative team about curriculum, pacing, common unit assessments, planning, and more. As a young teacher, still relatively fresh out of college, having a voice is important to me. In my time with Frederick County, the French team has moved away from project-based assessments and grown more in proficiency based assessments, including a redevelopment of lessons in using teaching reading through proficiency and storytelling (TPRS) strategies.
Projects
Fostering an environment of language learning and cultural comparison
Learning through Play
Engaging students linguistically in high-risk activities
Culture
Exploring France, Canada, and Franco-Africa
Growth Monitoring
Using ACTFL Standards to track yearly progress
The World at our Fingertips
Thanks to advances in virtual reality technology, students are able to travel to Francophone countries and UNESCO World Heritage sites right from the classroom.
Below: French 3 students use Google Cardboard and virtual reality on a personal device to explore the Château de Versailles.
Collaboration - Locally & Internationally.
French 2 Students Connect with English students in Canada and Art students at Millbrook
In 2019, I reached out to Millbrook's Technology Coach, Mr. Lewis, asking for help to find international connections with native-French speaking students. We were able to connect with Eryka Desrosiers, an English teacher in Québec, Canada. Together, we set up a video conference call between our classes to give students the opportunity to communicate bilingually. We would start off with a whole-group "Mystery" chat where both sets of students tried to determine where the others were located through asking questions; my students asked questions in French, hers asked in English.
We also had plans to have our students compare class projects and give feedback, though completing this portion proved to be a challenge north of the border due to a lack of personalized devices for students.
The accompanying project, nevertheless, allowed French 2 students to research famous French painters and artists. We then met with students from Ms. Bell's art classes at Millbrook. With her students, French students shared their learning of the artists' lives, while the art students led art critique lessons.
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|
Mystery FlipGrid
French 3 Students record a FlipGrid video for our "Mystery FlipGrid" where we teamed up with another high school. Students had to communicate in French to discover the other school's location.
Celebrate Culture
In addition to learning the language, students engage in cultural learning and have an opportunity to practice culturally relevant events, foods, and activities.
Using our Classroom
Students use the bulletin board of Francophone countries to complete an in-class reading comprehension activity where they had to identify countries based on descriptions of their flags.
Testimonials
By making connections with my students, I am able to create a classroom where students feel welcomed, safe, and comfortable to engage in learning a new language. Students regularly comment that coming to my classroom is one of the highlights of their day. And I love having them with me!
As a colleague, I am also able to create positive work environments where we, as educators, can engage in discussions about our love and passion for teaching. Through collaboration, we become better teachers for our students. I strive to be an educator who is a leader and a partner with my colleagues in terms of language instructional strategies, such as comprehensible input and teaching reading through reading and storytelling methods. While I myself am still a student of these methods, I know that we all grow and get better by working together!