Colorado College students go from having little to no experience with a language to being able to speak it at an elementary level in less than a month. How? Total immersion.

Block 3 Elementary French 1 was taught entirely in French by Michael O’Riley, chair and professor of the French and Italian Departments. Most of the students began the course with hardly any experience in French but were expected to be able to speak basic French by the course’s conclusion, which is just three and a half weeks after it began.

In just seven days of instruction, students could present and describe themselves and others in fairly long sentences, O’Riley said during the second week of the block. The class size varies, but usually ranges between 15 and 18 students. This class had 11 students.

“This class is our gateway to the language and culture of France and the Francophone World. It is taught entirely in French from day one, and ideally, students will be able to hold brief conversations, write a two-page paper, and understand basic native French pretty well at the end of the block,” said O’Riley, who has taught French 1 at Colorado College for over 22 years.

The emphasis of the class is on communication, both amongst the students and between O’Riley and the students.

This course leads to Elementary French 2, but if students cannot immediately take that course, they usually take a French adjunct course in between, in order to maintain their contact and proficiency in the language. Colorado College requires two blocks of languages. While most students take the same language for two consecutive blocks, it is not required that the classes be of the same language.

After Elementary French 1 and 2, many students will opt to participate in the study abroad programs in France.