Grade by Grade
C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: First Steps

Les Franco-Ontariens: French-Speaking Communities in Ontario

C3.1 D3.1 D1.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can name some French-speaking communities in Ontario.
  • I can read a short French text about the Franco-Ontarian flag and traditions.
  • I can connect Franco-Ontarian traditions to my own life and community.
  • I can write captions and a poster in French about a francophone community.

Words to know

francophone
A person who speaks French, or a place where people speak French.
Franco-Ontarien / Franco-Ontarienne
A French-speaking person from Ontario.
le drapeau
The flag.
la communauté
A community: a group of people who live in the same place or share a language or culture.
une tradition
Something a family or community does again and again, often at special times.
une cabane à sucre
A sugar shack, where maple syrup is made in the spring.

French is an Ontario language too!

You are learning French in school, but many children in Ontario speak French at home. They are Franco-Ontariens and Franco-Ontariennes. French has been spoken in Ontario for hundreds of years, and today there are French-speaking communities all over the province. Many Franco-Ontarian children go to French-language schools.

Some places with French-speaking communities are Ottawa, Sudbury, Hearst, Timmins, Kapuskasing, Hawkesbury, Sturgeon Falls, Penetanguishene, Windsor and Toronto. You might live near one!

A small lakeside town with a white church steeple, houses and autumn trees reflected in calm water.
Many French-speaking communities in Ontario are small towns surrounded by lakes and forests, like this one in the fall. AI-generated image

Read about the flag

Le drapeau franco-ontarien

Le drapeau franco-ontarien est vert et blanc. Il y a deux parties. La première partie est verte, avec un lys blanc. La deuxième partie est blanche, avec un trillium vert. Le lys représente la francophonie dans le monde. Le trillium est la fleur de l'Ontario.

Le 25 septembre, c'est le Jour des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes.

lystrillium
A simple drawing of the Franco-Ontarian flag: a green part with a white lily (lys) and a white part with a green trillium.
Worked example

Let's read the flag text together

Use cognates and words you know to understand the text about the flag.

  1. Le drapeau franco-ontarien est vert et blanc → the Franco-Ontarian flag is green and white. (You know your colours!)
  2. La première partie est verte, avec un lys blanc → the first part is green, with a white lily (lys). Notice verte: partie is feminine.
  3. La deuxième partie est blanche, avec un trillium vert → the second part is white, with a green trillium.
  4. Le lys représente la francophonie dans le monde → the lily represents French-speaking people in the world (cognate: represents).
  5. Le trillium est la fleur de l'Ontario → the trillium is Ontario's flower.
  6. Le 25 septembre → September 25 is Franco-Ontarian Day.

The flag is green and white, with a lily for French speakers around the world and a trillium for Ontario. It is celebrated on le 25 septembre.

More about the flag and the day

The Franco-Ontarian flag was first raised on September 25, 1975, at the University of Sudbury. In 2001, Ontario made it the official emblem of the province's French-speaking community. Since 2010, le 25 septembre has been Franco-Ontarian Day. On that day, many schools and towns raise the green and white flag and celebrate with music and activities.

Traditions to discover

  • La cabane à sucre: In early spring, many families in Ontario and Québec visit a sugar shack where maple sap is boiled into sirop d'érable (maple syrup). A favourite treat is la tire d'érable: hot maple syrup poured on clean snow (a grown-up pours the very hot syrup), then rolled onto a stick.
  • Music and festivals: French-speaking communities hold festivals with music, dancing and food. French songs are part of many family celebrations.
  • Métis communities: Some Métis people in Ontario have French-speaking ancestors. Michif, a language spoken by some Métis people, mixes French and Cree. Métis communities in Ontario keep their culture alive today.

Connect to your own life

Think: Does your family have a special day, a flag, a food or a song that is important to you? How is it like le 25 septembre or a visit to the cabane à sucre? Every community has traditions that help people feel they belong.

