Curriculum Expectations and
Achievement Levels

The Ontario Curriculum: French As a Second Language – Core French, Grades 4-8, 1998 has two components: expectations and achievement levels. The expectations identified for each grade describe the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop. The achievement levels are brief descriptions of four different degrees of achievement of the curriculum expectations for any given grade. These descriptions are among a number of tools used to assess students’ learning.

The achievement levels for core French focus on the following:
• knowledge and skills;
• communication;
• comprehension;
• organization of ideas;
• application of language knowledge.

Level three, the “provincial standard”, indicates a high level of achievement of the provincial expectations. Parents of students achieving at level three in a particular grade can be confident that their children will be prepared for work at the next grade level. Level one achievement falls much below the provincial standard. Level two achievement approaches the standard and level four surpasses the standard. For example, by the end of Kit #1 a student who communicates in extremely basic language, with errors, and only with extensive teacher support in highly structured situations, would be placed level one in the category of communication skills.

Core French for Exceptional Students

Those involved in developing the Individual Education Plan (IEP) should work together on an ongoing basis to review the student’s progress and make adjustments to the IEP as necessary. It is important that the school keep parents informed about the program and the progress of the student, as parents can provide valuable support for their child’s learning.
Core French programs for exceptional students must take into account the students’ strengths and needs, learning expectations, accommodations, and methods for reviewing progress as outlined in the IEPs and/or the Identification Replacement and Review Committee (IPRC)’s statement of decision. Teachers are expected to provide appropriate instruction, activities, and assignments, as well as the resources, strategies, and settings necessary for exceptional students to achieve their potential. Using the most fitting methods and providing the most suitable materials may involve making adjustments to teaching approaches (e.g., styles of presentation, methods of organization, use of technology and multimedia) and the curriculum content (e.g. amount of material covered, type of material used). Changes in some assessment and evaluation procedures may be necessary. For example, exceptional students may need additional time to complete assignments or tests, they may need to do tests or cahier work orally or in other unwritten forms and they may require more explanation about what is expected in a particular assignment or test than would normally be given.

Achievement levels

The following chart identifies four categories of knowledge and skills: communication, comprehension, organization of ideas, and applications of language knowledge. In each category there are four levels of achievement. These levels contain brief descriptions of degrees of achievement on which teachers will base their assessment.
The descriptions are intended to identify the level at which a student has achieved a particular expectation or group of expectations, in the appropriate category of knowledge and skills. For example, in grade six students are expected to write sentences and questions containing learned vocabulary and familiar language structures. If the student does this “with constant errors”, and “using few of the required elements”, the student’s achievement of the expectation would be at level one for the category “application of language knowledge”. However, if the same student organizes ideas “by creating new forms or making some changes and additions to a model”, the student’s achievement would be at a level three for the category “organization of ideas”.

The characteristics of student performance given for level three is considered to be the grade standard. A student’s work at level three in core French in any grade may be described in general terms as follows:
The student generally understands written and spoken French introduced, and can express himself/herself in structured and some open-ended situations. S/he communicates, using most basic forms, structures and vocabulary. The student uses most of the language knowledge elements studied and makes only occasional errors. Since the student is learning French as a second language, some teacher assistance is needed.
Although the chart is intended to be used mainly for assessing student achievement, teachers may find other related uses; for example, as a guide when collecting samples of student work to demonstrate levels of achievement to parents.

The Ontario Ministry of Education Achievement Levels: Core French

Knowledge/Skills, Communication

The student communicates:

Level 1	only with constant teacher support, in highly structured situations using a few basic forms, structures, and vocabulary
Level 2	with frequent teacher support, in structured situations using some basic forms, structures, and vocabulary
Level 3	with occasional teacher support, in structured and open–ended situations using most basic forms, structures, and vocabulary
Level 4	with little or no teacher support, in structured and open–ended situations using all or almost all basic forms, structures, and vocabulary

Comprehension

The student demonstrates understanding:

Level 1	of a few of the main ideas and details relying on non-verbal cues
Level 2	of some of the main ideas and details using some verbal cues, but relying on non-verbal cues
Level 3	of most of the main ideas and details using mostly verbal cues, and a few non-verbal cues
Level 4	of all or almost all of the main ideas and details using all or almost all verbal cues and a very few non-verbal cues

Organization of ideas

The student organizes:

