Should kids take French reading classes this summer? Or do they need a break?

During the summer, it is essential to find a healthy balance between academic enrichment and leisure activities.

French summer reading programs are essential for keeping children engaged and preventing the loss of academic skills acquired during the school year, known as the "summer slide."

Summer Reading - French programs

Here are four reasons why MpM's programs are invaluable for French immersion students:

1. Bridging Educational Gaps: Our programs help students bridge any gaps in their French reading acquisition, focusing on the basic foundation of reading skills.

2. Maintaining Existing Skills: They allow students to maintain and strengthen their current French language skills, preventing regression during the summer break.

3. Preparing Students for the Upcoming School Year: Our programs prepare students for the challenges of the upcoming school year, giving them a head start and building their confidence.

4. Providing Continuous Exposure to the French Language: Offer students ongoing exposure to the French language, helping them become more fluent and confident in their language abilities.

Summer is the perfect time for kids to unwind, discover new passions, and continue learning in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.

In addition to structured learning, it is equally important to ensure that children have the opportunity for unstructured play, exploration of hobbies, and spending time outdoors.

Summer should be a time for kids to recharge, explore new interests, and continue learning in a relaxed and enjoyable manner. Finding the right balance will ensure that children return to school rejuvenated, motivated, and prepared to take on new academic challenges.

Check out our summer programs https://www.mpm-frenchreading.com/clinics

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.