ERAC offers French support for Online Resource Databases

French-language teachers and teacher-librarians looking for support in using the French elements of the databases included in ERAC’s Online Resource Database Bundle will soon have access to a toolkit tailored to them.

Three SD#38 (Richmond) educators created the French toolkit as a way to help French Immersion, Core French and Francophone teachers access resources from the databases for their classrooms. “I have a strong interest in resourcing French,” Gordon Powell, Coordinator, Library and Information Services for the Richmond School District said. Powell, who is a former French Immersion teacher, created the toolkit, along with Richmond colleagues Modern Languages Coordinator Diane Tijman and Elementary French Immersion Teacher Christine Marin.

While ERAC has produced online Toolkits to support other aspects of its Online Resource Database Bundle, this is the first toolkit produced in French to specifically help French educators get the most out of the databases. The French toolkit will be posted shortly. The Online Resource Database Bundle includes an extensive EBSCO collection, World Book’s complete reference suite (including L’Encyclopédie Découverte), Encyclopedia of BC’s entire database and the Canadian Periodical Index (CPIQ).

Powell explained that while there were not a lot of French resources in the databases, the ones provided would be very helpful. For example, World Book Kids is fully translated. “Whatever you can do in English World Book Kids you can do in French in World Book Kids (L’Encyclopédie Découverte).”

He said that by Grades 6-7, however, L’Encyclopédie Découverte entries would be more suitable for late Immersion because they don’t have the depth an Immersion student would require. He added that the resource includes a valuable French atlas and a great visual dictionary.

The EBSCO periodical database has several magazines in French but there is one magazine that Immersion, Core French and Francophone teachers would find useful: Coup de Pouce contains lifestyle, fashion, food and other articles with appropriate and relevant vocabulary and articles. Another helpful EBSCO resource is La Presse Canadienne, which is a daily source of topical, current articles.