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French Immersion...again!!
Hello,
We Have our eldest enrolled in a French Immersion Kindergarten, starting this fall. I went to an information night last night...and they had a lovely family there whose two boys were at the school, and they talked a bit in french....nearly made me well up hearing the little boy say.....'une pomme'....:wub: Anyhoo, I should have asked this last night....but for those of you who put your little'uns into FI....how did they cope with the first couple of weeks....i.e. were they scared that the teacher wasn't talking to them in a language that they understand?? I'm maybe not giving our daughter enough credit...as I'm sure she will take to it like a duck to water....but I just remember my first day at school being a bit scary....god knows what I would've been like if I couldn't understand what the teacher was saying...:D |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Our kids have been in French Immersion since kindergarten.
They loved it from day one. The teacher spoke to them in a good mix of French and English - gradually reducing the amount of English throught the year. In our school anyway there was a new word to learn every day - quite a few words by the end of the year. Any really improtant stuff like emergency things (fire drills, bathroom requests) were in English for obvious reasons. There were kids who didn't start French Immersion until grade 1 and they go on fine as well. Although if FI is your intent, I'd start with kindergarten because it really prepares them for the rest of elementary school. Mostly the social part I think. But there is still that extra year of a new language too. As they get further along, more and more of spoken language in the class is french. Until about grade 3 or so when they start introducing English again. It seems having that base in French is actually an advantage when it comes to teaching English. The only problem is when you go on a trip to Quebec and try and get the kids to talk to the holel check in person. They just clam up and unless you know french, your sleeping in the car again. |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Here at least the majority of the JK stuff is still in English....its a gradual immersion. A bit like gradually lowering yourself into a hot bath.
We didnt really worry about it...the schools have dealt with this situation so many times in the past, they know what they are doing, and do it well. We still dont hear a lot of french from #1 offspring, who is now in SK, but she can count and do simple stuff and songs pretty well, as far as my rusty old french can tell. Its the next few years I am worried about...not in her ability to adjust to more immersion, but to our ability to keep up and help with homework etc. |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by rwin
(Post 5805973)
The only problem is when you go on a trip to Quebec and try and get the kids to talk to the holel check in person. They just clam up and unless you know french, your sleeping in the car again.
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Re: French Immersion...again!!
Like rwin and Iain have said, the kindergarden entrants have it easy.
I started FI in grade 7... no English at all, except for 'English Language Arts'. The first several months were just: :confused: :unsure: :curse: :blink: :cry_smile: until... :lightbulb: then all is well... until you leave school... and realize that you barely ever have chances to use the French you've learned and the light bulb gradually dims and burns out... ;) I'm glad I went through FI but Mandarin or Japanese would have been more useful! |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by rwin
(Post 5805973)
Our kids have been in French Immersion since kindergarten.
They loved it from day one. The teacher spoke to them in a good mix of French and English - gradually reducing the amount of English throught the year. In our school anyway there was a new word to learn every day - quite a few words by the end of the year. Any really improtant stuff like emergency things (fire drills, bathroom requests) were in English for obvious reasons. |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by Calgary Colemans
(Post 5805922)
Hello,
We Have our eldest enrolled in a French Immersion Kindergarten, starting this fall. I went to an information night last night...and they had a lovely family there whose two boys were at the school, and they talked a bit in french....nearly made me well up hearing the little boy say.....'une pomme'....:wub: Anyhoo, I should have asked this last night....but for those of you who put your little'uns into FI....how did they cope with the first couple of weeks....i.e. were they scared that the teacher wasn't talking to them in a language that they understand?? I'm maybe not giving our daughter enough credit...as I'm sure she will take to it like a duck to water....but I just remember my first day at school being a bit scary....god knows what I would've been like if I couldn't understand what the teacher was saying...:D He was fine, with no issues at all. He was just disappointed that he cannot go to school everyday, as Kindergarten here is part time. He tries to use his french numbers, colours etc all the time and loves it. He wasn't phased at all. The teachers are all used to this kind of thing and most communication is done by body language, symbols, pointing etc. We think it is an excellent programme, and have no regretssss. His younger brother will follow next year. |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
just wonderin do they have english emmersion in quebec?.
