No matter the language level of your child, we’ll be able to cultivate and encourage this continued skill. We understand that many of our campers live in Francophone countries and cities, and therefore could benefit from in-depth language courses while some may live in the United States or other non-Francophone areas and need the grammatical and vocabulary basics.
Our base level language course is just that – the basics. We start with the alphabet and numbers, basic grammar like TO BE and TO HAVE, and vocabulary mostly related to camp so that people can use language to immerse greater into the community. Our more advanced French-speaking students teach the base level courses as a way for them to practice their own French skills, meet the younger campers, and take on some leadership responsibilities.
Mid-level language courses get into discussions about camp activities. Campers may be spending the day at a vineyard, bakery, or cheese shop, so the French language course will be based around applicable vocabulary. All conversation will take place in French with instructors there to facilitate discussion and correct errors.
And our fluent campers, those who speak French frequently in their day-to-day lives or who speak it as a first language, will act as interpreters. Most of the daytrips we take will include direction or lecture in French, our fluent campers will be responsible to interpret – in real time – into English for the base level learners. They will be responsible to interpret any signage, radio, conversation, or media so that all campers understand fully their surroundings. They will teach the base-level language courses to act as mentors and leaders for the younger campers. And they will have one hour a day of language training specifically aimed at them – this will feature reading and interpreting French classics – Flaubert, Camus, de Beauvoir, etc.