Having learned French in FSL Core French programs ourselves, we are very familiar with traditional grammar based methods of learning French. So much FSL learning seems to be memorizing grammar rules and filling out worksheets to demonstrate reading comprehension. Yet, these methods do not help students learn to read fluently in French.

In our roles as educators and curriculum coaches, we noticed that when students learn to read using these methods, they learn to mispronounce words because they are reading words that they have never heard and may not understand, and because they are reading text which includes irregular sounds which they have not previously encountered in print. 

The recent Science of Reading movement has brought to light current research on the importance of learning to read which emphasizes oral comprehension, vocabulary development, and sentence frames with particular emphasis on intentional and explicit teaching of phonological and phonemic awareness. Current research indicates that truly decodable texts help students learn to read by strategically integrating grapheme-phoneme combinations to help students sound out words.

Truly decodable texts help students learn to read.

The challenge for FSL educators is that there is very little available in the way of decodable text that is geared to French as a Second or Additional Language learners. Either there are texts geared to Francophone readers with vocabulary that surpasses what FSL students would recognize, understand or know how to pronounce OR texts are translated from English with words that are not necessarily decodable in French.

Between the two of us, we have had years of experience teaching French; we have coached teachers in the use of the CEFR and its levels of language acquisition; we have demonstrated the neurolinguistic approach to language learning (ANL - teaching oral language skills one sentence frame at a time); and, we have researched, learned about and supported educators in helping FSL students learn to read.

Where are the decodable texts for FSL?

What if we could bring all of this experience in language learning and teaching to create truly decodable texts that would help teachers to support students learning to read in French, their second or additional language?

So, that’s what we’re doing:

• Using a grapheme-phoneme progression geared toward FSL learners;

• Creating teacher resource modules to introduce one grapheme-phoneme combination at a time, teach it explicitly, and provide lots of practice in reading it;

• Creating truly decodable texts to accompany the grapheme-phoneme progression so that students can practise reading using the grapheme-phoneme combinations they have already learned gradually increasing their confidence and competence as readers.