This paper portrays the activity system of eight classes of Grade 6 children with special educational needs in an Intensive French as a second-language education program. Classroom norms and tools reflected a social-interactionist and social-constructivist approach with scaffolding, social interaction, multiple modes of representing, holistic, cross-curricular, child-centred, active, and meaningful learning. Outcomes of the activity system of the children included basic French communication ability, positive behaviour changes, heightened self-esteem, increased motivation, participation, and engagement. We conclude with implications related to the feasibility, scalability, and sustainability of practices for non-Intensive French classrooms. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)