Grade 3 French Immersion: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 3 french immersion in the Nova Scotia Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- French Immersion is first and foremost a language program: French is both the language students learn in and the language they learn.
- Early French Immersion begins in Primary and Late French Immersion in Grade 7, and both follow Français arts langagiers.
- Students listen, speak, read and write in French for real purposes and audiences.
- Reading a range of French texts, including texts from Acadian and other francophone communities, builds comprehension and a love of reading.
- Learning in French builds a proud, confident, plurilingual identity and a connection to francophone communities in Nova Scotia, Canada and around the world.
Easy ways to practise french immersion at home
- Read a short French book or comic together a few times a week, and talk about it in either language.
- Ask your child to teach you one new French word or grammar rule a day.
- Watch a French show with the French subtitles on, then retell the story.
- Keep a short French journal: one or two sentences a day.
What each unit covers
Je me, tu te, il se
Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous) with everyday routines like se laver and se coucher.
Et, mais, ou, avec
Joining ideas into longer sentences with coordinating conjunctions and simple prepositions.
Ne… pas
The negative form ne… pas, including n' before a vowel sound.
Le futur proche
Talking about what is about to happen with aller + a verb, and telling past from future.
Les pluriels en -x
Plural spellings: -eau/-eu/-ou nouns add an x, and -al nouns become -aux.
Préfixes et suffixes
Using prefixes and suffixes (re-, dé-, in-, -ette, -eur, -ier) to work out the meaning of new words.
L'idée principale
Reading a short text and telling the main idea apart from smaller details.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Needs development
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Developing as expected
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Well developed
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Well developed and extending
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Nova Scotia report card guide.
Common questions
Read a short French book or comic together a few times a week, and talk about it in either language. Ask your child to teach you one new French word or grammar rule a day. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Nova Scotia Curriculum Grade 3 french immersion units include je me, tu te, il se, et, mais, ou, avec, ne… pas, le futur proche, les pluriels en -x, préfixes et suffixes.
Free printable Grade 3 french immersion practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.