AP French Syllabus / French 5 Syllabus

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AP French Syllabus
AP FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Contact Information: silvermanv@issaquah.wednet.edu
Portable 3 . Period 4, 5 &7.
AP exam: students will register for the AP French exam and College Board page in September. Registering on the College board page does not mean that the student is obligated to take the AP exam in May :). More information will be presented in class.
Please  read the World Language Department Policies (grading scale, use of technology, absences, academic integrity) here: World Language Policies
ABSENCES: it is student’s sole responsibility to contact me the day they  come back from an absence to schedule make-ups for missed assignments. I will schedule a day that works for both of us within a limited and reasonable time frame. A couple of days is reasonable, or as many days as the student has missed (per IHS policy). A couple of weeks is not, unless they were absent for 2 weeks.
I will contact parents of students who are chronically absent for quizzes, tests and  orals.
Students who miss a test/ quiz/ oral and are UNEXCUSED will not be able to make it up and will receive a 0.
Tardies.
Attendance will be taken each class period.  Students who are not in their seats when the bell rings will be marked late/tardy.  Students who arrive to class less than 10 minutes late will be marked late.  Students who are more than 10 minutes late will be marked tardy.  Students are expected to remain in class for the entirety of the period.  If a student leaves class, without a pass, and is gone for more than 10 minutes they will be marked tardy. Students who are marked late/tardy will not be able to make up any assignments or activities that were completed during their absence unless their tardy is excused through the Attendance office. Students who are late more than 5 times to class will be assigned a Nest detention with me.  Students who are late to class 10 times in a semester or tardy 5 times in a semester will be assigned the consequences and interventions outlined in the student handbook.
All rules in the Issaquah High School Discipline Policy and Student Handbook are in effect daily in this class.
Academic honesty, cheating, use of online translators.
Academic honesty: all assignments are INDIVIDUAL unless otherwise noted.  PLEASE REFER  TO THE  WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT POLICY FOR ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY (use of online translators, etc).Use of online translators such as Google translate is considered cheating, because Google Translate or other online translators do the work, not the student.

  • Cheating – Intentional deception or the use of unauthorized materials in the preparation or completion of any school assignment, assessment, examination or project, or in the conduct of any school-related activity is prohibited, along with the aiding and abetting of such behavior by others.
  • Students caught cheating on a quiz or test or using an online translator and passing the work for their own will receive a 0  for that assignment and will not be able to retake it or resubmit their work.
  • Academic Integrity/Honesty Regulation–Academic integrity speaks to a student’s commitment and responsibility to pursue scholarship honestly. It respects the concept that learning is the primary purpose of education, secondary to grades and credits. Academic dishonesty is defined as any action or attended action that may result in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for any other student. A student shall not attempt to earn credit or receive a grade for coursework (tests, quizzes, assignments, projects, essays) in a manner other than defined as acceptable by each instructor.

IMPORTANT !!!!!!! = ONLINE WORK and HELP.
While I will make every effort to show students how to work with online platforms such as Pearson, Yabla and VHL. However it is the students’ responsibility to troubleshoot technical issues on their own by:

  1. looking up issues on the following ISD webpage:

http://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/district/depatments/Technology/students
and also by:

  1. exploring the websites to troubleshoot on their own.
  2.  contacting classmates for help.
  3. contacting the website help desk.
  4.  making sure their device has the most recent plugins and updates to run the necessary software programs,
  5.  contacting me as the last resort only if the issue is between the school portal and the website.

