Course: Core French

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Core French

This course provides opportunities for students to communicate in French about everyday matters and topics of personal interest in real-life situations. Students will exchange information, ideas, and opinions with others in structured, guided, and increasingly spontaneous spoken interactions. Students will develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing through using language learning strategies for understanding texts and communicating clearly. They will also increase their understanding and appreciation of diverse French-speaking communities, and will develop skills necessary for lifelong language learning.

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  • Department: French
  • Course Developer: The Educators Academy
  • Development Date:
  • Revision Date: 2021
  • Course Title: Core French
  • Course Reviser: Hortense Tokyoto
  • Grade: Grade 10
  • Course Type: Applied
  • Ministry Course Code: FSF2P
  • Credit Value: 01
  • Prerequisite: Core French, Grade 9, Academic or Applied
  • Ministry Curriculum Policy Document: The Ontario Curriculum, grades 9 and 10, 2014 (Revised)

Overall Curriculum Expectations

Listening

    i. Listening to Understand: determine meaning in a variety of authentic and adapted oral French texts, using a range of listening strategies; ii. Listening to Interact: interpret messages accurately while interacting in French for a variety of purposes and with diverse audiences; iii. Intercultural Understanding: demonstrate an understanding of information in oral French texts about aspects of culture in diverse French-speaking communities and other communities around the world, and of French sociolinguistic conventions used in a variety of situations and communities.

Speaking

    i. Speaking to Communicate: communicate information and ideas orally in French, using a variety of speaking strategies, appropriate language structures, and language appropriate to the purpose and audience; ii. Speaking to Interact: participate in spoken interactions in French for a variety of purposes and with diverse audiences; iii. Intercultural Understanding: in their spoken communications, demonstrate an awareness of aspects of culture in diverse French-speaking communities and other communities around the world, and of the appropriate use of French sociolinguistic conventions in a variety of situations.

Reading

    i. Reading Comprehension: determine meaning in a variety of authentic and adapted French texts, using a range of reading comprehension strategies; ii. Purpose, Form, and Style: identify the purpose(s), characteristics, and aspects of style of a variety of authentic and adapted text forms in French, including fictional, informational, graphic, and media forms; iii. Intercultural Understanding: demonstrate an understanding of information in French texts about aspects of culture in diverse French-speaking communities and other communities around the world, and of French sociolinguistic conventions used in a variety of situations and communities.

Writing

    i. Purpose, Audience, and Form: write French texts for different purposes and audiences, using a variety of forms and knowledge of language structures and conventions of written French appropriate for this level; ii. The Writing Process: use the stages of the writing process – including pre-writing, producing drafts, revising, editing, and publishing – to develop and organize content, clarify ideas and expression, correct errors, and present their work effectively; iii. Intercultural Understanding: in their written work, demonstrate an awareness of aspects of culture in diverse French-speaking communities and other communities around the world, and of the appropriate use of French sociolinguistic conventions in a variety of situations.

Unit Outline

# Unit Approx. Time
1 Les contes de fées 27 Hours
2 C'est Moi! 27 Hours
3 Les films 27 Hours
4 La saga du monde vers 27 Hours
5 Final Examination 02 Hours
Total 110 Hours

Unit Description

Les contes de fées

An introductory unit, students read, watch and listen to several fairy tales. They participate in discussions, debates with one another, and reflect upon the stories studied.

C’est Moi!

In this unit, students share information about themselves, as well as a friend. Using qualifying adjectives, they write descriptive paragraphs. Reflexive verbs are studied, and the students create a Facebook page for a celebrity.

Les films

Students learn about and discuss different movie genres. Students delve into the horror genre, and create a dialogue between two characters. The passé composé of regular and irregular verbs, personal, direct and indirect object pronouns, as well as the pronouns y and en are studied, in order for students to create a proper email message.

La saga du monde vers

After learning the futur simple, students participate in an online graphic novel study. They engage in discussions about the story and its characters, and they maintain a comprehension and reflection journal.

Program Considerations

Assessment and Evaluation

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in their achievement of the curriculum expectations in each course. This information also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructional approaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices.
 
