Big Ideas

Big Ideas

Listening and viewing with intent helps us begin to understand French.
Both verbal and non-verbal cues
for example, gestures, facial expressions, pictures, props
contribute meaning in language.
With simple French, we can describe ourselves and our interests.
Reciprocal
involving back-and-forth participation
communication in French is possible using high-frequency vocabulary and sentence structures.
Stories
Stories are narrative texts that can be oral, written, or visual. Stories can be simple or complex and may be derived from real or imagined experiences. They can be used to seek and impart knowledge, entertain, share history, and strengthen a sense of identity. Examples are indigenous oral histories, personal stories, skits, series of pictures, songs, student-created stories.
help us to acquire language.
Each culture has traditions and ways of celebrating.

Content

Learning Standards

Content

French alphabet
French phonemes
  • individual sounds for consonants and vowels, including diphthongs (e.g., au, eu, oi, ou, ui) and nasal vowels (e.g., an, ain, en, im, on, un)
  • distinguishing similar phonemes (e.g., u versus ou, e versus eu, s versus z)
gender and number
introduction to:
  • masculine and feminine forms of words (gender) (e.g., the determiners le, la, un, une)
  • singular and plural forms of words (number) (e.g., the determiners un/une versus des,and le/la versus les)
common, high-frequency vocabulary and sentence structures for communicating meaning:
  • common questions
    for example, Est-ce que…?; Où…?; Quand…?; Quel…?; Qu’est-ce que…?; Qui…?
  • greetings and introductions
    common expressions used in greetings, salutations, and getting to know others (e.g., Bonjour; Bon après-midi; Bonsoir; Comment ça va?; À plus tard; Bonne journée!)
  • basic information
    common expressions used to share information about one another (e.g., Comment vas-tu?; Quel âge as-tu?; Je m’appelle…; J’ai ____ ans; Je suis…)
    about themselves and others
  • likes, dislikes, preferences, and interests
    for example, J’aime…; J’adore…; Je n’aime pas…; Je déteste…; Je préfère…
  • simple descriptions
    using descriptive words, such as numbers, colours, sizes, and words for other physical attributes
  • common elements of cultural festivals and celebrations
    for example, activities, clothing, dance, decorations, First Peoples regalia, food, music, parades, sports
communities where French is spoken
for example, les Acadiens, les Franco-Albertains, les Franco-Colombiens, les Fransaskois, les Québécois; Métis communities in Baie St. Paul, MB, Fort Nelson, BC, and Île-à-la-Crosse, SK
across Canada
a Francophone cultural festival or celebration
  • for example, le Carnaval de Québec, le Festival Acadien de Caraquet, le Festival de la francophonie de Victoria, le Festival du Voyageur, le Festival du Bois, Métis Fest
  • could include information about activities, clothing, dance, decorations, First Peoples regalia, food, music, parades, sports
in Canada
ethics of cultural appropriation
use of a cultural motif, theme, “voice,” image, knowledge, story, song, or drama, shared without permission or without appropriate context or in a way that may misrepresent the real experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn
and plagiarism

Curricular Competency

Learning Standards

Curricular Competency

Thinking and communicating

Comprehend key information in slow, clear speech and other simple texts
“Text” refers to all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication, including authentic or adapted texts (e.g., advertisements, articles, biographies, blogs, brochures, cartoons, charts, conversations, diagrams, emails, essays, films, forms, graphs, indigenous oral histories, instructions, interviews, invitations, letters, narratives, news reports, novels, nursery rhymes, online profiles, paintings, photographs, picture books, poems, presentations, songs, speeches, stories, surveys, text messages).
Comprehend
understandkey information and events in stories
simple stories
Interpret non-verbal cues to increase comprehension
Use various strategies to support communication
  • include strategies to comprehend and express meaning
  • will vary depending on the context and the individual student
  • for example, interpreting body language; listening to intonation and expression; paraphrasing, reformulating, reiterating, and repeating; substituting words; using cognates, context, images, parts of speech, prior knowledge, reference tools, similar words in first language, and text features
Seek clarification
using common statements and questions, as well as gestures (e.g., Je ne comprends pas; Répétez, s’il vous plaît; Répète, s’il te plaît; Comment dit-on…?)
of meaning
Recognize the relationships between intonation and meaning
for example, recognizing whether someone is making a statement or asking a question and how it relates to their message; noticing and practising cadence of spoken French
Respond to simple commands and instructions
Participate, with support, in simple interactions involving everyday situations
Express themselves and comprehend others through various modes of presentation
making use of those best suited to their own and others’ diverse abilities (e.g., digital, visual, and verbal modes; students may make use of aids such as charts, graphics, illustrations, music, organizers, photographs, tables, and videos)

Personal and social awareness

Identify Francophone communities across Canada
Demonstrate awareness of connections between First Peoples communities and the French language
for example, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada where French is spoken (e.g., Huron Wendake Nation, Innu Nation, Micmac Nation, and Mohawk Nation in Quebec; Métis communities in Baie St. Paul, MB, Fort Nelson, BC, and Île-à-la-Crosse, SK)
Identify a Francophone cultural festival or celebration in Canada