Page 25 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: French as a Second Language – Core, Extended, and Immersion, 2014

topics, including those related to school subjects and current affairs and those of personal relevance. Students need to hear their teachers and peers speak French in a variety of interactive settings (e.g., in pairs, in groups, and in whole class discussions/activities). It is important that teachers contextualize listening interactions and activities for students. This can be done through brainstorming to identify what students already know about the topic of a new text they are about to hear or view. French programs should provide many cognitively challenging opportunities for students to engage in listening activities.
Speaking
French language learners need to speak and interact daily in French in a purposeful way – for example, through collaborative learning in pairs and small groups that allows them to engage in speaking and listening for authentic purposes. Through multiple rich opportunities to speak in various groupings, students not only enhance their competence in communi- cating information, but also explore and come to understand ideas and concepts; identify and solve problems; and express and clarify their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
In developing their speaking skills, students benefit from having the language modelled by their teachers. Not only do teachers offer students instruction and supportive feedback related to speaking, but they also demonstrate communication conventions that are appropriate in both academic and social contexts. Teachers must take into account differences in the norms and conventions associated with oral communication in different cultures to ensure that all students benefit from the opportunities provided for speaking.
Reading
An effective reader not only grasps the ideas communicated in a text but is able to apply them in new contexts. To do this, the student must be able to think clearly, creatively, and critically about the ideas and information encountered in texts. He or she can then under- stand, analyse, and absorb them and recognize their relevance in other contexts. The FSL curriculum develops the knowledge, strategies, and skills that will enable students to become effective readers in both of Canada’s official languages. Students will be given opportunities to apply a range of comprehension strategies as they read a wide variety of texts in French.
Students entering secondary school may come to the task of reading French equipped with skills developed in reading both their first language and French. As they read various materials in French, they use their growing knowledge of French vocabulary and language structures to determine the meaning of written texts, as well as their knowledge of the sound system of the French language, which they have gained from listening to and speaking French.
Students will be exposed to texts with language that is appropriate to their age and language development. With teacher guidance and support, students will continue to develop their ability to understand the meaning of the texts they read. As students develop their reading skills, they will be able to read texts of increasing complexity and will have many
THE PROGRAMS IN FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
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