Glossary of Terms

Program Type. Please note more than one program type can be assigned to an educational resource.

• Core French (also known as BASIC FRENCH in Manitoba and FSL in Alberta and British Columbia): A French as a second language program where French is the object of instruction and is taught as a subject in classes which are given for a specified number of minutes per week/cycle. EXTENDED CORE FRENCH: a type of special core French program designed to provide additional exposure to French for core French students. French is the language of instruction for one (or more) subject such as social studies in addition to core French.)
  
  
• Immersion French: a French as a second language program where French is used for the teaching of other subjects as well as French language arts during the entire school day or a significant portion thereof.


• Intensive French is a literacy-based approach to teaching French as a second language. It is an enhancement of the Core French program through the creation of a period of intensive exposure to French. During 5 months of the year, students in grades 5 or 6 (aged 11 or 12) are exposed to the language at a higher intensity enabling them to receive at least 3 times the number of hours of instruction normally devoted to French in the school year. This approach encourages students to use French for authentic communication and to acquire literacy skills. Class activities are project based et there is a great deal of interaction between the teacher and the students.
  
  
• Adult French: a French as a second language program designed for adult learners which prepares them to use French successfully in academic, non-academic, business or professional environments.
  

Language Level

• Beginner - Creating/interpreting oral discourse in routine non-demanding contexts of language use; interpreting simple texts; creating simple texts.  (Canadian Language Benchmarks 1 – 4)
• Intermediate - Creating/interpreting oral discourse in moderately demanding contexts of language use; interpreting moderately complex texts; creating moderately complex texts. (Canadian Language Benchmarks 5 – 8)
• Advanced - Creating/interpreting oral discourse in very demanding contexts of language use; interpreting complex and very complex texts; creating complex and very complex texts.  (Canadian Language Benchmarks 9 – 12)

Language Strands

Each resource is described as being used for the acquisition of one or more skills:

• Listening without visual support – resources that include sound clipas that can be used to develop and practice listening skills;


• Listening with visual support – resources that indicate that a mechanism is available for the learner to listen videos or animations with an audio component.


• Reading – resources where the learner has to recognize vocabulary, pick out key words (such as those identifying topics and main ideas), get the main point or the most important information, and/or distinguish the main idea from supporting details.


• Speaken interaction -  resources that include activities that enhance the learner’s ability to interact orally with others;


• Speaken production -  resources that include activities that enhance the learner’s ability to provide provide oral information, descriptions, or arguments and to engage actively in discussions.


• Writing – resources that include activities that enhance the learner’s ability to utilize the correct forms of words, put words together in the correct sequence, and use vocabulary and appropriate style to communicate ideas in written form.