The Educators Academy’s theory of assessment and evaluation follows the Ministry of Education's Growing Success document, and we follow it because it is beneficial to the students. Our teachers design assessment in such a way as to make it possible to gather and show evidence of learning in a variety of ways to gradually release responsibility to the students, and to give multiple and varied opportunities to reflect on learning and receive detailed feedback.
Growing Success articulates the vision the Ministry has for the purpose and structure of assessment and evaluation techniques. There are seven fundamental principles that ensure best practices and procedures of assessment and evaluation by The Educators Academy teachers. The Educators Academy’s assessments and evaluations are,
·         are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
·         support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
·         are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students;
·         are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course;
·         are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
·         provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
·         develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.
Assessment is the process of gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a course. As essential steps in assessment for learning and as learning, The Educators Academy teachers believe on:
  • plan assessment concurrently and integrate it seamlessly with instruction;
  • share learning goals and success criteria with students at the outset of learning to ensure that students and teachers have a common and shared understanding of these goals and criteria as learning progresses;
  • gather information about student learning before, during, and at or near the end of a period of instruction, using a variety of assessment strategies and tools;
  • use assessment to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help students monitor their progress towards achieving their learning goals;
  • analyse and interpret evidence of learning;
  • give and receive specific and timely descriptive feedback about student learning;
  • help students to develop skills of peer assessment and self-assessment.
Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of student learning on the basis of established performance standards and assigning a value to represent that quality. The Educators Academy Teachers use their professional judgement to determine which specific expectations should be used to evaluate achievement of the overall expectations, and which ones will be accounted for in instruction and assessment but not necessarily evaluated.
In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, and lead to improvement of student learning, The Educators Academy teachers will use a variety of the following strategies to assess student learning and to provide them with feedback:
Assessment For and As Learning includes:
  • Graphic organizers
  • Teacher feedback
  • Peer feedback
  • Self-reflection
  • Practice with feedback
  • Sticky note activities
  • Placemat activities
  • Jigsaw
  • Practice quizzes
  • Success Criteria
  • Exit tickets
  • Goal setting
  • Reading/writing logs
 
Assessment Of Learning includes:
  • Quizzes/Tests
  • Projects
  • Differentiated Products (e.g. graphic organizers, outlines)
  • Oral reports
  • Presentations
  • Media production
  • Technology products
Assessment Strands:
The Educators Academy will ensure that student’s work is assessed and/or evaluated in a balanced manner with respect to the four categories, and that achievement of particular expectations is considered within the appropriate categories.
 
Knowledge and Understanding (K/U)                                                                        
 
Thinking and Inquiry (T/I)                                                                                                     
 
Communication (C)                                                                                                               
 
Application (A)                                                                                                                       
 
Assessment Strands
 
Student achievement is communicated formally to students and parents by means of the Provincial Report Card. The report card provides a record of the student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations in every course, at particular points in the school year or semester, in the form of a percentage grade. Report cards are issued upon completion of the course. Each report card will focus on related aspects of student achievement. The percentage grade will represent the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations for the course and will reflect the corresponding level of achievement. The Educators Academy will record a final grade for every course, and a credit is granted for the course in which the student’s grade is 50% or higher.
 
Ø  Term work will account 70% of the course work
 
Ø  Final Exam would be a value of 30%
 
Final Assessment and Evaluation = 100%
 
The teacher will also provide written comments concerning the student's strengths, areas for improvement, and next steps (E–Excellent, G–Good, S–Satisfactory, N–Needs Improvement). The report card will indicate whether an OSSD credit has been earned or not. Upon completion of a course, The Educators Academy will send a copy of the report card back to the student's home school where the course will be added to the ongoing list of courses on the student's Ontario Student Transcript. The report card will also be sent to the student's home address for parents’ communication.
 
Evaluation Instruments/ Strategies:
 
*      Rubrics                                                                                                            Observation
*      Checklist                                                                                                         Project Work
*      Peer                                                                                                                 Interviewing
*      Self                                                                                                                  Researching
*      Group                                                                                                  Conferencing
 
Assessment and Evaluation:
 
Final Assessment and Evaluation = 100%
 
A Summary Description of Achievement in Each Percentage Grade Range
and Corresponding Level of Achievement
Percentage Grade Range
Achievement Level
Summary Description
80-100%
Level 4
A very high to outstanding level of achievement. Achievement is above the provincial standard.
70-79%
Level 3
A high level of achievement. Achievement is at the provincial standard.
60-69%
Level 2
A moderate level of achievement. Achievement is below, but approaching, the provincial standard.
50-59%
Level 1
A passable level of achievement. Achievement is below the provincial standard.
below 50%
Level R
Insufficient achievement of curriculum expectations. A credit will not be granted.
 
