French being taught in Canada is unnessicary if only taken untill grade 9

I would like to begin by just outlining the standard curriculum of Ontario schools regarding French being taught up until Grade 9. There is several types of French courses in the Ontario curriculum, ranging from French Immersion courses (which requires that all instruction be taught in French at least 50% of the time and a total of 3600 hours of French language instruction, from Grade 1 to Grade 8)[1], to Extended French programs (which requires that instruction must be in French at least 25% of the time and must accumulate 1260 hours of French Language instruction from Grade 4 to Grade 8)[1], to what I believe my opponent is talking about, which is the Core French classes in English-language public schools, which requires that students must complete at least 600 hours of French language instruction between Grade 4 and Grade 8 [2]. In secondary schools, Core French is a required compulsary credit, but for only one grade [3]; but it can be taken in any other grade, depending on circumstances. For the sake of this debate though, we shall say that it is compulsary in Grade 9. The basic aim of the Core French program is to ". .. . develop basic communication skills in French and an understanding of the nature of the language, as well as an appreciation of French culture in Canada and in other parts of the world. "[2] The Core French program has four main "strands" of the program, which are as follows: Oral Communication Reading Writing [4] All programs are designed to immerse students into the French language, and help teach students the basics of how it works. As an example of how rigourous this process is, students by the end of Grade 4 - the starting grade for Core French in normal circumstances - are expected to ". .. understand basic classroom instructions; be able to respond briefly to oral texts; read aloud familiar material, using proper pronounciation and intonation; use all available cues (eg. visual cues, knowledge of basic sounds, and context) to determine meaning. "[5] There is much more than I showed, but I am using it as an example that right from the start of the Core French program, this is an immense learning process. Now, I wish to address my opponent's contentions, one by one. 1) "Its not treated as a way to learn a language, its treated like a compulsary course which has a forgotten purpose. " My opponent says that it is treated more as a compulsary course than a way to learn a language, but I wish to point out that this is a subjective opinion. The curriculum I have cited is clear in its desire to teach French as a second language, beginning in Grade 4 and finishing as compulsary in Grade 9. In the minds of the Ministry of Education and those who have written up the curriculum for Ontario students, this course is not merely 'compulsary'; it is a tool to help develop a student's knowledge of another language (something that is quite valuable in today's multi-lingual society), as well giving them vital exposure the culture of French Canadians (Quebecois, Acadians, etc. ) and that of other French cultures around the world[6]. There is not a 'forgotten' purpose to the Core French programs. My opponent should also know that Canada has a huge portion of its population that speaks French, also not just limited to Quebec [7], or is of French descent [8]. Canada is also an officially bilingual nation [9], and while not all jobs require you to be able to speak French, many successful positions depend on your ability to speak in both official languages, especially in government services. Once again, there is no 'forgotten' purpose to the Core French programs. Compulsary Core French classes are designed to give students the basics of the French language as well as French culture, so as to promote a sense of multiculturalism in Canada, as well as to prepare students for the work force. This is much more than a compulsary course, it is a key to furthering your life. 2) "Most of the marks are dirived from memorizing verbs which are forgotten in a week, and forgotten about after you graduate! " My opponent claims here that the marks in Core French classes are derived from memorizing verbs, which is simply not true. Here are just some of the things expected by Grade 9 students in order to complete Core French classes; – prepare and conduct a survey to gather information, and summarize the data in short sentences. – revise, edit, and proofread their writing, focusing on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and conventions of style; – read aloud, with expression, changing intonation to reflect declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences (e. g. , Il fait trï¿½s froid aujourd'hui. Comment vas-tu? Quelle rï¿½ponse! ); – identify synonyms and antonyms of given words in written texts; – speak in French when working in collaborative and exploratory activities; [10] Et cetera, et cetera. It is clearly based on more than just 'memorizing verbs'. The second part of my opponents contention here is that you will most likely forget these lessons after you have graduated. I disagree though, because from my own experience, while I may have forgotten most of my French and cannot speak it fluently, I do remember the basics of what I have been taught. Because the human brain is a brilliant thing, if we see or hear familiar sounds we will remember what goes with that, ie. if we hear or read French, our memory will be able to bring up what we have been taught, and we should at least remember the basics of the language. I quote; "Enhanced serial recall for linguistically familiar material is usually attributed to a process of item redintegration. The possibility tested here is that familiarity influences memory at the sequence level by enhancing the fluency with which items may be assembled into sequences. "[11] This is not only helpful in the event you find yourself in Montreal somehow, but also if you ever wish to learn French again. Instead of having to go through all the steps again, you will be able to start off at a much more advanced level of French than "Le Guide d'Idiot en Francais". This is an especially helpful fact in the Canadian workforce, which needs increasing amounts of bilingual employees. 3) "In stead of this course students can spend time on subjects that teach a good leason. " As I believe I have proven in my other two arguments, Core French classes are an important part of our curriculum. But, because this is my opponent's first debate, I will not elaborate further on this, and instead ask him to present examples of subjects which students require more time on subjects that shall teach them a 'better lesson' than Core French classes will. I look forward to my opponent's arguments, and I again thank him for this very interesting debate. Sources: 1. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... 2. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... 3. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... - Page 5 4. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... - Page 8; Strands in the Core French Curriculum 5. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... - Page 12; Grade 4: Oral Communication, Reading, and Writing 6. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... - Page 2; The Aim of the Core French Program 7. . http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca... 8. . http://www40.statcan.gc.ca... 9. . http://laws.justice.gc.ca... 10. . http://www.edu.gov.on.ca... - Pages 7 to 10; Core French, Grade 9, Academic 11. . http://www.sciencedirect.com...