Since its inception in the fall of 1979, Holliston’s French Immersion Program has developed a reputation for excellence in world language education, which includes recognition at the local, state and national level. Last year, we celebrated 40 years of French Immersion in Holliston.
Holliston provides parents with an alternative approach to the mainstream of elementary education. The Elementary French Immersion Program is based on the concept of developing oral proficiency and intercultural competencies in French. The program utilizes a curriculum that mirrors the English curriculum. This is a very unique program as there are only two public school districts that offer a K-12 French immersion program in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The main goals of the French Immersion Program are five-fold:
1- To immerse students in the sounds, symbols and semantics of the French language, while providing them with the same quality education as that of their peers.
2- To develop oral proficiency in the target language as a by-product of elementary immersion learning experiences.
3- To enhance the development of listening skills, which are very important to students’ overall educational progress.
4- To develop cognitive flexibility and creative thinking skills, by requiring students to associate different labels with one particular object. For example, a child uses the word door in English but la porte in French.
5- To develop cultural and intercultural competencies. Students understand that although people speak different languages, their values and traditions may be similar. By learning other languages, students better understand other cultures and are able to compare them to their own.
Parents of incoming Kindergarten students often wonder, “is my child a good candidate for this type of program?” There is, to date, no perfect combination of personality, academic ability or self motivation which can be defined as the recipe for a successful immersion student. Classes tend to take on their own individual flavor and vitality as students function in a cooperative and collaborative learning environment much like their English-speaking counterparts.
One question many parents ask is what can we do to support our child’s growth and success in French Immersion? The answer is simple; read stories to your child in English. It gives you an opportunity to connect with your child, to be part of his/her learning journey and to make your child feel safe and confident about his/her own abilities to learn and grow.
What are the advantages of enrolling in a French immersion program?
It helps students become more flexible thinkers, with superior listening skills.
Learning a second language has a positive effect on your first language skills. In other words, learning French improves your English language skills.
Students with two languages can focus more on meaning and pick out the most relevant points from information provided. They are better able to communicate their thoughts, express themselves, and answer open-ended questions.
French Immersion students are also more sensitive to communication and are better able to understand and respond to the needs of others. Their exposure to another culture makes them respectful of differences, and allows them to communicate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds.
As a result, students in French Immersion have higher self-esteem, better social skills, tend to be more tolerant toward minorities and learn a variety of skills necessary to enter an ever growing global economy.