"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Antoine de St. Exupéry DESCRIPTION OF COURSE French V-AP is a college-level level course designed to prepare students to communicate proficiently in the French language. While a major objective of this course is to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam by developing proficiency in their interpretive and communicative skills in French, another equally important objective is to help students further their knowledge and understanding of the Frenchspeaking peoples and cultures of the world. The course is conducted entirely in French and students are encouraged to approach this course as a linguistic and cultural adventure, attainable exclusively through an immersion process, in and out of the classroom. CONTENT OF COURSE Unit 1 Les Relations Personnelles (Contemporary Life; Personal and Public Identities) Short Film - Manon sur le bitume d Élizabeth Marre et Olivier Pont Grammar - Le passé composé et l imparfait. Le plus-que-parfait et la concordance des temps Essay - Qu un ami véritable est une douce chose! de Michel de Montaigne Literature - Le Petit Prince d Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Comic Strip - Astérix de René Goscinny et Albert Uderzo Writing - A blog. An email on the themes of Contemporary Life & Personal and Public Identities (to a friend or relative about school schedule, extra-curricular activities, search for a college ) Conversation - First debate with the whole class. Use of vocabulary on the themes of Contemporary Life & Personal and Public Identities AP Practice - On the themes of Contemporary Life & Personal and Public Identities Unit 2 Les Médias et la Technologie (Science and Technology) Short Film - Idole de Benoît Masocco Grammar - Le conditionnel présent et le conditionnel passé. Le présent. Le futur. Les propositions introduites par si Article - SMS textos: dites «Je t M» avec le pouce! de Louis Asana Literature - Les petits caractères d André Berthiaume Comic Strip - Boule et Bill de Jean Rob Writing - A newspaper article. An email on the theme of Science and Technology Conversation - Second debate with the whole class on the theme of Science and Technology AP Practice - On the theme of Science and Technology Unit 3 Les Générations (Families and Communities) Short Film - Il neige à Marrakech de Hicham Alhayat
Grammar - Les pronoms. Le subjonctif dans les propositions substantives. Le present Article - Les autres, la haine... et l amour de David Foenkino Literature - Les petits caractères d André Berthiaume Comic Strip - Le chat de Philippe Geluck Writing - A review. An email on the theme of Families and Communities Conversation - Role play on the theme of Families and Communities AP Practice - On the theme of Families and Communities Unit 4 Les Voyages et les Transports (Contemporary Life; Science and Technology) Short Film - Pas de bagage d Ismaël Djebbar Grammar - Le subjonctif dans les propositions relatives. Le subjonctif dans les propositions adverbiales. Le présent Essay - La quète du pouvoir de Claude Lévi-Strauss Literature - Supplément au voyage de Bougainville de Denis Diderot Comic Strip - Aya de Yopougon de Marguerite Abouet et Clément Oubrerie Writing - An analytic essay on a poem by Rimbaud. An email on the themes of Contemporary Life & Science and Technology Conversation - First group discussion on the themes of Contemporary Life & Science and Technology AP Practice - On the themes of Contemporary Life & Science and Technology Unit 5 La Nature et l Environement (Global Challenges) Short Film - Vu du ciel: le lagon néo-calédonien, documentaire de Yann Arthus-Bertrand Grammar - Le passé du subjonctif. La voix passive Article - Sur le réchauffement planétaire Literature - Celle qui aimait les arbres et le Rouquin de Nanterre de Leïla Sebba Comic Strip - Toxic Planet de David Ratte Writing - A pamphlet. An email on the theme of Global Challenges Conversation - Pair discussion on the theme of Global Challenges AP Practice - On the theme of Global Challenges Unit 6 La Société (Contemporary Life; Personal and Public Identities) Short Film - Sans titre de David Rousseau et Valéry Schat Grammar - Les comparatifs et les superlatifs. Les infinitifs compléments de verbe, précédés ou non d une préposition Nouvelle - L Affiche d Abdelkader Djema Literature - Le Rossignol de Marie de France Comic Strip - L Enragé de Wolinski de Georges Wolinski Writing - A comparison essay. An email on the themes of Contemporary Life & Personal and Public Identities Conversation - Second group discussion on the themes of Contemporary Life & Personal and Public Identities
AP Practice - On the themes of Contemporary Life & Personal and Public Identities COURSE MATERIALS Main Textbooks Françoise Ghillebaert, 2011. Face-à-face. Conversation et rédaction. Vista Higher learning. Richard Ladd, 2012. AP* French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination. Pearson. Shein, Françoise. French Four Years. Amsco School Publications, 2006. Other Course Materials Prints - A variety of authentic Francophone literature and texts (short stories, poems, from novels, newspaper and magazine articles) to supplement the textbooks, according to the themes. Films - Three to four francophone films are shown and discussed in the course of the year, according to the theme. The following list is not exhaustive: o Chocolat (de Claire Denis) o Cyrano de Bergerac o La Môme o Joyeux Noël o Indochine o Avoir et Être o