AFNORTH
International Middle/High School
Academic
SY
2007-08
Course
Title: French III
Grade 9 Core French Academic
Course
Code (Ontario): FSF
1D
Textbook: Sans Frontières (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 description, letters, dialogues and invitations. *
*The Ontario Curriculm Grades 9 and 10 –
French as a Second Language, 1999
EVALUATION: Throughout the course, students will be engaging 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 (i.e. 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.
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 talks, you are encouraged to take advantage of theses opportunities for very useful teacher feedback.
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.
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, en-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 reading comprehension skills across the curriculum by referring to The 6 Traits + 1 model.
CONTINUOUS
SCHOOL PROGRESS: AFNORTH
International Middle/High School’s CSP (Continuous School Progress) goal one
is, “All students will improve their reading comprehension skills across the
curriculum.” Goal two is, “All
students will improve skills in mathematical computation.” Standardized
assessments, such as the PSAT and Terra Nova will be used to identify areas of
strengths and weaknesses and to assess growth as we continue to strive towards
continued academic improvement. Success of all students requires that instructional
strategies to improve reading comprehension and mathematical computation become
a consistent and integral component of each course taught at AFNORTH
International Middle/High School.
6
Traits + 1 Writing Rubric: The 6 Traits + 1 is the model selected to
improve school-wide writing in all subject areas. The 6 Traits + 1 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.
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 with 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 and 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 of states. Through learning of a second language, students can strengthen their fist-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.