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