COURSE TITLE:                                                      French 1

TEACHER:                                                                Nathalie Toutant       

ROOM:                                                                      B2.10

E-MAIL                                                                      Nathalie_toutant@eu.odedodea.edu

 

COURSE DESRCIPTION:    

 

            French 1 is designed to teach the student to pronounce and discriminate between the various vowel and consonant sounds and respond to and to imitate patterns of intonation, rhythm and pronunciation.  Students learn to give simple oral and written information by using appropriate learned vocabulary, word order and grammatical forms, and to read silently and aloud with comprehension.  The major oral and written formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences; usage of articles and adjectives to correctly modify nouns; conjunctions of various regular and irregular verbs; usage of the present tense, usage of the comparative, superlative, demonstrative and possessive adjectives; formation of possession; usage of adverbs and the usage of direct and indirect pronouns

 

COURSE STANDARDS:

 

DoDEA's performance standards for foreign languages are based on the five National Goals of the American Council for Teachers of Foreign Language:

 

·            Communication: Communicate in Languages Other Than English

·              Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

·              Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

·              Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

 

·            Cultures: Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

·              Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

·              Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.

 

·            Connections: Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

·              Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.

·              Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

 

·            Comparisons: Develop Insight Into the Nature of Language and Cultures

·              Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

·              Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

·            Communities: Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World.

·              Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

·              Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

 

 

DoDEA FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

YEAR I: LEVEL I - BEGINNING SPEAKER

 

 

            The beginning level of a foreign language consists of two years of study of the target language.  Students develop communication skills that will enable them to function in everyday situations.  The beginning level also includes the development of functional reading and writing skills and an appreciation of our multicultural global communities.

 

I.                     PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

 

Upon completion of the beginning level Year I course, the student should be able to:

 

·       Greet and respond to greetings

·       Introduce self and others and respond to introductions

·       Engage in conversations about personal topics

·       Express likes and dislikes

·       Make requests

·       Provide information

·       Obtain information from a variety of sources

·       Present information in interpersonal scenarios

·       Identify cultural celebrations

·       Build a speaking vocabulary

·       Use basic sentence patterns

·       Use correct pronunciation in speech and in reading aloud

·       Use the target language in common situations of everyday life

·       Participate in guided conversations

·       Create dialogues using everyday situations

·       Use idiomatic expressions

·       Respond appropriately to commands or questions

·       Engage in simple conversations relevant to suggested content areas

·       Engage in communicative partner activities to practice proficiency

·       Identify basic sounds in listening to discrimination exercises

 

 

II.                   LEVEL I SKILL DEVELOPMENT

 

A.      Interpersonal Skills:

1.         Make a reservation, appointment, or date

2.         Greet acquaintances and strangers appropriately

3.         Ask questions about health, weather, and other topics

4.         Answer questions about personal information

 

B.      Interpretive Skills:

1.         Read a telephone message

2.         Read authentic documentation to obtain information (e.g., labels, advertisements, maps, travel instructions, functional texts, etc.)

3.         Interpret main ideas using listening skills and context clues

4.         Understand a variety of speakers and accents

 

C.      Presentational Skills:

1.         Recite or perform from memory a short text, rap, or song

2.         Write and explain a short list of interactions, recipe, or bill

3.         Read aloud comprehensibly

 

 

COURSE GRADING AND ASSESSMENT:

 

            Approximately 10% of the grade will be from the quizzes, 60% will be from unit tests and 30% will be from semester exam. The grades will be given on a percentage basis, which follows the school’s mandatory grading scale.

The unit test dates are announced in advance so that the student will have adequate time to prepare. Quizzes could be given at any class.

 

HOME AND MAKE UP WORK POLICIES: 

 

            Students will have to review after every class session. If there is homework or a project, students are expected to have their work completed before entering the classroom.  Work that is not ready to be turned in at the beginning of class of the date due may not be accepted.  If there are exceptional circumstances, work may be handed later after discussion with me.  It is the students’ responsibility to come to see me for an arrangement and to hand in work on the first day returning to school after an absence.  If a test or quiz was missed, the student may take it during class or seminar of the first day back. 

 

Exercises and activities assigned during class and not completed are considered homework.  When we correct this work in class it is considered formative evaluation.  This is work that the student is doing to monitor his or her progress.  The student is expected to complete work, and to make corrections when we take it up.  This is part of the students’ responsibility to make use of feed back for improvement.  He/she should then ask for help with anything that is not clear so that results of summative assessment (tests, quizzes, projects….) are as strong as possible.  

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

 

Students are expected to come to class on time, prepared with their textbook, workbook, homework assignment, notebooks, pen/pencil, eraser and paper.  Failure to do so will result in a tardy mark.  A notebook is required for the course. Students must keep all graded assignments, tests and quizzes until the end of the semester. 

Group work is essential in the foreign language classroom to practice and master conversation in the target language.  During group time, all students are required to stay on task in the target language. Students who interrupt the learning process will be asked to leave.  The time out procedures will be in effect with an administrator in the office.  A conference will be held with their teacher, counselors, and administrator to discuss the problem.

 

ORAL DIALOGS AND PRESENTATIONS

 

Students will be required to perform oral dialogues and presentations in front of class.  These will occasionally be recorded or videotaped so that the students can monitor his/ her progress.  As the year progresses I expect longer presentations.

 

TEXTBOOK:

 

            Discovering French by Jean Paul Valette and Rebecca M. Valette

 

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:

 

            A small French/English dictionary is recommended for French 1.  All vocabularies are listed in the back of the textbook and the dictionary will only be used for fieldtrips and dialogs. It is helpful for students to keep track of all vocabulary presented in a personal vocabulary notebook. 

  

PARENTS / SPONSORS:

 

            You can help by making sure that you son/daughter completes his/her homework.  You may want to quiz them on weekly vocabulary words.  Students, who carefully complete all homework assignments, score much higher on tests and exams and a much faster rate of language fluency. When traveling in a French speaking country, encourage your child to use the French language.  It is a great motivating force. The student must use the target language outside the classroom, whenever possible. Watching French TV, videos and DVD.

            Do not hesitate to communicate with me if you need information or if you have any concern about your child or the class itself.

  

 

CONTINUOUS SCHOOL PROJECT

 

AFNORTH International Middle/High School’s CSP (Continuous School Progress) goal is, All students will improve their written communication skills across the curriculum.” The 6 + 1 trait is the model selected to improve school-wide writing in all subject areas. The 6+1 Trait writing framework is a powerful way to learn and use a common language to refer to characteristics of writing as well as establish a common vision of what “strong” writing looks like. Teachers and students will use the 6+1 Trait model to identify areas of strength and weakness as they continue to strive towards continued writing improvement. Success of all students requires that the 6 + 1 Trait become a consistent and integral component of each course taught at AFNORTH International Middle/High School. The 6+ 1 trait model will be integrated into various projects throughout the school year involving all basic writing skills. 

 

 

 

Nathalie Toutant

045 527-8201

Nathalie_toutant@eu.odedodea.edu