The Maine French Heritage Language Program is a unique after-school culture and language program for students in grades 1-6. The program was co-founded by Chelsea Ray and Doris Belisle Bonneau.
We are continually striving to expand our curriculum to cover more topics of Francophone countries and cultures, to reach a larger age-group of students, and to ensure continuity within the program. With this in mind, the program has created the new role of pedagogic coordinator, Diane Pelletier.
In the future, we hope that the Maine French Heritage Language Curriculum will be adopted by schools all over New England, and that Foreign languages will be reintegrated into the elementary school systems all over Maine and the United States.
The MFHLP curriculum is based on the World Language Curriculum Standards.
The program was piloted at Lincoln Elementary School in Augusta and at the Sherwood Heights in Auburn for the school year 2011-2012.
It was also implemented at Hersey School in Augusta and Fairview Elementary for the school years of 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
In 2014, both Augusta and Lewiston found permanent homes for the program.
The Recreation Department of Augusta at the Buker Center has adopted the Maine French Heritage Language Program (MFHLP) as a way of incorporating academics to their proposed public activities. Classes are coordinated by Karen Foust and are now being taught by Charlie Hicks. Classes are twice a week at the Buker Center for a total of 4 1/2 hours a week.
The Franco Center for Heritage and the Performing Arts has also adopted the MFHLP program in Lewiston and Auburn. The program is coordinated by Jacynthe Jacques who also teaches many of the classes. In conjunction with the Franco Center, L/A presently offers free classes at Sherwood Heights once a week on Tuesdays from 4-5pm, at Walton School on Thursdays from 3 - 5pm and at the Lewiston Library on Tuesdays from 4-5pm. The program also provides opportunities for parents and grandparents to enroll in “Fun in French” Saturday sessions. The MFHLP program is expanding with new initiatives at the Franco Center; a Monthly Teen French Night, a Monthly Movie Night for all ages and French conversation classes for our New Franco-Immigrant friends from Djibouti, Senegal and Congo to name a few at the Tree Street Youth Center. Classes at TSYC are animated by Marie Emmons.
The program also encourages participation in the MFHLP to volunteer guests, cultural associates, and teaching apprentices.
The program's primary objectives are to convey a deep respect for Franco-American French and to emphasize the importance of learning the French language, various cultures and identities as well as their importance in the French-speaking world. The secondary objective is to create a sustainable and duplicable program.
The program is the fruit of a partnership with the well-established, nationally-recognized “French Heritage Language Program” (FHLP) (http://www.facecouncil.org/fhlp/index.html), a program of the nonprofit organization FACE (French American Cultural Exchange), which currently serves over 600 students in New York City, Miami, Boston, Auburn, and Augusta. This program aims at providing French instruction to under-served students of Francophone background in order to help them keep a connection to their respective cultures and identities, while increasing their chances of academic and professional integration through bilingualism.
The immersion after-school language program introduces elementary school children to Maine’s rich Franco-American heritage by teaching them about its history, culture, traditions, as well as introducing them to the geography and cultures of Francophone regions and countries throughout the world. Through the promotion and teaching of French and Francophone cultures, and more precisely of Maine’s Franco-American cultural and linguistic heritage, the program uniquely aims at bridging the gap between generations, offering young learners the possibility to access, maintain and transmit this cultural and linguistic heritage. Students develop pride in Maine’s Franco-American heritage and their identity as well as make connections to the diversity of Francophone countries, thus validating the value of learning a second world language. The program’s mission is reflected in its logo: “Le français c’est notre héritage—and our key to the world!”
This program is key to the resurgence of Franco-American Heritage in Maine and was covered in a National Public Radio broadcast by Anne Murphy titled, “In Maine a Little French Goes a Long Way” (http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-03-13/us-english-king-surprising-number-people-maine-also-speak-french. This report links the descendants of French speaking immigrants to the younger generation which is serviced by the MFHLP and to the new immigrant population coming from French speaking countries in Africa.
Our curriculum consists of four themes: Roots and Identity (Racines et Identité), Celebrations (Fêtes et Traditions), Foods and Manners (La Nourriture et les Bonnes Manières), and Songs, Stories, and Games (Chansons, Contes et Jeux).
The program is rich with professional development training for the teaching teams. Professional development workshops comprise six training sessions emphasizing the content of the four themes, assuring fidelity to the curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, assessment techniques as well as knowledge and application of best teaching practices.
