Utilizing a “becher” and “papier de chromatographie,” Pedro Rezende, senior, performed a chromatography experiment fully in French.

Currently in their science language unit, the AP French class partnered with Jessica Hutchings, science teacher, to conduct a lab on Thursday, Dec. 5. The instructions were in French, and students were instructed to only speak in French.

“We’re doing it to use our new vocabulary tools that we’re learning and apply it in a form where we’re going to remember it better,” Rezende said.

The lab’s purpose was to test different highlighters, or “crayons feutre,” and to use the results to identify the highlighter used on a fake ransom note.

Outside of class, Rezende said he sometimes uses French in other classes when communicating with his friends like Krishya Vanga, senior. Rezende and Vanga speak in French during their AP Biology labs, and were lab partners during the chromatography lab.

“It’s a new perspective of science and also makes it a little more fun,” Rezende said.

Rezende said the lab was successful, and he expanded his French vocabulary by learning new words during the experiment.

“It was very interesting, and it was a great way to bridge different subjects,” Rezende said.

Hutchings is a native speaker who has lived in Lyon, France.

She coordinated the lab by writing the instructions in French, creating an example video performing the experiment for the students and answering questions while students worked on the lab.

Hutchings said she chose a chromatography lab because it didn’t require extensive scientific background, so all students could still gain something from it.

“The experiment itself was fun to do, and I wanted to be able to share it with students who might not necessarily be doing it in a science class,” Hutchings said.

Hutchings said the lab went well, with students being self-sufficient and needing less guidance than she expected.

She said she would help plan similar experiments in the future.

Emily Thompson, French teacher, said she noticed that the opportunity appreciated most by students on trips abroad was some form of hands-on authentic experience, like a French-taught cooking class.

“Anytime that you get to have an authentic experience like that, it’s going to motivate you more to acquire that language,” Thompson said.

The lab idea came about during casual conversation with Hutchings during a summer professional development day, Thompson said, and Hutchings expressed excitement.

Thompson said she received positive feedback from her students, who enjoyed the activity after spending many classes reading and writing French and taking high-stakes assessments. It was useful to have this activity, as “fun” activities often decrease as one moves up levels in a language.

“It felt kind of like an easy day, even though they were doing so much more in French than they do some days when we’re just reading boring texts,” Thompson said.

The activity was possible because the AP French class lined up with one of Hutching’s plan periods. Thompson said she would be interested in conducting more labs in the future with her French 4 and AP French students if given the opportunity.

“I want to foster that love of learning the language so maybe having something fun like this, like a lab, might encourage them to continue learning the language,” Thompson said.

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on December 6, 2024.