THE ACHIEVEMENT CHART: FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (CORE, EXTENDED, AND IMMERSION), GRADES 9–12
Categories
50–59%
(Level 1)
60–69%
(Level 2)
70–79%
(Level 3)
80–100%
(Level 4)
Knowledge and Understanding - Knowledge and Understanding – Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowledge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)
 
The student:
Knowledge of content (e.g., vocabulary and expressions;concepts, opinions, ideas, facts; language conventions; aspects of culture)
demonstrates limited knowledge of content
 
 
– ddemonstrates some knowledge of content
 
 
 
demonstrates considerable knowledge of content
 
demonstrates thorough knowledge of content
Understanding of content (e.g., concepts, ideas, opinions, and facts and their relationship to forms; language structures and strategies; forms and characteristics of texts)
demonstrates limited understanding of content
demonstrates some understanding of content
demonstrates considerable understanding of content
demonstrates thorough understanding of content
 
Categories
50–59%
(Level 1)
60–69%
(Level 2)
70–79%
(Level 3)
80–100%
(Level 4)
Thinking – The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes
The student:
Use of planning skills (e.g., establishing a focus; setting goals; generating ideas; formulating questions; researching and organizing information; contextualizing and elaborating on ideas; selecting and using strategies and resources)
uses planning skills with limited effectiveness
uses planning skills with some effectiveness
uses planning skills with considerable effectiveness
uses planning skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of processing skills
(e.g., predicting; inferring; discussing; interpreting; summarizing; analysing; evaluating; constructing and defending an argument; revising and restructuring)
uses processing skills with limited effectiveness
uses processing skills with some effectiveness
uses processing
skills with
considerable
effectiveness
uses processing
skills with a
high degree of
effectiveness
Use of critical/creative thinking processes, skills, and strategies (e.g., using language-learning, inquiry, and problem-solving strategies; prioritizing; critiquing; hypothesizing; synthesizing; forming and justifying conclusions)
uses critical/
creative thinking
processes with limited
effectiveness
uses critical/
creative thinking
processes with some
effectiveness
uses critical/
creative thinking
processes, with considerable
effectiveness
uses critical/
creative thinking
processes with a high degree of
effectiveness
 
Categories
50–59%
(Level 1)
60–69%
(Level 2)
70–79%
(Level 3)
80–100%
(Level 4)
Communication – The conveying of meaning through various forms
 
The student:
Expression and organization of ideas and information (e.g., clear expression, logical organization) in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms
expresses and organizes ideas and information with limited effectiveness
expresses and organizes ideas and information with some effectiveness
expresses and organizes ideas and information with considerable effectiveness
expresses and organizes ideas and information with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication for different audiences (e.g., self, peers, teacher, community members) and purposes (e.g., to interact, discuss, collaborate; to inform, raise awareness, explain, instruct; to entertain, perform; to persuade; to express feelings and ideas; to solve problems) in oral, visual, and/or written forms
communicates for different audiences and purposes with limited effectiveness
communicates for different audiences and purposes with some effectiveness
communicates for different audiences and purposes with considerable effectiveness
communicates for different audiences and purposes with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline in oral, visual, and/or written forms (e.g., elements of style and usage; phrasing and punctuation conventions; appropriate language conventions in particular social and cultural contexts)
uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with limited effectiveness
uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with some effectiveness
uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with considerable effectiveness
uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with a high degree of effectiveness
 
Categories
50–59%
(Level 1)
60–69%
(Level 2)
70–79%
(Level 3)
80–100%
(Level 4)
Application – The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts
 
The student:
Application of knowledge and skills (e.g.,literacy strategies and processes; literary terminology, concepts, and theories) in familiar contexts
applies
knowledge and
skills in familiar
contexts with
limited
effectiveness
applies
knowledge and
skills in familiar
contexts with
some
effectiveness
applies
knowledge and
skills in familiar
contexts with
considerable
effectiveness
applies
knowledge and
skills in familiar
contexts with a
high degree of
effectiveness
Transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., strategies, concepts, processes) to new contexts
transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with limited effectiveness
transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with some effectiveness
transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with considerable effectiveness
transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Making connections within and between various contexts (e.g., between personal, global, cultural, historical, and/or environmental contexts; between French and other languages; between the school and other social contexts)
makes connections within and between various contexts with limited effectiveness
makes connections within and between various contexts with some effectiveness
makes connections within and between various contexts with considerable effectiveness
 makes connections within and between various contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Submission of Assignments
*      All assignments should be submitted for grading on the stated due date.
*      Any late assignments may be subjected to a 10% penalty.
*      Work not submitted within 5 school days after the stated due date will be assigned a mark of 0.
*      If a student is ill or away for a documented reason, all assignments must be submitted upon return to class, unless arrangements are negotiated with the teacher.
*      It is vital that the student realize the potential consequences of incomplete work and absences, including failure to gain the credit for the course. It is the responsibility of the student to catch up on all work missed from being absent.
 
