French Bilingual

Overview of French Bilingual Program

Fitzroy Primary School provides the opportunity for students to enhance their Literacy and Numeracy skills, whilst developing their intercultural capability through a range of classroom activities where the Victorian Curriculum is delivered in French.

Learning French at Fitzroy Primary School:

• facilitates students’ development of critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.
• develops an understanding of how languages work.
• teaches students about other people, their ideas and ways of thinking enhances employment and career prospects.
• contributes to social cohesiveness through better communication and understanding.
• contributes to economic, diplomatic and strategic development.

 

The Fitzroy Primary School model

With over 200 Foundation – Grade 5 students currently enrolled in our French Bilingual program, Fitzroy Primary School is delivering an established language program for students to learn the Victorian Curriculum for eight hours per week in French across three days. The school also offers one hour of French LOTE for students in grade 6 each week. For students who are learning French for the first time, the school provides additional classroom support by native speaking staff. Binational students who come to school speaking French fluently are extended through differentiated and personalised learning. We also provide French Literacy support for all students across F-5, delivered by classroom teachers in consultation with the school’s Literacy support team. Developing the leadership capacity of our F-5 teaching team to coach and mentor each other, whilst enhancing key curriculum and assessment practices in French, is a strategic focus and will result in improved outcomes for all students. At Fitzroy Primary School, we are very proud of our French bilingual program and look forward to another highly successful year.

The French bilingual program will eventually include all students from Foundation to grade six and LOTE will be phased out. The hours of instruction will increase every year as the program is rolled out across the school.

 

CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning

Fitzroy Primary School will enhance its approach to bilingual education so that English and French are used for both content mastery and language acquisition across a range of subject areas through Inquiry units of study.