During the first term of the 6FI, students are given time (in class) on a weekly basis for silent reading. The "J'ai le fou de lire" reading program helps students to keep track of books they read throughout the week (in class or out of class - I ask to see the books read at home). It also allows them to comment on the book/chapter they have read. I ask that every book/chapter is initialed by a parent/guardian. I will also provide my initials. When students have filled out one side of the "J'ai le fou de lire" hand-out (author, title, amount of pages, comment(s), parent/guardian and teacher initials), they will receive a small prize (pencil, eraser, bookmark, etc.). This reading program also gives me an idea of the students' reading level. Our reading comprehension strategies mirror those of the English Language. We will start with the first strategy "Faire des prédictions" (making predictions). This strategy will be posted in class for students to see and I will also hand out a summary of "Faire des prédictions" to students. This summary will be kept in their white Reading duo tang (Duotang de lecture). After we have learned and mastered this strategy, it will be replaced by the second one "Visualiser". If students need to revisit the "Faire des prédictions" strategy, they will be able to do so by using the strategy's summary. Students are expected to keep these summaries in order (as taught in class) and they are also expected to use them independently (when working on a reading assignment).
Have a look at the following French Web site with your child to have a general idea of the reading comprehension strategies "en français"!
http://www.atelier.on.ca/edu/pdf/Mod41_strategies_lecture_cycle_moyen.pdf
