French Language & Reading

For a good mastery of French

We pay particular attention to the teaching of French.

We are aware that a good grounding in French is the key to a harmonious, rich and motivating education.

We focus on :

Encouraging reading :

At Saint Pierre de Chaillot, teachers ensure that students have access to a variety of books adapted to their reading level. To achieve this, it’s important to create an environment conducive to reading, with dedicated times every day.

Teaching good reading strategies :

It’s important that students acquire effective reading techniques, such as prediction, finding key information and understanding contextual clues. Students are trained to ask themselves questions about the text to deepen their understanding.

Train students to read aloud :

From first grade onwards, read-aloud sessions are organized during which pupils can read an extract from a book or a story in front of their classmates. This helps them improve their pronunciation, intonation and confidence when speaking.

In-depth study of the French language:

Reading comprehension relies on fluent deciphering, a rich vocabulary and mastery of spelling, grammar and conjugation rules.

Pupils work on this daily in class from first grade onwards, to gradually improve the quality of their expression, particularly in writing, which derives from this knowledge.

With this new-found fluency, they’ll have easier access to second languages.

Work carefully on written expression:

Students regularly take part in writing activities, such as writing stories, letters and articles. It’s important that students are encouraged to use a varied vocabulary and to structure their ideas coherently. Constructive feedback on their written work is always offered to help them improve.

Evaluate work on a regular basis:

As in other subjects, assessments are regularly scheduled to evaluate students’ reading comprehension, language study and written and oral expression skills. This enables us to monitor their progress, identify any gaps and provide additional support if necessary.

Encourage class discussion:

Encouraging in-class discussion of books read and topics covered in French class allows students to compare ideas and open their minds. Sharing their thoughts and arguing their points of view also helps develop their oral communication skills. These are points to which we are particularly attached.

Encourage individualized feedback:

Teachers give individual attention to each student’s needs. With constructive feedback and personalized advice to help them improve their written and oral work.

Give primary importance to dictation :

Dictation, in its various forms, offers students the opportunity to focus exclusively on the logical thinking and spelling vigilance required to transcribe a text read to them. The advantage of this exercise is that students can work on specific skills that can be identified, serialized and announced by the teacher. For example, during a dictation session, the student will focus on agreement in the nominal group that was the subject of a previous lesson; on another occasion, he or she will focus on verbal morphology without, of course, relaxing attention on the points studied previously.

The various forms of dictation therefore all have their place in consolidating both lexical and grammatical spelling: self-dictation, dictation of prepared words or sentences, dictation raisonnée, dictation to test knowledge, etc.

In elementary school, dictation should be a daily practice.

TIPS FOR ENCOURAGING YOUR CHILD TO READ

Read storiestoyour child.

  • Make reading a daily activity. Even a few minutes have a positive effect.
  • Continue to read aloud to your child even after he or she has learned to read on his or her own.
  • Choose books that are a little beyond your child’s reading ability, but which he or she can still understand and enjoy.

Readwithyour child.

Children learning to read need to practice their new skills. If he does well, reading every night gives him the opportunity to demonstrate his skills. If he’s having trouble, he can practice safely with someone he trusts.

Lead by example.

Your child should see you enjoying reading. If he sees you and other family members reading books, newspapers and magazines, he’ll learn that reading is important, enjoyable and valuable.

Consider creating a special reading corner.

A quiet, cozy place to call home. Store books close to this area.

Ask the experts for help.

Teachers and librarians can give you good advice on books suitable for your child’s age and reading ability. Bookshop staff can also help.

Go to the library and create one at home.

Enroll your child in the library as early as possible (even babies are entitled!) Make library visits part of your routine. If you have more books than toys at home, your child will be more likely to pick up a book when he’s got nothing to do.

Support and help your child:

Parents can take turns reading with their child, perhaps alternating paragraphs or pages. You can also “interpret” the story. Your child can read the dialogue, and you can narrate the rest of the text.

Offer your child a choice of books.

Offer him a few books of an age-appropriate length and type, and let him choose.

Focus on the meaning.

  • To read well, you need to understand the meaning of the text, not just be able to pronounce the words.
  • If your child stumbles over a word, don’t just pronounce it. Talk about the text and ask questions.
  • Help your child understand the word in the context of the passage or images.
  • Try not to interrupt him, unless the errors interfere with his understanding.
  • At the end of the paragraph or chapter, go back over the words your child didn’t know or had trouble pronouncing, and review them together.

If your child is an impatient reader, look for books that emphasize action.

Books with short chapters or stories that keep them on the edge of their seats will encourage them to keep reading. Add sound effects or give the characters voices to keep things interesting.

There are opportunities to read everywhere.

Encourage your child to read road signs, the back of cereal boxes or even sports statistics. Your child may enjoy reading documentaries or comics. The recipes will help him learn to pay attention to details, because if he forgets a single ingredient, he could be headed for disaster!

Give books and magazine subscriptions as gifts.

Suggest a book exchange instead of gifts for your child’s next birthday. You may even decide to give away gently used books rather than surprise bags to guests.

Books aren’t just for bedtime.

Get your child used to bringing something to read in the car, at the bus stop or in a waiting room.