What is involved in a reading assessment?

When you register for classes or if you are interested in learning more, our first step will be the reading assessment. 

Every student is unique and has been exposed to different teachings and experiences. The assessment helps us identify what students already know, the skills they need to review, and the gaps we need to fill.

The assessment helps us identify what students already know, the skills that they need to review, the gaps we need to fill.

The initial assessment will later be used as a starting point to monitor the child’s progress in the program. 

The assessment will likely focus on five elements: 

• Oral comprehension and production, including vocabulary and the ability to speak and understand the French language.

• Phonemic awareness: the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds orally.

• Phonics: to identify and correctly use written letters, letter combinations (graphemes) and their sounds.

• Reading fluidity: the ability to read words and sentences fluently

• Reading comprehension 

How to prepare

We ask that children sit comfortably in a quiet, distraction-free room with a working computer or tablet for the online meeting. If they are used to wearing a headset, they are welcome to use it.

Sit comfortably, in a quiet, distraction-free room with a working computer or tablet.

We meet with the child first. The assessment itself takes between 20 and 30 minutes. We ask parents not to help them unless they have a technical problem. After we meet with the child, we discuss with the parent(s). Whether or not the parents choose to continue with the process with us, we discuss the results and explain how we would address key learning needs and gaps. 

What happens next?

Following the initial consultation, parents receive an email with a complete report and a welcome document containing information about classes, policies, payments, etc. 

As a last word, please remember that many factors can affect the assessment results. Some kids are nervous, they can be tired, or intimidated. We try to capture a glimpse of the reading journey.  Students’ learning is constantly reevaluated, and we adjust the program as we work together. Our ultimate goal is for each student to achieve their highest potential! 

To book a free reading assessment, fill out the form at the bottom of this page: www.mpm-frenchreading.com/schedule-a-class

We look forward to getting to know your child!

Is there a magic number? How many sessions should we plan for?

When deciding on a schedule with a family, there are always many factors to consider. Families are busy; students often have various activities after school and on the weekends, the budget might play a role, etc.

However, before investing in your child’s education, you should know that every student has a unique learning rhythm that we need to respect. While some students might need three months of consistent work to progress to a certain level, other students might take nine months. 

Research has shown that students make better progress when they are taught explicitly, regularly and with consistency during or outside of school hours. 

Repetition, repetition, repetition 

Repetition is essential for learning to read. In addition to helping us memorize a concept, repetition also increases automaticity, essential for reading fluency and comprehension.

Struggling learners need more repetition than you might think. Depending on context and the quality of the interventions, gifted students need, on average, 1-4 repetitions, average students will need 1-10, and our struggling learners will need over 100 repetitions to learn certain concepts, sounds, rules, etc. 

Space it out

Repetition spaced over time is more effective than repetition performed back to back. Teaching a concept and then reviewing it several times over the course of a few weeks will greatly improve your students' ability to recall it. 

For the program to be effective, students must spend a substantial amount of time working on their skills in a supportive environment where they are provided explicit instruction and spaced repetitions. 

While the amount of time per session needed for effectiveness depends on the student's age and ability, they should receive at least 3 sessions per week.

The magic number is somewhere between 3 and 5 sessions per week, depending on the student’s schedule, ability to concentrate, and the family budget. 

For younger learners, we recommend 3-4 sessions of 30 minutes per week. Students will benefit from the repetition and consistency without feeling overwhelmed.

For older students in grades 4 and up, we meet with them 3 to 4 times a week for 45 to 60 minutes.

For the intervention to be successful, consistency and frequency are crucial.

6 Ways to Use Flash Cards to Boost French Immersion Students Reading

Learning to read is a long process. An individual's ability to comprehend what they read depends on their phonological awareness, knowledge of phonics, fluency, and familiarity with the words that they encounter in the text.

Our French immersion learners have one extra challenge when learning to read: the words they are trying to decode are often new. They have never heard or seen it, making fluency and comprehension very difficult to attain.

Developing vocabulary is essential when learning a second language. One way to do just that is to use vocabulary cards—Cartes éclairs, printed or digital. They can be used in many ways, from flashcards to online memory games.

Here are 6 ideas for using them in class or at home.

1. Traditional use

Les cartes éclairs can be used as flashcards in the traditional sense. Look at the picture and say the words. When the word is memorized, take the card out of the deck. Repeat daily for better retention.

2. Alphabetical Order

Organizing words carried in alphabetical order can be played individually, as a team or as a whole group where one student gets one card.

Research has shown that spaced repetition (active recall, spread out over a period of time) helps learners learn more quickly.

3. Memory Game

Arrange all cards facing down. Take turns turning two cards. Take the matching cards out. Ensure that students say or read the word on the card each time they turn a card.

4. Silly Sentences

Lay out the cards on the table. The student picks a card and makes a silly sentence using that word. This can be done orally or by writing.

5. Missing cards

Place 5 to 10 flashcards on the table, facing down. Mix the cards and take one away. Students have to find the missing card.

6. Hedbanz

This game is always a hit! The first student wears a headband. They pick a card, and without looking at it, they tuck the card behind the headband they are wearing so their teammates can see it, but they can’t. They ask yes/no questions to determine what item is on their card—e.g., “Suis-je un animal?” ”Suis-je un objet?”, “Suis-je rouge?” Using their teammates’ answers, they try to guess what item they have under their headband.

Learning can be fun!

There are so many ways to use flashcards in the classrooms or at home. As students actively engage with flashcards, they will enhance their vocabulary, improve sentence structure, and develop a deeper understanding of French.

You can find the Cartes éclairs in our store in our Étude de mots (ÉdM) section if you are an educator.

If your child is part of the MpM French reading program, you can get free sets of flashcards by asking your child’s teacher to send them to you.