Program Planning Considerations
 
Effective instruction is a key to student success. To provide effective instruction, The Educators Academy teachers consider what they want students to learn, how they will know whether students have learned it, how they will design instruction to promote the learning, and how they will respond to students who are not making progress. Our teachers identify the main concepts and skills described in the curriculum expectations.
 
Effective teaching approaches involve students in the use of higher-level thinking skills and encourage them to look beyond the literal meaning of texts and to think about fairness, equity, social justice, and citizenship in a global society.
 
Motivating students and instilling positive habits of mind, such as a willingness and determination to persist, to think and communicate with clarity and precision, to take responsible risks, and to question and pose problems, are also integral to high-quality language instruction. An understanding of students’ strengths and needs, as well as of their backgrounds and life experiences, The Educators Academy teachers plan effective instruction and assessment strategies. Our teachers continually build their awareness of students’ learning strengths and needs by observing and assessing their readiness to learn, their interests, and their learning styles and preferences
 
French is a second official language which is best learned through activities that present stimulating ideas, issues, and themes that are meaningful to students. Since no single instructional approach can meet all the needs of each learner, we select classroom activities that are based on an assessment of students’ individual needs, proven learning theory, and best practices. At The Educators Academy, teachers introduce a rich variety of activities that integrate expectations from different strands and provide for the explicit teaching of knowledge and skills. They also provide frequent opportunities for students to rehearse, practise, and apply skills and strategies, and to make their own choices.
 
Planning Program for Special Education Needs
 
The Educators Academy classroom teachers are the key educators of students who have special education needs. They have a responsibility to help all students learn, and they work collaboratively with special education teachers, where appropriate, to achieve this goal.
 
The Educators Academy is committed to ensuring that all students, especially those with special education needs, are provided with the learning opportunities and supports they require to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to succeed in a rapidly changing society. The context of special education and the provision of special education programs and services for exceptional students in Ontario are constantly evolving.
 
The Educators Academy believes that:
·         All students can succeed.
·         Universal design and differentiated instruction are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students.
·         Successful instructional practices are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience.
·         Classroom teachers are key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development.
·         Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning.
·         Classroom teachers need the support of the larger community to create a learning environment that supports students with special education needs.
·         Fairness is not sameness.
 
At The Educators Academy, students may demonstrate a wide range of learning styles and needs. Teachers plan programs that recognize this diversity and give students performance tasks that respect their particular abilities so that all students can derive the greatest possible benefit from the teaching and learning process. The use of flexible groupings for instruction and the provision of ongoing assessment are important elements of programs that accommodate a diversity of learning needs.
 
In planning courses for students with special education needs, our teachers will begin by examining the current achievement level of the individual student, the strengths and learning needs of the student, and the knowledge and skills that all students are expected to demonstrate at the end of the course, in order to determine which of the following options is appropriate for the student:
 
v  no accommodations or modifications; or
v  accommodations only; or
v  modified expectations, with the possibility of accommodations; or
v  alternative expectations, which are not derived from the curriculum expectations for a course and which constitute alternative programs and/or courses.
 
There are three types of accommodations:
·         Instructional accommodations are changes in teaching strategies, including styles of presentation, methods of organization, or use of technology and multimedia.
·         Environmental accommodations are changes that the student may require in the classroom and/or school environment, such as preferential seating or special lighting.
·         Assessment accommodations are changes in assessment procedures that enable the student to demonstrate his or her learning, such as allowing additional time to complete tests or assignments or permitting oral responses to test questions
 
If the student requires either accommodations or modified expectations, or both, The Educators Academy will take into account these needs of exceptional students as they are set out in the students' Individual Education Plan. Our courses offer a vast array of opportunities for students with special educations needs to acquire the knowledge and skills required for our evolving society. Students who use alternative techniques for communication may find a venue to use these special skills in these courses. There are a number of technical and learning aids that can assist in meeting the needs of exceptional students as set out in their Individual Education Plan.
 
