Language Websites
TumblebooksTumblebooks contains a collection of engaging, animated stories that have music, sound and narration designed to help students learn to read. Ebooks are available in French, Spanish and English. Students select stories to read along with or listen to. It gives the students a chance to hear a voice other than that of the teacher. Most of the French eBooks on the site are picture books, however there are some easy readers, chapter books and information books as well. As the story is read the text is highlighted by phrase to help students track voice with the text. The reading can be paused and repeated and students can choose manual or automatic advancement of the story. Some books also offer the option of quizzes and games. French immersion students can go on the site to listen to the stories to gain fluency, develop vocabulary and improve comprehension. This site requires a subscription and will cost a school $600.00 for one school year, however there are discounts offered for two and three year purchases. You can also access Tumblebooks (for free) using your Calgary Public Library Card. The following link provides an overview of the features of the site in a flash format. http://cdn.tumblebooks.com/LibraryTour.html
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il était une histoire...
Il était une histoire... is a great website for French books. This site offers stories, tales, fables, songs and rhymes and a range of reading and listening options such as read on your own, listen to the story, watch the story and read it with support.When students choose to read on their own, the text and images are presented all together. The audio symbol is also included if the student wants to listen as they read. The listen to the story option is simply an illustration and the audio; there are no words displayed. Watch the story is a narration with either an animation or a video accompaniment. The read it with support option is the best option for students learning to read as it breaks down the story into pages. Text is highlighted as it is read, enabling students to follow along. The narration can be repeated, paused, reviewed to suit the student. This site offers many other features including a discovery and game section. These stories can also be printed or downloaded as a PDF, and narration can be downloaded as MP3 files. In order to use all of the features you will need to create a free account.
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tfo
The TFO website is a great resource for both teachers and students, providing current multimedia teaching resources in French including videos, websites, online games and pedagogical resources. There is also a virtual space for teachers to interact with colleagues and students. The pedagogical supports provided through this website are designed to promote collaborative learning and knowledge building. This site requires a purchased subscription of $50.00 a year however there are some Alberta school boards that have purchased a site license.
http://www1.tfo.org/education/home.aspx#.VHaQt2TF_-U
http://www1.tfo.org/education/home.aspx#.VHaQt2TF_-U
Blogs
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For educators and families wishing to learn more about raising bilingual children, a few sites come to mind:
Living Bilingual - helpful tips and articles about language learning are included in this site. Have the information come to you and follow them on Twitter @LIVINGBILINGUAL. Language Lizard - primarily focuses on fostering a multicultural classroom. This site includes lesson plans, top bilingual books and tips for developing literacy both at home and at school. Diversity in French Immersion - this quick guide to inclusion addresses the increasing diversity found in today's French Immersion classrooms. |