Course Title: French III
Grade 9 Core French Academic Course Code (Ontario): FSF 1D
Textbook: Sans Frontières (Addison Wesley)
Anthologie (Addison Wesley)
Required material: Pens, pencils, erasers, ruler, lined paper (in
binder), pencil crayons, French/English dictionary
Course Expectations: By the end of this course, students will:
Ø listen and respond to short, structured spoken texts;
Ø listen and respond to a variety of short, simple, non-structured media works;
Ø express ideas and opinions in short conversations and teacher-guided discussions;
Ø make oral presentations on a variety of topics;
Ø use appropriate language conventions during oral communication activities;
Ø read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of simple texts; (minimum 40 pages)
Ø read a range of simple texts to gather information and to expand their knowledge of the French language;
Ø identify and understand language conventions used in their reading materials;
Ø express ideas and opinions in short written texts;
Ø create short written texts in structured and open-ended situations;
Ø identify and use appropriate language conventions in their written work.
The aim of the program is to provide
students with functional communication skills in French and an understanding of
the nature of the language and its culture. This course emphasizes the
concurrent development of oral communication, reading, and writing skills,
using a broad-based theme such as media. Students will enhance their ability to
understand and speak French through conversations, discussions, and
presentations. They will also read short stories, articles, poems, and songs,
and write brief descriptions, letters, dialogues and invitations.*
*The
Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10 - French as a Second Language, 1999
SCOPE
AND SEQUENCE: The French III Program includes 8
units of work from the Sans Frontières (Addison-Wesley) program spread over the
academic year. In addition, activities
and readings are included from the associated Anthologie program. There will be opportunities for extensive
audio / visual and performance activities.
See Teacher’s Guide for detailed scheduling and lesson plans.
EVALUATION: Throughout the course, students
will be engaged in diagnostic and formative assessments (that
don’t “count”) which will lead to improvement in student performance and
provide feedback. All students must
complete all summative evaluations (ie. unit tests, major oral
presentations, final unit projects etc.)
which will count in the final calculation of marks. Unauthorized absence may result in a mark of
zero (F) being assigned. Students will be given every opportunity to
complete course work but as in the work world, there are deadlines. Late assignments may not be assessed and a
completion contract or parental contact may be required for students to
complete missed assigned.
Formative
Assessment
There will be several short assignments,
quizzes and tasks in each unit of this course that do not “count” toward the
final mark for the unit. These tasks
are opportunities for teacher feedback about what you are doing well and what
you need to improve. In some cases, you
will be encouraged to work on the improvements, and hand the assignment in for
further feedback. These tasks will be
directly related to the final summative assignment (test, activity or
performance task) for the unit.
Therefore, despite the fact that you will not lose marks for not
completing these tasks, you are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities
for very useful teacher feedback.
Summative
evaluation
The summative assignment(s) and/or test(s) for every unit MUST be
completed successfully in order for a student to pass the course. If this does not occur, a second opportunity
will be provided according to arrangements made by the students, the teacher
and the parents.
Learning
skills do not contribute to the academic mark
Five areas have been identified as learning skills and are being
evaluated separately from academic achievement: work habits/homework, organization, initiative, teamwork and
“works independently”. These are
very important skills for you to learn at school and at home, and they are
crucial in determining how successful you will be in your future employment or
post-secondary schooling. Both parents
and students need to pay close attention to this section of the report card,
and to understand the impact that these skills have on their learning, despite
the fact that they are not directly factored into their academic mark.
Performance expectations will be measured using
Language Strands (oral communication, reading and writing, language
structures and vocabulary) and the Achievement Levels (1-4) under the
categories: (Communication, Comprehension, Organization of Ideas and
Application of language knowledge).
Marks will be determined by linking the required curriculum expectations
with the strands and achievement categories. The total
of all formative and summative evaluations for the school year (term work) will
represent 70% of the final grade. The
final evaluation which represents 30% of the students' final
grade will include a written exam (15%) and a culminating rich
performance task (15%).
A variety of assessment and
evaluation methods is used to determine your performance level. There will
be regular unit tests, smaller verb/structure and vocabulary tests, dictations,
oral performances , skits and dialogues, end-of-unit projects, discussion appraisals, invitations, post cards, short
book reports, listening comprehension tests, reading comprehension tests, etc.
Students will be engaged in the Continuous School Progress goal of
improving written communication skills across the curriculum by referring to
The 6 Traits + 1 model.
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 writing in this class will be assessed
and evaluated using different rubrics.
These rubrics will reflect the integration of the different traits that
are applicable to each assignments. The
traits that will be in focus are as follows:
·
Ideas: clear central idea enriched with related details.
·
Organization: well presented
introduction, paragraphs containing related sentences, smooth
transition between
paragraphs and effective conclusion.
·
Voice: Expression of the writer’s feelings, opinion and interpretations. Individual writing.
·
Word choice: use of precise
vocabulary
·
Sentence fluency: use of
appropriate French sentence structures
·
Mechanics: Correct application of grammar, spelling and punctuation
conventions.
Because punctuality is a “learning skill” academic marks will not be
deducted from work that is handed in late.
However, there will be other non-academic consequences if this occurs
without prior arrangements with the teacher or adequate justification. Formative
work not handed in on time will simply not be marked therefore the students
will not benefit from the feedback needed to perform well in summative
evaluations. Summative work and
assignments should be completed and submitted on time. In specific cases, requests for a special
arrangement should be made in writing and submitted to the teacher prior
to the deadline. No special
arrangements will be granted if
requested only a few minutes
before class. Technological excuses (broken printer, faulty disks,
etc.) will not be accepted for
late assignments and the printing of papers will not be permitted in class on
the day the assignment is due. Failure to comply to the rules may result in the
student having to complete a whole new assignment in addition to the continuous
class work..
Please think ahead and be prepared.
A word
about COMMUNICATION!
The ability to communicate is an
essential skill in today’s world.
French is not only one of Canada’s two official languages, but is also
widely used around the world, being spoken by upwards of 300 million people and
being a main language of communication in over 40 countries or states. Through
learning of a second language, students can strengthen their first-language
skills and enhance their critical and creative thinking abilities. Students who are able to
communicate in another language have a distinct advantage in a number of
careers, both in Canada and internationally.
Finally, French is a beautiful language and can be fun to speak.
Communication in the classroom will be
directed in French and students are expected, as often as possible, to express
themselves in French. Efforts to use French in their daily lives, both inside
and outside the classroom will be recognized and rewarded.