The French Immersion Program – Canadian International School of Egypt

French Immersion

The French Immersion program at CISE, provides students with the opportunity to learn to communicate and interact effectively in French in the classroom environment and through the study and integration of other subjects. This program will enrich their vocabulary, develop their problem solving skills, and increase their opportunities to speak French in meaningful contexts.

Students enrolled in the French Immersion programs offered at CISE study the same Ontario curriculum content as their peers in the English program.

Upon graduation from Grade 8, students receive an Elementary French Immersion Certificate. French Immersion students are encouraged to continue to study in the French Immersion Program at the secondary school level in order to graduate with bilingual qualifications.

Why Choose French Immersion?

Learning additional languages is an advantage for students and studies show that it is a key factor in academic success. Learning additional languages enhances overall skills in learning, expands career opportunities, promotes understanding among cultures, and creates plurilingual world citizens.

Learning French as an additional language allows students to:

communicate with French-speaking people around the world
strengthen first language skills
generally enhance cognitive development, mental flexibility, problem solving, reasoning and creative-thinking skills
enhance their confidence as a learner
facilitate the learning of additional languages

According to the 2004-2005 report of the Commissioner of Official Languages, research shows that people “who master more than one language increase their self-confidence and self-esteem and are more at ease with others.” — (Adam, 2005, p.107)

“In an era of increasing globalization, it is critical to heighten students’ awareness that English-French bilingualism is an economic and cultural asset both within Canada and beyond.” — (A Framework for French as a Second Language in Ontario Schools, K-12, p. 3)

The DELF Diploma

Students enrolled in the CISE French Immersion Program are encouraged to participate in the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF), an internationally recognized test of French proficiency for candidates whose first language is not French. The assessment is based on the Common European Framework of Reference which defines language proficiency along six global levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Four competencies are measured across all DELF levels: listening (compréhension de l’oral), speaking (production orale), reading (compréhension des écrits), and writing (production écrite). The French Ministry of National Education awards a diploma to successful candidates. In the 2022-2023 school year, 88% of our French Immersion students from grades 5 to 12 whom participated in DELF, were successful.

The French Immersion Kindergarten Program

Canadian International School of Egypt is excited to offer a two-year trilingual Kindergarten program where students receive their instruction in English, French and Arabic.

In the Kindergarten French Immersion Program, the teachers speak French all of the time and class activities are conducted in French although specialist subjects (like Art and Music) may be taught in English. Students are immersed in a supportive French milieu and are encouraged to respond in French as much as possible.

The French Immersion Elementary School Program

The CISE Elementary French Immersion program, provides students with the opportunity to receive instruction in French for a significant portion of the school day. It is designed specifically for students whose mother tongue is not French.

In grade 1, students receive 80 percent of instruction in French.
In grades 2-3, students receive 60 percent of instruction in French.
In grades 4-6, students receive 66 percent of instruction in French
In grades 7-8, students receive 50 percent of instruction in French.

French Immersion Secondary School

The aim of the Secondary School French Immersion program is to develop and refine students’ ability to communicate in French as well as to expand their knowledge of the language through the study of francophone literature. By the end of the four-year program, students will participate easily in conversations and discussions. They will also be able to take courses at the college or university level in which French is the language of instruction and will be able to accept employment in which French is the working language.