CONTACT ME IN CASE OF TECHNICAL ISSUES ASAP, ONLY AND ONLY IF  YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THE STEPS ABOVE. If you do not contact me and do not show me that you have done everything in your power to fix the issue, you will have 0s in the grade book corresponding to missing assignments.
I. COURSE OVERVIEW
AP French Language and Culture is for high school students in their 4th year study of French. It is designed to be the equivalent of a third year college course.
It is conducted entirely in French in order to prepare students to communicate with proficiency in the 3 modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational as defined by the ACTFL “Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century.”  Students will communicate exclusively in French during class. When communicating in French, they will gain knowledge and understanding of Francophone cultures, make connections with other disciplines, compare their own language and culture with French language and Francophone culture, and participate in their French community at school and beyond the school setting.
Throughout the course, the following 6 themes will be studied: Global Challenges, Science and Technology, Contemporary Life, Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, and Beauty and Aesthetics. Students will be encouraged and expected to express different views on real world issues that relate to the six themes.
Students will be exposed to a wide range of authentic documents designed for native French speakers. They will read texts from magazines and newspapers, and literary works from Francophone writers, either on paper or online. Students will have essay assignments and other writing activities to enhance their writing skills. Students will participate in diverse oral activities to refine their speaking skills in all communication modes.
Students will have weekly grammar assignments that will be completed at home. Students are responsible for correcting the grammar assignments prior to the weekly grammar quiz, using a different color pen and the answer key that will be provided after completion of each grammar chapter.
II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the 6 modes of communications as defined by the College Board and ACTFL.
1. Spoken Interpersonal Communication
2. Written Interpersonal Communication
3. Audio, Visual and Audiovisual Interpretive Communication
4. Written and Print Interpretive Communication
5. Spoken Presentational Communication.
6. Written Presentational Communication
They will be able to converse almost fluently with a variety of speakers on a wide range of topics. They will be able to describe and narrate events using correct syntax, grammar, and present, past and future time frame. They will be able to handle complicated situations or transactions. They will be able to state and support their opinions, and understand a variety of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.
They will demonstrate comprehension of content from a variety of authentic documents and resources. They will be able to analyze documents to make critical comments.
They will be able to produce creative and persuasive writings and speeches on topics requiring thoughtful reflection and research.
In addition, students will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of features of Francophone communities (geographic, historical, socio-cultural and political.)
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of content across disciplines.
Make comparisons between and within French from a variety of French-speaking countries and their own language.
Make comparisons between and within Francophone culture and their own culture.
Use French in the classroom and outside the school setting.
III. COURSE MATERIAL
Students are required to have all the handouts and worksheet used in class FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR at all times. They will refer to these documents often. Extra copies will not be provided.
Required Textbooks and Instructional Material
Thèmes. MacGraw Hill 2015. (with ebook)
Ladd, Richard. AP French: Preparing for the French Language and Culture Examination. Pearson Prentice Hall 2012  (with ebook)
Reprise: A Review Workbook for Grammar, Communication, and Culture (French Edition.) Glencoe MacGraw-Hill 2003 ($TBA)
Subscription to http://french.yabla.com : ($TBA)
Please pay the bookkeeper for Yabla and Reprise. Thank you.
Additional Material
REQUIRED: planner, binder and notebook.
French apps: Wordreference.com; Duolingo.com; Quizlet.com
IV. COURSE INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS and ASSESSMENT.
Students are expected to speak French in class at all times.
Students will engage in a wide variety of activities throughout the year to reach proficiency in interpersonal, interpretive and presentational communication. Activities are conducted on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
Students will do weekly AP activities that correspond to the exam format.
Students will have daily homework assignment
1. Spoken Interpersonal Communication
Throughout the course, students will participate in class discussions, student-led discussions, debates, Q&A with guest speakers, unrehearsed role-plays, and skits using formal and informal language registers.
2. Written Interpersonal Communication
Students will participate in interactive blogs, and discussion forums with threaded discussions using formal and informal language registers. The blog and the discussion forum are on the teacher website.