Level 1	only with constant teacher support by copying from a model
Level 2	with frequent teacher support by using a model and making minor changes to it
Level 3	with occasional teacher support by creating new forms or making some changes and additions to a model
Level 4	with little or no teacher support by creating new forms or making significant changes and additions to a model

Application of language knowledge (spelling, grammar, vocabulary)

The student applies language knowledge:

Level 1	with constant major errors using few or none of the required elements
Level 2	with frequent errors using some of the required elements
Level 3	with occasional errors using most of the required elements
Level 4	with few or no errors using all or almost all of the required elements

Strands in the Core French Curriculum

The Ontario Core French curriculum organizes expectations into three strands that correspond to the three main areas of language use. The strands are: oral communication, reading, and writing. Expectations for grammar, language conventions, and vocabulary are grouped into one section. These specific areas of knowledge are developed in the context of oral communication, reading, and writing activities. The overall expectations provide a broad picture of what students should know and be able to do at the end of the grade.

Oral Communication

Histoires en action ! places a strong emphasis on the oral communication skills required for students to understand and interact with others, to express themselves clearly and with confidence, and to use the various media to communicate their own ideas. Development of oral language provides the foundation for reading and writing. Because listening and speaking are inseparable in real-life situations, these skills are developed simultaneously in the classroom.

In the Ontario Core French curriculum, it states:
Students are expected to communicate in French. They should develop strategies (such as facial expressions, body language, pictures, intonation, context, and familiar words) to deduce the meaning of new words and to make sense of spoken language.

Histoires en action !, with its kinesthetic use of gestures to enhance and accelerate acquisition, provides a strong nonverbal component to the teaching/learning process.

The program offers numerous opportunities to use French for real purposes and in real situations, for example:

• listening to French spoken by live and recorded voices and by people of different ages, speaking in different accents and at different rates (videos/DVDs for each year of the program include plays performed by francophone students, immersion students and students from Histoires en action !; other teachers interacting with students in classroom situations, students playing games and creating stories improvisationally, as well as students and teachers discussing grammar concepts);
• discussing stories and reading materials, creating, retelling and extending stories, writing poetry, personal journals, writing in role, playing games and communicating regularly with the teacher and fellow students in spontaneous interactions;
• preparing and giving oral presentations (raps and poems, stories they have written, rehearsal and presentation of plays, songs and dances, portfolio presentations to family members or others at the end of each unit);
• playing roles in dramatizations and simulations (students role-play often through this drama-based approach);
• conducting surveys and interviews (students interview each other “in role”).

Reading

Reading is a complex but very important process that becomes the link between speech and writing. In order to read in French, students must build on the knowledge and skills developed through oral communication. Reading skills are developed only after language has been introduced orally in a meaningful context (stories or gestured vocabulary in a spontaneous or guided classroom activity). Oral pre-reading activities, such as the presentation of vocabulary in a kinesthetic manner, help students to build a bank of vocabulary, set the context for the topic ( the story), and relate words presented in previous activities to the new story.
In the Ontario Core French curriculum, it states:

A well-balanced reading program will provide students with opportunities to read for comprehension, consolidation of language learned orally, vocabulary building, information, and enjoyment, and to practise correct pronunciation and intonation.

Histoires en action ! provides a wide range of materials in different forms and styles, and appropriate to the students’ age, interests, and level of proficiency in French. Each unit builds on the foundation of knowledge and skills from the previous unit. Students use all the basic reading strategies (e.g. visual and verbal cues, information from context, and knowledge of language patterns, conventions and structures) to help them understand written texts.
The reading materials provided or developed by students for use by other students include:
• stories;
• songs;
• questions and other activities based on the story;
• other students’ edited, published books placed in the classroom library;
• poems (students create an anthology of poetry);
• whole-class cooperatively written stories that are shared with other classes in the school;
• games that involve reading of individual sentences or questions;
• charts and signs;
• recipes (based on the cultural units) for preparation in class either for student benefit alone or for sharing with friends and family at the Caf-0054htre;

The skills involved in reading are not discrete, but are aspects of an integrated process that is applied in a story context that is meaningful and comprehensible and encourages students to think about what they are reading. In the later stages of the program, students must use the language creatively and learn to analyze both language content and form as they create language in process.

