Focus on literacy in immersion

Parents have questions

The very first question ever asked about French immersion was, "Will it affect my child’s English language skills?"  More than 40 years later, this is still a central concern among parents.  Parents need support, including access to the vast body of reassuring research on immersion.

Every spring at registration time we still hear, "But I won’t be able to help him at home: I don’t know any French!"  Parents deserve a response to their concerns.

Then, starting around grade 4, parents (and teachers) find it a challenge to encourage immersion students to do leisure reading in French!  They need ideas.

The aim of the following articles is:

• to help parents understand literacy (reading and writing) development within immersion so they can better understand how to support their children

• to share information on strategies and resources of interest to both parents and educators.

The articles:

• Getting ready to read in an immersion kindergarten

• Yes, parents, you can help with literacy!

• Tips on using a French-English dictionary

• Help them with writing in French

• Gifts of literacy for immersion students

• Early literacy programs and French immersion

• You know more French than you think!

See also:

• Yes, You Can Help! Information and inspiration for French immersion parents

• Report of Current Research on the Effect of the Second Language Learning on First Language Literacy Skills

When extra help is needed

For many years it was widely thought that early immersion is only suitable for students who experience no academic challenges. However, a growing body of research and anecdotal evidence indicates that children who struggle to learn to read in French will also struggle to learn to read in English. Today the goal is to give all children the gift of fluency in a second language.  For more information, see our section on Learning Difficulties in French Immersion.