What is French Immersion?
- French Immersion is designed for students of parents whose heritage
is other than French.
- Parents typically do not speak French.
- Early French Immersion registers students at the kindergarten or grade one level (see also Late Immersion).
- The desired goals of the program are
- a high proficiency in English,
- a functional fluency in French,
- a mastery of the skills and abilities in all other subjects.
- Early French Immersion students use French as the language of instruction for several or all subjects with the exception of English Language Arts.
Who should register?
- Students whose family is not French speaking.
- Students who do not know French. Instructional strategies and materials are designed with this in mind.
- Early Immersion is suitable for any child providing the program offers the same assistance as any English program would.
Which schools offer it?
How does it work?
French Immersion students experience French in a meaningful context by using French as the language of learning in several or all subjects with the exception of English Language Arts.
Because French is not the prevalent language in the community the child is given as many opportunities as possible to function using French. Students therefore acquire vocabulary during science, math and other subjects and learn literacy skills in French Language Arts.
Students view their learning situation as normal given that their classmates
are experiencing the same program.
Popular concerns
Q: How can I help my child if I do not speak French?
- A: Parents have a strong role to play in helping their child develop thinking skills and learning strategies. Parents can help their child with homework in concrete ways such as asking many guiding questions to develop habits of mind.
- (Example: In a math problem, ask, Can you find the question first? What does it look for? Can you find the information? Are there any irrelevant pieces of information you can omit? etc.)
Q: Will my child's English suffer?
- A: French Immersion students are typically very strong in English Language Arts. Studying French reinforces one's ability to consider all aspects of reading, writing and this serves to enrich their English.
Q: Will my child find math or science difficult in French?
- A: Difficult concepts require the same effort to acquire whether in French or in English. Once the concept is mastered it is then labeled in the memory, for example, 'Division' or 'La division'
Benefits
- Students learn to be excellent listeners as they have to pay close attention in order to understand what is occurring in the classroom.
- Students gain an understanding and appreciation of francophone cultures.
- Students are better equipped to learn a third or fourth language.
Useful links
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