French as a Second Language

Correlations NCFS & Provincial Guides: Ontario

1. Does the guide refer to the development of an integrated multidimensional curriculum and how are the four major components in teaching a L2 addressed?

The Ontario curriculum is not based on the Multidimensional Curriculum, and there is no specific mention of the four components, however some aspects are indirectly addressed as explained below.

Language -
(as a means of communication, examples of language functions, language within a context, student control of language learning)

The Ontario Curriculum: French As a Second Language - Core French, Grades 4-8, 1998 states the goal of learning core French is the development of basic communication skills in French and an understanding of the nature of the language.

Communicative/experiential learning -
(working by themes/fields of experience in a student-centred approach based on the physical, social, civil, leisure and intellectual domains; lessons developed with pre-activity, activity, and post-activity stages; post-activity stage highlighting student reflection and feedback)

The program allows children to learn French for real purposes and real situations, where the program content is based on the students' interests and needs. They learn how to communicate in situations that will be beneficial to them outside the classroom, such as taking phone messages and reading personal ads. There are also many opportunities for the children to work in group settings so that they are able to interact with each other.

The formative evaluation tasks and instruments respond to these recommendations and are consistent with a communicative / experiential methodology.

Culture -
(larger role for culture teaching, from local to broader understandings, concentration on present realities, links to real people and events relevant to the students)

One of the aims listed is the appreciation of French culture in Canada and in other parts of the world. Further on, the curriculum states that students should have opportunities to gain an appreciation of French culture in Canada and in the world, however there are no actual examples of how this can be accomplished.

General Language Education -
(encouraging students to engage in higher order thinking process on their language learning through reflection)

The introduction talks about how learning a second language enhances problem solving abilities, and reasoning skills.

3. Does it refer to evaluation as an integral part of the learning process encouraging the use of a variety of assessment and evaluation methods?

The Ontario Curriculum: French As a Second Language - Core French, Grades 4-8, 1998 states that teachers need to use a range of tools for assessing student achievement, particularly in the area of oral communication. They say that performance assessment is a powerful tool for improving student learning and measuring the effectiveness of teachers' practices.

5. Does the guide refer to the NCFS, a Model for Implementation, the CASLT Assessment Toolkit documents?

No mention of any of these documents.