Page 40 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: French as a Second Language – Core, Extended, and Immersion, 2014

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM | French as a Second Language
• have students listen to, read, or view mentor texts to help them decide what their final product might be;
• model various learning processes by demonstrating how to listen to, read, view, and interact with appropriate texts;
• contextualize new vocabulary through visuals, gestures, and written and oral texts;
• allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept in alternative ways (e.g., through visual art, songs, music, drama, reader’s theatre);
• value and acknowledge the importance of students’ literacy skills in other languages;
• encourage students to share information about their own languages and cultures with other students in the classroom.
Teachers can also make use of classroom and school resources to enrich students’ learning. For example, teachers can:
• introduce vocabulary and illustrate concepts using picture books, visuals, age- appropriate informational texts and media, and real objects (e.g., magazine pictures, photos, posters, flyers, brochures, advertisements, forms, timetables, schedules, money, models, and maps);
• reinforce vocabulary in various ways (e.g., using word walls, visuals, or anchor charts) to increase students’ understanding and enhance their ability to communicate;
• use technology to support language and literacy development;
• demonstrate the use of a variety of graphic organizers.
PLANNING FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS WITH
SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS
Classroom teachers are the key educators of students with 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. Classroom teachers commit to assisting every student to prepare for living with the highest degree of independence possible.
Learning for All: A Guide to Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2013 describes a set of beliefs, based in research, that should guide program planning for students with special education needs in all disciplines. Teachers planning FSL programs need to pay particular attention to these beliefs, which are as follows:
• All students can succeed.
• Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning.
• Successful instructional practices are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience.
• Universal design7 and differentiated instruction8 are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students.
7. The goal of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is to create a learning environment that is open and accessible to all students, regardless of age, skills, or situation. Instruction based on principles of universal design is flexible and supportive, can be adjusted to meet different student needs, and enables all students to access the curriculum as fully as possible.
8. Differentiated instruction, as discussed on page 40 of this document, is effective instruction that shapes each student’s learning experience in response to his or her particular learning preferences, interests, and readiness to learn.
38