COMMUNICATING STUDENT LEARNING AND AGE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS:
Student Progress Communication
Communication with parents is in English and uses the same reporting format used in the English program.
Grade Level Expectations
French Immersion students receive all their instruction in French from Kindergarten to the end of Grade 3. Students and teachers are able to use English when necessary, responding to the personal needs of students (illness, emergency, etc.).
By the end of Kindergarten, children should understand many common phrases and words relating to the events that take place in class. It is not an expectation that children will be speaking French spontaneously by the end of Kindergarten as they need time to get used to the sound of this new language and time to understand what the words and phrases mean. Many children will be starting to use key phrases such as "Est-ce que je peux aller boire?" (May I get a drink.), "J'ai besoin d'un crayon." (I need a pencil). They may be using some French words in their English sentences; a child may say, "I've got une pomme (apple) for snack today ."
By the end of Grade 1, children should be able to express orally, in French, their basic needs and describe much of what they are doing. Reading and writing skills in French are developing, though not quite as rapidly as those of the children in the English program. The French Immersion students will need to spend much time developing their understanding of the French language and increasing their vocabulary.
By the end of Grade 2, children should be expressing themselves more fluently in French though an English word may be heard in a sentence where the French word isn't known. Children are working on their reading skills and are starting to express simple ideas in written form.
In Grade 3, children should be comfortable in the basic categories of communication: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
By the end of Grade 5, children should have the basic communication skills to enable them to function in French. Throughout the rest of the years, greater fluency is achieved through practice with teachers, peers and the school community.
