French I None Students experience an introduction to the French language and to the culture of the French-speaking world. The basic objectives are to help each student attain an acceptable degree of proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, and to present the language within the context of the contemporary French-speaking world and its culture. Students will learn to recognize the French alphabet, distinguish sounds in French, discern intonation patterns, and comprehend vocabulary, phrases, and simple sentences, common to daily life. Students will learn to recite and use the alphabet with proper intonation, pronounce isolated sounds progressing from monosyllabic words to multisyllabic words, pronounce phrases and simple sentences with accurate intonation, and use learned utterances appropriately in asking and answering questions. Students will learn to recognize written symbols, words and phrases, in isolation or in context, and interpret their implications and ramifications. Students will learn to copy and/or reproduce from memory in a progressive manner, letters, syllables, words, phrases, and simple sentences; make appropriate responses to questions; write guided sentences; compose dialogues and simple paragraphs combining active vocabulary and learned grammatical structures. Students will be able to acquire knowledge of daily life, customs, and current events; become aware of verbal and non-verbal cultural differences. They will identify francophone countries and overseas departments, know basic geographic features of France, and become cognizant of the contributions of the French to the American way of life. language or two years each of two languages). Students who receive credit for French I in middle school may count this course in meeting both credit and subject area graduation requirements.
French II French I The second level course continues the emphasis on the communication skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Written work emphasizes vocabulary development, semantics, syntax, and composition with special attention to use of primary verb tenses. Vocabulary is taught in context, practiced through multimedia, and reinforced with written exercises. Since the speech of people is so interwoven into their way of life, the student examines the customs and manners of the people. Students will learn to distinguish more complex sound patterns in French, refine rhythm and intonation patterns, comprehend sentence length utterances by a variety of people, and assimilate acquired material and apply it to basic personal background and needs. Students will refine and reinforce learned pronunciation patterns, combine and recombine previously learned elements in statements, questions, and answers; and initiate and sustain limited conversation. Students will enlarge vocabulary through the study of cognates, word families, synonyms, and antonyms; and read with increasing comprehension the materials essential for everyday living. Students will demonstrate good writing habits, write statements and formulate questions which will demonstrate comprehension of the present, past, and near future; vary constructions, write guided paragraphs and dialogues in which they will incorporate preceding skills; and use previously learned vocabulary and structures to compose paragraphs on designated topics. Students will become aware of Franco-American similarities and differences and increase their knowledge of francophone countries. language or two years each of two languages.
French III French II Students increase proficiency in all phases of language study. The class provides an ongoing review of basic structures taught in the first two years. A reinforcement of the communicative skills may be encouraged through conversation, exposition, and selected readings, which reflect the customs, character, and traditions of the French. Written work involves composition, vocabulary development, and grammatical skills, with special emphasis on verb tenses. Students will distinguish more complex structures and assimilate acquired material and apply it to new text. Students will incorporate complex sentence patterns, give extemporaneous oral presentations; resolve many individual difficulties in pronunciation, stress, and intonation, and use the French language as the primary means of communication in the classroom. Students will acquire a broader vocabulary through selected readings, expand horizons, and comprehend simple texts for personal communication, recreation, or informational purposes; and understand some main ideas and information from texts of a higher level. Students will manifest good writing sills, compose paragraphs in which they will apply more complex structures; convey information or ideas for social and academic purposes; and write creatively on assigned topics. Students will develop further awareness of francophone countries; compare some aspects of French and American culture and recognize contributions of outstanding individuals. language or two years each of two languages).
French IV French III Students continue mastery of the skills in French. Excerpts of novels, short stories, plays, and other genres give the student an opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the nature and structure of the language. A French IV/V combined class may incorporate reading selections from the Advanced Placement Program. Students will sustain understanding over longer stretches of connected discourse and grasp principal ideas of more specialized presentations by native speakers. Students will demonstrate ability to communicate in a variety of contexts with wider range of grammatical structures and with greater accuracy; give impromptu presentations and use French in classroom communication. Students will read a wider variety of texts with greater consistency of comprehension and develop an awareness of writing styles. Students will express fairly accurately, present and future time, use past tenses, but with less accuracy, circumlocute occasionally to express thoughts, write social correspondence; compose texts of several paragraphs on familiar topics, and take notes on topics using familiar vocabulary and write summaries. Students will keep abreast of French current events, acquire greater insight into the culture of the French speaking people through various media, and make cross-cultural comparisons. language or two years each of two languages).