The discussions will be based on the 6 themes of the course. Students will post comments on the class blog and do daily or weekly journaling activities to encourage a thoughtful reflection on current issues. They will learn to exchange ideas with their peers, elicit ideas and defend their viewpoints.
Students will learn how to write emails ( AP exam format)
3. Audio, Visual and Audiovisual Interpretive Communication
Students will watch and listen to authentic audio sources (podcasts, radio broadcasts, songs etc.) analyze visual sources (art works, photos, charts, graphs, etc.) and audiovisual sources (movies, documentaries, etc.) by and for an audience of native French speakers from a variety of Francophone countries.
4. Written and Print Interpretive Communication
Students will analyze authentic written documents (newspaper and magazine articles, literary texts, editorials, blogs, etc. from a variety of Francophone countries.)
Students will demonstrate proficiency in interpretive written communication by writing expository or persuasive essays that are evaluated for content (meaning, interpretation, coherence, analysis, etc.) and form (grammar and vocabulary.) following the AP grading rubric.
All essays are written during a 45-minute class to adhere to the testing format.
When writing essays, students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the themes and contexts of the theme, incorporate and analyze a variety of perspectives, products and practices from a variety of Francophone countries and their own, and present coherent persuasive ideas
5. Spoken Presentational Communication
Students will prepare oral presentations and skits. They will present oral summaries of related content from print and audiovisual sources.
6. Written Presentational Communication such as summary writing, research papers, persuasive essays, letters to the editor, reports and brochures.
Students will learn the vocabulary and idiomatic expressions associated with each of the 6 themes and their contexts. They will have a weekly vocabulary quiz.
Students will summarize a variety of authentic documents (literary and non-literary texts, audiovisual sources.)
Proficiency in Reading Skills
Students will develop their reading skills by reading from a wide variety of literary and non-literary texts. Special emphasis will be on the acquisition on idiomatic expressions. Readings will be followed by oral and/or written comprehension and interpretation questions.
Proficiency in listening skills.
Students will work with a variety of authentic sources such as podcast, Internet streaming, television programs, movies and songs. They will be followed by oral and/or written comprehension and interpretation questions. Students will have graded online listening activities weekly ( Yabla/ Pearson/ newscasts)
Culture
Developing the students’ understanding of Francophone culture is one of the two essential tenets of the AP course. Ultimately the students will develop a deeper understanding of their own culture through the study of Francophone perspectives and cultures. Current events are often the starting point to start a dialogue and comparisons between the students’ culture and other’s. Informal assessments will be done through in-class discussions. Formal assessments will be done through written assignments and oral presentations in which the students correctly synthesize, analyze and present relevant cultural topics to the class.
Assessments
Assessments will be formative, helping the students master the learning objectives, and summative to document student progress.
Formative assessments will include quizzes, unit tests, homework assignments, and oral presentations.
Summative assessments include final exams and AP practice exams.
Throughout the year, students will have weekly assignments with Yabla.com in which they watch short videos, either interviews or documentaries, and do the follow up activities.
Pearson: AP practice “Pearson” are graded for accuracy.
Yabal is graded. On time= 100%. late=50%. Incomplete ( on time or late) =0%
Once grades are in the gradebook for Pearson and Yabla, these grades  cannot be changed.
IV. GUIDE TO THEMATIC UNITS AND TIMELINE
For each unit, activities may include some or all of the following activities:
• For each unit, students will read articles from various online and non-digital sources. They will synthesize and analyze information collected from newspapers and magazines, literary texts, artwork, photos and graphs.
• Students will participate in daily discussions in French. They will take turn presenting a theme-related topic from current events. They will do oral presentations centered on the central themes.
• They will record their answers to a discussion question within a specific theme.
• They will synthetize and analyze information collected from podcasts, songs, and movies. They will listen to the audiovisual segments and answer analytical questions based on the content.
• They will complete all activities from 7 Jours sur la Planète that correspond to the unit.
• They may take part in online discussions monitored by the teacher.
• They will write essays structured around the 6 themes and their contexts.
• They will compile a list of theme-related vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.
THEME 1: GLOBAL CHALLENGES
THEME 2: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THEME 3: CONTEMPORARY LIFE
THEME 4: PERSONAL AND PUBLIC IDENTITIES
THEME 5: FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES
THEME 6: BEAUTY AND AESTHETICS
AP practice/review April-May
AP exam:  May 15th  2020 ( 8am)
Final exams: TBA

