Bienvenue et amusez-vous bien ici

Here you will find selected sites to help you learn French and French culture. Enjoy your exploring as there is a wealth of information.
GAMES

All pupils learn French as part of the national curriculum. Learning a foreign language is fun and is an important and useful skill for life. It helps you to learn about other cultures and to build your confidence to improve communication skills.

Course Goals

Students will use speaking, writing, reading, and listening in French to provide basic communication skills; providing students with vocabulary necessary for basic communication; focus on grammar and vocabulary skills developed through daily speaking drills and by reading supplementary material from the text; write dialogues and essays using the vocabulary and grammar presented. The class includes dialogues, tapes, oral and written exercises, role-playing, and partner work, among other activities. The children will listen to, speak, read and write French.

Strands

There are tree strands found in the French As a Second Language course:
- In reading children demonstrate an ability to read French, learn about the French-speaking world. Read and interpret language focused on high frequency and practical situations or subject matter. The language will consist mainly of vocabulary previously learned. May be able to understand materials at a higher level where the material is contextualized. Extensive phonetic pronunciation work will enable students to read simple words and sentences.
- In writing, children study French grammar rules and examples. Written comprehension helps the student develop the ability to express ideas in written French. Write short simple sentences using learned vocabulary and a limited number of grammatical structures.
- In oral conversation children demonstrate the ability to speak in French and to understand French conversation; vocabulary deals with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and other parts of speech and their meaning and use, as well as colloquial French expressions. Speak using words, phrases and some short sentences, mainly learned utterances, in a limited number of familiar contexts. Students will learn to express themselves through class participation and dialogue assignments. Listening activities and videos help students develop comprehension.

Units

The French as Second Language course is divided into units based on the curriculum related to each grade (Grade 1-8).

Students enrolled in Mme. Piatnitsa's French class can expect:

• A variety of activities each day including reading, writing, listening and speaking
• Homework assigned and checked in on a weekly basis, posted on the class board and web-site
• Tests and spelling test 1 - 2 times per term , notification for the test one week before the test is posted on the class board and the web-site.
• Crafts 1-2 times per term
• Cassette (movie, song) activities at the end/begining of each unit
• Current events are posted on the web-site on a weekly basis
• Special Projects 1 times per term

Classroom Attendance

Attending class on a daily basis is crucial to your success in learning French language. Oral activities are done on a daily basis and are very difficult to make up after the fact. Students who miss a lot of classes will need to set up a meeting with Mme.O. Piatnitsa to develop a plan of action for making up missed work. Tuesday and Thursday are those days when the children can work in the French class from 12:35 to 1:15 to catch up the missing work.

Make-up policy

1. Students are responsible for material covered and announcements made during any absence. It is the responsibility of the student to consult with the teacher about work missed and make-up assignments.
2. Assignments: Must be made up prior to the report card.
   Missing one assignment will not count against you. Missing several will count.
3. One major test during the term must be made up if you have a legitimate reason for your absence. Contact Mme. Piatnitsa as soon as you return to class.
   CHECK MY WEB PAGE FOR WORK MISSED!!!!! 

Students are expected to do their own work, unless an assignment is made specifically as a group assignment.

Teaching Methods

Different teaching styles is used in the French As a Second Language course to achieve the program goals. Vocabulary is acquired through listening and repetition exercises, workbook activities, flashcards, classroom conversation, and games. Students will begin writing in the target language in their text and activity book exercises. Listening activities and videos will assist students with pronunciation and comprehension skills. Grammar is introduced using the deductive method and teacher explanation. Discussion of grammar will be in English. Mastery will be assessed through spelling tests, and unit tests.The majority of the class time will be spent using the target language. Students will work alone, in pairs, and small groups. They will prepare and perform collages and conversations. Students will do research on a chosen topic and prepare a PowerPoint presentation, posters, brochure (Grade 7-8).

HOMEWORK

Pupils can expect homework to be given at least once a week. This could be a learning task and/or a piece of written work. Pupils should spend at least 20 to 30 minutes on their French homework each week.

ASSESSMENT

Assessment is continuous through classwork and homework and also through end of module tests. Pupils are assessed in all three skills. Speaking tests may be with another student or the teacher.

SPELLING TEST

I understand that spelling can be a particular difficulty for some students but the general principle is that time and effort spent working on a skill will bring progress. Even though it may be difficult, it is necessary because without application of time and effort there is likely to be no progress at all.

In preparing for spelling tests, pupils should be encouraged to learn to; (1) read each word; (2) understand their meanings; (3) spell the words correctly.

Pupils who find the skill of spelling particularly difficult should be encouraged to try their best. Spelling, like other skills, is improved through practice. At the very least, pupils should spell correctly the first letter or group of letter in each word. This is important in order to use dictionaries successfully.

Some sugestion may be useful: 1. LOOK, SAY, (LEARN), Cover, Write, Check. Use your visual and auditory memory, and then test yourself and check. 2. Study some spelling rules.

PARENTAL SUPPORT

Parents can give support by helping pupils in the learning of new words being added to their French vocabulary book and by checking that work in exercise books is well presented and complete. Use of French Dictionary helps pupils to improve their vocabulary. Pupils should be encouraged to access the web sites selected for each class to help language learning.

EXTRA CURRICULAR

There is a French Club Tuesday and Thursday in the French class from 12:35 to 1:15 or in the library if the computer is needed.

Good luck with your studying!