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Home Page > Education : Immersion for my Child

Is French Immersion right for my child?

How does French Immersion work?

Think back to the time when your child learned his/her first  language.  You talked and pointed.  Your child listened and watched.  Your child produced partial words or approximations and then moved to whole words, phrases and sentences.  The same process occurs in a French Immersion Kindergarten class.

The teacher uses gestures, mime, pictures and objects to help the children understand. Teachers often use songs, rhymes and stories.  Students become familiar with the routines and can understand what is expected without knowing the meaning of every word.  Children do speak English in French Immersion Kindergarten classes.  Students need to communicate with each other and the teacher and as beginning language learners they do not yet have the skills to do that in French.  The teacher understands and responds to what the students say in English. As children are able to produce simple words, the teacher will expect them to answer or ask certain questions in French.

For students who start in Kindergarten, after about eighteen months in the program, students are expected to use French as the language of communication in the classroom.

Adults and children are much different in their approach to learning a second language. Children, for the most part, are very accepting of being in a second language setting and are not concerned if they do not understand everything.  Adults often find the classroom or second language setting difficult and want to understand every single word. 

Which children should not be encouraged to register for French Immersion?

Children who have hearing problems, auditory processing problems or difficulties with speech have not always been successful in immersion programs.  

Children who have not mastered their first language, whatever that first language might be. 

Will my child's English suffer?

Definitely not.  The research on French Immersion is very clear.  By the end of Grade 7, children from the same socio-economic backgrounds with the same IQ have been tested and  those students who have taken French Immersion do as well in English as their peers who have only studied in English, plus they have learned French!  The research also indicates that problem-solving skills may actually be enhanced for students who take French Immersion.

What is the difference between French Immersion and Programme Francophone?

If you are francophone or were educated in French, your child may be eligible to enter the Francophone Program which is housed at Ecole Oceane.  This program is part of School District 93 (Francophone  Education Authority / Conseil scolaire francophone).  For more information on the Francophone Program, please phone 250 714-0761. 

What if it is discovered later that my child has learning difficulties?