Class #23--9th Age French

Monday, November 22, 1:15 P.M. 9th Age French Class. Class #23 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” trek. Class has just begun as I walk into Madame Cooke’s bright, colorful French classroom. Eighteen attentive girls are already engrossed in the first activity, which is the sharing of homework. A number of girls walk to the front of the room and read aloud their homework, which was to cut out or draw a picture of a person and then describe, in French of course, what she is wearing. Madame encourages and praises the girls while correcting their pronunciation, when needed. For the second activity, the students come to the front and share items with French connections, such as cookies, books, and colored pencils. Quickly, the class is on to the next part of the lesson. Madame Cooke has six clothing items written on the board, in English. The girls attempt to translate the words into French; they each have a small white board at their desk and show the board to Madame Cooke after writing each term. For example, “red hat” is translated to “le chapeau rouge.” “White socks” becomes “les chaussettes blanches.” Madame reviews each phrase and makes sure the girls know the correct pronunciation. The students are soon working on a folder paper. Madame reminds the girls that “spelling counts” as they work to describe fully a picture of a woman. The students have to describe the subject’s name, nationality, place of residence, and clothing. The girls are working hard as Madame circulates through the rows answering questions and assisting students. I am impressed with how much the class has accomplished in 30 minutes. Bravo to Madame Cooke and her girls!