Writing

The core French curriculum emphasizes the basic skills required to write effectively – grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Writing activities in Histoires en action ! support and reinforce the oral introduction of the language components of each unit.
As students read a variety of written texts, whether stories, songs, games, poems or other written activities integrated within content of each unit, they increase and gain command over their vocabulary, and learn to vary sentence structure, organizational approach, and voice. The Ontario Core French curriculum states:
To become good writers who are able to communicate ideas with ease and clarity, students need frequent opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
In Histoires en action !, students are provided with writing activities that resemble very closely the types of activities in their English language and literacy program. When they become emotionally connected to their writing, they see it as meaningful. Being regularly challenged to think creatively helps them achieve a fuller and more lasting mastery of the basic skills. Throughout the program, and in an inductive, in-process, applied manner during creative story writing, teachers focus on specific aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. Such effective strategies as “teacher think aloud” employ questioning techniques to raise student awareness of correct language use.

The Writing Process

Writing is a complex process involving a wide range of skills and tasks. Through Histoires en action ! students acquire strategies and techniques that foster proficient, fluent writing in French at a basic level.

The Ontario Core French curriculum states:
To become good writers who are able to communicate ideas with clarity, students need frequent opportunities to write, and to apply the stages in the writing process they use for writing in English.
For that reason, by the end of grade five, students who are ready to engage in the writing process are given opportunities for enrichment.

The writing process comprises the following stages, each focusing on specific tasks:
• generating ideas;
• choosing a topic and determining the purpose for writing and the audience to be addressed;
• developing a plan for writing;
• writing a first draft;
• reviewing and revising;
• editing and proofreading;
• producing a final copy.

In Kit # 2 of Histoires en action ! teachers are encouraged to ask some or all students to follow this process in order to publish their stories for sharing with an audience and creating a classroom library of books that other students may read and enjoy. This provides students with:

• a purpose to their writing;
• reading material outside class time;
• a reason to share reading during class time (reading buddies);
• a way to see how other students write, to view their ideas and appreciate their creativity.

Once sufficient modelling has occurred during the whole-class cooperative story writing and the teacher has demonstrated specific aspects of writing during IPG work time, the teacher’s role is to guide, facilitate, monitor, and evaluate students’ development in writing

 

How Histoires en action ! meets curriculum expectations and achievement levels

GRADE 4
ORAL COMMUNICATION, READING, and WRITING

Overall expectations

By the end of Grade 4, students will:
• talk about familiar topics, using simple phrases and sentences;
• listen to short, simple oral texts, and respond to specific simple questions;
• read a variety of simple materials, 50 to 100 words long* containing basic learned vocabulary, an demonstrate understanding;
• write very simple texts and responses following a model;
• identify and use the vocabulary, grammar and language conventions appropriate for this grade level.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
Oral Communication

By the end of Grade 4, students will:
• follow basic classroom instructions;
• ask very simple questions, and ask for repetition to clarify understanding;
• use visual and verbal cues to understand what they hear, following repetition (e.g. gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice);
• use some conventions of oral language (e.g. pronunciation, intonation) to speak in rehearsed contexts;
• respond briefly to oral texts (e.g. answer short, simple questions; act out the words of a song);
• give an oral presentation of up to five sentences in length (e.g. a description of themselves, skits, songs);
• make simple revisions to oral language in form and content (e.g. correct use of gender), using feedback from the teacher.

Reading

By the end of Grade 4, students will:
• read aloud familiar material, using correct pronunciation and intonation;
• read at least six simple passages or stories (e.g. greeting cards, song lyrics);
• read and respond briefly to written materials (e.g. answer short questions, fill in missing words, draw
a picture, select answers);
• use all available cues (e.g. visual cues, knowledge of basic sounds, and context) to determine meaning.

Writing

By the end of Grade 4, students will:
• copy and write simple words, phrases, and short sentences and questions, using basic vocabulary and very simple language structures;
• write, using a model, a first draft and corrected version in guided and cooperative writing tasks (e.g. greeting cards);
• write responses to very simple questions;
• use and spell the vocabulary appropriate for this grade level.

GRAMMAR, LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS, AND VOCABULARY

Students should develop and apply the language knowledge outlined below through communicative activities in all three strands.

