PARLONS FRANAIS SEPTEMBRE 2014 ISSUE #1

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franais

Sharing news from the OHS French Department

In this issue
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BIENVENUE (1-2)
Introduction from Madame Sigman
IN-CLASS HAPPENINGS (2)
French 1-3 and AP French
Language and Culture.
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
AND STUDENTS (3-4)
Accessing class material and
practicing outside of class
WHAT CAN MY CHILD
GAIN FROM STUDYING
LANGUAGE AT OHS? (4-5)
Staying in language classes for
four years has great benefits!

BIENVENUE!
by Madame Sigman
I am so excited to welcome you all
to the French Department at OHS.
For some, the French language is a
completely new adventure; for
others, the language is familiar and
exciting.
I am coming to Oswego High
School from The Chicago High
School for the Arts, Chicagos
only public performing arts high
school. I am fortunate to have
begun my career at ChiArts as a
founding faculty member. In this
capacity, I worked with a small
cohort of other talented teachers to
write school-wide curriculum and
to closely examine student
learning.
At ChiArts, I taught all levels of
French, some English, and served
as the French Club sponsor, NHS
Adviser, and Teacher Mentoring
Program Coordinator.
I graduated from the University of
Illinois-Chicago in 2008 with a
Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching of
French and English Literature. I
studied abroad in Montpellier,
France where I attended the
Universit Paul Valry to study
French literature. I hold an Illinois
state teaching license with
endorsements in French and
English. I am currently a graduate
student at DePaul University,
majoring in Curriculum Studies.
Right now, I live in Chicago with
my husband and my dog, Phineas (a
Boston terrier). I love reading,
watching TV shows (especially on

PARLONS FRANAIS SEPTEMBRE 2014 ISSUE #1
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Netflix), biking, and visiting baseball
stadiums with my husband. Currently,
weve been to 10 of 30 ML B parks (go
White Sox!). I also love to travel and
have visited countries in Asia
(Vietnam), South America (Venezuela
and Peru), Europe, and North America,
and Canada.
This year, I will teach French 1, French
3, and AP French Language and
Culture. During the first two weeks of
school, your child will receive a
syllabus for his/her course. The
syllabus will outline the courses
description, expectations for learning,
and other important logistical
information.
Throughout the year, I expect students
to review new material and practice
speaking and writing in French at
home. You can help by listening to
your child speak, assisting with
vocabulary definition, and/or watching
TV/movies in French (with or without
subtitles) together. I will also regularly
ask students to read texts and prepare
for activities at home so we can practice
French in class. Your help and support
will reinforce in-class material and
good study habits, which are important
in high school and beyond.
Finally, I would like you to know that I
am always eager to communicate with
you about your child and French class.
I am available before and after school
via telephone and anytime via email
(please allow up to one business day for
a response). You can reach me at 630-
636-2000 or jsigman@sd308.org.
Bienvienue la classe de franais!
Sincerely,
Madame Sigman

IN-CLASS
HAPPENINGS
by Madame Sigman
French 1
Were speaking French! Students
are able to introduce themselves,
ask for another persons name, talk
about nationality, and identify
people as friends.
ALL students are utilizing basic
phrases to speak French in class to
ask things like May I use the
washroom?, What page?, or
Repeat, please!
French 2
Students are getting back into the
swing of things by reviewing
material from last year and
expanding their vocabularies to
include new terminology.
Students are speaking French in
class to ask questions and ask for
clarification.
French 3
Were speaking French! Through
pre-tests and reprise activities,
Madame has been able to assess
students basic proficiency so far.
Using more phrasal chunks and
complete sentences are the goals
for students spoken and written
proficiency for semester one!
AP French Lang and Culture
Were speaking ONLY French!
These dedicated, hard-working
students have dived right in to AP
French through film, journal
writing, and group discussions.

Semester one goals
include practicing
more improvised oral
communication and
expanding use of
complete sentences.

