District/School Administration PK-16 Program Support Educational Technology
Technology Toolkit

Café Parisien
Arlington Public Schools

Description of Activities

The Internet offers instant, abundant, diversified and updated information on France and in French. This project required the students to find actual real estate listings on French links in the area of their choice (Paris, for the most part) and then to use the listings to choose locations for their restaurants. They had to take into consideration Euro prices, proximity to public transportation, neighborhood characteristics, and direct and indirect business competition before they made their choice. They then selected the most appropriate financial planning methods, researching which French, European or American banks had the best interest rates or incentive programs for young entrepreneurs or women, and so on. Students also needed to develop an understanding of their potential market: who their clients would be, what cultural and economic factors they should evaluate, what new tendencies were emerging in French society, and what social, group and individual behaviors, opinions, and stereotypes were typical. The information the students gathered helped them develop marketing plans to successfully attract the populations they desired. Students used Microsoft Office to present their research and business plans [PDF] to the teacher.

Students had to decide on the type of restaurant (fancy dining, creperie, café, traditional, ethnic, organic), an appropriate setting, a name, and a priced menu [PDF]. Students had to work within the metric system and with the availability of French products for their restaurants' design and/or décor. Their next step was to choose media outlets, such as radio stations, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment guides to reach potential clients. Working with neighboring businesses or cultural institutions to offer discounts for referrals was another option. Depending on the media the students chose, they then created a jingle, a logo, a flier, or promotional perks. Finally, the students had to access real resumes and select their staff.

Once the students completed their research and organized their findings in the most efficient way, they competed in an oral presentation at the end of the year. Students created PowerPoint [PPS] slide shows to illustrate their presentations. They first made the presentations in French to the teacher. They did it a second time in English in the presence of a panel comprised of Arlington High School teachers of other disciplines, administrators, technology instructors, and students who did the project in previous years. Whenever possible, a member of the community was present. (In the past a restaurant designer and architect were on the panel).

Universal Design/Inclusion
In addition to the college preparation this program offered, the project served the gifted and talented population in an innovative way because it was a real-life, hands-on activity that also allowed them to express their artistic and creative skills. The project was also helpful for students who planned to enter the working world after high school, because it exposed them to the organizational rigor of professional presentation. Technology also gave students the ability to be as thorough as they were willing to be and the freedom to learn at their own pace, according to their own learning styles.

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