Nouns and pronouns

• words and expressions used to identify nouns (e.g. C’est mon ami. Voici une histoire. Il y a..)
• pronoun subjects (je, j’, tu, vous, il, elle)
• addition of s to form the plural of nouns (un livre/des livres)
• agreement of definite articles (e.g. le/la/ l’/les), and indefinite articles (un/une/des) with nouns

Verbs
• present tense of t0072e, avoir, and some regular -er verbs with a singular pronoun or noun subject (e.g. j’aime, la fille aime)

Adjectives
• addition of e to form the feminine of simple, regular adjectives (grand/grande)

Prepositions
• prepositions of place (e.g. sur, sous, dans) and to indicate possession (e.g. de)

Interrogative constructions
• questions with rising intonation and with est-ce que
• question words (comment, o,00200063006fmbien, quel/quelle, qu’est-ce que, and qui)

Vocabulary
• basic vocabulary (e.g. colours, numbers from 1 to 31, words associated with classroom objects, time, calendar, family)
• new words from units of study, and words from personal word lists, class lists
• word banks of identical cognates (e.g. un animal)

Spelling rules and strategies
• use of lower-case letters for the days of the week and months of the year
• use of rhyming words such as pr0065 and mr0065, and of basic sounds and their related spelling patterns in French (e.g. fc0068/0020fv0072ier, eau/bateau)

 

How Histoires en action !
meets curriculum expectations and achievement levels

GRADE 5
ORAL COMMUNICATION, READING, and WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

By the end of Grade 5, Students will:
• listen to and talk about short, simple oral texts dealing with familiar topics;
• read a variety of simple materials, 100 to 150 words long*, and demonstrate understanding;
• write ideas and facts, or provide written responses to simple questions, using simple sentences;
• identify and use the vocabulary, grammar and language conventions appropriate for this grade level.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Oral Communication

By the end of Grade 5, students will:
• follow and give basic classroom instructions;
• ask simple questions and ask for repetition to clarify understanding;
• use visual and verbal cues to understand and convey the meaning of familiar material;
• use some conventions of oral language (e.g. pronunciation, intonation) to speak and to understand in familiar contexts;
• respond to oral texts, using simple but complete sentences (e.g. Il y a un cahier sur la table);
• give an oral presentation of five to ten sentences in length (e.g. description of clothing);
• make simple revisions to oral language in form and content (e.g. number and gender), using resources and feedback from the teacher and their peers.

Reading

By the end of Grade 5, students will:
• read at least nine simple passages or stories (e.g. games, a play, class cooperatively written stories, stories written by peers, raps);
• read aloud with expression, using correct pronunciation and intonation;
• read and respond briefly to written materials (e.g. a play) by answering short questions or restating information;
• use various reading strategies to determine meaning and make sense of unfamiliar words (e.g. visual and verbal cues, and use of context and patterns).

Writing

By the end of Grade 5, students will:
• write simple phrases, short sentences and questions, using learned vocabulary and simple language structures;
• write, using a model, a first draft and corrected version in guided and cooperative writing tasks (e.g. journal writing in role for Chat Angora);
• use and spell the vocabulary appropriate for this grade level.

GRAMMAR, LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS, AND VOCABULARY

Students should develop and apply the language knowledge outlined below through communicative activities in all three strands.

Nouns and pronouns
• pronoun subjects (je, tu, il, elle)

Verbs
• present tense of t0072e, avoir, and some regular -er verbs with a plural pronoun or noun subject (e.g. Les deux garo006es sont, Frano0069s et Suzie vont)
• expressions with avoir (e.g. J’ai faim. J’ai dix ans)
• direct infinitive to show preferences (e.g. J’aime manger)

Adjectives
• agreement, in gender and number, of regular adjectives with nouns (e.g. un crayon bleu, des chaises bleues)

Negation
• negative ne .. pas in a simple sentence and contracted if necessary (e.g. Je n’aime pas la musique classique)

Prepositions
• prepositions with nouns in short sentences (e.g. Paul est derrir0065 Lorraine)

Interrogative constructions
• question words (pourquoi, 0071uelle heure, de quelle couleur, quand)

Vocabulary
• basic vocabulary (e.g. numbers from 1 to 69; words associated with weather, seasons, sports, clothing, animals, parts of the body)
• new words from units under study and vocabulary to do simple math (e.g. add, subtract, multiply, divide)
• word lists using identical and similar cognates (e.g. une vido002c le base-ball), oral vocabulary, personal word lists and class lists
• use of an English-French dictionary to expand vocabulary

Spelling rules and strategies
• use of abbreviations to spell frequently used words (e.g. Monsieur/M., Madame/ Mme, Mademoiselle/Mlle.)
• use of basic sounds and their related spelling patterns in French (e.g. content/grand)
• use of resources (e.g. classroom-displayed vocabulary, text, visual dictionary) to confirm spelling

