DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 354 761 FL 020 966

TITLE Language Learning for French Immersion Students inthe Transition Year: Information for Parents.

INSTITUTION Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. LanguageServices Branch.

REPORT NO ISBN-0-7732-0826-7PUB DATE 92NOTE 21p.

PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) Guides Non-ClassroomUse (055)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Classroom Techniques; *Educational Objectives;

Educational Strategies; Elementary Education;English; Foreign Countries; *French; *ImmersionPrograms; Information Dissemination; InstructionalMaterials; Learning Problems; *Native LanguageInstruction; Parent School Relationship; Phonics;*Scheduling; Second Language Instruction; SecondLanguage Learning; Spelling; Student Needs;*Transitional Programs; Writing (Composition);Writing Skills

IDENTIFIERS *Alberta

ABSTRACTThis guide is designed for Alberta (Canada) parents

of French immersion students beginning formal English languageinstruction for the first t:me. In question-and-answer format, itdiscusses issues commonly of concern to these parents. Issuesaddressed include the following: why English instruction isintroduced in the second or third year of schooling; what the childalready knows about reading and writing; how long it will take forthe child to catch up with children in the regular English-languageprogram; what the parent can expect to be happening in the Englishlanguage learning classroom; what to do if the child is experiencingdifficulties; and helping the child make a successful transition.Samples of 3 grade 3 children's writing, at the beginning of thetransition year and 10 weeks later, are also presented, with commentson specific areas of progress in English composition. (MSE)

***********************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

***********************************************************************

L anguage Learning

F or

F rench Immersion Students

n The Transition `eear

nformation For Parents

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERICI

S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOnce of Eoucat.o"a. Reseac"anti .mcgovenemEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CENTER' ERIC,

S ooc,,,ent "as bee," oo000ceo aspoetveo trot', thO DerS0r, Or 0Qan./a1,01-or.o.nahng .1

m.no coa"ges na ye been ,,a0e te ^,oro...'POOduClO, Ovaqty

Pants or ..ew oo,"ons slaw aoc-,,ent do e-,I ,PCPSSar., epres0')E

/-

2 ALBERTAEDUCATION

LL

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

L anguage Learning

or

F rench immersion Students

I n The Transition Year

nformation For Parents

tJ AlbertaEducation

1992

Alberta Education Cataloguing in Publication Data

Alberta. Alberta Education. Language Services.

Language learning in French immersion classroom in the transitionyear : information forparents.

ISBN 0-7732-0826-7

1. French language Study and teaching - Alberta - Anglophones. 2. French language -Study and teaching - Immersion method. 3. Immersion method (Language teaching).I. Title.

PC2012.A333 1992 440.707123

Copyright 1992, the Crown in Right of Alberta, as repress:..ted by the Minister of Education,Alberta Education, 11160 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5K OL2.

Permission is hereby given by the copyright owner for any person to reproduce this hand-book or any part thereof for educational purposes and on a non-profit basis.

Language Learning

Table of Contents

1 Acknowledgement

1 Copyright Acknowiegements

2 Introduction

2 Why is English instruction usually introduced in yourchild's second or third year of schooling?

3 What does my child already know about reading andwriting?

4 How long will it take for my child to catch up tochildren in the regular English program?

5 What can I expect to see happening in my child'sEnglish language learning classroom?

6 What should I do if my child is experiencingdifficulties?

7 What can I do to help my child make a successfultransition from French to English?

9 Samples of Students' Written Work

Language Learning

AcknowledgementAlberta Education acknowledges with appreciation the contributions of the

following individuals:

Writer: Margaret Sanders, Grande Prairie Public S.D. No. 2357

Members of the English Learning Transitional Year AdvisoryCommittee:

Norman Blais, Calgary Regional Office, Alberta EducationSuzanne Gareau-Kubicki, Language Services Branch, AlbertaEducationMyrna McGrath, Peace River Public S.D. No. 10Yolande Moquin, Edmonton Separate S.D. No. 7

Editors: John Proctor, County of Strathcona Public S.D. No. 20Elana Scrabba, Student Evaluation Branch, Alberta EducationSusan Lynch, Curriculum Branch, Alberta EducationMarcel Lavallee, Language Services Branch, Alberta EducationAnita Jenkins, English Editor, Edmonton

Desktop Publishing : Stella Rykes

Word Processing : Cecile ComeauAnita Bartosch

Illustrator. Gorge Larkadas

Project Management : Ghislaine Lavergne, Language Services Branch

Copyright AcknowledgementsAlberta Education wishes to thank the following authors, publishers, and

agents for granting permission tr include copyrighted materials:

The students who have contributed writing samples in the documents forteachers, administrators and parents.