1975Flag first raised,Sept. 25, at theUniversity of Sudbury2001Ontario makes itthe official emblemof Franco-Ontarians2010Sept. 25 becomesFranco-OntarianDay
Three dates in the story of the Franco-Ontarian flag: 1975, 2001 and 2010.
Worked example

Let's write captions

Write French captions (légendes) for 2 photos: (1) a green and white flag, (2) a family at a sugar shack.

  1. A caption is short and tells what we see.
  2. Photo 1: Voici le drapeau franco-ontarien. Il est vert et blanc. (Voici = here is.)
  3. Photo 2: La famille est à la cabane à sucre. Miam! La tire d'érable! (Miam! = Yum!)
  4. Check: capital letters, periods, accents (érable, à).

Short, clear captions that use words you know: Voici..., Il est..., La famille est à...

Hands-on activity

Ici, on parle français! poster

You need: paper, markers or coloured pencils (green is handy), a grown-up to help you look at a map of Ontario.

  1. With a grown-up, find Sudbury, Ottawa and Hearst on a map of Ontario. Which is closest to you?
  2. Draw the Franco-Ontarian flag at the top of your paper: green part with a white lily, white part with a green trillium.
  3. Write a big title: Ici, on parle français! (Here, we speak French!)
  4. Add 3 short sentences or captions, for example: Le drapeau est vert et blanc. / Le 25 septembre, c'est le Jour des Franco-Ontariens. / J'aime la tire d'érable!
  5. Add one sentence about you: J'apprends le français! (I am learning French!)
  6. Hang your poster up and read it to your family.
Just for fun

Fun fact: the trillium on the flag loves the number trois. It has 3 petals, 3 leaves and 3 sepals (the little green parts under the petals)!

Your turn

1

What two colours are on the Franco-Ontarian flag?

2

What two flowers are on the flag?

3

What does the trillium stand for?

4

When is Franco-Ontarian Day?

5

Name two Ontario places with French-speaking communities.

6

What is la tire d'érable?

More practice: warm-up

1

What does francophone mean?

2

What is le drapeau in English?

3

What is made at a cabane à sucre?

4

What does Ici, on parle français! mean?

5

What is Michif?

More practice: on your own

1

Read: La deuxième partie est blanche. Why is it blanche and not blanc?

2

Write a caption for a photo of the flag: use Voici and a colour sentence.

3

Where and when was the Franco-Ontarian flag first raised?

4

Read: Le lys représente la francophonie dans le monde. What does it mean?

5

Name one tradition from your own family or community and one way it is like a Franco-Ontarian tradition.

Challenge

1

Why do you think there is a lily for French speakers around the world AND a trillium for Ontario on the same flag?

2

Write 3 French sentences for a poster about le 25 septembre.

3

A classmate says: "People only speak French in Québec and France." Write 2 sentences in English to explain why that isn't true.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What colours is the Franco-Ontarian flag?

2.

What does the trillium on the flag stand for?

3.

When is Franco-Ontarian Day?

4.

Which city has a French-speaking community in Ontario?

5.

What is a cabane à sucre?

6.

What is Michif?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The curriculum asks Grade 4 students to use French texts to identify French-speaking communities in Ontario, learn about their cultures, and make connections to their own lives and communities (C3.1); and to communicate information about Franco-Ontarian communities in their own writing, for example captions and posters (D3.1, D1.2). The curriculum's examples include festivals, traditions, songs and Franco-Ontarian Métis communities.

Facts used here: The flag description follows Ontario's Franco-Ontarian Emblem Act, 2001 (a green band with a white lily and a white band with a green trillium). The first raising in Sudbury on September 25, 1975, and Franco-Ontarian Day (September 25, since 2010) are from the Ontario Heritage Trust.

Common difficulties: Children may think French belongs only to Québec or France. If you can, visit a French-language event, library or a bilingual town, or look up a Franco-Ontarian children's song together.

Connections: Invite your child to share your own family's traditions. Comparing traditions builds respect for every culture, including your own.