Promoting French as a Second Language Through Pop Culture
by Marilyn Santucci
St-Thomas High School students are gearing up to share their passion projects with their peers at the second annual Passion Pop event taking place on February 29th, 2024. The project is spearheaded by Isabelle Alarie, French teacher and Student Life Coordinator at St-Thomas, who was looking for a creative way for her students to learn French. Passion Pop’s goal is to provide students with an opportunity to learn French in a creative environment and to develop French second language skills (FSL).
The Passion Pop project is based on the Comiccon concept. Originally for comic books collectors, Comiccon has since grown into a convention for pop culture fans to gather and celebrate. Authors, cartoonists, vendors, costume designers and celebrities from all areas of pop culture, literature and the arts attend Comiccon events annually. Open to all FSL students, Passion Pop participants will be sharing their passions in the form of a presentation. From sports, fashion, and reading, to anime, video games and cars, presentations will happen in French. By providing students with the opportunity to control what they discuss with their peers, it makes learning French as a second language more fun and accessible. Learning a new language or becoming comfortable enough to converse in said language can be intimidating, but as Alarie explains, “if students can choose the content of his or her learning, they will feel much more motivated and engaged in their academic journey”.
The project not only encourages students to work on their French, but helps in the development of presentation skills, confidence building and overall communication skills. By allowing students to choose what they will present, it not only helps them feel more at ease with their audience but is also enjoyable for them as presenters considering what they are discussing is a passion of theirs.
While last year’s event took place in the gymnasium, this year attendees will be invited to the library, where the graphic novels may prove even more popular than usual. They will also get the opportunity to hear live music from St-Thomas music students. From Disney to Kurt Cobain, the lineup of songs ranges from student favourites to classics. Over 200 music students will be participating, and several concerts will take place over 5 hours.
“We wanted to be relevant to the kids and their world. I loved the idea of pop music so that our kids are not only playing Beethoven. Learning all these pop titles was a unique opportunity for students,” says Susan Strunc, Music Teacher at St-Thomas High School.
A day filled with interests, music, and learning, Passion Pop is bound to teach students not only something new about their peers, but something new about themselves as well, all while working on their French language skills.
