Glossary

Program Type. Please note more than one program type can be assigned to an educational resource.

- Core French (also known as BASIC FRENCH in Manitoba and FSL in Alberta and British Columbia): A French as a second language program where French is the object of instruction and is taught as a subject in classes which are given for a specified number of minutes per week/cycle. EXTENDED CORE FRENCH: a type of special core French program designed to provide additional exposure to French for core French students. French is the language of instruction for one (or more) subject such as social studies in addition to core French.)

- Immersion French (also known as ALTERNATIVE FRENCH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS in Alberta): a French as a second language program where French is used for the teaching of other subjects as well as French language arts during the entire school day or a significant portion thereof.

- Adult French: a French as a second language program designed for adult learners which prepares them to use French successfully in academic, non-academic, business or professional environments.

- English as a Second Language: an English as a second language program where English is the object of instruction and is taught as a subject in classes which are given for a specified number of minutes per week/cycle.

- Adult English: an English as a second language program designed for adult learners which prepares them to use English successfully in academic, non-academic, business or professional environments. INTENSIVE ENGLISH: a type of Adult English program where English is taught for a large proportion of the day for a period of several weeks.

Language Level

• Beginner - Creating/interpreting oral discourse in routine non-demanding contexts of language use; interpreting simple texts; creating simple texts.  (Canadian Language Benchmarks 1 – 4)
• Intermediate - Creating/interpreting oral discourse in moderately demanding contexts of language use; interpreting moderately complex texts; creating moderately complex texts. (Canadian Language Benchmarks 5 – 8)
• Advanced - Creating/interpreting oral discourse in very demanding contexts of language use; interpreting complex and very complex texts; creating complex and very complex texts.  (Canadian Language Benchmarks 9 – 12)

Curriculum:  This field only applies to resources that have been identified as French Immersion.  A subject list applies to all program types (Core French, Adult French/English, etc..) can be found in the Controlled Vocabulary in the Advanced Search. The following guidelines have been established for matching subjects to curriculum areas:

• Arts – includes architecture, dance, drama, fine arts, media, music, visual arts and combinations of arts forms.
• French - includes French language arts, French listening and speaking, French reading, French writing, francophone culture.
• Mathematics – includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.
• Physical Education/Health - includes the study of health issues, some of the aspects of guidance and/or counselling, usually at the primary-junior levels, gr K – 9), physical activities, sports and recreational activities.
• Science – includes biology, chemistry, earth science and geology, physics, resource sciences, space and astronomy, biotechnology, engineering, computer and information technology.
• Social Studies - includes history, geography, political science, economics, anthropology, psychology (some aspects of guidance and/or career counselling, usually at the secondary school level, gr. 10 - 12), archaeology, and sociology.

Teaching and Learning Materials

Each resource is described as being one or more types of teaching and learning material:

-  Clipart - refers to visual aids such as images, photos or videos that are present on the designated site and can be used as teaching and learning materials. Its notation indicates the presence of one or more visual aids that support knowledge or language skill acquisition.

-  Exercises - includes activities and drills.

-  Games - includes word games, and interactive games.

-  Lesson plans - must include curriculum subject, expectations for grade level, strands, units and time frames.  It can also be a template that can help to write a lesson plan, a long range plan or a unit plan.  This category can also include teaching guides.

-  Music - includes songs, song lyrics, and artists.

-  Reference – includes dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and directories.

-  Tests - includes quizzes, exams, portfolios and other forms of assessment.

-  Texts and Documentation - includes stories, rhymes, poetry, articles, novels, magazines, e-zines, and texts provided for informational, instructional or entertainment purposes.

Language Skill

Each resource is described as being used for the acquisition of one or more skills:

-  Grammar – resources that include specific activities or exercises that have as the main objective the development of the learner’s ability to use the correct form of words.

-  Listening – resources that indicate that a mechanism is available for the learner to listen to a sound clip, or a video with an audio component.

-  Reading – resources where the learner has to recognize vocabulary, pick out key words (such as those identifying topics and main ideas), get the main point or the most important information, and/or distinguish the main idea from supporting details.

-  Speaking -  resources that include activities that enhance the learner’s ability to pronounce words, use stress and rhythmic patterns, put words together in correct word order, and/or use vocabulary appropriately so that people can understand what they are saying.

-  Vocabulary – resources that include specific activities or exercises that have as main objective the development of vocabulary.

-  Writing – resources that include activities that enhance the learner’s ability to utilize the correct forms of words, put words together in the correct sequence, and use vocabulary and appropriate style to communicate ideas in written form.

This field defines the level of aggregation of the resource.  The guidelines for identification are:

• Collection - An aggregation (an assemblage) of resources; resources collected are not necessarily about the same subject or for the same audience; but generally collections have a theme (ESL Links).  Items listed within a collection may be accessed on an individual basis.
•  Resource - Information packaged into a usable state; any asset (anything valuable or useful) that can be made coherent in some manner.  The parameters of the resource are well-defined; it can be a single item (i.e. Margaret Atwood website) or can be a number of items about the same subject and directed towards the same intended audience (i.e. grammar exercises for primary grades)