If a student requires “accommodations only” in French courses, assessment and evaluation of his or her achievement will be based on the appropriate course curriculum expectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document. The IEP box on the student’s Provincial Report Card will not be checked, and no information on the provision of accommodations will be included.
 
Program Considerations for English Language Learners
 
Ontario schools have some of the most multilingual student populations in the world. The first language of approximately 20 per cent of the students in Ontario’s English language schools is a language other than English. Ontario’s linguistic heritage includes several Aboriginal languages; many African, Asian, and European languages; and some varieties of English, such as Jamaican Creole. Many English language learners were born in Canada and raised in families and communities in which languages other than English were spoken, or in which the variety of English spoken differed significantly from the English of Ontario classrooms. Other English language learners arrive in Ontario as newcomers from other countries; they may have experience of highly sophisticated educational systems, or they may have come from regions where access to formal schooling was limited.
 
The Educators Academy course provides a number of strategies to address the needs of ESL/ELD students. This course is flexible in order to accommodate the needs of students who require instruction in English as a second language or English literacy development. The Educators Academy teachers consider it to be his or her responsibility to help students develop their ability to use the English language properly. Appropriate accommodations affecting the teaching, learning, and evaluation strategies in this course are made in order to help students gain proficiency in English, since students taking English as a second language at the secondary level have limited time in which to develop this proficiency.
 
During the start of education at The Educators Academy, English language learners receive support through one of two distinct programs from our teachers who are specialized in meeting their language-learning needs:
 
English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are for students born in Canada or newcomers whose first language is a language other than English, or is a variety of English significantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools.
 
In planning programs for students with linguistic backgrounds other than English, teachers at The Educators Academy recognize the importance of the orientation process, understanding that every learner needs to adjust to the new social environment and language in a unique way and at an individual pace. For example, students who are in an early stage of English-language acquisition may go through a time during which they closely observe the interactions and physical surroundings of their new learning environment. Students thrive in a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment that nurtures their self-confidence while they are receiving focused literacy instruction. When they are ready to participate, in paired, small-group, or whole-class activities, some students begin by using a single word or phrase to communicate a thought, while others speak quite fluently.
 
Responsibility for students’ English-language development is shared by our classroom teacher, our ESL teacher and other staff at The Educators Academy. Sometimes volunteers and peers are helpful in supporting English language learners in the language classroom. Teachers at The Educators Academy adapted the instructional program in order to facilitate the success of these students in their classrooms. Appropriate adaptations include:
 
·         modification of some or all of the subject expectations so that they are challenging but attainable for the learner at his or her present level of English proficiency, given the necessary support from the teacher;
·         use of a variety of instructional strategies (e.g., extensive use of visual cues, graphic organizers, scaffolding; previewing of textbooks, pre-teaching of key vocabulary; peer tutoring; strategic use of students’ first languages);
·         use of a variety of learning resources (e.g., visual material, simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, and materials that reflect cultural diversity);
·         use of assessment accommodations (e.g., granting of extra time; use of oral interviews, demonstrations or visual representations, or tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers or cloze sentences instead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend heavily on proficiency in English).
 
Environmental Education and French as a Second Language
 
Helping students become environmentally responsible is a role assumed by The Educators Academy. The first goal is to promote learning about environmental issues and solutions. The second goal is to engage students in practicing and promoting environmental stewardship in their community. The third goal stresses the importance of the education system providing leadership by implementing and promoting responsible environmental practices so that all stakeholders become dedicated to living more sustainably. Good curriculum design following the resource document - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Environmental Education, Scope and Sequence of Expectations, 2011, assist The Educators Academy’s staff to weave environmental education in and out of the online course content. This ensures that the student will have opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, perspectives and practices needed to become an environmentally literate citizen.
 
Healthy Relationships and French as a Second language
Every student is entitled to learn in a safe, caring environment, free from violence and harassment. Students learn and achieve better in such environments. The safe and supportive social environment at The Educators Academy is founded on healthy relationships between all people. Healthy relationships are based on respect, caring, empathy, trust, and dignity, and thrive in an environment in which diversity is honoured and accepted. Healthy relationships do not tolerate abusive, controlling, violent, bullying/harassing, or other inappropriate behaviours. To experience themselves as valued and connected members of an inclusive social environment, our students are involved in healthy relationships with their peers, teachers, and other members of The Educators Academy community.
 