  1. Students who take the AP exam will not have a written final in June.
  2. Students who do not take the AP exam will have a written final exam.
  3. June finals:  all students will have a 10-20 minute exit interview with Madame.

V. GRADING
Homework 20% (Reprise workbook, 7 jours reports, projects, class presentations, etc.)
Quizzes and tests 30%
Interpersonal communication (Participation and oral) 20%

  • A (93%)= speaks French  with peers without being reminded AND is an active participant in class discussion. Student applies diligently new vocabulary that they learn in class. Student strives to improve their fluency. Student makes a daily conscious effort to improve and not make the same mistakes over and over.
  • B (85%)= speaks French with peers BUT is not an active participant in class discussion. Student tries sometimes  but not daily to apply new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. Students does not make a consistent effort to improve and correct their mistakes.
  • D (65%)= does not speak French with peers AND/OR speaks English in class AND/OR does not participate actively in class discussion AND/OR needs to be reminded constantly to speak French in class by teacher or classmates.

Interpretive communication20%

  1. AP practice (Pearson) online and in class.
  2. Yabla  (Online activities).
  3. 7 jours sur la planète (aka 7 jours)

Final exam 10%
VI. CLASSROOM AND STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
All rules set forth in the Issaquah High School Discipline policy are in effect daily in this class.
Cell phones are prohibited and will be confiscated if students use them in class, unless permitted by the teacher for educational use ( Word reference or Quizlet for example)
Food and drink are not allowed.
Students shall show courtesy to everyone in the classroom.
Students will be in their seat, ready to work, and with with their material ready WHEN the bell rings at the beginning of class and will wait for the teacher to dismiss the class at the end of class (i.e. the teacher dismisses the class, not the bell.)
Please see the attached World Languages policy for the grading scale and other relevant information.
All assignments are individual unless indicated otherwise.
VII. Grade bumps for successfully passing the AP exam for semester 1 and 2: yes.
VIII. AP exam and June finals
Students who works diligently throughout the year will be ready to take the AP exam in May. All Students will have a final exit interview in June. Students who do NOT take the AP exam in May will have a final exit interview IN ADDITION  to a written exam.
     Homework policy addendum

  1. This is a college level course.
  2. Homework is posted every day on the blog.
  3. You are expected to check the blog every day.
  4. Late work is not accepted, unless you have been absent.
  5. If you are absent 1 day, you have one day to make up homework assignments. If you are absent 2 days, you have 2 days, etc.
  6. It is your responsibility to show me the completed assignment and the yellow HW log to get a HW stamp the following day:
Day 1 : Absent.
 
Day 2: back to class
 
Option 1: you checked the blog and were able to complete the HW = you get a HW stamp like everyone else.
 
Option 2: you were so sick the day before, you could not get out of bed, bring the HW assignment on day 3, provided it was not corrected in class that day.
 
Day 3:
Show me the HW assignment and the yellow HW log for a HW stamp, as long as the HW was not corrected in class on day 2.
 
Forgot to do it? No HW stamp on day 4, or 5, or 55.

 

  1. When an assignment is corrected in class the day you come back to school, you cannot receive a HW stamp for that assignment on day 3. (see table above.)
  2. Reprise is due every Monday, no exceptions = you have an entire week to complete a chapter.
  3. Reprise chapters that are submitted late will not receive a HW stamp unless you were absent on Monday.
  4. Yabla and Pearson have specific due date. Yabla  submitted late will get 50% off.
  5. Once Yabla and Pearson  grades are entered in the grade book, you cannot complete them to change your grade.

FRENCH 5 SYLLABUS
French 5 is an independent study.
Students are expected to communicate in French at all times among themselves and with the teacher.
Students will continue to perfect their interpretive, presentational and communicative skills. They will follow Francophone current events on a weekly basis using websites such as Radio Canada, TV5 monde, RFI international, etc. Students will also do research on Francophone topics of their own choosing, keep a journal of resources used and reflect on what they are learning on a daily basis. If no topics are chosen, they will follow a textbook (history: Trésors du Temps; French literature: Moments Littéraires). Students will read at least 1 Francophone novel per semester. Grammar will be assigned as necessary.
Students will be assessed  bi-monthly (twice a month) on their progress ( journals, essays, oral presentations, projects, etc).
Notebooks will be collected every other week by the teacher. Students will be graded on the quality of their weekly notes, their French (vocab, grammar and idiomatic expressions) and depth of reflection ( critical and analytical skills).
Notebook: 40%
Presentational communication (semester project): 40%
Online activities: 20%
Revised 9/3/2019

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