Le Bureau de reducation frarwaise du Manitoba for the excerpt from EnglishCurriculum Guide, Grades 1-2-3-4 FL2, 1985, Manitoba.

1

The transition year is an exciting time for you and your chila. For the firsttime your child will be receiving formal instruction in English in school. Newdoors will be opened with the discovery that he or she can use the Englishlanguage in new and challenging ways. You will have many questions aboutwhat you can expect, and how you can help your child most easily make thistransition from French to English. This booklet has been prepared to helpanswer these questions and to introduce ideas which you may wish to furtherdiscuss with your child's teachers.

Why is English instruction usually introduced in your child's second orthird year of schooling?For most children in French immersion, English was the first language learnedand used in their homes and communities. Because French is a new languagefor the studer.ts, the school program focuses on French first. So that studentsare not confused by having to learn in two languages at the same time, the firstfew years are devoted to allowing them to learn in French only.

After three years in school, most students are working well in French and havelearned much about how they can use language to learn - through speaking,listening, reading and writing. They are now ready to use the English languageat school to continue to learn - through speaking, listening, reading and writing,but in another language.

What does my child already know about reading and writing?The language learning experiences that your child has had in the Frenchimmersion program prepare him or her for reading and writing in English. Inaddition, the important experiences that you have provided in the home (such ashaving books in your home for children to look at, reading to your child, andtalking with your child as he or she attempts to understand the surroundingworld) equally prepare for the successful transition from French to English.These background language learning experiences that children bring to schoolcontribute directly to their success in both French and English languagelearning.

The language learning experiences prepare studentsfor reading and writing in English.

Many of the understandings that your child has acquired about languagelearning through instruction in French are processes that can be transferred tothe learning of any language. Among the major attitudes, Understandings andskills that children transfer are:

. growing confidence in their ability to use language to learn through talking,listening, reading and writing

3

Language Learning

confidence in their ability to take on new learning challenges and topersevere when success is not immediately apparenta knowledge of many letter sounds which are similar in both languages

an understanding of how letter sounds are put together to form wordsan understanding of how words are put together to form sentences

an understanding that written language communicates some form ofmeaning.

How long will it take for my child to catch up to children in the regularEnglish program?Your child will need your support and understanding during the transition year.At first, your child will do many of the things that beginning readers andwriters do. It takes time for transfer of learning to occur; transfer occurs mostsuccessfully and naturally in situations where the child is encouraged to takerisks and feels free to make mistakes.

In addition to the elements oflanguagethat transfer, there are some that"interfere". For example, there areelements of the French language soundsystem which cannot be transferred toEnglish because they are different. Ittakes a while for children to sort theseout. The amazing thing is thatchildren are very efficient attransferring those things that cantransfer and adapting to theunderstanding that some things don'ttransfer!

Transfers of learningoccur whenyour child is encouraged to take risks.

In addition to the elements of language that transfer, there are some that"interfere". For example, there are elements of the French language soundsystem which cannot be transferredto English because they are different. Ittakes a while for children to sort these out. The amazing thing is that childrenare very efficient at transferring those things that can transfer and adapting tothe understanding that some things don't transfer!

4

Children progress very quickly when they begin to be instructed in English. Atthe end of two years most students are working at the same level as the studentsin the regular program. On the provincial Grade 6 Language Arts AchievementTest, most French immersion students perform as well as or better thanstudents in the regular program.

