Bonjour et Bienvenue!

You live a new life for every new language you speak. (Czech proverb, source: http://www.omniglot.com)

Welcome to your first year of French! I am so excited that you are taking French and am looking forward to getting to know you over the course of this school year.

Maybe you are here because something about France or the French language intrigues you (delicious food, rich art, beautiful cities), maybe you already speak Spanish and want to learn a new language, maybe you are here because you didn't want to take gym, maybe you are here just because, maybe you have no idea why you are here . . .

Whatever the reason may be, I will work hard to challenge you, to engage you, to make you to think, to get you to try new things, and to get you reading, writing, and conversing in French.

What To Expect
Language is all about communication and we communicate in all sorts of ways! In your first year of French we will focus on:

thinking about how we communicate (speaking, gesturing, writing, grunting, pointing, drawing, etc.)
building your vocabulary
speaking & developing a beautiful French accent
writing simple sentences & paragraphs
conjugating verbs (which is my favorite)
understanding spoken French
learning about French culture & all of the different places French is spoken
using French in realistic situations & ways

Here are some projects we will work on:

making crêpes
writing a personal ad to help you find that special someone
creating a facebook page (ok, it's on paper, but it is very realistic)
making a family tree, photo album, power point, or something else (and you have the option to invent your family)
designing your dream house
planning a trip to Paris
online clothing shopping
writing an autobiography

So why should you learn a foreign language anyway?

Travel
Moving to a Foreign Country
Relatives (and if you don't have any French speaking relatives, maybe your future lover is French . . . you never know . . . )
Expand Your Facebook Community
Work
Study/Research
Study Abroad
Secret Communication
Graduation Requirement
Cultural Heritage
It's Fun
Learn About Culture
Food (French food in particular is a GREAT reason to study French)
Linguistic Interest (general interest in language and communication)
Challenge Yourself
Sounds/Looks Good (French is supposed to be the language of love and romance. And Lady Gaga uses it in her music)
Respect For Other Cultures

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." - Neslon Mandela

And why French? Top Reasons to Take French
(http://www.theworldspeaksfrench.org/reasons.html)

Be understood in 55 countries across five continents and by over 200 million people.
French is the third most common language on the Internet. Connect with pen pals, visit foreign websites and find student exchange opportunities.
Get a head start on learning other Romance languages like Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian.
French is a melodious and romantic language with a relatively quick learning curve.
Develop critical, creative thinking and problem solving skills. French also provides the base for more than 50% of the modern English vocabulary, which improves performance on standardized tests.
Open the doors to art, music, fashion, food, architecture and literature.
Discover a new appreciation for other cultures in countries that speak French like: France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco and many African nations.
Use French to pursue studies in Francophone countries.
Promote language diversity throughout the world.
Be more competitive in the national and international job market in disciplines like business, medicine, aviation, law, transportation technologies, global/international distribution and luxury goods.
French is the official working language of the UN, NATO, UNESCO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Union, the International Red Cross and much more!