Course goals and design
Communication in French focuses this course. This course is taught in French and the students therein are required to communicate in the target language in order to obtain a desirable grade. The basis of the course builds through a tiered approach focusing on the authentic communication through the reading, speaking, listening and reading of a third year experience. The assignments and assessments focus on a wide approach encompassing all language skills in the latter and a specified subject in the former. Students engage in a variety of tools to ameliorate their language comprehension including, but not limited to, film, assorted audio, multiple literary forms, and conversation. The occasion to speak offers itself in a variety of venues including critique of assorted artistic forms, conversation in class, audio journaling, and oral response to interrogation. The writing focus builds on the students’ journaling background. The students write for a variety of purposes; they discuss politics, offer retorts to prompts, describe situations, and other various activities. Above all a focus on all four language skills and the development thereof allows the students to succeed.
AP Course Material:
Primary textbook:
Ladd, Richard and Colette Girard. AP French: Preparing for the Language Examination: Second Edition. Scott Foresman Addison Wesley: Glenview, IL, 1998.
Supplementary text
Beckett, Samuel. En attendant Godot. Les editions de minuit, Lonrai, 2005.
Comeau, Raymond F. and Normand J. Lamoureux. Ensemble. Grammaire en action: septième edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ, 2006.
Comeau, Raymond F., Normand J. Lamoureux and Brigitte M. Lane. Ensemble. Histoire. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 2003.
Comeau, Raymond F., Normand J. Lamoureux, and Marie-Paule Tranvouez. Ensemble. Culture et Société: sixième édition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Harcourt Brace College Publishers: New York, 1999.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/frenital/chanson.htm
Ionseco, Eugène. La Cantatrice Chauve : l’anti-pièce. Gallimard : Paris, 1970.
Joubert, Jean-Louis. Littératures francophones du Monde Arabe: Anthologie. Nathan: Paris, 1994.
Knauer, Ellen Valtri. The Best Test Presentation for the AP French Language Exam. Research and Education Association, Piscataway, NJ, 2006.
Molière. Le Tartuffe ou l’imposteur.Larousse-Bordas : Paris, 1998.
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. Le Petit Prince.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Huis Clos. Gallimard: Saint-Armand : Cher, 1983.
Warner, Keith Q. Voix françaises du monde noir : Anthologie d’auteurs noirs francophones. Holt, Reinhart and Winston : New York, 1971.
Les films
Amélie
Au Revoir les Enfants
Danton
La Bataille d’Algers
La Marseillaise
Les 400 Coups
Les Visiteurs
Tartuffe
Course planner
August 28 – September 12
Review of standard present tense and common irregulars.
Review of prepositions and idiomatic expressions.
Review of stress pronouns
Distinguish between the articles and the correct usage.
Review of simple concepts for effective essay writing.
Vocabulary – La vie à la ville et celle de la campagne, ici et ailleurs
Literature – « La Cantatrice Chauve », Ionesco
Audio – Josée Vachon, chansons et paroles
Film – Les Visiteurs
Lecture – Modes de vie, les poèmes de Prévert
Assessment – poem based on Prévert, quiz, one paragraph response, oral journal, vocab quiz
September 15 – October 3
Review of object pronouns
Review of imperative
Distinguishing between the prepositions à and de
Review of more abstract idiomatic expressions
Literature – la suite de « La Cantatrice Chauve »
Audio – MC Solaar, chansons et paroles
Lecture – Intéractions 169-178
Vocabulary – les taches ménagères
Assessment – test, aural quiz, reading quiz, grammar quiz, pronunciation quiz, vocab quiz
October 6 – 31
Review of imperfect and passé composé
Review of transitive and intransitive verbs
Review of direct objects and indirect object
How to locate the tense in verbs sections of the AP Examination
Lecture – Quelques poèmes de Lamartine, Labé, Merrimé, Césaire, Ronsard, Verlaine, Villon
Film – Amélie
Audio – Jacques Brel, chansons et paroles
Lecture – les jeunes 3-26
Vocabulary – la vie des jeunes
Assessment – Quiz on verbs, essay, oral journal, pronunciation quiz - recital, picture sequence quiz – timed, vocab quiz
November 3 – 25
Navigating a picture sequence
Review of other object pronouns, y versus en
Review of abstract and special prepositions
Review of the plus-que-parfait
Identifying the desired outcome of an essay question, avoiding traps in vocabulary
Literature – Le Petit Prince
Film – « Au Revoir les Enfants »
Lecture – Les classes sociales Histoire
Vocabulary – la flore et la faune
Assessment – essay, verb and grammar quiz, released exam for a midterm grade, vocab quiz, reading assessment of text selection
December 1-12
Listening more effectively for the AP Exam
Review of uncommon irregular present tense
Review of future and future anterieur
Dès que, aussitôt que, quand, lorsque
Literature – Extraits de «Le Chanson de Roland »
Film – « La Marseillaise »
Lecture – « Chansons et cinéma » Histoire 201-218
Audio – La Marseillaise, parole
Vocabulary – la vie politique
Assessment – quiz - picture sequence from released exam, test, oral journal, grammar and verb quiz, vocab quiz
December 15 – 19
Review of all si clauses
Review of the conditional and conditional past
Review of common relative pronouns que, qui, dont, où
