Supporting Parents

One teacher's advice to a parent: Help students feel ownership of their language...Reframing French from something they do, like school, to something they own, like their identity.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/helping-your-french-immersion-student-when-you-dont-speak-french

Building Relationships with Parents

Parents can be our greatest ally. They are invested in finding the best ways to help their child reach their potential. They also seek reassurance that their child enjoys school and feels safe and supported. For many French Immersion parents, committing to a French Immersion program requires a big leap of faith. As administrators, the more we can anticipate and address parental concerns, the more we can ensure the long-term viability of your French Immersion program and decrease the number of students transferring out of the program. Here are some tips for how to equip your parent allies:

Alberta Education - Documents for Parents

Begin with the end in mind. Share curricular outcomes with parents. The following link is a user-friendly site designated for parents. This resource provides a general overview of each subject area, including French Language Arts at each grade level. This tool helps all invested stakeholders know what they are working towards. http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/

The French Immersion Kindergarten in Alberta - A Handbook for Parents is another helpful document for answering key questions. Click on the image to access the full pdf document.

handbookfrimmkindergarten.pdf

Benefits of a Learning a Second Language

As an administrator, it is important to stay current and to share the benefits of learning a second language with parents. Remind parents of the long-term value of supporting this program.

Approximately 300 million people speak French around the world!

French is the second most frequently-learned second or foreign language behind English. It’s the official language of more than 33 countries and is the only language other than English to be spoken on five continents.

Here are a few helpful documents:

Resources for Parents

Some of the reluctance we get from parents is generated from fear... fear of the unknown, fear of not being able to support their child, fear of not being able to help with homework, fear of not understanding what they are saying. The following resources can help alleviate some of the concerns and productively engage parents in their child’s learning.

A good starting document to help parents better understand French immersion, ways to help with homework, key ideas about learning to read and write in French, ways to incorporate French outside of the school setting as well as secondary and post-secondary options. https://education.alberta.ca/media/563591/yesyoucanhelp.pdf

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is the national network of volunteers which values French as an integral part of Canada and which is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French-second-language learning opportunities for young Canadians. Source: https://ab.cpf.ca/about-us/

This site offers parent resources, advocacy opportunities, and a list of activities for youth and families. If you do not already have a chapter, consider advocating for a Canadian Parents for French Chapter for your school district.

Literacy Development in French Immersion - Parents have questions - provides great tips for parents who are new to French Immersion such as how to read a French/English dictionary effectively: https://ab.cpf.ca/resources/for-parents/literacy-development-in-french-immersion/

Although created in the province of Ontario, this resource is a good starting point for basic French vocabulary, as well as reading and writing tips such as phonics and punctuation. http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/Community/Community%20Advisory%20committees/FSLAC/main/Treasure%20Chest%20Booklet%20FINAL_Audio.pdf

An on-line resource with a sound integrated guide to help parents hear the proper pronunciation of core vocabulary as well as grammar. http://www.languageguide.org/

Blog Post - CBC - Helping Your French Immersion Students When You Don't Speak French - Aug 2017

The French Experiment - Introductory Online French lessons explaining concepts in English, French Children's Stories read aloud slowly with text provided in both languages, etc.

Tumblebooks - some of the digital books in this collection are available in French. If families have a public library card, these ebooks can usually be accessed for free through their library account. There are ebooks and audiobooks that can be read aloud to the child at home.