The New Scholastic Year/"la Rentrée"

On to the next thing.

With the change of season I say goodbye to my happy busy summer camps at Harristown House and welcome the new scholastic year. The French refer to this as “La Rentrée” and it happens on the same day for every school going child in the country. In Ireland schools will go back sometime between the end of August and beginning of September. I like to start my after school French classes a little later after students have settled back into their routine.

Summer Camp at Harristown House Language school.

The Syllabus.

I am happy to use my own method of teaching which focuses on the oral production of the language. However for this scholastic year I have decided to follow the DELF preparation syllabus. There is a junior programme starting with the A1.1 prim level. The syllabus is very close to what I do and the teaching resources are centred on listening and oral work. The series I have chosen are the “Les Loustics” books, which are fun and interactive.

French classes

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DELF

The DELF are a set of French as a foreign language exams that correspond to the levels of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of reference for languages. By following the DELF scholastic programme students and parents will have a clear vision of progress throughout the year. Although it is not obligatory to do any exams for those that may wish to it will be possible for me to indicate when a child is prepared enough to sit one.

Workshops

Once a term there will be an opportunity for children to come for a couple of hours to meet other students and do some fun activities. The idea will be to use whatever French they can during the day. Using their new language outside the classroom is very important. The little introduction conversations the children will have learnt need to be put into context by using them with other children they haven’t met before. Plays are a great way for children to be creative and explore the language and how it is used. Other fun activities such as arts and crafts allow children revision of certain vocabulary. Baking explores the world of food. Walks in the woods explore vocabulary about nature, outdoors life, sports and animals. The opportunities are very varied.