What can I expect to see happening in my child's English languagelearning classroom?To begin with, the teacher will focus on your child's main areas of strength inEnglish: speaking and listening abilities. The teacher will provide excellentmodels of English language use by reading aloud from children's literature youcan expect to see children being read to often. The teacher will also model howlisteners or readers react to what they hear or read. So, you will see discussionoccurring throughout the process of enjoying and learning from literature.

Before the children actually read a selection on their own, the teacher willdevote attention to what are commonly called pre-reading activities. This willinclude discussion to build understanding and anticipation of the ideas the childwill read about. This "getting ready to read" may involve developing a chart ora "web" of ideas, or perhaps brainstorming. Before reading A.A. Milne's storyabout Eeyore's birthday, for example, there would be some discussion about thewhole idea of birthdays and the expectation of gift giving. Through time spentin this way, the student is skillfully focused on what will be the main action orideas in the story.

The teacher may then read the selection to the students, or the students mayread the selection by themselves or with a partner, or in a small group, takingparts to create what is known as "readers' theater". The emphasis will be onproviding the necessary support to ensure students are successful and that theirself-confidence in themselves as readers continues to grow.

Before the children engage in writing activities, the teacher will take time toprovide the necessary pre-writing experience. This can take the form ofdiscussion, chart-building, word bank development, and small group discussionor planning. Much time is spent helping students build the necessary strategiesand understandings that will ensure that they become confident and successfulwriters. Writing time in a classroom will be a busy time for all. You can expectto see students helping one another and the teacher working with individualstudents. Language is always a social experience and the business of learning

5

Language Learning

Learning means doing something that couldint be done before.

how to write (using a new language for writing) inevitably involves cooperationand collaboration as teacher and students work together.

What should I do if my child is experiencing difficulties?Essentially, learning means trying to do something that couldn't be done before;so it is natural for any learner to encounter some difficulties. If you see thatyour child is encountering difficulties thatare causing frustration, it isimportant to talk withyour child's teacher. In most instances difficulties willdisappear as the student adapts to working in English at school. Ifproblemspersist, you may wish to consult with the school about the possibility ofaccessing some special learning support.

You may become anxious about your child's learning when you first see yourchild reading and writing in English. Remember that your child has spentvaluable time in school over the first few years and has achieved a great deal.Keep in mind that children in the transition year are faced with adapting to anew set of learning requirements. There is an expec'....aon that they will becomeas proficient in reading and writing English as they have done in French. Youcan be reassured that the vast majority of children meet this expectation withrelative ease.

If you wish further reassurance that the very best is being done to help yourchild to make the transition across languages, become informed throughdiscussion with teachers and principals and through association with such

organizations as Canadian Parents For French. All of these people can offerknowledge based on experience and will have the best interests of your child inmind.

What can I do to help my child make a successful transition fromFre:ich to English?The foundation for a successful transition has been laid long before your childreaches his or her second or third year of schooling. It began when you sharedbooks and experiences with your child.

You probably have continued similar activities right through the school years.While your child has been increasing his or her French vocabulary andunderstandings in school, you have provided for the same growth in English athome.

It is crucial that you continue this support by reading to and with your child athome, and by letting your child see you read as an everyday occurrence, bytalking with your child about what you see and experience together, and bylistening and responding to whatyour child says.

Parental support and encouragement are major contributors to a child's success:Education is a partnership between the home and the school!

8

Language Learning

Encourage your child to write at home. She or he could write a letter tosomeone, take or send a message, make a list or write a story. Respond honestlyto what your child writes and avoid criticizing spelling or punctuation duringthe transitional learning period.

Encourage your child to write at home. She or he could write a letter tosomeone, take or send a message, make a list or write a story. Respond honestlyto what your child writes and avoid criticizing spelling or punctuation duringthe transitional learning period.

With your support, your child will make a successful and easy transition intousing the English language for reading and writing. Later, once your child hasdeveloped a confident fluency in expressing ideas, you will be able to act as aneditor and help your child develop control over the conventions of writtenEnglish.

Remember that this transition year can be a time of anxiety for many students.They need time and reassurance to realize that they in fact do know a lot aboutthe English language, and that they have learned a great deal in their Frenchlanguage arts classes that will help them with English language learning.

