Courses

Alberta · Grade 4

Core French 4

Alberta’s Grade 4 French course, from La communication — Understanding and Using First French to La culture — Why French and Where It Lives.

Learn thisPractice test
Units
3
Lessons
12
Skills
20
Provincial exam
None
Official curriculum
Alberta Education

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 4 skills

La communication — Understanding and Using First French

Communication

J'écoute — Listening to First French

  • Understanding spoken key words

    I can understand key French words I hear and show it by pointing, acting, or saying the meaning in English.

    1.1

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Je lis — Reading First French

  • Matching written key words

    I can understand key French words I read by matching them to pictures, highlighting them, or saying what they mean.

    1.2

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Je parle — Saying First French

  • Saying simple spoken messages

    I can say a simple French message — one word, a memorized phrase, or a gesture — by copying a model.

    1.3

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J'écris — Writing First French

  • Copying and labelling in French

    I can write a simple French message by carefully copying a word, labelling a picture, or swapping one word in a model.

    1.4

    Learn itPractice testActivities
The official wording · 4 outcomes
1.1
demonstrate understanding of key words and ideas contained in simple, concrete oral texts by responding with physical actions
1.2
demonstrate understanding of key words and ideas in simple, concrete adapted or authentic written texts by responding with physical actions or by underlining, highlighting, matching, drawing or using English
1.3
express simple oral messages by using gestures, one word utterances, memorized global expressions or simple, concrete sentences based on available models
1.4
express simple written messages by copying, labelling, substituting words or using simple concrete sentences based on available models

Key ideas

  1. You don't need every word — hunt the one or two you know and let them tell you the idea (understanding some is a WIN, not a fail).

  2. Match, don't translate word-by-word: put the written word next to its picture — chat next to a cat, soleil next to a sun.

  3. One word is a full message here: a wave + bonjour (hello, "bon-ZHOOR") or merci (thank you, "mair-SEE") is real French communication.

  4. Copy carefully, accents and all: bleu (blue) has that little tail on nothing — but rené has the é ("ay") mark; matching the model exactly IS the skill.

  5. Show you understood with your body or a quick English answer: hear rouge (red, say "ROOZH") and touch something red; hear la main (the hand) and hold up your hand.

Watch out for

  • "I have to understand every single word." — No: catching the key word is the whole skill.
  • "I must translate every word before I understand anything." — Matching the key word to a picture already shows understanding.
  • "If I can't say it perfectly, I shouldn't try." — Trying IS the skill; a wobbly bonjour still communicates, and the sound sharpens with practice.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 12 skills

La langue — How French Works and First Words

Language

Les sons et les mots — Sounds, Nouns and Genders

  • Letters and their French sounds

    I can notice that French letters have their own sounds, and that a noun is a word that names a person, place or thing.

    2.1

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  • Boy-words, girl-words and the little words un / une / le / la

    I can notice that French nouns are masculine or feminine, and that little words like un/une and le/la come with them.

    2.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Montrer et demander — Voici, Voilà and Asking

Bonjour et merci — Greetings and Politeness

Les nombres et les couleurs — Numbers and Colours

Le corps et la famille — Body and Family

Les jours et le temps — Days, Months and Weather

The official wording · 12 outcomes
2.1
associate each letter of the alphabet with its corresponding sound
2.2
that nouns in French are either masculine or feminine
2.3
that voici and voilà are used to point out a person or a thing
2.4
state how to form a question from a statement using intonation
2.5
greetings (e.g., Bonjour, madame./Salut, Peter.)
2.6
expressions of politeness (e.g., Merci, John./S’il vous plaît./Excusez-moi.)
2.7
the names of the numbers 0–69
2.8
vocabulary for basic colours (e.g., le rouge, l’orange, le bleu)
2.9
vocabulary for parts of the body (e.g., la main, la tête)
2.10
vocabulary for family members (e.g., mon père, ma soeur)
2.11
the names of the days of the week the names of the months of the year the date
2.12
common weather expressions (e.g., Il pleut./Il fait (du) soleil.)

Key ideas

  1. Same letters, new sounds: French i sounds like "ee", and é ("ay") is its own letter-mark — the alphabet is familiar but sings differently.