The most effective way to enable all students to learn about healthy and respectful relationships is through the school curriculum. The Educators Academy teachers promote this learning in a variety of ways. For example, they help students to develop and practise the skills they need for building healthy relationships by giving them opportunities to apply critical-thinking and problem solving strategies and to address issues through group discussions, role play, case study analysis, and other means. The Educators Academy also have a positive influence on students by modelling the behaviours, values, and skills that are needed to develop and sustain healthy relationships, and by taking advantage of “teachable moments” to address immediate relationship issues that may arise among students.
 
Anti Discrimination Education in the French as a Second Language
 
The implementation of antidiscrimination principles in education influences all aspects of school life. It promotes a school climate that encourages all students to work to high standards, affirms the worth of all students, and helps students strengthen their sense of identity and develop a positive self-image. Antidiscrimination education encourages students to think critically about themselves and others in the world around them in order to promote fairness, healthy relationships, and active, responsible citizenship.
 
The Educators Academy ensures that school-community interaction reflects the diversity in the local community and wider society. Consideration is given to a variety of strategies for communicating and working with parents and community members from diverse groups, in order to ensure their participation in such school activities as plays, concerts, and teacher interviews. A family new to Canada, who may be unfamiliar with the Ontario school system, is provided a special outreach and encouragement in order to feel comfortable in their interactions at The Educators Academy.
 
Learning resources that reflect the broad range of students’ interests, backgrounds, cultures, and experiences are an important aspect of an inclusive English program in The Educators Academy. In such a program, learning materials involve protagonists of both sexes from a wide variety of backgrounds. Teachers at The Educators Academy routinely use materials that reflect the diversity of Canadian and world cultures, including those of contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, and make them available to students. In The Educators Academy’s inclusive programs, students are made aware of the historical, cultural, and political contexts for both the traditional and non-traditional gender and social roles represented in the materials they are studying.
 
In addition, The Educators Academy differentiates the instruction and assessment strategies to take into account the background and experiences, as well as the interests, aptitudes, and learning needs, of all students.
 
Financial Literacy in French as a Second Language
 
The document A Sound Investment: Financial Literacy Education in Ontario Schools, 2010 sets out the vision that: Ontario students will have the skills and knowledge to take responsibility for managing their personal financial well-being with confidence, competence, and a compassionate awareness of the world around them. Since making financial decisions has become an increasingly complex task in the modern world, students need to have knowledge in various areas and a wide range of skills in order to make informed decisions about financial matters.
 
The Educators Academy considers it essential that financial literacy be considered an important point of a well-educated population. In addition to acquiring knowledge in such specific areas as saving, spending, borrowing, and investing, students need to develop skills in problem solving, inquiry, decision making, critical thinking, and critical literacy related to financial and other issues. The goal is to help students to acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to understand and respond to complex issues regarding their own personal finances and the finances of their families, as well as to develop an understanding of local and global effects of world economic forces and the social, environmental, and ethical implications of their own choices as consumers.
 
For example, In the FSL program, students have multiple opportunities to investigate and study financial literacy concepts in relation to the texts explored in class. The Educators Academy students build their understanding of personal financial planning by participating in role play of interactions in the local community, such as buying and selling goods or engaging in personal financial transactions. They can also become familiar with the variety of currencies used in French speaking countries or regions.
 
Critical Thinking and Critical Literacy
 
Critical thinking is the process of thinking about ideas or situations in order to understand them fully, identify their implications, make a judgement, and/or guide decision making. Critical thinking includes skills such as questioning, predicting, analysing, synthesizing, examining opinions, identifying values and issues, detecting bias, and distinguishing between alternatives. At The Educators Academy, students are taught these skills so they become critical thinkers who can move beyond superficial conclusions to a deeper understanding of the issues they are examining. After this, they are also able to engage in an inquiry process in which they explore complex and multifaceted issues, and questions for which there may be no clear-cut answers.
Students use critical-thinking skills in The Educators Academy course for French when they assess, analyse, and/or evaluate the impact of something and when they form an opinion about something and support that opinion with a rationale. In order to think critically, The Educators Academy students examine the opinions and values of others, detect bias, look for implied meaning, and use the information gathered to form a personal opinion or stance, or a personal plan of action with regard to making a difference. In this way, our students approach critical thinking in various aspects. Some of our students find it helpful to discuss their thinking, asking questions and exploring ideas but other students may take time to observe a situation or consider a text carefully before commenting; they prefer not to ask questions or express their thoughts orally while they are thinking.
The development of these critical-thinking skills is supported in the French course at The Educators Academy. As students work to achieve the curriculum expectations in their particular course, our students frequently identify the possible implications of choices. As they gather information from a variety of sources, they are able to interpret what they are listening to, reading, or viewing; to look for instances of bias; and to determine why a source might express a particular bias.
Literacy, Mathematical Literacy and Investigation (Inquiry Skills)
 