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RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS
by Madame Sigman
Weebly for educators is a site that allows teachers and other education personnel
web-hosting for classroom websites, blogs, and other school-related information. My Weebly site has pages for each
level of class as well as French Club and announcements. Check there often to see what is happening in between
newsletters! http://madamesigman.weebly.com
Schoology is a website that offers educators and students a free and safe way to communicate via
the Internet. Each student joins his or her class page which will update daily with homework assignments and other
announcements. If students have questions, they can log in and email me safely and securely. We will log in to
Schoology together in class.

Word Reference is the BEST online foreign language dictionary. My college professors always
recommended this website and now I insist that my students use it for all dictionary needs. In the age of the Internet
and smart phones, paper dictionaries are no longer necessary. Simply go to www.wordreference.com or download
the Word Reference app (Apple and Android) and start searching! Word Reference only works for single words or
phrases, which encourages students to form their own communicative language in complete sentences while only
looking up a single, important word or phrase.
Twitter is a great way to connect with the French language and culture all over the world.
Access to Twitter is not required for class, but if you have an account, please follow @MadameSigman! Many
French teachers and French organizations use Twitter to communicate and share announcements, photos, songs, and
more. I will share French language and culture posts as well as make announcements via Twitter, so check often!
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Pinterest, like Twitter, is a great way to share images with others quickly and safely. Access to this
website is not required, but if you have an account please follow MadameSigman! I have boards dedicated to French
vocabulary, grammar, comic strips, music, video, and more! Pinterest is a great way for visual learners to access
graphic organizers and other infographics to quickly access information on a variety of topics.
Finally, Facebook is a great way to keep up with announcements and to follow other
French-language organizations like the French Consulate, American Association of Teachers of French, the College
Board, colleges and universities, and even Oswego High School! Access to Facebook is not required for class, but if
you have an account, youre invited to follow the OHS French Club page today! Announcements, events, and more
will be posted on the page.
WHAT CAN MY CHILD GAIN FROM STUDYING LANGUAGE
AT OHS?
by Madame Sigman
Living in a small town, it can be difficult to see how our students benefit from studying a second language,
especially dedicating four years to it!
The New York Times finds that bilinguals show greater mental flexibility! It will help your students
perform better in ALL areas! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-
bilingualism.html?_r=0
USA Today research has shown that being bilingual can delay dementia. Begin training your students
brain now to protect it in the future! http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/11/06/language-bilingual-
dementia/3452549/
For a great video about being bilingual: http://fusion.net/american_dream/story/benefits-bilingual-11208
According to the Chicago Tribune, careers for bilinguals are on the rise. Our students are entering a
competitive job market, what can we do to help them stand out in the crowd?? Encourage them to be
bilingual! http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-26/classified/chi-bilingual-jobs-20121126_1_foreign-
language-foreign-language-fastest-growing-language


Learning another language is not only learning
different words for the same things, but learning
another way to think about things. Flora Lewis


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ASK MADAME ABOUT
THE FOLLOWING OHS
FRENCH PROGRAMS:
FOR-CREDIT-ONLY
HOMEWORK POLICY
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
CAPSTONE COURSE
THE ILLINOIS SEAL OF
BILITERACY
FRENCH CLUB
SOCIT HONORAIRE DE
FRANAIS (FRENCH
HONOR SOCIETY)

CONTACT
MADAME
SIGMAN:
(e) jsigman@sd308.org
(p) 630-636-2000
(w)
madamesigman.weebly.com
(t) @MadameSigman
(pt) MadameSigman

HOW LANGUAGE WORKS: INPUT!
Students learn language best when they hear words that they know in real-life
situations. Through storytelling and classroom discussions, we will learn
language with little need to study outside the classroom. The required
vocabulary will be on the board and students have control over some of the
additional words that they learn. Ask your student to retell class stories to
hear how they are progressing!