During this period you can help them by appreciating their beginning attemptsat reading and writing, and by recognizing that mistakes are a necessary part oflearning language. Keep in mind that there will be a wide range of capabilitieswithin each classroom at this stage. Some children will be reading and writingcapably, others will be at the very beginning stages, and others are in between.All of these stages are normal and acceptable as part of the development oflanguage learning, and immediate growth will be evident

10

Samples of Students' Written Work

9

Language Learning

Samples of Students' Written WorkThe following writing samples were written by three grade 3 students in a French

immersion classroom during their first year of instruction in English.

The first set of samples were written on October 3, 1990. The children had been enjoying apoem about bath toys and following a discussion of individual favorite bath toys, they haddiscussed the possibility of inventing new items for bath entertainment. They were interestedin designing advertisements to promote the items. This open-ended writing experience isideal in that it allows the children to communicate visually and to write as much or as littleas they feel comfortable in doing. This teacher recognizes that the learners are at differentstages in developing writing competency in English andso wants to encourage activities thatallow individuals to participate in communicating their ideas. The teacher is able to examinethe work of various students and make observations about some of the languageunderstandings that students have.

10

A.J. designed a fairly elaborate toythat was accompanied by fairlyelaborate instructions. He tells us thatthe toy is "for the tuB". The user isinstructed to "trne the switch and Pudeit in the tub or yous the rimote." Healso tells that the toy is "for KiDs" and"not Sold in Stors". "Phone 766-2062".,(.-

>..., and an arrow directs the buyer to thecn price "2,95$".--,,sco We can see that this student has

is correctly transferred what he knowsE about consonant sounds from French to

English and that he has learned muchabout vowel sounds in English. He hasincorrectly transferred the vowel soundrepresented by the letter/i/from Frenchto English, (rimote) and has yet tolearn the digraph fur/ (trne). These canquickly be taught to him in discussionof this project. He will also need to beshown the reversed placement of "$" inEnglish script. He has shown quiteclearly that he is able to communicatehis t1. houghts in writing.

oo't

Scott has greatly relied on visualinformation in creating his project.We see that he is able tocommunicate what his toy looks like,where we can get it ("Zellers"), howmuch it costs (125.60), and the factthat "1 out of 10 liked it". He self-corrects himself in removing the"s"from "out". He also knows theplacement of "8" in English script.The teacher would want to encouragehim to develop increased confidenceto express himself in writing.

Wed.s.41, °chiller 3.

k 1.5 a rnaz_inj (,hint'.b01+1 ITO y.

Ter 15 a 5 iti.JitC

C0410i [31e5ide- *hearm re5f.

control

(.\-iairMade in Casna4 by ri I .50r1 Q tart

n0f in 5100.CaII 532 -014g

vvecine.541october-,31

out.. of 10

Alison appears to be a confidentEnglish user. She has good control ofEnglish vocabulary: "this amazingthing, is a bath toy. Ther is a switchcontrol beside the arm rest" (labelled"Switch control"). She also labels the"foot rest" and the "Chair". Sheinforms us that the toy is "not instors" and to "Call 532-0198" for thechair which is "Made in Canada byAlison O'Toole". She provides a greatdeal of written information toaccompany the visual. The teacherwill want to help her acquire somelanguage conventions such as capitalletters at sentence beginnings andhow to use the comma. It's nice to seeher experimenting and this should beencouraged.

11

Language Learning

Ten weeks later, in December, these same students were working on a project (connected withthe teacher reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) that required them to plan and write aChristmas pageant. We see a great deal of development in both the volume and expertise ofthese grade 3 st- -.dents' writing.

