PENPAL AND MEETING PROJECTOrganised by Isabelle Rivard, with the help of

French teacher Mrs Shona Stables &English teacher Mrs Nancy Bédard

East AyrshireShort description of tasks:

The pupils had to write a letter to a French Canadian pupil. Half of the letter was in French and half was in English, in order to make them practice their French and make the French Canadian pupils practice their English. The French Canadian pupils did the same. Then, the French Canadians traveled to Scotland and met with their pupils in Glasgow on the 5 th of March 2016. On that day, the pupils visited Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis and Pollock House.

Aims and Objectives

• Writing/Reading in French

• Learning about French Canadian culture

• Realising the importance of learning another language

• Meeting a foreigner and speaking in French

Language: French

Target Pupil Group: S3-S5

Number of pupils involved: 42 Scottish pupils and 42 French Canadian pupils

Start and Finish: 25/01/16 - 09/03/16

Relevance to CfE capacitiesThis project helped students to:

- Realize the importance of Foreign Languages : They saw that it was interesting for them to learn a new language because they could communicate and meet with someone from another country and make new friends.

- Become more confident in their capacities : They saw that even if their French was not the best, the French Canadian students were also not perfect in English. They understood that even if they made mistakes (grammar, spelling...) they could still understand each other.

- Learn more about French Canadian culture : In their letters, the penpals talked about their school, their subjects, their country, etc; on both sides, each student could learn something new. In person, the penpals talked about themselves and also about their culture and offered gifts to each other.

Quotes from learners/teachers

• "Both groups of young people had a wonderful and very special day and we hope that they will continue to keep in touch with their “twin” and take the opportunity to practice their French with a native speaker." (Mrs. Stables, teacher at Kilmarnock Academy.)

• " Une superbe rencontre qui leur a permis d’échanger avec de jeunes étudiants de leur âge du Kilmarnock Academy. [A wonderful meeting that allowed the students to spend time with pupils their own age from Kilmarnock Academy] Nul besoin de dire que plusieurs ont déjà tissé des liens d’amitié avec leur nouvel ami! [Many have already developed a new friendship with their penpal!]" (Mrs Bédard, teacher at École secondaire De Rochebelle.)

• “Isabelle gave us a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends." (Alex, a 15 years old pupil.)

• “The pen pal meeting was fun and very good to meet native French speakers.” (A 4th year pupil.)

• “Isabelle arranged the French Canadian penpal meeting which I will always be grateful for as I now have a new friend!” (A 4th year pupil.)

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Additional details cont’d: pictures!

www.britishcouncil.org 4

The pupils and teachers in front of the Kelvingrove Museum

Shared Lunch Time

www.britishcouncil.org 5

The Scottish pupils brought an extra lunch for their penpal to make them discover Scottish food.

Additional details cont’d: Cathedral & Necropolis

www.britishcouncil.org 6