Grade 4 Core French : Parent Information Handout

Britt Innovations Inc. · Monsieur Britt · 2025-2026 / 2026-2027

Welcome to Grade 4 French!

This is your child's introduction to Core French. The goal this year is comfort and confidence, not perfection. By June, your child should be able to greet people, name family members, colours, numbers, animals and foods, and understand and say short, friendly phrases. The level we aim for is pre-A1 moving into A1: single words and very short sentences about familiar, everyday things, with lots of listening and repetition.

The 10 units of Grade 4

Month	Unit	Theme	What they'll learn
Sept	1	Bienvenue à l'école	Greetings, classroom words, "je m'appelle", politeness
Oct	2	Ma famille	Family members, "j'ai", simple descriptions
Nov	3	Les couleurs et les nombres	Colours, numbers 1 to 20, "c'est"
Dec	4	Les animaux	Pets and animals, "j'aime", simple adjectives
Jan	5	La nourriture	Food and drinks, "je mange", likes and dislikes
Feb	6	Ma maison	Rooms, objects at home, "il y a"
Mar	7	La ville et les directions	Places in town, simple directions, "où est"
Apr	8	Les sports et activités	Sports, activities, "je joue", "j'aime + verbe"
May	9	Le corps et la santé	Body parts, feelings, "j'ai mal à"
June	10	La fin de l'année	Year-end review, putting it all together

Cultural figures your child will meet

The same friendly cast appears across the stories all year, so French feels like visiting people your child knows:

Madame Chouette (owl, the teacher)
Corbeau (crow) and Renard (fox), best friends
Hérisson (hedgehog) and Écureuil (squirrel)
Lapin (rabbit), who joins the class

Assessment

Daily activities exercise all four language strands (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing), so progress can be reported on each one. Grade 4 stays gentle: lots of low-pressure practice, short check-ins rather than heavy tests, and immediate-feedback games that build vocabulary without stress.

How you can support at home

You don't need to speak French. Here's what helps most at this age:

Count and name things in French together. Numbers to ten, colours, and animals stick fast with a little daily repetition.
Watch francophone kids' shows. TFO Mini (Franco-Ontarian) and the National Film Board (nfb.ca, free) are great and age-appropriate.
Sing French songs. Carmen Campagne and Henri Dès are kid favourites.
Use simple French at home. "Bonjour", "Merci", "Bonne nuit" go a long way.
Praise effort, not accuracy. "I'm proud of you for trying" lands in any language.

What if my child is struggling?

Grade 4 is meant to be encouraging; nobody is expected to be fluent. Repetition is the whole strategy.
The online activities give instant, friendly feedback and let your child try again with no penalty.
The slower audio option (under accessibility) plays words at a calmer speed for listening practice.
Reach out to me any time. A quick, early conversation is always easier than a late one.

What if my child is excelling?

Encourage more French shows, songs, and picture books from the public library.
The vocabulary review tool lets keen kids learn far more words than the units require.
Plenty of runway ahead: Grade 5 builds full sentences in the present tense.

Looking ahead to Grade 5

Next year your child will build full present-tense sentences, talk about family and food in more detail, and start writing short paragraphs. Everything in Grade 4 is the foundation for that, so a steady, happy start here matters most.

Questions?

Please reach out any time through the school. Thank you for supporting your child's French this year.

Merci! · Monsieur Britt