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Dream it, believe it, build it

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Learner Considerations  Image: pinterest.com Reality Check The more that I thought about the strategies used to teach students how to pick a good fit book in French, the more I realized that I was on the wrong path. In grades 5 to 8, they can pick a good fit book, they just don’t want to. Image: learningtech.com Observations When normal access to the library is happening, students can borrow up to 4 books, but one must be in French. Here is what I typically see when students are picking a French book. About a third of a classroom will pick a French book right away. Their love for reading is obvious and do not face any challenges. For those without that burning love of reading in French, they will: Choose a book that is way too simple Gravitate to a book that they’ve already read Grab the closest French book and head for the door Try to sneak out without a French book Literature Kathleen McClellan 's Master thesis exactly confirmed my observations. The literature on...
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Lisez-vous en français?

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My Final Vision Project  sd8.bc.ca Create something to help students choose a French book and foster a French reading culture Why do students need help choosing a French book? Katherine A. McClellan sums up my experience perfectly in an excerpt from her master’s thesis. I completed my schooling in French immersion, and as a child, I too was very resistant to reading in French. I remember discussing with my friends that French books were bad, making such broad statements as “I don’t like reading in French.” Looking back, I’m not sure it was necessarily that I didn’t like reading in the French language, but more that I wasn’t finding books that peaked my interest that were written in French. (MCCLELLAN, 2009) How do you foster a French reading culture when the library is closed? To answer this question, I’m going back to my previous post and to my beliefs about fostering a French reading culture.  The key to get students to “buy into” reading in French is all about peaking t...
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Chasing a Unicorn?

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Fostering a Reading Culture in French for Grades 5 to 8 My initial idea was to come up with an infographic to help students choose a good fit book in French. Upon reflection, I realized that most students in grades 5 to 8 can choose a good fit book, they just don’t want to read it. Why is it so hard to get kids in to “buy into” reading in French? Before I can get to the heart of the idea, I want to address a few obstacles that are unique to a French Immersion school. 1. There is less choice when book buying.  Image courtesy of nbforum.com We have few options for buying French books.  We can buy Quebec published materials. While it is great that they are Canadian, the vocabulary is almost always too challenging for our students who are learning a second language.  We can buy books published in France, but we encounter the same problem. Cost is usually a deciding factor.  We can buy books translated from English to French. Scholastic  translates almost all ...
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