麻豆传媒

Helping Your Child in French as a Second Language

The 麻豆传媒 Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) encourages families to support their children through their French as a Second Language educational experience. By providing on-going support and positive encouragement, students will gain more confidence in their language skills. This can make a significant difference to your children's achievement in French.

What families can do to support

Here are some helpful tips to support your child in French:

  • Help your child make connections between their first language and French
  • Point out French in your community (i.e. signs, labels, brochures, neighbours, street names)
  • Provide some language and cultural experiences outside of school

View the Ministry's Guide to Supporting Your Child鈥檚 Success in French Immersion and Extended French for more information on how to support your child.

Bring French into your home

To encourage your child to strengthen their French skills outside of the classroom, try bringing French into your home. Here are some ideas you can explore.

French games

Using French games can make learning French more fun. You can:

  • Use labels from can and food packages to make a collage or collect them in a scrapbook
  • Play 鈥淚 Spy鈥� in French by using cards with French objects that match different rooms in your home
  • Have your child label objects in your home
  • Play 鈥淕uess the sentence鈥� by having your child say a word, sentence or phrase in French while you try to guess what they say
  • Introduce your child to French board and computer games

Engaging with French culture

There are many ways you and your child can engage with French culture to learn French while developing a greater appreciation for the culture. For example, you can:

  • Sing along to French songs
  • Check out local French TV and radio channels
  • Watch your favourite movies in their French version or watch with French subtitles
  • Check out French library books
  • Subscribe to French newspapers or magazines
  • Travel to a French speaking destination

How to help your child read French

By helping your child read French you help lay the groundwork for positive learning. There are many ways you can support them even if you do not speak French. For example, you can:

  • Read books with repetitive words and phrases
  • Find stories and poems about relatable, everyday experiences
  • Find reading materials that are fun (i.e. riddles, silly rhymes, funny songs etc.)
  • Ask for their opinion about a French story by talking about the pictures and predicting what may happen next
  • Have your child retell a French story they read or draw pictures of their favourite part
  • Listen to French audio books
  • Play French word games

We encourage you to continue helping your child read French even once they can read. If you have concerns about your child's reading development discuss your concerns with their teacher.

Mini lesson on pronunciation

While there are significant differences between the sounds of the vowels in the two languages, the consonants are essentially the same. If you are trying to help your child in their reading or pronunciation of French words, here are some quick pointers. For example:

  • 鈥渉鈥� is always silent in French
  • An 鈥渟鈥� at the end of a word to indicate the plural is silent
  • 鈥渜u鈥� sounds like 鈥渒鈥� (not like 鈥渒w鈥� as in quick)
  • 鈥渢h鈥� is pronounced 鈥渢鈥�
  • 鈥渃h鈥� is pronounced like the English 鈥渟h鈥�
  • 鈥渋鈥� is pronounced like the long English 鈥渆鈥� (bee)
  • 鈥渙u鈥� in French always sounds like 鈥渙u鈥� in group (not out)
  • 鈥渙y鈥� and 鈥渙i鈥� sound like the 鈥渨a鈥� in water
  • 鈥渁u鈥� and 鈥渆au鈥� have the long 鈥渙鈥� sound (so)
  • 鈥渆z鈥� has the long 鈥渁鈥� sound (way)
  • Accents change the sounds of vowels while 鈥渆鈥� sounds much like the short English 鈥渆鈥� (deck) while 鈥溍┾�� sounds has the long a sound (hay)
  • Stress falls on the last sounded syllable (鈥渁mi鈥� sounds like 鈥渁m-ee鈥�). Words that begin with a vowel (or a silent 鈥渉鈥�) are usually joined with the last consonant of the preceding word. It will sound as though your child is reading one word instead of two.