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OCDSB > Programs > Elementary
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Core French
The aim of this brochure is to provide information about the OCDSB Core French Program and to help answer questions regarding the program.
What is the Core French Program?The aim of the Core French Program is to foster a positive attitude to learning French as a second language.
In the Core French Program, students develop basic oral comprehension and communication skills. At the primary level, there is a strong emphasis on helping students develop the oral communication skills they need to understand and interact with others, to express themselves and to use the various media to communicate their own ideas. In the OCDSB, at the primary level, Core French curriculum expectations have been developed in order to prepare students for the provincial expectations in French as a Second Language: Core French, Grades 4-8, Ministry of Education curriculum.
Many of the skills developed in lower grades continue to be developed and refined as students move on through the grades. In the Core French Program, students advance through an organized sequence of learning experiences that permit a steady growth of knowledge and skills.
Core French instruction also serves as an important base for students entering one of the three OCDSB French Immersion programs (Early French Immersion, Middle French Immersion and Late French Immersion).
When do OCDSB students begin Core French?Core French is introduced at the junior kindergarten level. In junior and senior kindergarten, students receive one 20-minute period of French language instruction each day. From grades 1 to 8, students are taught Core French for a total of 200 minutes per week, the equivalent of 40 minutes per day.
Is Core French offered in secondary school?Students are required to complete one compulsory credit in French, offered at the grade 9 level. Interested students may continue to study Core French from grades 10 to 12/OAC.
Is Core French a mandatory subject in OCDSB schools?The Ontario Ministry of Education requires students in English-language schools to study French from grades 4 to 9. All students entering grade 4 must receive French instruction every year from grade 4 through grade 9 and must have accumulated a minimum of 710 hours of French instruction by the end of grade 9.
In the OCDSB all students are expected to receive French instruction from junior kindergarten through grade 9. Exemptions may be granted in very exceptional circumstances, for example, for students with significant special needs incompatible with benefiting from second-language instruction.
How can parents/guardians support their child in learning French as a secondlanguage?Studies show that students perform better in school if their parents/guardians are involved in their education. Parents/guardians can encourage their child to learn French by reinforcing the value of French and other cultures. Parents can offer their children the opportunity to hear and speak French in authentic situations (e.g., take a trip to Quebec, watch French television programs, read French books, listen to French music, eat at a French restaurant, etc.)
Why is it considered important to learn French?The Ministry of Education states:
“The importance of studying French in the Canadian context cannot be overemphasized. French is not only one of Canada’s two official languages, but is also widely used throughout the world with respect to business, culture, and international diplomacy. The ability to communicate in French gives students many advantages, both in Canada and internationally, and helps them gain a better understanding and appreciation of French-speaking societies.
Research studies have shown that students who learn another language develop a number of very useful academic and cognitive skills, which they transfer to learning English and other languages as well as to other subjects. Through second-language learning, students’ problem-solving, reasoning and creative-thinking skills improve; they also tend to be more tolerant and respectful of other cultures. In addition to these academic and social benefits, the ability to communicate in another language provides students with a distinct advantage in a number of careers. Students also derive generic job skills from learning another language – flexibility, communication, the ability to understand complex issues, the capacity for dealing with uncertainty – all skills that are greatly valued in the workplace.”
The Secondary Curriculum Policy Document, Core, Extended, and Immersion French, Grades 9 and 10, September 1998, Ministry of Education |
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