Bienvenue chez les Ch tis Online resources o LingQ, where students can read online, while listening to francophone speakers, and creating flashcards. o WordChamp, where students can practice the vocabulary, the conjugations, and use the interface to easily read online. o RFI, France 24, France-Amérique, TV5, Franc-parler, are used for listening comprehension activities, and as springboards for class discussions on various topics about the francophone world. Students are often taken on virtual field trips to various places mentioned in our readings. o Littérature audio, allows students to download and listen to classic francophone novels o Conte-moi, gives students access to unique audio files on francophone oral tradition. CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS HOW THE COURSE MEETS AP REQUIREMENTS Curricular requirement 1: The course is taught entirely in French. Students are not permitted to use English at any time during and after the class period. Students sign a contract at the beginning of each year. If they speak English during class, they lose participation points. Curricular requirement 2a, 2b, 2c: Varied instructional materials are used as listed above. Students read from primary sources, and at their pace, on the Internet. They will watch at least three feature films during the year; they have the opportunity to watch several more francophone films during the Sundance Film Festival and via the French Club. Curricular requirement 3a: spoken interpersonal communications
Students will have a variety of opportunities for spoken interpersonal communication. Class discussions of readings, films, etc. Student-led discussions and debate as a class, in groups, or in pairs throughout the year and focusing on the themes and vocabulary studied. Unrehearsed role-plays using vocabulary and structures being taught. Curricular requirement 3b: written interpersonal communication. Writing assignments will include the following: Punctual contributions to the class message board/blog on the school Learning Management System (Instructure Canvas), on assigned topics. Each discussion will last from one to two weeks depending on the topic. Students will be required to address specific comments made by other students in their entries. Writing of formal and informal emails, according to the theme studied. Curricular requirement 4 a: interpretive communication from authentic audio, visual, and audio-visual materials: Class discussions about films, newscasts, etc. allow for this requirement to be met. Class critics of contemporary pieces of art from francophone artists. Curricular requirement 4 b: interpretive communication from authentic written materials Students write summaries of news articles. Students are tested on literature that was read for class. There are both objective and essay questions. Students read news articles and present them to the class. Curricular requirement 5a demonstrate proficiency in spoken presentational communication Students make mini oral reports ( 2 minutes ) on news items they have read Students are required to give oral reports each semester on Francophone people, events, or places. The class takes notes and are later quizzed on the reports. Curricular requirement 5 b demonstrate proficiency in written presentational communication Students do written research papers on topics relating to francophone culture or people Students write formal essays about various topics using examples from news reports, etc. Curricular requirement 6 incorporate interdisciplinary topics across all six themes. Every two weeks the Friday discussion will be about one of the six themes. Students will be given the topic a week in advance in order to prepare vocabulary they will need to participate in the discussions. Each student will have a turn being the discussion facilitator. Unit themes incorporate the six themes; many of them incorporate multiple themes. Curricular requirement 7 demonstrate understanding of the products, practices and perspectives of the target cultures. Students will view French TV ads and discuss products available/advertised in France, comparing and contrasting them with products in the US. Students will view French TV news broadcasts and read French newspaper articles to compare and contrast the treatment of various topics such as foreign policy, social ethics, or technology.
Students will research and discuss the issues of immigration and assimilation or the lack thereof in both the US and France. (possible issues: illegal immigration, the wearing/banning of face veils, racial profiling) Curricular requirement 8 provide opportunities to make comparisons between and within languages and cultures Students will have numerous opportunities to compare the various francophone cultures and American culture. For example, in chapter 1, vocabulary expressions focus on the lives of young people. Students will discuss the educational system in France as compared to the American system. Chapter 2 focuses on the role of women. Readings will also lead to many opportunities to make comparisons. Curricular requirement 9 prepare students to use the target language in real-life settings Students will be using the target language in a real-life situation when they act as docents for the other students at the art museum. Student-led discussions about various topics of interest on Fridays are a real-life situation. Weekly student blog entries constitute a real-life use of the language.