French Day 2024: March 6, 2024
Join us for a half-day program of interactive workshops in French. Intended for students with at least two years of experience in the language, this immersion program incorporates interactive learning techniques designed to build vocabulary and improve comprehension skills.
French Day 2024 Schedule (6 March)
9:00-9:15 AM: Welcoming remarks and logistics.
9:30-10:20 AM and 10:30-11:20 AM: Presentations (see descriptions below).
11:20-12:10 PM: Lunch
12:15-1:30 PM: Film Competition (see description below).
Workshops
A Taste of Morocco: Tourism and Tea (Imane Nayyar)
Embarking on a journey to Morocco promises an unforgettable adventure filled with cultural exploration, stunning landscapes, linguistic diversity, and tantalizing culinary delights. We will try Moroccan mint tea, or “atay nana,” which is a symbol of hospitality. Served sweet and steaming, this blend of green tea and fresh mint leaves is a refreshing and soothing drink.
Olympic Fever ! Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024 (Prof. Elizabeth Emery)
The Paris summer Olympics are right around the corner. In this workshop we’ll explore the French origins and cultural traditions of the modern Olympic Games from Pierre de Coubertin’s 1894 revival to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Which school will win our 2024 Olympic trivia competition? There’s plenty of time to train!
Let’s Go to Togo! (Pascale LaFountain and Isaac Kpoka)
Bienvenue au Togo, a nation of tropical beaches, lush forests, stunning linguistic diversity, and inspiring music. Together, we will go shopping at the Grand Marché in the capital city of Lomé, meet the diverse animal residents of the Parc National de Fazao-Malfakassa, speak some of Togo’s forty-four languages, try our hand at drumming rhythms, and more. On y va!
Sénégal, The Importance of “Teranga” (Seynabou Haith)
“Teranga” influences many aspects of Senegalese life! In this workshop, Mme Haith, who grew up in Senegal, will introduce students to her country and its legendary teranga (sometimes translated as “hospitality”). We will try on Senegalese fashions, taste specialties, discover instruments and dance, and learn more about the growing international interest for this culturally rich and beautiful country on the Atlantic coast of Africa.
Parfum : A French “savoir- faire” (Krystel Dubois)
Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent… French names top the list of popular fragrances. But what makes French perfumes so legendary? What ingredients are used? What kind of scents last longer? In this workshop, students will learn about the history of French fragrance, practice vocabulary related to smell, and learn to concoct their own personal fragrance.
Professional Development
Teachers may enroll for 3 credits of Professional Development on the registration form.
Film Competition
Spring 2024’s competitive events will consist of two ways for students to engage with French language and culture: “Tableaux vivants” is geared toward advanced secondary-school students and “La Poésie en images” for beginning and intermediate students.
Prizes will be attributed to the strongest submissions in both categories and screened during the afternoon session.
Tableaux vivants (for Advanced Students)
Riffing on “tableaux vivants”—a late nineteenth-century parlor game—and the twenty-first-century Instagram pandemic painting challenge (@tussenkunstenquarantaine), participants will bring life to a painting by a French-speaking artist by writing a scenario and dialogue based on the characters and tensions represented in the painting. The filmed performance of this “living painting” should last no more than 5 minutes, including credits. Good sources for selecting French paintings include the Musée d’Orsay, The Morgan Library, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, among many others.
View the “Tableaux vivants” submission form for more details and registration information.
La Poésie en images (for Intermediate Students)
Individuals or teams of students should select any poem written in French and create a filmed adaptation of that work (no more than 3 minutes including credits), using still images, animation, or live action (people, puppets, animals, paper cut-outs, etc). Wheaton College’s “Vive Voix” site provides a selection of poems with accompanying readings. This activity is inspired by France Télévision’s En sortant de l’école series. Thirteen examples of the infinite variety of materials and methods that have been used to adapt poems by Jacques Prévert can be studied here.
View the “Poésie en images” submission form for more details and registration information.
For more information about French Day 2024: msufrenchday@gmail.com
Archived French Day Programs
French Day 2022
French Day 2020
French Day 2019
French Day 2018
French Day 2017