FRENCH IMMERSION
What is Immersion | Questions and Answers | Student Support | Do's and Don'ts
Bienvenue en maternelle!
Welcome to French Immersion!
Kindergarten is one of the most important years of your child's school life. It is a year that will focus on your child's social development and a year that will shape your child's academic foundations as he/she begins to learn a new language. You will also play a vital role in the Kindergarten year as you work with your child's teacher to create a happy and safe learning environment for your child!
Children who come to Kindergarten French Immersion in September will have the same curriculum outcomes as their fellow students in English Kindergarten, and will be involved in the same curricular areas: Language Arts (French), Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, Health, Music, Physical Education, and Religious Education. In Kindergarten, work is often organized into thematic units that comprise many or all of the above areas. The main purpose of this integration is to help children see relationships among concepts and to organize their own experiences so that they are meaningful and educationally rewarding.
Evaluation takes place on a daily basis in the classroom and includes such areas as listening/speaking, reading/viewing, writing/viewing, writing/demonstrating. For the child who is learning French and is learning to interact successfully in a French environment, listening and demonstrating are of utmost importance. Over the first two to three months, most children learn to listen to the new language and to demonstrate their understanding of what is being said or shown. During this time, they also begin to build a vocabulary in the new language which they will begin to use as their comfort level increases. The teacher uses a variety of methods to ensure that the children are adjusting well while learning their second language, from creating a warm classroom environment and using hand signals and gestures when talking, to providing materials in French that the children may be familiar with in their first language.
At the end of the Kindergarten year, children should be able to understand most of what the teacher says, follow simple directions, and recognize beginning sounds and some words in French. They begin to use French words in English sentences and are capable of speaking simple sentences in their second language.
What is Immersion?
Immersion is the most effective method known for teaching a second language.
Early Immersion works well because a young child lacks self-consciousness and loves mimicry, memorization and repetition.
Early immersion provides more time working in a second language and therefore more second language learning occurs.
In Kindergarten the teacher addresses the class in French, although the children often continue to use English, especially among themselves. By the end of the year children are able to recognize a large vocabulary and are attempting to use single words and a few short sentences. They are able to follow the teacher's instructions and to understand simple stories.
In grade one all instruction, including reading, writing, and arithmetic, is given in French. Speaking skills receive greater emphasis and the children get better and better at expressing themselves in French. In general, beginning at about grade three one period of each day is devoted to English language arts.
The aim of early immersion is functional bilingualism. Graduates are able to communicate comfortably in the second language while maintaining the same fluency in their mother tongue as their peers in standard English programs.
An important key to success is positive attitude in the home toward the language and the program.
Questions and Answers
Q. Does is matter is no one at home speaks French?
A. No, the program was designed for children of non-French speaking families. Teachers are aware of this when they send home notices or assign homework. Reporting is in English.
Q. Will my child learn the same things as students in English classes?
A. Yes, the curriculum must follow the guidelines of the provincial ministry of education. Materials in French cover the same basic program as in English; students work toward the same academic goals regardless of the language of instruction.
Q. Who teaches the program?
A. A bilingual teacher whose first language is French or who has acquired fluency in the French language.
Q. Are extracurricular activities in French necessary?
A. No, but desirable. Such activities provide other language models for the child to copy, demonstrate that French is a living language, and provide an opportunity for the child to practice and expand vocabulary in a non-structured setting.
Q. Won't my child's English spelling suffer?
A. Although there are certain lags in English language arts for the first few years of the program, these are almost all made up during the first year that subject is introduced. By the end of the elementary grades, immersion students frequently perform better than children in the regular program on several aspects of measured English skills.
Q. What if we're transferred to another district or province?
A. French immersion is available in most urban center of Canada. A child transferring out of immersion very early - before English language arts is introduced - may experience a brief lag in this subject. Consultation with the new teacher and some work at home overcomes this problem very quickly.
Q. Will French immersion affect my child's social development?
A. Studies have proven that early immersion students suffer no intellectual, emotional, or social impairment.
Student Support & French Immersion
Is assistance available if my child has difficulty in French Immersion?
Yes! Special education services are available to French Immersion students. These services parallel those of the English stream, however the language of instruction is French.
Assistance is available to students who have learning disabilities or to those who are exceptionally able.
We have had many children with learning disabilities successfully complete the immersion program. If students are experiencing difficulty, they are assessed to determine their learning needs. They are then placed on an individual support plan and the special education teacher provides modifications and remediation to assist them in overcoming these difficulties.
With early identification, the majority of children can succeed in learning a second language.
Do's and Don'ts
- Do read stories to your child in English, because English stories will not be heard at school for a time, you can fill the gap.
- Do encourage your child to watch French television.
- Do not attempt to correct your child if you are uncertain of the exact pronunciation or expression.
- Do not give in to the temptation to say, "Now dear, say something in French to Grandma." If your child is eager to speak French at home, encourage it, but do not make it a chore.
- Do not compare your child's progress with that of neighbours' children. No two teachers and no two students work at the same rate.
- Do let your child know that you are pleased with his/her progress.
- Do not expect your child to provide you with an account of each day's activities. Children take the routines of school for granted and often want a change of subject when they reach home.
- Do speak positively about the program, the teacher, and the school. Express any questions or concerns you might have to the teacher or principal, not to your child.
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