Literacy, mathematical literacy, and inquiry/research skills are critical to students’ success in all subjects of the curriculum and in all areas of their lives. A vision of literacy for adolescent learners at The Educators Academy might be described as follows:
 
All students are equipped with the literacy skills necessary to be critical and creative thinkers, effective meaning makers and communicators, collaborative co-learners, and innovative problem solvers. These are the skills that will enable them to achieve personal, career, and societal goals. Students, individually and in collaboration with others, develop skills in Thinking: Students access, manage, create, and evaluate information as they think, Expression: Students use language and images in rich and varied forms as they read, write, listen, speak, view, represent and discuss and Reflection: Students apply metacognitive knowledge and skills to monitor their own thinking and learning.
 
Oral communication skills are fundamental to the development of FSL literacy and are essential for thinking and learning. The expectations in all strands give The Educators Academy students a chance to engage in brainstorming, reporting, and other oral activities to identify what they know about a topic, discuss strategies for solving a problem, present and defend ideas or debate issues, and offer critiques or feedback on work, skill demonstrations, or opinions expressed by their peers.
 
Activating prior knowledge and connecting learning to past experiences help students acquire French literacy skills. Making connections to the literacy skills and strategies our students already possess in their first language contributes to their literacy development in both languages. A focus on developing strategies that help our students understand as well as talk and write about texts that are authentic, interesting, challenging, age appropriate, and linguistically accessible increase student engagement, motivation, and success in FSL.    
 
The Role of a Library
 
The Educators Academy’s library program can help to build and transform students’ knowledge to support lifelong learning in our information- and knowledge-based society. The Educators Academy supports student success across the FSL curriculum by encouraging students to read widely, by teaching them to read for understanding and enjoyment, and helping them to improve their research skills and to use information gathered through research effectively.
 
The Educators Academy library program enables students to:
 
  • develop a love of reading for learning and for pleasure;
  • acquire an understanding of the richness and diversity of literary and informational texts produced in Canada and around the world;
  • obtain access to programs, resources, and integrated technologies that support all curriculum areas;
  • Understand and value the role of public library systems as a resource for lifelong learning.
 
Our classroom teachers develop, teach, and provide students with authentic information and research tasks that foster learning, including the ability to:
 
  • locate, select, gather, critically evaluate, create, and communicate information;
  • use the information obtained to solve problems, make decisions, build knowledge, create personal meaning, and enrich their lives;
  • communicate their findings for different audiences, using a variety of formats and technologies;
  • Use information and research with understanding, responsibility, and imagination.
 
The Role of Information and Communication Technology
 
Information and communications technology (ICT) provides a range of tools that can significantly extend and enrich teachers’ instructional strategies and support student learning. ICT tools include multimedia resources, databases, websites, digital cameras, and word-processing programs. Tools such as these can help students to collect, organize, and sort the data they gather and to write, edit, and present reports on their findings. ICT can also be used to connect students to other schools, at home and abroad, and to bring the global community into the local classroom.
 
In The Educators Academy, therefore, according to the needs of students, they are encouraged to use ICT to support and communicate their learning in FSL. Students working individually or in groups have a full access to use computers and portable storage devices, CD-ROM and DVD technologies, and/or Internet websites to solve the problems and make decisions. As a result, our students develop transferable skills through their experience with word processing, internet research, presentation software, and telecommunication tools, as would be expected in any other course or any business environment.
 
Although the Internet is a powerful learning tool, there are potential risks attached to its use. All students must be made aware of issues related to Internet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to promote hatred. Our teachers understand that ICT tools are valuable in their teaching practice, both for whole class instruction and for the design of curriculum units that contain varied approaches to learning to meet diverse student needs.
 
