French as a Second Language Program
The study of French is an important part of the school curriculum. French is not only one of Canada’s two official languages, but is also widely used around the world.
Knowledge of a second language is valuable for a number of reasons. Through learning a second language, students can strengthen their first-language skills and enhance their critical and creative thinking abilities; they also tend to become more tolerant and respectful of other cultures. In addition, the ability to communicate in another language provides students with a distinct advantage in a number of careers, both in Canada and internationally.
The aim of the French as a Second Language (FSL) curriculum is to prepare students to perform effectively in the challenging world they will face by providing them with the skills they will need to communicate in a second language. To make the curriculum relevant to students’ lives, knowledge and skills are taught in contexts that reflect their interests and experiences. Students will be able to choose from courses that lead to study at the postsecondary level or to the workplace, depending on their individual interests, strengths, and aspirations.
The FSL Programs
The FSL curriculum is offered through three programs: Core French, Extended French, and French Immersion. These programs reflect students’ differing needs in studying French and are designed to provide students with different levels of intensity in developing their French language knowledge and skills.
2012-2013 French Programs by Family of Schools
French Immersion
The aim of the French Immersion program is to develop and refine students’ ability to communicate in French as well as to expand their knowledge of the language through the study of francophone literature. By the end of the secondary four-year program, students will participate easily in conversations and discussions; will be able to take courses at the college or university level in which French is the language of instruction; and will be able to accept employment in which French is the working language (total 10 credits).
Policy and Program Requirements for the French Immersion Program
Elementary: In a French Immersion Program, French must be the language of instruction for a minimum of 50 per cent of the total instructional time at every grade level for the program. Immersion programs must include the study of French as a Second Language and the study of at least two other subjects taught in French. Immersion programs must provide a minimum of 3800 hours of instruction in French by the end of grade 8.
Secondary: Schools may grant a certificate in French Immersion if the student has successfully completed the sequence of four courses in French Immersion and a minimum of six courses in other subjects taught in French.
Extended French
The aim of the Extended French program is to develop students’ French-language knowledge and skills and to provide them with an understanding and appreciation of francophone culture in Canada and around the world. By the end of the four-year secondary program, students will be able to converse freely on familiar topics; will be able to read – with the occasional help of a dictionary – books, magazines, and newspapers in French; and will be able to function in a French-speaking community.
Policy and Program Requirements for the Extended French Program
Elementary: Extended French programs must include the study of French as a Second Language and the study of at least one other subject taught in French. Extended French programs must provide a minimum of 1260 hours of instruction in French by the end of Grade 8.
Secondary: Schools may grant a certificate in Extended French if the student has successfully completed the sequence of four courses in Extended French and a minimum of three courses in other subjects taught in French (total 7 credits)
Core French
The aim of the Core French program is to provide students with fundamental communication skills in French and an understanding of the nature of the language and its culture. Core French offers students the chance to develop a usable command of the French language that can be expanded through further study or through contact with French-speaking people. By the end of the secondary four-year program, students will be able to participate in a straight-forward conversation in French; will be able to read – with the help of a dictionary – books, magazines, and newspapers in French; and will be able to understand the general meaning of radio and television news and other programs.
Policy and Program Requirements for the Core French Program
Elementary: Core French is mandatory for all students in English-language elementary schools. Policy and program requirements for elementary schools Core French programs dictate that students must have a minimum of 600 hours of French instruction by the end of Grade 8.
Secondary: In Core French, one secondary school credit in French is compulsory.
ELEMENTARY FRENCH PROGRAMMING CHANGES FOR SEPTEMBER 2013
1. Grades For Early French Immersion
Parents with students who are new to Junior or Senior Kindergarten in September 2012 can pre-register using an on-line process. Schools will also assist families who do not have Internet access, or parents can call Cindy Peters at 1-800-267-7131, ext. 1188 for assistance.
On-Line Form for New JK or SK Students
Parents of students currently in the Core French program in JK, SK, grade 1 or grade 2 in the UCDSB who wish to register in the Early Immersion program can do so by contacting their school directly. You do not need to pre-register your child using this process.
2. Grandfathering of Existing Programs
EXTENDED FRENCH – GRADE 7 ENTRY
Students who were enrolled during the 2011-12 school year in grades 5 and 6 will have the continued opportunity to access grade 7 entry of Extended French for specific sites offering this program. It can therefore be seen that the full phase-out of the grade 7 entry of the Extended French program will be completed by the end of the 2014-15 school year.
On-Line Form for French Programs
3. Core French Programming
Students currently enrolled in a Core French program will have the continued opportunity to stay in this program. The Core French program is supported by a newly developed UCDSB K-3 curriculum for French instruction through the AIM teaching approach.
In UCDSB Core French begins in Junior Kindergarten. An UCDSB curriculum document has been created for teachers of French as a Second Language Core program in Grades JK/SK 1, 2 and 3. This document is based on the Overall and Specific Expectations outlined in The Ontario Curriculum French as a Second Language: Core French, Grades 4-8 (1998). Selected Specific Expectations from the Grade 4 Ontario Curriculum have been extracted, reorganized, scaffolded and redistributed throughout Kindergarten to Grade 3 programs. It has been created to assist teachers with program delivery all the while using the AIM gesture approach.
Please Note the following
- The elementary school curriculum for Extended French and French Immersion is designed to prepare students for success in the corresponding program at the secondary level. The expectations that form the basis of secondary school curriculum build on the knowledge and skills that students acquire in their elementary program. French as a Second Language – The Ontario Curriculum-Extended French Grades 4-8, French Immersion Grades 1-8, 2001, page 4.
- French as a Second Language at the secondary will continue to implement Core and Immersion programs. Classes will continue where numbers warrant.
- The Secondary Extended program will be phased out by the 2014-2015 year. Until then, Secondary Extended classes will continue where numbers warrant.
For additional information on Core, Extended or Immersion French programs, please do not hesitate to contact:
Julie Martin, Education Co-ordinator, FSL/ESL
(613) 933-5256 ext. 4201
julie.martin@ucdsb.on.ca