  2. Voici ("vwah-SEE") = here is / here are; voilà ("vwah-LAH") = there is / there are — you point as you say it.

  3. Hello + bye kit: Bonjour (hello, formal/daytime), Salut (hi, friends), Au revoir (goodbye, "oh-ruh-VWAHR"), À demain (see you tomorrow).

  4. Start small and solid: zéro, un, deux, trois… dix (0–10) — the base every bigger number is built on.

  5. Head-to-hand starter set: la tête (the head), la main (the hand), le bras (the arm), le pied (the foot).

Watch out for

  • "French letters sound the same as in English." — Many don't (French i = "ee"); listen for the French sound.
  • "Voici and voilà mean the same thing anywhere." — Voici is for here/close, voilà is for there/farther; the pointing matches.
  • "Bonjour and salut are the same." — Bonjour is safe with anyone; salut is casual, for friends.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 4 skills

La culture — Why French and Where It Lives

Culture

Pourquoi le français ? — Why Learn French

  • Reasons to learn French and French around us

    I can name reasons to learn French and spot French already around me.

    3.1

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • French songs and counting rhymes

    I can name French songs and counting rhymes and notice that songs change from culture to culture.

    3.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Les prénoms et tu / vous — Names and Politeness

  • French versions of English first names

    I can recognize that many English first names have a French version.

    3.3

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Talking to friends vs. grown-ups: tu and vous

    I can notice that French has two words for "you" — tu for friends and vous for grown-ups or being polite.

    3.4

    Learn itPractice testActivities
The official wording · 4 outcomes
3.1
identify reasons for learning a second language and more specifically, French
3.2
identify French songs, nursery rhymes or counting rhymes (e.g., Savez-vous planter les choux?)
3.3
recognize that there are often equivalents in French for common English first names (e.g., Pierre = Peter; Marie = Mary)
3.4
that tu and vous are used to address people in specific social situations (e.g., Comment t’appelles-tu? vs Comment vous appelez-vous?)

Key ideas

  1. French is useful and everywhere in Canada — learning it lets you talk to more people and is a lifelong adventure.

  2. Names have twins across languages: Pierre = Peter, Marie = Mary, Jean = John — same name, French flavour.

  3. French is already near you: bilingual labels on food, bilingual signs, French on packaging — go on a "French hunt".

  4. It's a friendly first door into French — spotting the twin makes the language feel familiar.

  5. French kids have their own songs and counting rhymes — Savez-vous planter les choux? (do you know how to plant cabbages?) is a classic.

Watch out for

  • "French is only spoken in France." — French is a Canadian language too, spoken across the country and around your neighbourhood.
  • "French names are totally different and unrelated." — Many are the SAME name with a French spelling and sound.
  • "Learning a language is something you finish." — It's a lifelong learning process; you keep growing at it.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

The official curriculum

This page follows Alberta’s own curriculum for Core French 4.

French as a Second Language, Nine-Year Program, Grade 4Alberta Education · curriculum.learnalberta.ca · Read July 23, 2026

Strands

StrandOutcomesTaught in
CommunicationOutcomes 4Taught in Unit 1La communication — Understanding and Using First French
LanguageOutcomes 2Taught in Unit 2La langue — How French Works and First Words
CultureOutcomes 1Taught in Unit 3La culture — Why French and Where It Lives

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Core French 4 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.

Mathematics 31 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsMathematics 31 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Mathematics 31, another Alberta course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

Course Companion

Your year in one workbook

A fun way to keep Core French 4 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.

Pages
26
Fillable fields
1,220
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about Core French 4

What is Core French 4?

Alberta’s Grade 4 French course: 3 units and 20 skills, from La communication — Understanding and Using First French to La culture — Why French and Where It Lives.

What units are in Core French 4?

1. La communication — Understanding and Using First French, 2. La langue — How French Works and First Words and 3. La culture — Why French and Where It Lives.

Is there a provincial exam for Core French 4?

No. Alberta gives no provincial exam for Core French 4.

What comes after Core French 4?

Core French 5.

Can MapleMind help with Core French 4?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Core French 4, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.

After this course

Get ready for Core French 4

Practise every skill of Core French 4 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.