French for the Whole Family
October 25, 2004 - The words "we are family" took on a whole new language in Katie Ware Partin's French elective class at Washington GT Magnet Elementary. To finish up the quarter, her students performed a play in French for family, friends and students entitled "La Famille" or The Family.The children - first and second graders taking the elective for the first time - spoke French to act out the story of a baby bird who emerges from her egg to find herself alone. As she sets out to find her parents, she meets her tante (aunt) and oncle (uncle) first before finally finding her maman and papa. The play ended with the students singing a French rendition of Sister Sledge's song, "We Are Family" - "Nous Sommes Famille".
Ware Partin, a Cary native who graduated from Cary High School, has ulterior motives for having her students do a performance.
"I like to give the kids an opportunity to show off what they've learned in class. And by sharing it with their parents it shows the kids that what they are learning is important to their parents, too."
Ware Partin loves how excited young children get about learning a foreign language. She explained that the approach to foreign language in elementary school is different than with older students.
"The emphasis is on oral communication," she said. "We try to simulate how children naturally acquire language and you don't just come out reading it. We try to give them lots of opportunities to use the language. Kids are going to have more fun when they actually get to use the language."
Anyone who's ever seen Ware Partin in action knows she likes to have fun and it seems to be infectious with the children.
"I want to have fun so I try to make it fun for them as well. I love watching the surprise on their faces when they accomplish things they didn't think they could do," she said.
-wcpss-
Article submitted by Pamela Diamond