Literature – «Tartuffe » Molière
Film – « Tartuffe », Charon
Vocabulary – les croyances et la tolérance
Assessment – essay, aural quiz, grammar and verb quiz, vocab quiz, reading assessment of text selection
January 5 - 23
Review of demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
Review of lequel and combinations
Review of possessives
Literature et film – la suite de « Tartuffe »
Vocabulary – Le voyage et les modes de transporation
Assessment – oral journal, grammar and verb quiz, vocab quiz, picture sequence quiz
January 27 – February 13
Review of interrogative
Review of interrogative versus relative
Literature – « Huis Clos », Sartre
Lecture – la Décalaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen de 1789
Audio – Aux Champs Elysées, NOFX
Vocabulary – la patrie, l’amour et la mort
Assessment – Released exam comme examen finale – selon les conditions AP, aural quiz, vocab quiz, essay
February 23 – March 6
Review of the subjunctive formation common regulars
Review of the subjunctive formation common irregulars
Literature – la suite de « Huis Clos »
Film – « Danton », Wajda
Vocabulary – la santé
Assessment – oral journal, vocab quiz, reading assessment of text selection
March 9 – 20
Review of the subjunctive and idiomatic expressions using que
Review of when certainty becomes uncertain in the negative and interrogative
Literature – «En attendant Godot» Beckett
Film – « Les 400 coups, » Truffaut
Lecture – Cahiers du cinéma, Voix Français du Monde Noir
Vocabulary – les classes défavorisées, l’esclavage mentale
Assessment – aural quiz, vocab quiz, essay, test
March 23 – April 3
Review of subjunctive and associated conjunctions
Review of common negative expressions
Literature – la suite de «En attendant Godot»
Vocabulary – la vie familiale
Assessment – oral journal, vocab quiz
April 6 - 17
Review of specific AP format and style
Review of uncommon negative expressions
Review of present participle and past infinitive
Literature – les extraits du Littérature francohphone du Monde Arabe.
Vocabulary – les femmes et la publicité
Lecture – «Elle» les articles et les publictés
Assessment – Released exam comme examen du mi-terme, aural quiz, vocab quiz, essay, reading assessment of text selection
April 27 – May 1
Review based on student request
Film – «La Bataille d’Algers»
Vocabulary – la francophonie
Assessment – oral journal, vocab quiz, essay, test
May 4 – June 5
During the period after the examination each student presents to the class their idea of a cultural endeavor. The project is completely self-generated. The student decides on the topic, provides a thesis, outline, timeline, and assessment rubric. The teacher acts as an information liaison and gathers materials specific to the needs of the student. At the end of the three weeks the students present their projects and are evaluated.
Course Activities
Reading:
Each week begins with reading aloud from a variety of texts, including plays, novels, poems, lyrics, or other materials. The range of materials means to serve the students transitioning into a more literature based course and to offer a variety of textual styles from which they may build understanding. At the conclusion of the reading the students summarize in writing that which they have just read and then these pieces provide a means to talk about the text based on the vocabulary theme and course theme. They may also create subsequent dialogues, write poetry in the style of a specific author, or expound upon a topic generated in class as a result of thematic exploration.
The students will read La Canatrice Chauve, Le Petit Prince, selections from Le Chanson de Roland, Le Tartuffe, Huis Clos, En Attedant Godot, and assorted French poetry and prose. The texts chosen generally lend themselves to oral performance and hence predominately are plays and poetry. These forms allow students to further understand the role of rhythm in their speech as well as intonation in their speaking. Students seem more willing to act intonation and alter their speech patterns from the Anglicization of their cadence with a referent such as rhyme scheme or meter in French.
Students also read selections from Ensemble: Histoire, Ensemble: Culture, Voix Français du Monde Noir, Littérature du Monde Arabe, as well as selections from the magazine Elle, Le Monde online edition, and assorted e-text articles chosen based on current issues in the world. These selections back up the texts chosen thematically and supplement vocabulary discussed in class. As well the French four feeder program uses the Ensemble: Grammaire, which focuses the themes in the supplements.
The variety of reading assignments facilitates the comprehension of the styles employed on the AP Language examination. When students understand the type of text they read they posses an advantage over the types of questions that may arise as a result of said text. A literary work does not hide from the passé simple, whereas a conversational piece lends itself to inference. The variation of samples allows students to more quickly and easily become intimate with the text in a finite amount of time.
Responses to the literature focus the mind of the reader. Whether a short answer-style quiz, a survey, or an oral explication de texte, each assessment allows the reader to increase fluency and ease of comprehension. Although there are multiple texts, with myriad interpretations, the focus of the class and the readings remains a deep understanding of the intent and the audience.
