Enriching French

Turnbull School strives to graduate students from Grade 8 with strong and pragmatic conversational French skills, solid French reading, writing and grammar skills, and both the desire and the confidence to pursue further French studies beyond the basic requirements of high school. One of the most important elements of language acquisition is a positive and cohesive learning environment. This is achieved through our small class sizes at each grade level coupled with our team of strong, dedicated, experienced and qualified French teachers. The achievement of these goals is dependent on the number of years the student is at Turnbull School, as well as the student’s language aptitude and motivation. We maintain a French only environment in French class, with an exception for students newer to French.

French is not merely a subject at Turnbull School; it is celebrated outside the classroom in various ways, including French clubs, choir and assemblies hosted in French by student masters of ceremony. Performances are brought to the school by community French theatre and musical groups. French book sales and French reading buddies promote reading in French for enjoyment. Our annual Carnaval Glace et Neige is very popular with all students and is yet another way that French comes alive in the school! Senior students organize and run the activities for Carnaval, developing their fluency and enjoyment of the language and culture.

Many other motivational resources are used, including story books, songs, videos, software and Smart Board activities. The School Library also offers many books written in French.

Kindergarten

The goal of our students’ early French learning is to experience and enjoy the language in a natural way each day without compromising the development of English literacy and numeracy skills.

• Kindergarten has six French language periods per week and learning centres focused on French.
• The Accelerated Integrated Method (AIM) is used to develop fluency from a young age. This is a highly successful multi-sensory approach that reaches the various learning preferences in acquiring a second language, making success more attainable.
• An integrated teaching model intersperses the use of French throughout the day, promoting a natural ease in hearing and speaking both English and French with some of the teachers (e.g. some daily routines, calendar time, theme related songs and games).
• French computer programs are used in the classroom.

Primary

• Primary students have seven French language classes per week.
• One of these is a computer class devoted to French educational programs and activities.
• L’éducation physique is taught every day.
• Grades 1 and 2 students have a weekly Bilingual Choir class.
• The use of the Accelerated Integrated Method (AIM) is continued in Grade 1 as it provides a comfortable transition from Kindergarten. The students also begin guided reading activities to increase comprehension and vocabulary. Grammar and phonics resources are also introduced at Grade 1.
• Current resources, including SMART Board activities, are used to help with vocabulary acquisition and phonics.
• Oral activities, such as games and plays, are introduced to help build confidence and oral fluency.
• Grade 3 students use a variety of resources, including a Grade 4 core program (C’est Parti 1), to ensure a seamless transition to our Junior French program.

Junior and Senior Levels

Turnbull School provides an engaging and challenging French program, regardless of prior knowledge or fluency. For students in Grades 4 to 8, our French classes are streamed into two skill levels. All classes are taught at an age appropriate level, using current resources and focusing on topics that reflect real life situations. All programs offer speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural components in French, providing students with a well-balanced understanding of the language at each level. Field trips in the spring to Quebec City for Grade 7 students and to Montreal for Grade 8 students greatly enhance their experience. Below is a brief description of the two levels of streamed French instruction.

Core Advanced French:

The Core Advanced French Program is designed to challenge students and develop a strong understanding of, and an aptitude for, the French language. Many students in this level come from our own strong primary French program. Students find this advanced course to be an enriching, engaging and rewarding experience. The teachers use current resources and provide students with an exclusively French learning environment. For example, these students use Francophone resources as the main component of the program. Emphasis is placed on gaining confidence in oral and reading fluency, advanced writing skills and an overall solid comprehension of the French language. One of the goals of this program is to prepare students who would like to pursue their secondary education in a French Immersion program. Additionally, at the Grade 8 level, our students are provided the opportunity to take the DELF test, (Diplôme d’études en langue française), and obtain the DELF diploma. The DELF is the official French-language diploma awarded by France’s Ministry of National Education and is recognized in 165 countries around the world, which makes it valuable for certifying French-language proficiency on an international level.

Outcomes of this program:

Listening:  Students use a range of listening comprehension strategies to understand a variety of oral French texts. They are able to recognize and interpret gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice to facilitate their understanding.
Speaking:  Students express themselves clearly and coherently in French for a variety of purposes and audiences. They speak with a smooth pace, appropriate intonation and accurate pronunciation in planned, rehearsed and increasingly spontaneous communications.
Reading:  Students are exposed to a variety of text forms at each grade level, including age appropriate class novel studies. They understand the intent and meaning of a variety of French texts about familiar, academic and personally relevant topics, with some contextual and visual support. It is often by reading French novels that students continue to expand their vocabulary.
Writing:  Students write a variety of text forms to convey information, ideas and opinions. They confirm word meanings and review, refine and vary word choices using a variety of resources. Students plan, produce drafts following set criteria and revise their writing to improve the content and clarity.
Culture:  Students explore French culture and traditions from around the world by reading, watching videos and in group discussion. They make connections with their personal experiences and identify and understand some sociolinguistic conventions used in diverse French speaking communities.

Core Regular French:

The Core Regular French Program at Turnbull School follows the Ontario Ministry of Education Core French curriculum and is designed for students who have some prior knowledge of the language through participation in a previous core program. Current resources that follow the new FSL curriculum are used in the classroom, covering themes and topics that are age appropriate and engage the learner in everyday situations. At this level, the teacher models the language, using many visual cues to help students gain confidence and better understanding of the French language

Outcomes of this program:

Listening:  Students follow simple multi step instructions given orally by the teacher.
Speaking:  Students use familiar words and expressions to produce planned and rehearsed messages in French. Topics include themselves, their family and friends, their personal interests and their immediate environment. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of structured or guided social interactions.
Reading:  With some support and modelling, students read a variety of text forms and learn strategies to understand the information. Students begin to read texts composed of familiar words and language structures with more fluency and ease in conveying meaning.
Writing:  Students write simple texts following a model to convey information, ideas and opinions, and are expected with time to begin to generate, develop and organize their ideas with less support.
Culture:  Students explore French culture and traditions through reading, videos and discussion. The emphasis is on la francophonie dans le monde and making connections with their personal experiences.

 Beyond Grade 8

Many of our students begin high school with a high level of both oral and written proficiency and are prepared for an enriched stream of French. These students often choose to enter French Immersion for high school.

Our goal is to make the acquisition of the French language an enjoyable and natural experience within a school environment that is enthusiastic about French.

To discuss our enriching French program, please contact the Registrar, Rachel Fabich, at 613-729-6099 ext. 212 or visit us.