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Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by wiggs1034
(Post 5808309)
Our eldest started in FI kindergarten in September, and has therefore done just over a term. Given when we moved across (Easter 2007) he had already done two terms full time at school in the UK.
He was fine, with no issues at all. He was just disappointed that he cannot go to school everyday, as Kindergarten here is part time. He tries to use his french numbers, colours etc all the time and loves it. He wasn't phased at all. The teachers are all used to this kind of thing and most communication is done by body language, symbols, pointing etc. We think it is an excellent programme, and have no regretssss. His younger brother will follow next year. Can I enroll my son who has just turned 8 into FI, although he will be starting Grade 3 next September and has only little French knowledge? |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Hi Spanglish
I don't think there is a particular FI course anyway in Canada (as far as I recall - and please correct me someone if you know different :)) which commences in Grade 3. However, there are programs that start in Grade 4 in some schools, in some provinces - they tend to be harder to find though, so look in advance that you can send him to a school that offers this. The other alternative is that if he speaks enough French he may be able to catch up if you talk to an FI school? Or even, possibly if you start him back in Grade 2? Again, a talk with your local FI schools may decide whether this option is available for you. I'll give you an idea of the standard my son was at, at the beginning of Grade 3 specifically for French so you can try and judge where your son "fits" with his current knowledge. My son is good at the language side and average at the math - but all the kids were at a similar level in French. He could understand 95% of the French his teachers spoke to him on the fly - enough to give yes, no or short answers (in French). For familiar subjects or preprepared subjects, he could speak several sentences and answer questions in a fair amount of detail - maybe stumbling over a few vocabulary words which he didn't know in French - what he didn't know was filled in with Franglais! He could write a fairly decent, but simply constructed, French sentence and was starting to get a consistent understanding of plural, masculine/feminine endings, standard regular verb endings - and the key irregular verbs like etre, avoir etc. He was also starting to read and understand easily first chapter books in French. In math (still in French), he was counting to 100 - including counting in 2s, 5s, 10s, 25s 50s etc - including starting to count at 23 say and then counting on in 2s. He was adding and subtracting up to 10 easily and up to 20 (improving). The leap he has made in French since the beginning of Grade 3 has been startling - its like it has just clicked now! Also the are introduced to English in this Grade - so immersion in French is now about 80 - 85% rather than the previous 100%. Don't know if that helps, but it may give you an idea of the expectation from he schools. However, another option is to have catch up classes outside of school maybe? Don't know if that is possible either. Cheers :) |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by ladymoose
(Post 5810968)
Hi Spanglish
I don't think there is a particular FI course anyway in Canada (as far as I recall - and please correct me someone if you know different :)) which commences in Grade 3. However, there are programs that start in Grade 4 in some schools, in some provinces - they tend to be harder to find though, so look in advance that you can send him to a school that offers this. The other alternative is that if he speaks enough French he may be able to catch up if you talk to an FI school? Or even, possibly if you start him back in Grade 2? Again, a talk with your local FI schools may decide whether this option is available for you. I'll give you an idea of the standard my son was at, at the beginning of Grade 3 specifically for French so you can try and judge where your son "fits" with his current knowledge. My son is good at the language side and average at the math - but all the kids were at a similar level in French. He could understand 95% of the French his teachers spoke to him on the fly - enough to give yes, no or short answers (in French). For familiar subjects or preprepared subjects, he could speak several sentences and answer questions in a fair amount of detail - maybe stumbling over a few vocabulary words which he didn't know in French - what he didn't know was filled in with Franglais! He could write a fairly decent, but simply constructed, French sentence and was starting to get a consistent understanding of plural, masculine/feminine endings, standard regular verb endings - and the key irregular verbs like etre, avoir etc. He was also starting to read and understand easily first chapter books in French. In math (still in French), he was