A Ch r i5 f tra5 Page ontplant td by Al

12

byStar

3.3 Kings4. Mary5. So sepk

nceT"---Wn6kav,,,,5 fun. -wile',

Suddenly a i5 Star

went o,/er fhet, IT \,./4slyncs quickly. The Kihs.s

ran alter i f. e-

molest 5 mocM- info

tov., pe pol Oops I'rnSorry. '7`).10 01(

5al'ci Mary. The Star%Find rife overfop of rn ary rnd

Joseph. The -three

kirt45 skAmre.d

Sc.,

La- fp and

Mary. The StarMopped n te over1.*F, 171 ry and

Tr.. three

no; up and

A.J. has written a narrative. He hasestablished the main characters,setting, problem and resolution. Hehas spelled many words capably andproduces sensible, recognizablespellings of worth.; that he doesn't yetknow ("no" for "know", "new" for"knew", "y" for "why", "rite" for"right", "allrite" for"alright"). He islearning to use contractions ("let's","that's","were" for "we're"). He isexperimenting with the use ofdialogue and sometimes punctuatesit correctly. He is aware, too, of otherforms of punctuation and frequentlyuses them correctly. He alsoattempts to link ideas by connectivesof time ("Once upon a time threeKings were haveing fun. WhenSuddenly a big Star went overthem."). His written work shows theinappropriate use of capital lettersthat the first sample showed. Thiscan be discussed with him. It islikely evident in his French writtenwork.

H urral-, yourho vires ci Kin

f0 r ct 6a6y.

RqcliCal co-eS orne I e 90 1-0 qK;nj for ck 6aby

co Se alio/.

apori _ \A/ec an

5-fa bile

hat'5 al (ri toy a Stable. that's

5.214( NA/

\Wei 1,

\i/e rewas both.are goon

fiat Samee ri c.1 rfcii nciibabyNoi- all 16.11JS

are n . The Ki.n3.5s kecl were, are

Y°44

0.011 ? \,/e ye 5 o in) -to

Pay Our faxes. Hie

nls New ..y.)5e ph . ne.4 he yno he payed the to Yes

+0 liarrt NI yiiley pre rich. Tyrhay' rt5 a baby f 0 4,,y,

t-4 no it

V a s

e

13

Language Learning

A Ckri.st.mcks pagealltre.to(J

clplanned y Scoff Belford

(jar c), er5.

I. Marylosepk

3 TeSu5melhior"

5s (7. 0%5 pAY6 Bo, 10-.1_04-*.s.")

I n

8 Anirrta9 Angelto Sto.f.

.nhketpt-r

ciaiz b./ 451.0 ,

V 0 t.L5

010 tlAry

p e ?ok- nom

j o 54 F.1 0.1.4 Nary , sepV.

5ad tkty A. to c,

-1- 0 t\nt to\NIn

AAoo-y 5a de. I Mat

f ka ha by 5u nt,S3uf

Marl N./ ate

aver Innh-N-e NN o

worm

4$03 mod, But Ilt4+

r (Lep. 50,4Q

f iity coat State5a.aat,

14

r 7 ke y a (k0-

Scott is developing confidence inexpressing himself in writing. Hispageant plan is organized into twoparts: "daeby Jusus" (baby Jesus)and "the star". Both sections are welldeveloped and he uses approximatespellings to keep things flowing. Wesee that he reflects on his writingthrough correcting and changing ashe goes along. He removed twocharacters from his pian after hebegan writing and his work showserasures, insertions and changingletters. He experiments withsentence structures: "Along longtime ago thry lived tous pepole nomdJoseph and Mary". (A long, long timeago there lived two people namedJoseph and Mary.)We can see that Scott is still sortingout a lot of things in the transfer ofwriting in French to wr iting inEnglish. He is sorting out how todeal with dates "Decembre the 10,Monday 1990". He self-corrected inremoving Monday from just after"Decembre". He doesn't have thecorrect order yet but knows thatthere is a difference. He has correctlycapitalized December and Mondaybut has carried "the 10" from hisFrench writing. He has called onbackground French knowledge towrite "tous" for two and "mai" formay. He has used initial consonantsaccurately except for the d/b reversal)but is still sorting out vowel soundsand letter order in words. ("wate" forwent, "thin" for then, "thte" for that,etc.) He has not yet learned how to

