Elementary Core French: Bonjour et BIENVENUE! A webcast for Core French Teachers Produced by the B.C. Ministry of Education and the Richmond School District, SD#38

Bienvenue!  Introductions Joanne Jenkins, Ministry of Education Timma Blain, Prince George SD#57 Kelly Burt, SFU Pam Haynes, Maple Ridge SD#42 Diane Tijman, Richmond SD#38

Our goals  Build on our understandings Value of second language learning Curriculum foundations  Explore Share strategies, activities and tools to support you in your teaching  Observe  Discuss  Reflect and Plan

Visual synectics Teaching French is like… because….

Our “burning” questions Richmond SD#38 teachers: Sarah Beairsto, Denise Chambers, & Sara Lai

Our questions about planning  How do you plan a unit?  Where can I find resources & books?  Is it better to provide French instruction in two forty minute blocks per week or is daily integration of ten to twenty minutes enough or better?

Questions about instruction  What importance do you put on reading & writing vs listening & speaking?  What’s the best way to use flashcards?  Can you share some Reader’s Theatre scripts appropriate for beginners?  How do you integrate culture?  What are some good games or songs that kids like?

Questions about language  When introducing vocabulary, is it best to have students guess what the word means, look it up in a dictionary, or tell them the meaning?  Should I teach verb conjugations? If so, do I teach them before key vocabulary so that students can make up their own sentences?

French language & culture  How do you teach the language when you don’t know it yourself?  How do I find guest speakers that could come to my class? What about links with Fr. Immersion students?  How can I improve my French language skills?

Questions about assessment  How do I assess their French? Because they are just beginning, and because of the nature of the curriculum, I want to base my marks mostly on oral participation and skills, but I have no idea how to assess them.  What should I expect my students to know in order that they are prepared for high school?  What do they do at the beginning of Grade 8?

Think - pair - share  In groups of 2-3, discuss:  The most important question for me is….  A question I still have about….

Joanne Jenkins, BC MOE

The communicative approach  Video clip of Karen Lin’s Grade 5/6 class at Ferris Elementary, Richmond, SD#38 While watching, think about:  What aspects of Karen’s teaching enhance language acquisition?  What do you notice about the students?

People search

Kelly Burt, SFU

Pause-café  Please be back at 2:30.  Merci!

Pam Haynes, SD#42

Timma Blain, SD#57

Here’s What! So What?Now What?

Time for reflection and planning  When teaching French, I know that….  Today I noticed that….  I wonder if….  In my classroom, I’m going to try ….

Have we answered our questions?  A review of questions collected earlier

And what do the children say?  Video of Francesca Juhasz’s Grade 5/6 class at Grauer Elementary, Richmond, SD#38

Other documents - Websites and other resources document What’s important in teaching French -Pronunciation tips

Quelques remerciements Joanne Jenkins, Ministry of Education

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