counting to 100 - including counting in 2s, 5s, 10s, 25s 50s etc - including starting to count at 23 say and then counting on in 2s. He was adding and subtracting up to 10 easily and up to 20 (improving). The leap he has made in French since the beginning of Grade 3 has been startling - its like it has just clicked now! Also the are introduced to English in this Grade - so immersion in French is now about 80 - 85% rather than the previous 100%. Don't know if that helps, but it may give you an idea of the expectation from he schools. However, another option is to have catch up classes outside of school maybe? Don't know if that is possible either. Cheers :) I contacted the school last year and they agreed to have my son in the FI programme if we were to be in Canada by October. The reason they would let him do this was that my son speaks, well he speaks a little but understands quite a lot of Spanish. As things have turned out, we are still here but hoping to make the move sometime in Spring. As time passes by I get more and more worried, thinking that they won't let him do it and I have got two more children who could definitely start FI as they are only 6 and 4. He has learned a bit of French in school, he counts up to 30 and knows how to say his name, age and where he lives. He know the days of the week , the months of the year and a few other words. Unfortunately, the school here is quite relaxed with the learning of languages and classes are boring and quite repetitive (that's what my son tells me). Being Spanish myself I speak and understand quite a bit of french, so I supposse if he was to be accepted I could help him. About putting him back on Grade 2 well, he is already on Year 3 here. If we manage to sell the house and move before the summer he would be in Grade 2 for the rest of the school year. I would not want to set him back more than one grade though, he is already disappointed enough thinking he'll be back on Year 3 next September. |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
I thought this website might be helpful for parents in Calgary wishing their kids to enter French immersion (early or late)
http://www.cpfalta.ab.ca/Calgary.htm |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by spanglish
(Post 5811359)
Hi and thanks for the info.
I contacted the school last year and they agreed to have my son in the FI programme if we were to be in Canada by October. The reason they would let him do this was that my son speaks, well he speaks a little but understands quite a lot of Spanish. As things have turned out, we are still here but hoping to make the move sometime in Spring. As time passes by I get more and more worried, thinking that they won't let him do it and I have got two more children who could definitely start FI as they are only 6 and 4. He has learned a bit of French in school, he counts up to 30 and knows how to say his name, age and where he lives. He know the days of the week , the months of the year and a few other words. Unfortunately, the school here is quite relaxed with the learning of languages and classes are boring and quite repetitive (that's what my son tells me). Being Spanish myself I speak and understand quite a bit of french, so I supposse if he was to be accepted I could help him. About putting him back on Grade 2 well, he is already on Year 3 here. If we manage to sell the house and move before the summer he would be in Grade 2 for the rest of the school year. I would not want to set him back more than one grade though, he is already disappointed enough thinking he'll be back on Year 3 next September. Spanglish- are you hooked on FI? don't know where you are going - but you could consider Spanish bilingual if you are coming to Calgary? |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by gryphea
Spanglish-
are you hooked on FI? don't know where you are going - but you could consider Spanish bilingual if you are coming to Calgary? All three families are happy with the program. The Argentinian parents are ever so slightly miffed, because the teachers are Mexican, and they speak Mexican Spanish. The Argentinian parents would have preferred Argentinian Spanish. But, on the whole, they're glad that the Calgary Board of Education offers a Spanish bilingual program at all. |
Re: French Immersion...again!!
Originally Posted by Judy in Calgary
(Post 5812665)
I know three families who have their children in Spanish bilingual schools in Calgary. One family is from Argentina, one is from Venezuela, and one is from Mexico.
All three families are happy with the program. The Argentinian parents are ever so slightly miffed, because the teachers are Mexican, and they speak Mexican Spanish. The Argentinian parents would have preferred Argentinian Spanish. But, on the whole, they're glad that the Calgary Board of Education offers a Spanish bilingual program at all. We once had a boy in our class who had come from French Canada to our school in the UK. He was mad at me cos I beat him at French! :p |
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