French immersion programs in Saskatchewan have traditionally served to further the goals of additive bilingualism between Canada's two official languages, French and English. Whereas these programs have historically consisted of predominantly Anglophone populations, recent trends in immigration have contributed to the increasingly diverse…

The implications of the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for developing second language programs in Edmonton, Alberta, are explored. Immersion programs and ethnic survival programs are examined in depth. (BS)

Proposes a model of immersion strategy based on an emphasis on communication and on the use of a great variety of teaching techniques. (AM)

A study of the writing processes of ten fifth-grade French immersion students examined 22 features of their writing in both English and French. Differences across languages occurred in eight features, and students displayed a wide range of writing process behaviors in both languages. (Author/MSE)

A study was undertaken to assess the French second language proficiency of kindergarten students in two intensive French programs and to assess the development of mother tongue skills of native English speakers in a third program. The three subject groups were as follows: (1) students in a full-day immersion program; (2) francization (half-day)…

This publication, an update of previous reports of the same title, provides information on language programs in Canada under the following headings: (1) programs in the nine provinces (excluding Quebec) including a description of minority language and second language education as well as French immersion programs; and (2) programs in Quebec,…

A discussion of foreign language immersion instruction in elementary schools begins with a definition of immersion instruction and its goals. The history of the establishment of such programs in the United States and Canada is briefly described. A variety of program options available within the immersion approach are outlined, including early…

A study in an early French partial immersion program in a Melbourne (Australia) elementary school investigated participating children's performance in mathematics in English (their first language) and French. Mathematics testing in both languages has been undertaken regularly as part of a long-term evaluation of the program. In the first year of…

The reading skill development of anglophone kindergarten children in French immersion programs in Canada is the subject of the two papers included in this document. The first paper describes a study that examined the English reading ability of both kindergarten and first grade children in immersion programs and compared the results with those of…

This paper describes the partial immersion program (PIP) at Key Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. In this program, which has completed its seventh year, half the day is taught in English and half in Spanish. The review of the program, which included classroom observations, teacher and staff interviews, and student assessment, revealed a…

Compared 20 good and poor readers in a second-grade French immersion program to 20 good and poor readers in regular English second-grade classes on various indexes of reading accuracy and speed. Found that English-only students achieved independent reading in greater numbers than French immersion students did in either French or English. (MDM)

To determine whether students enrolled in one Ontario region's early French immersion (FI) programs developed English reading skills comparable to their non-FI peers, a monitoring process was begun in the first FI program year (grade 3) in which formal English instruction is given. The FI cohort and a control group matched for mental abilities and…

A program of partial (half-day) French immersion in the Cincinnati Public Schools was evaluated in the kindergarten year. The English and French language development of participating native English-speaking children from both working class and middle class backgrounds was assessed. The results indicated that (1) the pupils who spent half of their…

Five articles on issues associated with French immersion approaches and bilingual education within the Canadian educational system are presented. Topics include attitudes, impacts, children's reading processes, early versus late immersion programs in British Columbia, and a study of writing ability of English-speaking students in French-speaking…

This special report on the assessment of French immersion students in Alberta focuses on critical issues and methodological problems with testing methods. After an introduction, the second section gives an overview of these issues and problems. Issues discussed include the following: whether students instructed in French immersion programs should…