Grade 8: R e a d i n g
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Philosophy My goal is two-fold. First, to encourage children to read in French with greater ease and comprehension. Second, to help children enjoy reading in French. To accomplish these goals, it is important to provide choices for each student. We enjoy reading when we choose what we read. In grade eight, we read a wide variety of texts in French. Here are some examples of texts we have read in the past: novels, non-fiction texts, biographies, choose-your-own adventure, songs, comics, poetry, magazine articles, newspaper articles, fairy tales and legends and websites.
Daily ReadingMonsieur Stuart's grade eight students often read for approximately 20 minutes a day in class. I find this more productive than reading for an entire period because of the effort that is required to read in a second language. It is also important for students to develop the habit of reading at home a little bit.
Weekly AssignmentsEach month we choose a different kind of text to read. Students are given a list of about eight reading activities for each type of text. Each student chooses the activity to do each week. We complete three reading activities each month. Individuals may choose to complete a fourth reading activity to refine their reading skills or to improve their marks. Students are not required to finish the book before they complete a reading activity. Different activities are appropriate for various situations. Please check the monthly calendar to see when various reading activities are due. At the end of the semester, there may be an opportunity to complete some extra reading activities to replace to enhance reading skills and replace low marks from the semester. Reading activities will be available on the Halton Cloud.
Evaluation
Here is a rubric in French and English that we use to evaluate students' reading skills. It includes different skills including: attitude and preparation, identifying main ideas and supporting details, choosing texts in French to read and reading aloud.
I encourage parents to try to provide French reading materials of interest to their children. This can be challenging, although it is getting a little easier each year.
- Chapters and Indigo have a number of books in French that would be of interest to young adolescents. They offer translations of popular series such as Harry Potter and Hunger Games that encourage kids to read because they are familiar with the stories.
- Magazines and newspapers can be of interest to students. Click here to access a list of Canadian French newspapers. Click here to access a list of newspapers from France.
- Large album comic books like Tintin and Asterix are a true French phenomenon that young people love.
- Another convenient way to purchase French books is through Scholastic book orders. Each month they provide some selection at reasonable costs in a very convenient manner. Let me know if you are interested in purchasing Scholastic books.
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