AP French Language Course Overview En Bonne Forme is the primary textbook. It serves as a source for all essential grammatical structures. Literary excerpts from En Bonne Forme and other texts as well as mixed media sources serve as a springboard for grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing skills development. Language skills are further refined through prepared oral presentations, debates, and written responses to questions presented in class. Through writing and speaking on a wide range of topics, students expand their vocabulary, develop their writing style in French, and improve their critical thinking skills all in the target language. The use of English in the classroom is not permitted. skills continue to be developed by participating in classroom discussions, viewing and discussing French films and listening to French songs and recordings by francophone speakers. Periodically, students assess their progress by taking Released AP Exams. TEACHING STRATEGIES The expectation is that French will be used by all students at all times during class. Students class participation grades reflect a strong requirement that they use only French in the classroom. : Students will listen, speak to one another and read aloud in French. Every day students will narrate, describe and explain reading contents, images, picture sequences or other visual cues either to a partner, the teacher or a tape. Throughout the year, students will prepare picture sequence presentations and questions for homework to be taped in class the following day using cassette players. After the recording, students listen to themselves and comment on their own performance. The teacher listens to the recordings and gives them feedback as well as a grade. Later in the year, the picture sequence will be spontaneous. In addition, students will prepare different subjects to present to the class (such as: newspaper articles, poetry recitation, TV5, surveys, debates, role-play, speeches and discussions). They will work in small groups to prepare skits and dialogs. These are sometimes videotaped, so that they can reflect on their performance. Assessment: use of picture sequence, dialogs, skits, story telling, reports, free response and class participation. : Throughout the year, students will be using a variety of authentic audio and video recordings to develop their listening skills: Students will be doing listening exercises from En Bonne Forme, from the AP French, Preparing for the Language Examination and from Quant à Moi throughout the year. Students will listen to music selections and do exercises based on them. Students will view film clips (with/without French subtitles) to later discuss and write about the different themes. Assessment: audio textbook exercises, debate, extemporaneous responses to film/television clips, Cloze exercises from music clips : Vocabulary building: throughout the year students will receive thematic vocabulary lists and corresponding exercises. As they read from their textbook or any other source, they note the new vocabulary they encounter. When reading and presenting to the class, they share a list of vocabulary with the class. Students will be reading the literary excerpts from En Bonne Forme and Quant à Moi. Other sources for reading will come from former AP exams, newspaper articles, Internet, or other print sources. Students are strongly encouraged to read independently and prepare a written or oral summary pertaining to these readings.
During the first semester, students will be reading Le Petit Prince and completing vocabulary, grammar and comprehension exercises pertaining to the text. Assessment: textbook quizzes/tests on vocabulary and reading passages, summaries of written media sources. : Students will be writing regularly. They will be answering the questions following readings from each chapter of En Bonne Forme. They will write essays routinely on themes based from their primary textbook, from other text sources and from selected topics from the AP French, Preparing for the Language Examination and Quant à Moi texts. The essays will be planned to reflect the grammar they are reviewing at the time. To encourage the use of idioms and proverbs in their compositions, students will be presented with a new idiom/proverb every week. Assessment: journals, compositions, creative and persuasive writings, timed writings, cloze activities, reports and research projects. Text Resources Renaud Dietiker, Simone and Dominique Van Hoof. En Bonne Forme. 7th ed. Houghton Miffllin Company, 2001. Ladd, Richard and Colette Girard. AP French, Preparing for the Language Examination 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 1998. Amiry, Laila,. How to Prepare for the AP French 2nd ed. Barron s, 2004. Bragger, Jeannette and Donald B. Rice. Quant à Moi 3rd ed. Thomson and Heinle, 2005. Additional Sources: Muyskens, Judith A., Linda H. Harlow, Michèle Vialet and JeanFrançois Brière. Bravo. 5th ed. Thomson and Heinle, 2005 Sturges II, Hale, Linda Cregg Nielsen and Henry L. Herbst. Une Fois Pour Toutes. 2 nd ed. Longman, 1992. Schunk, Susan and Janet Waisbrot. Explorations 4th ed. Thomson and Heinle, 2001. St. Onge, Susan, Ronald St. Onge, and Katherine Kulick. Intéraction. 6th ed. Thomson and Heinle, 2003 Films: Cyrano de Bergerac Jean de Florette Manon des Sources Le Petit Prince Amélie