The Ontario Skills Passport and Essential Skills
 
Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) is a bilingual, web-based resource that enhances the relevance of classroom learning for students and strengthens school–work connections. The skills described in the OSP are the Essential Skills that the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated, through extensive research, as the skills needed for work, learning, and life.  The Educators Academy can engage students by using OSP tools and resources to show how what they learn in class can be applied in the workplace and in everyday life. The Essential Skills identified in the OSP are:
 
Ø  Reading Text
Ø  Writing
Ø  Document Use
Ø  Computer Use
Ø  Oral Communication
Ø  Numeracy: Money Math; Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting; Measurement and Calculation; Data Analysis; and Numerical Estimation
Ø  Thinking Skills: Job Task Planning and Organizing; Decision Making; Problem Solving; Finding Information; and Critical Thinking
 
Career Education
 
The goals of the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education and career/life planning program are to:
 
  • ensure that all students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed education and career/life choices;
  • provide classroom and school-wide opportunities for this learning; and
  • engage parents and the broader community in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program, to support students in their learning.
 
The framework of the program is a four-step inquiry process based on four questions linked to four areas of learning: (1) knowing yourself – Who am I?; (2) exploring opportunities – What are my opportunities?; (3) making decisions and setting goals – Who do I want to become?; and, (4) achieving goals and making transitions – What is my plan for achieving my goals?
 
Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning
 
 Planned learning experiences in the community, including job shadowing and job twinning, field trips, work experience, and cooperative education, provide our students with opportunities to see the relevance of their classroom learning in a work setting, making connections between school and work, and exploring a career of interest as they plan their pathway through The Educators Academy. In addition, through experiential learning, students develop the skills and work habits required in the workplace and acquire a direct understanding of employer and workplace expectations. Experiential learning opportunities associated with various aspects of the FSL curriculum help broaden students’ knowledge of employment opportunities in a wide range of fields, including interpreting, translating, and publishing and other media-related industries. Students who choose to take a two-credit cooperative education program with an FSL course as the related course are able, through this package of courses, to meet the Ontario Secondary School Diploma additional compulsory credit requirements for Groups 1, 2, and 3.
 
Planning Program Pathways and Programs Leading to a Specialist High Skills Major
 
In The Educators Academy, FSL courses are well suited for inclusion in Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSMs) or in programs designed to provide pathways to particular apprenticeship, college, university, or workplace destinations. In some SHSM programs, courses in this curriculum can be bundled with other courses to provide the academic knowledge and skills important to particular economic sectors and required for success in the workplace and postsecondary education, including apprenticeship training. FSL courses also serve as the in-school link with cooperative education credits that provide the workplace experience required not only for some SHSM programs but also for various program pathways to postsecondary education, apprenticeship training, and workplace destinations
 
Health and Safety
 
As part of every course, students must be made aware that health and safety are everyone’s responsibility at home, at school, and in the workplace. Teachers should follow board safety guidelines to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills needed for safe participation in all learning activities.
 
In order to provide a suitable learning environment for The Educators Academy staff and students, it is critical that classroom practice and the learning environment complies with relevant federal, provincial, and municipal health and safety legislation and by-laws, including, but not limited to, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), the Food and Drug Act, the Health Protection and Promotion Act, the Ontario Building Code, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Wherever possible, potential risks are identified and procedures developed to prevent or minimize incidents and injuries.
 
Resources:
v  French English Dictionary
v  Variety of Books  (Including Novels)
v  Handouts
v  Online Research
v  Internet
v  Newspaper Articles
v  www.wordreference.com
v  www.linguee.com
v  www.bonpatron.com
 

Teaching & Learning Strategies

Students will be involved in a variety of reading, writing, listening and speaking activities. The development of oral communication skills provides the foundation for students to read and write effectively. Students will have opportunities both to listen and to speak French. Vocabulary which is relevant to the unit's work is introduced at the beginning of a unit. The reading activities will help students to build vocabulary, and to develop communication skills. Students will read a variety of written texts which will assist them in learning sentence structure.
·         Presentations, explaining and modeling key concepts
·         Using success criteria to set goals for learning
·         Developing and using checklists to reflect on skills used and those to improve
·         Specific questions and discussion will guide self-reflection skills for reflecting an on-going learning, process, interpretation and evaluation
·         Inquiry and problem solving process using a prescribed series of steps
·         Oral and written reports and presentations
·         Open ended discussion questions
·         Reading responses focusing on critical thinking and analysis
·         Research skills focused upon using secondary sources to support ideas
·         Written responses, often scaffold with graphic organizers
·         Mind maps: organize societal, environmental, and economic consideration of concepts discussed throughout the course
·         Case Study Analysis: students will consider data from experiments or research to answer analysis/thinking questions