We are continually striving to expand our curriculum to cover more topics of Francophone countries and cultures, to reach a larger age-group of students, and to ensure continuity within the program. With this in mind, the program has created the new role of pedagogic coordinator, Diane Pelletier.
In the future, we hope that the Maine French Heritage Language Curriculum will be adopted by schools all over New England, and that Foreign languages will be reintegrated into the elementary school systems all over Maine and the United States.
The MFHLP curriculum is based on the World Language Curriculum Standards.
The program was piloted at Lincoln Elementary School in Augusta and at the Sherwood Heights in Auburn for the school year 2011-2012.
It was also implemented at Hersey School in Augusta and Fairview Elementary for the school years of 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
In 2014, both Augusta and Lewiston found permanent homes for the program.
The Recreation Department of Augusta at the Buker Center has adopted the Maine French Heritage Language Program (MFHLP) as a way of incorporating academics to their proposed public activities. Classes are coordinated by Karen Foust and are now being taught by Charlie Hicks. Classes are twice a week at the Buker Center for a total of 4 1/2 hours a week.
The Franco Center for Heritage and the Performing Arts has also adopted the MFHLP program in Lewiston and Auburn. The program is coordinated by Jacynthe Jacques who also teaches many of the classes. In conjunction with the Franco Center, L/A presently offers free classes at Sherwood Heights once a week on Tuesdays from 4-5pm, at Walton School on Thursdays from 3 - 5pm and at the Lewiston Library on Tuesdays from 4-5pm. The program also provides opportunities for parents and grandparents to enroll in “Fun in French” Saturday sessions. The MFHLP program is expanding with new initiatives at the Franco Center; a Monthly Teen French Night, a Monthly Movie Night for all ages and French conversation classes for our New Franco-Immigrant friends from Djibouti, Senegal and Congo to name a few at the Tree Street Youth Center. Classes at TSYC are animated by Marie Emmons.
The program also encourages participation in the MFHLP to volunteer guests, cultural associates, and teaching apprentices.
The program's primary objectives are to convey a deep respect for Franco-American French and to emphasize the importance of learning the French language, various cultures and identities as well as their importance in the French-speaking world. The secondary objective is to create a sustainable and duplicable program.
The program is the fruit of a partnership with the well-established, nationally-recognized “French Heritage Language Program” (FHLP) (http://www.facecouncil.org/fhlp/index.html), a program of the nonprofit organization FACE (French American Cultural Exchange), which currently serves over 600 students in New York City, Miami, Boston, Auburn, and Augusta. This program aims at providing French instruction to under-served students of Francophone background in order to help them keep a connection to their respective cultures and identities, while increasing their chances of academic and professional integration through bilingualism.
The immersion after-school language program introduces elementary school children to Maine’s rich Franco-American heritage by teaching them about its history, culture, traditions, as well as introducing them to the geography and cultures of Francophone regions and countries throughout the world. Through the promotion and teaching of French and Francophone cultures, and more precisely of Maine’s Franco-American cultural and linguistic heritage, the program uniquely aims at bridging the gap between generations, offering young learners the possibility to access, maintain and transmit this cultural and linguistic heritage. Students develop pride in Maine’s Franco-American heritage and their identity as well as make connections to the diversity of Francophone countries, thus validating the value of learning a second world language. The program’s mission is reflected in its logo: “Le français c’est notre héritage—and our key to the world!”
This program is key to the resurgence of Franco-American Heritage in Maine and was covered in a National Public Radio broadcast by Anne Murphy titled, “In Maine a Little French Goes a Long Way” (http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-03-13/us-english-king-surprising-number-people-maine-also-speak-french. This report links the descendants of French speaking immigrants to the younger generation which is serviced by the MFHLP and to the new immigrant population coming from French speaking countries in Africa.
Our curriculum consists of four themes: Roots and Identity (Racines et Identité), Celebrations (Fêtes et Traditions), Foods and Manners (La Nourriture et les Bonnes Manières), and Songs, Stories, and Games (Chansons, Contes et Jeux).
The program is rich with professional development training for the teaching teams. Professional development workshops comprise six training sessions emphasizing the content of the four themes, assuring fidelity to the curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, assessment techniques as well as knowledge and application of best teaching practices.
