rischelle bayless gedu 603. frenchy’s top 10 reasons to learn french 10. to be understood in 55...
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Rischelle Bayless GEDU 603
Frenchy’s top 10 reasons to learn French
10. To be understood in 55 countries and on 5 continents
9. To get exactly what you’re ordering
8. French desserts are the bomb diggity!
7. It’s one of the official languages of the Olympics, NATO, the Red Cross, and the United Nations
6. If you ever ran into Johnny Depp, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Angelina Jolie, you could have a
conversation with them in French
5. Africa may one day become the “super power” that China and
India are developing into today
4. No more forgetting where you left your keys – studying
French will help increase your memory
3. After English, French is the most frequently taught language in the world
2. Business – we have 2,000 subsidiaries in France and 600 French subsidiaries exist in the
U.S.
…and the #1 reason to learn French is
Which of the following companies are French-owned brands or companies?
• BF Goodrich Tires• Bravo• Car and Driver Magazine• CNBC• Crystal Springs (water)• Dannon• Interscope Records• Kahlua• Magellan GPS• Motel 6• NBC• Nissan Motor
• Philips• RCA• Red Roof Inns• Road & Truck Magazine• SCI-FI Channel• Seagrams (ginger ale)• T-Fal cookware• Universal Pictures• Universal Studios• USA Network• Woman’s Day Magazine
Answer:
All of them
Why should French be taught in all U.S. high
schools?
Let’s look at the research…
2008 ACTFL Student Survey Report
• 152,800 students and 2,236 teachers surveyed representing all of the 50 states
• More students interested in studying French than any other language
• 78% of students believed taking a foreign language helped with other classes
• 60% of students planned on using their foreign language for employment
• 38% of students planning on using their foreign language for business
Businesses need French speakers
• 2,000 U.S. subsidiaries in France; 600 French subsidiaries in the U.S.
• Employers look for employees who can speak one or more foreign languages
• Learning foreign languages early can translate into an advantage in the work force
• Other countries start teaching foreign languages in junior high and primary school
• Mechanics, social workers, medical professionals – there’s more to the business world than the “businessman”
Improve reading & writing skills
Improve scores on the verbal sections on standardized tests
Reasons for studying a
foreign language
Cooper Research
Years of foreign language study SAT-Verbal SAT-Math
No foreign language study (13.6%) 366 409
One year 378 416
Two years 417 463
Three years 450 496
Four years 479 516
Five or more years 504 535
What conclusions can you draw from this chart?
Foreign languages support core curriculum classes
Years of study
English Math Biological sciences
Physical sciences
Social studies
Foreign languages
No courses 365 353 386 364 340 366
One year 354 347 427 393 359 379
Two years 349 362 433 438 406 417
Three years
370 399 413 468 425 452
Four years 426 439 401 465 434 483
Five or more years
458 475 413 456 457 509
SAT-Verbal Scores
Where do we go from here?
Formal presentations to
colleagues, administration, school boards
Create student
advocates
Contact local and state
representatives
Promote foreign language
learning in the classroom
Informal discussions with friends,
students, other staff members, parents,
administrators