Core French FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions)
For Parents, Guardians and Students.
Q: What is a quality core French program?
A: A quality core French program should be taught by a competent teacher who is fluent in French, encourages French communication and exploration in the allotted class time, while focusing on communication, vocabular growth, and culture. The class should also have an established learning community and provide the resources necessary to advance the students' skills both inside and outside the classroom, while catering to all types of learners.
Q: For the student, is having a basic understanding and/or willingness to learn French important?
A: Yes, as is the case in any scholastic endeavor, a good attitude and willingness to learn is integral. Please ensure you come armed with both!
Q: How will learning French impact my student upon completion of their schooling.
A: The Employment Benefits of Official Language Bilingualism (2008), says, “Nearly half of the respondents who are involved in hiring decisions (49%) consider bilingualism to be either very (15%) or fairly (34%) important when making hiring decisions. Eight-one per cent consider bilingual employees to be a valuable asset to their company, 71% say even a basic ability to communicate in French is an asset, and more than half agree that bilingual employees make their company more competitive.”
Q: Although I don’t have any French language skills myself, what can I do to assist my child in their French language learning?
A: Morales (2008) says, “Students whose parents have positive attitudes to French tend to do better in core French. They also develop a more positive attitude toward French and francophones.” Your positive attitude toward second language study is very important to your students' success. Working alongside, or having your student teach you what they’ve learned at school can also be a fun way to reinforce their learning.
Q: What tools are good for promoting additional learning at home?
A: Staying on top of your students' learning and keeping in touch with their daily studies is extremely important. Having French resources (radio, books, magazines, videos, a list of Internet sources and bookmarks) at your students’ disposal would help them to supplement what they learn in the classroom and help to enrich their skills at home.
Q: What’s the goal of learning core French?
A: Morales (2008) says, “…Core French now aims to expose students to more spoken French; core French curricula now requires students to use their linguistic and cultural knowledge to communicate in real-life situations.”
Q: What’s the difference between core French and French Immersion?
A: The number of hours of study in French is the major distinction between French Immersion and core French. French Immersion students study almost all of their subjects in French with the exception of English, while core French students only study French in French class.
Q: What will my child succeed in being able to do upon completion of the class?
A: The general goals of the coursework will lead to students establishing and improving their basic communication skills, language knowledge and gain an understanding of French culture locally, nationally and globally.
Q: My child has difficulty in school with English or has a learning disability. How will they be accommodated?
A: As is the case with any subject matter, students with a first language other than English, or with a learning disability, will be provided with adaptations particular to their skill set.
Q: Will the focus of the curriculum be on simply learning French language and grammar, or will it also include a cultural exploration?
A: As you will see in the ‘sample activities’ section, the curriculum is focused on using cultural exploration and cross-curricular studies (Social Studies) as a means of developing both language skills and a better understanding of French culture.
Sources:
Canadian Parents for French. (2008) The State of French-Second-Language Education in Canada 2008: The Employment Benefits of Official Language Bilingualism. Retrieved July 7, 2010, from http://www.cpf.ca/eng/pdf/resources/reports/fsl/2008/FSL2008.pdf
Morales, D. (Sept. 21, 2008) What is Core French? Retrieved July 7, 2010, from http://www.cpf.bc.ca/site3/index.php/faq/what-is-core-french