French characters make their Ukrainian debut
Well-known French language learning characters Paul et Suzanne and Lisa et Théo are making their Ukrainian debut at Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingal School.
Recognizing a gap in modern Ukrainian language learning materials, staff at Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools approached Apprentissage Illimité, the publisher of Paul et Suzanne and Lisa et Théo learning materials, to create something similar for Ukrainian language.
Brian Boutin, a learning services coordinator with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS), mentioned that the familiarity with the French materials that are widely used in GSCS French immersion schools made partnering with Apprentissage Illimité a logical choice to improve instruction for students learning Ukrainian.
The French materials were created in the mid-1990s, a time when francophone communities in predominantly English-speaking areas and French immersion schools had a shortage of resources designed by and for Canadian francophones. The learning collection was specifically designed to meet the curricular and language-learning needs through structured and culturally-relevant materials for teachers.
The parallels were obvious, so that same approach guided the development of the new Ukrainian resources. "The needs expressed by Ukrainian-language educators echoed those experienced by francophone teachers nearly thirty years ago: the need for authentic resources, adapted to the linguistic realities of communities, and designed with a pedagogical approach that respects minority-language contexts." stated a news release from Apprentissage Illimité.
"The launch of these Ukrainian resources marks an important step in supporting our Ukrainian bilingual programming," shared Boutin. “Having the only Ukrainian bilingual school in Saskatchewan means we understand the need to have more contemporary and engaging resources for students and teachers. It also means that we’re well-positioned to offer our expertise in developing learning materials that will strengthen learning and foster the development of Ukrainian language skills through authentic, everyday contexts."
A team of GSCS teachers—Tetyana Lemon, Iaroslava Fedorova, Yulia Firman, Catherine Schabel, and Laurianne Gabruch—led the translation of materials to Ukrainian.
In addition to funding from the school division, funding partners are the Worobetz Foundation, the Hromada Legacy Fund of Saskatchewan, and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatchewan.
A launch event was held in January at Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingal School to introduce teachers to the new material. Professional development sessions were held in February to introduce teachers to Paul et Suzanne and Lisa et Théo and help them integrate the new material into lesson plans for students.
