French Resources

Photo of a black and white wall with "Bonjour" written on it in chalk

TJRC provides a variety of resources and services that support both Core French and French Immersion programs, including instructional materials, fiction and graphic novels, high-interest nonfiction, novel sets, instructional materials, eBooks and audiobooks, database translation, and more.

Instructional materials

Photo of several book covers from the Mon réseau, ma vie series

TJRC has multiple sets of resources from the series Mon réseau, ma vie (published by Pearson). Developed in collaboration with Program, these sets include student texts and teacher materials for instruction. Collection includes sets for modules 1-4 from Series 1 and 2.

Student-interest books

Photo of French Nonfiction shelves at TJRC with several books displayed

Looking to supplement the offerings in your school Learning Commons or classroom library? Borrow from TJRC's collections of fiction, graphic novels, picture books, and nonfiction - all curated around high-interest topics for students and curriculum learning areas.

Novel sets

Screenshot of the covers of three French novel set titles available at TJRC

Use French novel sets from TJRC's Kit Library to build book clubs and literature circles - great for developing French reading and writing skills. Using more than one title facilitates student choice and engages readers to explore themes that resonate with them.

Hands-on learning kits

Photo of Cartes défis hands-on learning kit

Several French language hands-on learning kits are available at TJRC, covering social emotional learning, phonics and literacy, career development, and coding and robotics.

Decodables

Screenshot of book covers of several titles in Les décodables de Scholastic series

TJRC has multiple series of decodable texts available to borrow. Developed in collaboration with Program, this collection includes Adorable et décodable and Les décodables de Scholastic - both of which are scaffolded to support building language skills.

eBooks & audiobooks

Screenshot of French eBooks and audiobooks in Sora

To browse French eBooks and audiobooks in Sora, start in the Explore section and click on "Search" at the top of the page. Select "Filters" - from the drop-down menu that appears, scroll until you see "Language", click where it says "All" and select a language from the list. Click "Search" to apply.

Database translation

Screenshot of Translate Article function in EBSCO

Most digital resources provided by TJRC support translating the content of research articles into French. Learn more by visiting the pages for individual resources: Britannica School, Canadian Points of View, EBSCO, Explora, Gale, and PowerKnowledge Science.

Streaming videos

Screenshot of several French educational videos available in ON-Core

The ON-Core and Curio streaming platforms both provide educational videos, documentaries, and more in French. You can also apply an option so that the entire platform interface is in French. Visit the individual resource pages to learn more.

Borrowing items

Staff can borrow books and teacher resources by visiting in person or requesting a reserve online. Items can be kept for two weeks and may be renewed up to a maximum of two times (unless otherwise indicated).

Staff can borrow kits from the Terry James Kit Library by creating bookings online. Bookings can be created in advance for any time during the school year. Quantities are limited and kits are loaned out on a "first booked", first served basis. Kits can be kept for three weeks and are not renewable (unless otherwise indicated).

To see a list of the items you have borrowed, renew an item, request a reserve, and more, log into your Insignia account online.

Tips for searching

Like UGDSB's school Learning Commons, TJRC uses Insignia for searching the collection of physical resources we have on-site. This powerful program stores information about each book to help you discover resources that are similar to one another using keywords, filters, and more. It also supports searching by title and author, so you can get the information about a specific resource quickly.

Screenshot of the site menu in Insignia with Terry James Resource Library selected

When you access Insignia, make sure that Terry James Resource Library is selected for books and instructional materials, Terry James Kit Library for novel sets.

Screenshot of Insignia menu for limiting by Collection Type

To see only the physical items available at TJRC (i.e., not eBooks or digital audiobooks), check beside one or more Collection areas excluding Online and click the circling arrow.

Screenshot of Insignia search page showing options for refining results

To narrow or refine your search, check the box beside an option and click the circling arrow. To see more options, click the + button.

Screenshot of Insignia menu for limiting by language

To only see results for French items, check the option for French under Collection or Language. Click the circling arrow to apply.

Questions?

Contact our team at terryjames.library@ugdsb.on.ca or 519-822-4420 x554