Welcome to the French program

Bonjour! My name is Madame Panetta and I am pleased to be your child’s French teacher! I have an honours degree in French Linguistics and have been teaching French as a second language for over 28 years. I am passionate about learning languages and speak English, French, Italian and some Spanish. Given my Italian background and experience as a second language learner, I am compassionate and have an understanding of how to learn a second language. My belief as an educator is that all of our students bring different skills and challenges and as educators we need to develop a relationship with these students and recognize those differences. We need to use our professional judgment to respond to them in our teaching by using differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students based on their abilities and learning styles. Learning a new language can be difficult, no matter what language it is! I understand that some students may already speak more than one language at home, so incorporating another may be challenging. Here are some helpful age-appropriate resources to have when learning French. They may help with fluency, reading comprehension, or simply building confidence.1. DuoLingo : This free website and app allows users to choose the level of French they would like to learn. There is an option to begin with basic concepts or you can use a more catered approach by taking the French placement test. Then, using a series of reading, writing, and listening games, users can build fluency and confidence as they practice vocabulary and proper grammar. 2. Hello World : Using a variety of child-friendly games, users become more comfortable listening and speaking in French. The wide selection of available games pertains to many areas of interest and many strengths. 3. Monde des titounis : This website teaches basic concepts in French using child-friendly language, bright colours, and catchy songs. There is also a section on this website that translates beloved English tales into French, allowing learners to have a base knowledge of the story before reading or hearing it in French. They also have a YouTube channel which plays some of their lesson videos. 4. The Fable Cottage : These traditional folk and fairy tales are translated and read in French. Learners have the opportunity to listen to the story being read, read it to themselves using on-screen text, or do both simultaneously. There is also the option to pause the story at any time and look up any unfamiliar terminology.5. Conjuguemos : This website is useful for students who need an added challenge in French. Users can practice conjugating verbs correctly in French, using proper rules and learning the exceptions and different verb tenses. 6. Boukli: This website offers hundreds of illustrated books grouped by reading level, theme and grade level, as well as games and quizzes. There are also many iPad and iPhone apps that you can download from the Apple app store to learn and practice basic concepts in French, including colours, numbers, seasons, days, months, greetings, letters, sounds, etc.enAn e mail was sent out this week regarding the French program I am looking forward to seeing you at meet the teacher night. Patrizia Panetta