Welcome to Star of the Sea's French Department taught by Madame Laflamme from Kindergarten through Grade 7
The French Program at STAR OF THE SEA is based upon the Ministry of Education’s guidelines for French as a second language. To familiarize you with the program, I will briefly outline some of these goals as well as the materials and programs used. There are three main goals: attitude, language and culture. These three goals are developed through the elementary grades of Kindergarten to grade seven. ATTITUDES: Emotional Development -positive self-image -feelings of pride and success -enjoy learning/interest in French -accept challenge -feel confident and secure -build self-esteem through mastery of another language Social Development -share -cooperate -respect others/be caring Social Responsibility -to promote awareness and appreciation of our multicultural society -to recognize French as a founding culture of Canada and therefore part of our heritage -work cooperatively and independently LANGUAGE: The student will acquire these communicative skills: -listening: understands spoken French confined to vocabulary and structures taught. -speaking: converses based on learned vocabulary and structures with reasonable pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. -reading: reads and understands materials based on learned vocabulary and structures. -writing: writes specific structures that he or she can understand. CULTURE: The student will develop: -cultural qualities through active use of language -positive attitude towards people who speak French through meaningful exposure of language, culture, history and geographical regions -awareness of their identity through exposure to another language and culture -a broadening of perspective -an appreciation of valuable contributions from speakers of French through instruction and direct experience. EVALUATION: Attitudinal -participation in program activities and responsibility in assignments Linguistic Aural -response to teacher and peers -response to written and taped exercises Oral -response in class, small group and individual activities -presentations to peers Written -maintaining a neat and organized notebook/cahier -tests, skits, posters, etc. will also be evaluated Self-evaluation - Upon completion of a unit, intermediate students will present their own project as a “proof of learning”. The presentation will be followed by written self-evaluation, and immediate peer feedback. From Kindergarten to Grade 3, this is begun with compliments and applause.
In Kindergarten to Grade 3, reading is approached informally by activities, plays, songs, stories, charts, skits and dances. Vocabulary and structures are taught following a thematic and seasonal approach as well as survival communicative skills. Vocabulary and structures taught will be reinforced through games, songs, skits as well as writing and reading activities. Histoires en action pour les tout petits will be used in the primary grades. This program has proven to be a revolutionary new approach to second language instruction. It is based upon the use of stories and music for the teaching of French. Specially designed stories that are written in the form of plays become the focus for a range of motivating language activities that help students develop confidence and competence in the language as they progress through each story unit. The vocabulary is taught through the AIM Program or the Gesture Approach, a technique that uses hand signs to help students learn and remember this important vocabulary found in the plays, songs and other activities. Each word is associated with a gesture, so that the language is represented visually and kinaesthetically for the benefit of those students who learn best this way. There is an equal, strong emphasis on the development of all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) through this program; however, for young students, the written word will be gradually introduced and the initial focus will be on oral language acquisition.
In Grades 4 - 7, the following programs will be used: Visages 1 is used for grade 4. Reading will occur more naturally through oral presentation of stories, puzzles, games, skits, books, songs and flashcards.
Visages 2 is used for grade 5. Like in grade 4, reading will occur more naturally through oral presentation of stories, puzzles, games, skits, books, songs and flashcards.
Visages 3 is used for grades 6 and 7. In Grades 6 & 7, the emphasis will be on listening, speaking, writing and reading as well as correct pronunciation and intonation. We will be focusing on using our communicating skills in meaningful ways .
Note:In all grades a supplementary vocabulary will be taught to encompass everyday survival skills used such as: counting, greetings, holidays, seasons, items in a home, community, animals, people and their work places. Cultural aspects are taught in the history of the early settlers of Canada, as well as enrichment through songs, legends, cuisine and customs. My goal is to provide students with a solid base of language acquisition, as well as a sense of achievement and success. Please make sure your child reviews the new French vocabulary, the numbers and the verbs daily. Thank you for your support.