French

Philosophy

An international school in a multi-lingual continent is in an ideal situation to promote the learning of languages other than one's own.  International understanding, an essential ingredient in the ethos of any international school, is enhanced by the acquisition of additional languages and an understanding of their related cultures.  New ways of communicating with people in other countries are making the world a smaller place and the relevance of linguistic and cultural pluralism is clear.

Living in a French-speaking canton of Switzerland, next door to France, explains why French is the first foreign language taught at ISL.  It is important to give our students the opportunity to discover, understand, appreciate and respect the French, Swiss and the Francophone culture as well as learn the language as a means of communication with the local community and with people of the French-speaking world.  Students are able to use and practise French in their everyday environment where its relevance is apparent. In fact it becomes after a few years a second language to a number of the students.

Aims

The Curriculum should:

• create an enthusiasm and curiosity for the language,
• provide efficient comprehension and communication tools  through mastery of the four basic skills: aural comprehension, oral expression, reading comprehension  and written expression,
• develop enough confidence in the four basic skills to provide the individual student with a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment,
• create a stimulating learning situation in the classroom such that students understand the relevance and importance of learning the language,
• provide a means of communication with the French-speaking community and an insight into Francophone culture,
• develop an understanding of the structure of the language, including the parts of speech, and simple and more complex sentence structures,
• To provide an individual programme of vocabulary and reading to French speaking students wherever possible and when they can work individually and be completely autonomous (they are usually one to two years behind French speaking schools).

Methodology

Teachers will aim to:

• develop students' linguistic abilities with an emphasis on an additional language as a means of communication,
• develop students' linguistic abilities within an integrated program of speaking, singing, listening, reading, writing, drawing and handicrafts,
• use role-play and improvisation in meaningful situations in order that students can practise and develop confidence in their linguistic ability,
• develop an integrated programme using the literature and culture associated with the language; for example, songs, nursery rhymes, poems, myths and legends, customs, stories etc.,
• organise excursions into the local French-speaking community,
• provide a supportive environment that encourages students to explore, experiment, and take risks in all aspects of language learning,
• provide an environment which encourages students to strive for excellence, while appreciating the value of their own work and the work of others,
• provide students with opportunities to apply their skills, knowledge and experience in increasingly more challenging and demanding situations,
• employ a variety of organisational strategies, allowing students to work individually, co-operatively in small and large group arrangements and together as a whole class,
• provide meaningful activities and learning situations in order to encourage students to understand that the effective use of an additional language is a valuable life skill.

Years 1 and 2

The main objective is to transmit an enthusiasm for learning languages as in many cases it will be the students’ first exposure to a foreign language.

The language is taught orally, mainly through songs, poems and stories. The topics studied are chosen to appeal to this age group and to cover everyday situations that the students experience.  Topics are also carefully selected to math the Primary Years Programme of Inquiry.

Example topics in Year 1:
The Senses, Days of the Week, Numbers, The Weather, The Natural Elements, Animals and School.

Materials used include ‘Tatou le Matou 1’

Example topics in Year 2:
Feelings, Birthdays, Months and Seasons, Homes and Rooms, Clothes, Animals, Parts of the Body, Fairy Tale Characters and the Family.

Materials used include ‘Tatou le Matou 2’.

While singing songs or listening to stories, students are engaged in art/handicrafts related to the topic being studied.  This allows the teacher to have one-to-one contact with each student and assess his/her learning.

Years 3 and 4

Years 3 and 4 are divided into four groups, Beginners, Year 3, Year 4 and Advanced. These two years are very important as the students are now ready to start reading and writing.  The main objective is to create an atmosphere of confidence in which the students can discover the French alphabet and the different combinations of simple sounds.  Gradually, but confidently, the students discover the more complex sounds in the following years.

The programme used in the Beginners’ Group is ‘La Petite Grenouille 1’. The stories are used as a stimulus for discussion, role-playing, paired work, simulation, creative writing and reading.  Year 3 class group uses ‘Alex et Zöe 1’ while the Year 4 class group uses ‘La Petite Grenouille 2’.  The Advanced Group uses the ‘ratus’ reading and writing scheme.  The teaching of grammar is incorporated into the learning of the whole language with almost no formal explanation.  Students learn the structure of the language globally, with the emphasis on a communicative approach to language learning.

French teachers meet regularly with class teachers and the PYP Coordinator to discuss how French can be incorporated into the PYP Units of Inquiry.

Years 5 and 6

Years 5 and 6 are divided into five groups, Year 5/6 Beginners, Year 5 class, Year 6 class, Year 5 Advanced and Year 6 Advanced.

The programme used in the Year 5/6 Beginners is ‘Fluo 1’. The Year 5 class uses ‘Alex et Zöe 2’, while the Year 6 class group uses ‘Mission Speciale’.  The Advanced groups use ‘La Lecture Silencieuse’ for reading, and a ‘cahier d’orthographe’ for spelling and grammar. Students learn with a more analytical approach, and although the emphasis is still on communication, the teaching of structure and grammar is more formal.

They also use a variety of class readers such as (Year 5 Advanced) ‘Veterinaire, c’est super’ and ‘Le hollandais sans peine’.  They watch ‘Le roi at l’oiseau’ and complete a writing project based on it.  The Year 6 Advanced group read ‘Journal d’un chat assassin’ and ‘Louis Braille, l’enfant de la nuit.’

Students learn some verb forms and will encounter the present, future proche, future simple, passé composé and imparfait. By the end of the Primary Programme, students will have seen grammar concepts such as articles defines, indefinis et partitifs, accord de l’adjectif, qualificatif, forme negative, comparative/superlative, adjectifs possessifs, quelques pluriels irregulilers.

Students celebrate Freench festivities suc as ‘La galette du Roi’, and crepes for ‘Mardi Gras’.  Participation in the life of the local community is encouraged, e.g. joining a local club, playing with French-speaking neighbours etc.  Trips to places of local interest and theatres are organised.  All teaching is done in French (with some explanation in English to newcomers in the beginning, to give them confidence). Students are encouraged to speak in French to each other.

By the end of Year 6, students who have been learning French for more than two years should be confident in the language and be able to speak it.