WHY LEARN FRENCH?Sharing the Importance of Learning French with Parents

OMLTA Spring Conference 2008

Presented by Elizabeth Follings and Jo Goossens

Waterloo Catholic District School Board

PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP

Have you ever felt unprepared for a Curriculum Night presentation for parents?

Have you wondered how to get parents excited about their child’s French education?

Do you want to know how you can encourage parent involvement in the French programme?

Would you like to know where to find French promotional materials?

OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION Part I

Participate in a “live” demonstration of an Open House or Curriculum Night presentation for parents.

Part II How can you get the parent community excited

about their child’s French education? Learn some strategies to connect positively with

parents and families.

PART I – Curriculum NightFrench as a Second Language

BIENVENUE !Welcome to a new school year!

Before we begin ... Please help yourself to a croissant and a

beverage!

Feel free to pick-up grade specific curriculum-related information about your child’s French programme.

Browse through samples of student work and units of study that will be used this year.

FRENCH IS ALL AROUND US ...

They all speak le français !

Parfait – which means “perfect” in English

Why Learn French?

10 compelling reasons why your child will benefit from studying the

French language

FRENCH AS A WORLD-WIDE LANGUAGE French is the 11th most

widely-spoken language in the world.

French is the official

language of 33 countries in the world.

French is the official language of Quebec and New Brunswick.

FRENCH ON THE INTERNET

French is the 2nd most widely-used language on the Internet.

FRENCH MAKES YOU WEALTHIER!

In Canada, people who are bilingual can earn a higher salary than those who are unilingual.

Many government jobs demand a knowledge of both official languages.

YOU GET MONEY FOR STUDYING FRENCH AT UNIVERSITY!

The government of Ontario currently pays $1500 in the Fellowships for Studying in French.

Many individual universities also offer grants and bursaries to students who study part or all of their program in French.

FRENCH HELPS YOU TO INCREASE YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Over 20,000 English words have their origins in French.

FRENCH AND ENGLISH ARE THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF

The United Nations

UNESCO

NATO

The International

Monetary Fund

The International Red

Cross

The International

Olympic Committee

FRENCH IS THE LANGUAGE OF CULTURE

Fashion Dance Cuisine

Cinema Theatre

Music

Literature

FRANCE IS THE WORLD’S MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATION

Over 75 million tourists visit France every year...one of them could be you!

Or why not Quebec…?

BILINGUALISM MAKES YOU SMARTER!

Scientific research has proven that learning a second language early in life enhances a child’s cognitive skills.

Learning French also improves memory, self-discipline and self-esteem.

CAREERS WITH FRENCH Prime Minister of Canada

International Diplomacy

Travel and Tourism

Teaching

Translator or Interpreter

Journalism

International Movie Star

Sports and Athletics

WHAT IS CORE FRENCH?

CORE FRENCH IS NOT ...

rote learning of isolated vocabulary.

drilling of grammar.

CORE FRENCH IS ...

40 minutes of daily instruction.

basic communication in the French language.

active participation.

integration of grammar into authentic tasks.

an appreciation of French culture in Canada

and the Francophone world.

FUN!

THIS YEAR IN FRENCH CLASS, STUDENTS WILL BE...

speaking and listening to understand and interact with others. to express themselves clearly and with confidence. to use various media to communicate their own

ideas. reading

to demonstrate comprehension. to consolidate language. to extend vocabulary. to practise correct pronunciation and intonation. for enjoyment.

writing to support and reinforce language components

learned orally. to gain command over the vocabulary. to communicate ideas.

The Ontario Curriculum: French as a Second Language: Core French, Grades 4-8, 1998.

SAMPLE UNITS OF STUDY

Grade 4 – Découvrons notre école

Grade 5 – Au café

Grade 6 – Fêtons l’hiver !

Grade 7 – Portraits canadiens

Grade 8 – Tour du monde Francophone

CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONSIn grade 6, students will ...

participate in dialogues about familiar topics, and listen to and talk about short oral texts;

read a variety of classroom and simple authentic materials, 150 to 200 words long, containing familiar and new vocabulary, and demonstrate understanding;

communicate ideas and facts in writing for specific purposes;

identify and use the vocabulary and the grammar and language conventions appropriate for this grade level.

UNITS OF STUDY AND SAMPLE PROJECTS

Voyageons dans le temps !Create a time capsule of special objects and personal

preferences. Learn about famous time capsules in history, like the tomb of King Tut and the sunken remains of the Titanic.

Fêtons l’hiver !Celebrate the magic of winter by exploring festivals throughout Canada, participating in winter races and relays and sampling traditional foods eaten at Carnaval.

L’environnement et moiLearn about the environment including the plant and animal life all around us. Think about how to improve the well-being of our planet and how to make a difference in small, but important ways.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP?

It’s easy to support the activities that are already happening in the classroom …

Be an audience for your child as he or she rehearses for oral presentations.

 

Show interest in your child’s work.

Invest in a good French/English dictionary.

 

  Celebrate your child’s

successes in French and support their overall learning!

WHAT ABOUT FRENCH LEARNING OUTSIDE OF

THE CLASSROOM?

Encourage your child to notice French in the community.

Try watching French television shows.

Many DVDs include translations in French.

Listen to a French radio station and try to decipher a weather report or news story.

Encourage your child to participate in the annual Oral Speaking Contest sponsored by Canadian Parents for French.

Investigate exchange opportunities.

QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?

Please feel free to contact us through the agenda or

by phone:

Mme Elizabeth FollingsMme Jo GoossensSt. Dominic Savio School(519) 576-5503

PART II – Getting Parents Involved and Excited about French

COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS

Formal

Participate in Curriculum Nights.

Participate in Parent/Teacher interviews.

Use the agenda as a communication tool.

Provide information about the programme

through school/class/unit newsletters.

Send home evaluations.

COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS

Informal

Make phone calls to celebrate achievements.

Provide certificates of accomplishment.

Provide bookmarks, posters, buttons, pencils to

promote French.

Send home song sheets, games, tongue twisters.

Write thank-you notes.

ENCOURAGING PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Encourage families to look for French language resources at the local public library.

Create student-made books to share at home.

Make French resources available in your school library.

Invite parents to end-of-unit presentations.

Magic shows ...

Cafés...

Plays...

Parents can also help at school-wide French events.

Start a Home Reading program.

What about a Take-Home game?

Host a French Film Festival at the school and invite families.

Encourage families to have a French Film (or TV) Night at home.

Invite parents to help with classroom activities, like making crêpes.

Invite parents to go on French field trips (in addition to parent volunteers).

Inform parents of French language classes for adults. These may be offered by local community colleges or adult education centres.

Provide students with a list of online language games to play at home to reinforce classroom learning.

RESOURCES TO PROMOTE FRENCH

Canadian Parents for Frenchwww.cpf.ca

TFO www.tfo.org

Centre franco-ontarien de ressources pédagogiqueswww.cforp.on.ca

The following agencies will happily and generously support

you in promoting the French language. Many thanks to them

for providing resources and materials!