hey qvtr 72 IC & h-c.r

name wtr Mticin,or (Gas)a(

onci bur c,/k 0-'9 4! o.n.1 rr\

wait. kt o , as ''he kttw e. tin,/ ."-fte-

wackt ikey saci- a- stay", 615

Int 5f o.r youve. 4 trSent, T v Jot ,t kis e sfo.t,

ler La ioe c1.19

(Ant c,Se.rA 4-1, 9, i- Ita

It is likely that Alison hay been ableto write in English for some time.She has easily transferred the abilityto create and express ideas fromFrench to English. It is also likelythat she has been reading in Englishbecause she knows how Englishwords look (pointy, donkey). Herwork contains very few approximatespellings. This shows good masteryof English written vocabulary. She iswilling to use approximate spellingsto keep her ideas flowing whenworking on a first draft. (It is likelythat she would be able to identify theincorrectly spelled words in this pieceif asked.) Her approximate spellingsare reasonable and show that she hasmuch information about spellingpossibilities ("inn ceaper" shows thatshe knows about the "ea" digraph.)She has correctly transferred whatshe has learned about punctuation.

capitalize a title. Scott definitely hasideas to express and the skill andability to organize those ideas. He isaware of the different conventionsrequired in writing in two languagesand is working at acquiring thoseconventions.

In N14 3*.ry. c. arar.er s art

1- rt'Lry. osapk

,nn,nn ceo.per"T

3.The +Lee Kings1.1 eselks

6 e

On Ce U p on a f I me., t ',ere. v./ere.

I.'. vary kind people*. Tilere name; u-,ere.

U14 Toseph.ORe day -You/ph P or y

P1.6+ 90 to Be th4harr-gut wInot 4I Bove

my baby fherenSid ft.ry. Doi, v,iorry

Mari: 5o lary decided to 90 .11wy rociton

C10111401, a lathe ray donkey Igh th lore poinfy

ear550Pri Joseph 0.1kari besofe her.

T sa.d: A.v. foC hartn. Itm4 rtGo are o/d inafe +o take core of

15

Language Learning

She knows when to use a period andis experimenting with the use ofcommas and quotation marks. Shewould benefit from instruction at thispoint because she obviously wants touse correct punctuation. She needs toknow how to punctuate andparagraph dialogue in English andhow to correctly use commas andquestion marks. She has made gooduse of capital letters in her work.Her sentences are grammaticallycorrect and she is playing with usinginteresting sentence structure("Mary rode on a donkey, a tame graydonkey with long pointy ears, andJoseph walked beside her.")

yowr 5.0,5o Scram) h tot t out. of PI tar- .

co they vmiike4a4 w.141 n 1,8 'hey came

to an r.e. 3-osphse,ek"coa, we plees, St-7

for t he u I don't Aave any more

(eon, #. 7-11. inn cite:per fhouuhtand thoc -4-

anI I her, he 5 a : //, ltio,e Q.

54able arwl c I- 5 ntce and warn. lary 4

sAid would be tine .So

key Went fo i`/,e 5 fa 41 it, 11" 405 very

of 01The taffy VeCe lbw, ,,55v/ Atn

baby wa, born. the bob( wo5 o toy. if is namewas -3-e5u5. nary Poseph were Very

chspierholvi.\Pown counk yj Where Mari .1

Yosop 6 use ive. A Sfardvis f be

S f he 9tertnisSf he three kir Followed

the Sfor to B. hlellorh. When hey 50$

fo 13e+ he Si.or Shone down end(

wrolk, a ele55.5e in f ke yskA4 1+ sea

3 0 +a +he. first Inn00 n f he. s able erg

you v.' at see 5wwothre5 here. So 11,,

56eper4s an4 f he three k 05s We, i to he,

rirs4 inn, \ hey Wene he Stbie einct

t key See? a bolf, 4oirl 1 es,45.

'The,/ were cpu.Vrisei, to See & baby.The three ti,n3s sa 1"whe ih t heworld 15 That in the mor3or.:''Th.t3Tes1

my baby.

Like all students making the transition from writing in French to writing in English, thesewriters show continual progress and growth. They are willing to take risks and try things whenthey work. As they receive ongoing and consistent encouragement to take these risks thesechildren will continue to use and extend the knowledgeand the skills that they have.

162i