Andrée Poulin: Sparking a Love of Reading in French
submitted by Sylvie Campeau, Vanessa Giurleo, Josée Guillot, and Marie-Ève Lafortune, Educational Consultants, ESD
How can we spark a love of reading in French as a Second Language (FSL)? Through children’s literature, of course!
On October 2nd and 3rd, two groups of kindergarten to grade 6 teachers had the opportunity to attend a workshop presented by Franco-Ontarian author Andrée Poulin. This was Ms. Poulin’s third visit with us. Since 2022, over a hundred teachers have benefited from her expertise and passion for children’s literature. Her workshops allowed teachers to explore new pedagogical approaches, enrich their practices, and discover tools to spark students’ interest in reading. With her enthusiasm, passion for children’s literature, and dedication to promoting authors from here and abroad, Ms. Poulin captured everyone’s attention. The agenda included discovering more than fifty books, including picture books, documentaries, and even leporellos, all accompanied by teaching guides and practical activities.
Teaching reading, and more importantly, passing on the joy of reading can be challenging, especially in a second language. This day succeeded in reigniting the flame for participants, who not only left with their heads full of ideas but also with a copy of the educational resource L’album jeunesse, un trésor à exploiter in hand.
Following the workshop, Andrée Poulin highlighted the active participation and engagement of the teachers from Lester B. Pearson School Board. “Stimulating encounters like these, (…) with interested and engaged participants, nourish me and give me energy,” she wrote in an email.
The team of educational consultants for preschool and FSL at the elementary level is delighted to offer such enriching training days for teachers in our schools, made possible thanks to financial support from the Educational Services Department of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, and a grant from the Ministry of Education stemming from the Canada-Quebec Agreement and the Collective Language Development Program.
Are you teaching in immersion and couldn’t attend? Visit the FSL Elementary site through SSO to stay up to date on upcoming training sessions.