 

How Histoires en action !
meets curriculum expectations and achievement levels

GRADE 6
ORAL COMMUNICATION, READING, AND WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

By the end of Grade 6, students will:
• participate in dialogues about familiar topics and listen to and talk about short oral texts;
• read a variety of classroom and simple authentic materials, 150 to 200* words long containing familiar and new vocabulary, and demonstrate understanding;
• communicate ideas and facts in writing for specific purposes;
• identify and use the vocabulary, grammar and language conventions appropriate for this grade level.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Oral Communication

By the end of Grade 6, students will:
• ask and answer simple questions using complete sentences (e.g. O 006500730074-ce que tu habites?)
• use appropriate pronunciation, liaison (e.g. nous avons), intonation and language in familiar contexts;
• respond to oral texts;
• give an oral presentation of ten to 15 sentences or longer (e.g. Creative Improvisational Storytelling);
• make revisions to oral language in form, content, and organization (e.g. add details, change the order of words), using appropriate resources and feedback from the teacher and their peers.

Reading

By the end of Grade 6, students will:
• read at least nine simple passages or stories (e.g. games, a play, class cooperatively written stories, stories written by peers, raps, journals);
• participate in a variety of reading situations, such as guided, shared, and choral reading, using
expression, correct pronunciation, and intonation;
• read and produce simple, structured responses that convey understanding of the written text (e.g. arrange sentences in proper sequence, illustrate a few sentences);
• identify the main idea and a few supporting details;
• use various reading strategies to determine meaning (e.g. the glossary at the back of a book, Mon livre de mots, various dictionaries).

Writing

By the end of Grade 6, students will:
• write sentences and questions that contain learned vocabulary and familiar language structures;
• write in different forms (e.g. paragraphs, narrative, plays or dialogues, poetry);
• write, using a model, a first draft and corrected version in guided and cooperative writing tasks (e.g. stories, poems);
• use and spell the vocabulary appropriate for this grade level.

GRAMMAR, LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS, AND VOCABULARY

Students should develop and apply the language knowledge outlined below through communicative activities in all three strands.

Nouns and pronouns
• pronoun subjects (je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles)
• agreement of the partitive article (du, de la, de l’, des) with nouns

Verbs
• present tense of some regular -ir and -re verbs, and faire and aller, with singular and plural pronoun or noun subjects (e.g. Pierre et Marie choisissent)
• expressions with faire (e.g. faire de la cuisine )
• imperative forms of known verbs (e.g. chantons, arrt0065z)

Adjectives
• possessive adjectives (mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses)
Conjunctions
• conjunctions (mais, et, parce que/parce qu’)

Adverbs
• common adverbs (e.g. peu, assez, beaucoup, trop) and expressions of quantity (e.g. un verre, un morceau, une bot0065, une canette)

Vocabulary
• basic vocabulary (e.g. numbers from 1 to 100; words associated with meals, menus, restaurants, home, space)
• words from units under study and from oral vocabulary, personal word lists, and class lists

Spelling rules and strategies
• use of basic sounds and their related spelling patterns in French (e.g. beau/ chaud/aujourd’hui)
• use of resources (e.g. classroom-displayed vocabulary, text, French-English dictionary, Mon livre de mots) to check spelling

Overview of the nine units in Histoires en action !

STORY UNITS

Title	Social/cultural theme
Les trois petits cochons	Those who work hard are rewarded
Comment y aller	Friendship, perseverance, surprise ending, francophones in Quebec and Paris
L’arbre ungali	African cultural tale, magic, perseverance and careful attention wins the race, francophones in Africa
Louis la grenouill	Friendship, interpersonal relationships, common interests, humour, emotions, famous French Louis - Louis XIV
Le Bistro des animaux	Accepting and appreciating others’ differences, humour, French in Louisiana francophone celebration – Le Mardi Gras
Le Chat Angora	Humour, using one’s wits, intrapersonal, Le Chat Bott 0062y Charles Perrault
Veux-tu aller au Carnaval?	Interpersonal relationships, self-awareness, believing in oneself, being honest Le Carnaval de Quebec
Marc le magicien	humour, self awareness, acting for the greater good vs. self-interest, Cl0069ne Dion
Chaperon Rouge et le loup fou	Humour, adaptation of famous French story, study of the famous French fairy tale Cendrillon