Listening and Speaking
Students engage in a variety of listening and speaking activities. Each literary piece contains a compliment audio text. As students engage in the literature, they too will be required to listen to songs, interviews and lectures by a variety francophone artists and figures. The proximity to Québec of our school offers the possibility of emersion opportunities for students both in a curricular sense and a personal sense. Likewise the music of Québec offers students insight into Québec. The songs of Josée Vachon and groups like Yélo-Mélo contribute catchy lyrics and modern styling that peak students interests and allow for the use of Jacques Brel down the line. Activities associated with this may be verb fill-ins, function word fill-ins or the creation of multiple choice content questions based on understanding of the lyrics. Students may also respond to the music in writing or orally.
Students also view many films that work with the texts and units covered as part of class. Many of the films offer cultural insights. Whether the students watch Les 400 coups or La Bataille d’Algers students cannot help but to gain insight into modern France and the social, political, and cultural realities that face it. These films lead toward small group discussion and the linking between modern social realities and how they could be predicted through the film. Students also are required to prepare a list of themes in the visual text and generate a series of three sample questions that would mirror the types of questions generated in the picture sequence portion of the AP examination. Other students then respond to them in class for a grade.
Other examples of speaking and listening activities include responses to art and still photographs. Students on the last day of each week come into the classroom, and via projector, they view an image or series of images from art, a still from a film, a piece of architecture or an image of a person taken from the news. The students then dialogue about the image for 15- 20 minutes, discussing their feelings about the image, the relevance the image plays in their lives (if any), and the cultural importance of the image. This activity then lends itself greatly to further interrogation, much like the picture sequence of the AP examination.
Students also keep an oral journal, due approximately every three weeks, in which they expound upon the past topics, respond to a prompt or generally discuss a topic of their choice. They journals must be five minutes in length, but may be divided up into segments of 60-90 seconds. The journals are graded based on the AP rubric so that students better understand their strengths and weaknesses. The journals must be completed without the use of written materials, except for a prompt when required.
Further students will engage in the performance of impromptu and written skits, listening activities from their textbook, and engage in conversation in class. All work in and out of the classroom takes place in French in order to ameliorate their speaking and listening.
Writing
Each student must write and re-write in order to hone their craft. Many students find the guidelines and student samples initially daunting. Nevertheless students work continuously from the fall forward in order to grasp the nuances of the desired outcome.
Students write for purpose a minimum of three days in a five day week. They may respond to a piece of art, compose a skit, or write a letter to a historic figure, but they will write, and re-write. Some student pieces done in class become the homework of other students. A letter for example written in class will go home with another student to peer edit. The following day the students meet to discuss questions of grammar, vocabulary choice and fluency discrepancies. The student who wrote the letter will then rewrite for a grade. The system of each student learning the strengths and weaknesses of other students helps them grow as French speakers and writers. Their reading of others’ work allows them to become more aware of their own work. These activities set up nicely for verb fill-ins and function word fill-ins.
At the end of each unit of study, be that a film, a piece of literature, or their associated thematic units provide for a natural writing prompt. This prompt or prompt will be either decided by myself or generated through class discussion. The students then timed write without the use of dictionaries after the first quarter. For example, when contemplating religious tolerance in Tartuffe, students may be asked to write about the changing role of religious zealots and their impact on modern culture. These activities unless used for a timed writing grade, will then be given feedback and rewritten as a homework assignment. The process is repeated until the student becomes satisfied with their work based on the parameters of the assignment.
Students also write for a variety of other purposes. They are required to write various forms of poetry, skit, and commercial dialogue. The function of the former is to learn the vocabulary and styles associated with poetry they enjoy. The skits and commercials offer more modern nuanced adventures that use a common dialogue and vernacular associated with the customs appropriate to the subject matter discussed in class. For example, when studying the film La Marseillaise, the students may be asked to recreate the dialogue in the chariot as the Louis and Marie-Antoinette attempt to flee using a proper grammar and thematic vocabulary to the best of their understanding. Likewise commercial jingles may be much more light-hearted and geared to specific audiences in order to demonstrate control over syntax and media savvy.
AP Specific Training
Regarding the specifics of the AP examination, I employ Preparing for the Language Examination as a primary text. Its use remains fundamentally introductory to the stylistic underpinnings of the exam and hence it remains largely a homework resource. I introduce concepts and ideas to familiarize the students for what they can expect to see on the exam, and based on its sequence and scope, what they can expect not to see. Three times a year, for mid-terms and a first semester final, the students are tested in exact specifications for what will transpire on the actual exam. They are timed, placed in the same room with the same equipment they will use on the test day and a proctor administers the examination, in order to avoid any conflict when the actual examination takes place. I respond to their examinations in writing in full in order for them to better understand their strengths and weaknesses and make time in or out of class to discuss the finer points of a student’s performance.
