e d u c a t i o n f r a n ç a i s e b a y a r e a

newsletter
French Accents in EFBA

Some parents may have been wonder-

ing... Just what kind of accent does my
Scholarships and Life child’s French teacher have? At EFBA,
while we are very discriminating about
Dear Parents, the correctness of our teachers’ French,
we, of course, do not discriminate
At EFBA, we strive to offer afterschool French classes at a reasonable about our teachers’ country of origin,
price. This year, our prices vary between $14-20 per hour, with an and therefore, their accents. We are
average of $16.60 per hour. The differences in cost are based on very pleased to have a complete staff
differences in regional costs and school rental fees. We provide an at EFBA representing not only different
extraordinary opportunity for students to take quality French lessons regions of France, but also many coun-
for the price of a yoga class, thanks to the hard work and generosity of tries in the Francophone world. It is a
our dedicated volunteers. fantastic opportunity for our students
to learn French, in the broader sense,
However, we understand that even at $16.60 per hour, certain families not just Parisian French. France, like
are simply financially unable to enroll their children in our EFBA Spain and England, has a rich history
programs. We have thus put into place various payment options, i.e. of colonialization and migration of its
Sibling discounts and scholarships. Families interested in requesting people. French is spoken in North
DEC
America, Africa, Asia and many islands
2010 a scholarship should write to their volunteer Site Coordinator(s),
in the Southern Hemisphere. Each
explaining their financial and family situation, as well as describing locale has its own version of French
their interest in the French language and their EFBA program. The EFBA consistent with the time period during
Scholarship Committee will review the applications and will distribute our which the language was transferred.
scholarship funds as they are available.
French speakers should be able to
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that in order to continue our understand other French speakers re-
mission, we are in need financial donations. There are several ways in which gardless of their local accent, just as
you can help us by tapping into your own personal network. Perhaps your Americans understand an Australian
speaking English. It is one of the ben-
employer offers corporate matching for donations to organizations you choose.
efits of learning a language that is spo-
Or, you may have personal or professional contacts with your company’s ken around the world. It will become
Corporate Foundation which may distribute private grants to deserving non- a part of your student’s “heritage” in
profits. If you have such connections, we would appreciate you putting us into the French language. I, myself, origi-
contact with such foundations. nally learned French from my high
school teacher who had studied in
We thank you for your generosity which enables us to include all students who Avignon and taught us about buying
would like to learn French in our EFBA community. “du peng”---that is “du pain” or bread,
in the Southern French accent. There
Sincerely,
are regional differences in accent and
Gabrielle Durana vocabulary, of course, but they are
EFBA President understood my most French speakers
and are thus important for your child
studying French to learn.
So if your child complains about
the strange accent of his or her
French teacher, please take this as an
In Search of...
opportunity to discuss the history of
the Francophone world and explain
 Grant Writers
that this is a chance to broaden his/
 Library Specialists or someone her understanding of French. In our
with connections to the public library American schools, we would certainly
system
not disparage a teacher because he
 Donations of gently used French or she has an Indian or British accent.
books to our site libraries The essential is that the teacher is
able to communicate and teach their
Please contact: Mina.Liu@comcastnet
continues page 2

EFBA is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization. Please contact mina.liu@comcast.net for any questions, comments or submissions to the EFBA newsletter.
e d u c a t i o n f r a n ç a i s e b a y a r e a

The DELF Program French Accents in EFBA

(cont)
DELF (Diploma of French Language Studies) was created in 2005 in France
subject matter in correct English...
in order to recognize and evaluate the efforts of non-French speakers abroad,
or in our case, French. Our teachers,
similar to the American TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test. regardless of their origin, are familiar
Like the TOEFL, students who achieve a certain score on the final level of the with the common usages of the French
DELF exam are then able to enroll in French universities. One advantage over language. We are also very fortunate
the TOEFL is that the diploma never expires. The DELF certificate was also to have assistants in many of our
created with an eye towards French children living abroad. For those students, classes which will offer the students
the DELF is also a officially recognized certificate in the French National a variety of accents from which to
Education system, which will facilitate their reintegration into French public learn. Please feel free to contact
schools if or when their families decide to return to France. your site coordinator if you have any
comments.
At EFBA, we have embraced the DELF program as an opportunity to provide
Mina Liu, EFBA Treasurer
structure to our teaching and also a way to recognize the accomplishment
of our students in their study of the French language. In addition to the
DELF exam, a full curriculum and corresponding teaching materials have
been developed by the French Ministry of Education and other educational
publishers. Over the course of the next year, we plan to gradually implement
these throughout our organization.
The DELF program focuses on Comprehension and Expression of Oral French,
as well as Comprehension and Expression of Written French. Six levels of DELF To learn more about EFBA,
have been created, ranging from A1 to C2, with corresponding requirements visit our website:
for each level. Your child’s French teacher can assist you understanding which
level is appropriate for your child. If your child is interested in taking the DELF
www.efba.us/
exam in the future, the Alliance Française in San Francisco will be hosting
DELF exam days in May and June.
Last June, several Middle School students from our program in Sunnyvale
traveled to Oregon with their teacher Cathy Halter, our Site Coordinator
Aude Phay-Van, and our Teachers’ Coordinator Karine Mallet to take the
DELF exam. We are proud to say that our students all successfully passed
their DELF exams with one student achieving the highest score possible.
Our students and parents reported that, for them, the DELF represented a
personal achievement and fostered a sense of pride in their ability to read and
speak French. If you’d like to hear more about the program, you can visit its
website (http://www.ciep.fr/delfdalf/) or contact our Teachers’ Coordinator
Karine Mallet: karine.mallet@gmail.com for more information.

Sharing French Resources...

French Book Services (Similar to Netflix): Online French Games & Activities:
http://www.afsf.com/index.shtml http://www.lesdebrouillards.com/
http://www.lespetitslivres.com http://www.tomlitoo.com/activites-a-imprimer
http://www.lesalphas.net/ (Paying)
Online French-English Dictionaries: http://www.mamalisa.com/
http://french.about.com/library/bl-ultralingua.html
http://wordreference.com/ French Radio Online:
http://www.multilingualbooks.com/online-radio.html

EFBA is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization. Please contact mina.liu@comcast.net for any questions, comments or submissions to the EFBA newsletter.