Course Descriptions
Description: The goals of this beginning course are to teach students to communicate in French and to immerse them in an authentic cultural context.
The basic objectives of French I are to help each student attain equal proficiency in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to interpret the language within the context of the contemporary French speaking world and its culture. The main focus of this proficiency oriented course is to develop the student's basic communication in French.
In this course the student is introduced to the language and the francophone world through a variety of techniques which develop communicative competence: everyday situations, conversations, creative face to face dialogues, oral presentations, written exercises and compositions The student is introduced to French culture and life through a situational approach and a wide range of media presentations.
Credit: 1
Text: Discovering French Bleu, Jean-Paul Valette & Rebecca M. Valette, First edition, D.C. Heath, 1993; Panorama, Lectures faciles 1, Valette & Valette D. C. Heath, 1982
Length of Course: 1 year
Recommendations: In order to succeed in this course students must have an interest in developing speaking as well as writing skills in the French language.
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Description: This course is designed for students who passed successfully Level I French. It reinforces the proficiency oriented approach which focuses upon communicative competence and exposure to an authentic cultural context.
In this course, the student will continue to develop accuracy along a competency continuum that moves them through a grammatically simple sentence phase to a grammatically complex paragraph phase and on to a cohesive composition stage. At the end of this two year program, the student is expected to demonstrate at the appropriate level, the communicative skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing necessary in everyday situations.
The main objectives of French II are to engage students in conversations dealing with everyday situations, to understand short written passages, to be able to extract specific information from texts such as simple brochures, guides, letters, to carry out writing tasks which might include messages, simple letters, short compositions and to show an awareness of the culture of the francophone world through multi-media presentations.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Text: Discovering French/Blanc, Jean -Paul Valette & Rebecca Valette, First edition, D.C. Heath, 1994;
Panorama, Lectures faciles 2, Valette & Valette, D. C. Heath, 1982
Prerequisites: French I or the equivalent with a "C+" average and teacher recommendation.
Recommendations: Students must have a strong desire to use French as a means of communication.
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Description: This level is designed for students who have successfully completed a two year program in French and need further preparation for the IB/AP program.
The main objectives of this course are to increase the students' language proficiency (i.e. their ability to use French for communication) and to build the students' fluency (i.e. the ease and confidence with which they use French for self-expression). With a focus on language in real-life contexts, this program teaches French in a communicative manner and utilizes many types of interactive and communicative activities with a new focus on cultural readings and writing skills.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Text: À Bord & En Voyage Conrad Schmitt & Katia Brillié Lutz, Glencoe , First edition, 1994 & 1995
La cantatrice chauve by Eugène Ionesco, Folio, Gallimard
Prerequisites: French II or the equivalent with a "C+" average and teacher recommendation
Recommendations: In order to succeed in this course, students must have a strong desire to expand the skill level in the language.
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Description: This I.B. course is designed for beginning 11th graders who need to sit for the language B Ab Initio Subsidiary exam for a certificate or as diploma candidates at the end of their senior year.
The goals of this intensive 1st year of the two year program are to teach the students to communicate in French and to immerse them in an authentic cultural context with special emphasis on the nine themes prescribed by the I.B. syllabus.
The basic objectives of French Ab Initio I emphasize equal proficiency in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to interpret the language within the context of the contemporary French speaking world and its culture. The main focus of this proficiency oriented course is to develop the student's basic communication in intensive French.
In this course the student is introduced to the language and the francophone world through a variety of work units and media presentations which develop communicative competence: everyday situations, conversations, creative face to face dialogues, oral presentations, written exercises and compositions The student is introduced to French culture and life through a situational approach and a wide range of media presentations.
Credit: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Text: Discovering French/ Bleu & Blanc, Jean-Paul Valette & Rebecca M. Valette, First edition, D.C. Heath, 1993, 1994 Panorama, Voilà, Heinle & Heinle, 2nd editon, 1992
Theme oriented work units
Lectures faciles 1, Valette & Valette D. C. Heath, 1982
Mystères français, ..................
Recommendations In order to succeed in this intensive course, students must have an interest in developing speaking as well as writing skills in the French language and in taking responsibility for extra readings and independent preparatory work.
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Description: This course is designed for students who passed successfully Frencj I.B. Ab Initio I. It is designed for 12th graders who need to sit for the language B Ab Initio Subsidiary exam for a certificate or as diploma candidates.
This level reinforces the proficiency oriented approach which focuses upon communicative competence and exposure to an authentic cultural context.
The goals of this intensive 2nd part of the two year program are to continue to teach the students to communicate in more complex French and to immerse them in an authentic cultural context with special emphasis on the diversified nine themes prescribed by the I.B. syllabus.
The basic objectives of French Ab Initio II emphasize equal proficiency in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to manipulate the language within the context of the contemporary French speaking world and its culture.
In this course, the student will continue to develop accuracy along a more complex competency level. At the end of this two year program, the student is expected to demonstrate at the appropriate level, more complex communicative skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and to understand short written passages, to be able to extract specific information from longer texts such as brochures, guides, letters, to carry out writing tasks which might include messages, simple letters, more cohesive compositions and to show an awareness of the culture of the francophone world through multi-media units.
Text: Discovering French Blanc, Jean-Paul Valette & Rebecca Valette, First edition, D.C. Heath, 1994;
Discovering French Rouge, Jean -Paul Valette & Rebecca Valette, First edition, D.C. Heath, 1995;
Panorama, Lectures faciles 2, Valette & Valette, D. C. Heath, 1982
Theme oriented work units
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Prerequisites: French I or the equivalent with a "C+" average and teacher recommendation
Recommendations: Students must have a strong desire to use French as a means of communication and to take responsibility for extra readings and independent preparatory work.
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DESCRIPTION: In this intermediate level designed for students who have successfully completed a two year program in French, the use of the acquired structures is intensified and the creative process of the language is developed. Students will learn to carry out a variety of high frequency communicative tasks ranging from basic communication to more complex functions such as telling a story, stating and supporting opinion, and hypothesizing. This level strengthens and refines the student's skills in structural and lexical competence, compositions, essay writing and communicative performance.
The main objectives of this course are
- to refine the student's proficiency in the manipulation of the more complex skills in Foreign Language learning: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- to intensify the creative process in language expression.
- to immerse the student in authentic language and media presentations.
- to prepare the student for the analysis of integral texts in Literature and Life and Civilization topics.
Credits : 1 credit
Length of course: 1 year
Text: Discovering French Rouge, Jean -Paul Valette & Rebecca Valette, First edition, D.C. Heath, 1995;
Par ici Échanges intermédiares, Robert Ariew & Anne Nerenz, D.C. Heath, First edition, 1993
Literary selection: Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Collection Folio, Gallimard 1984
Le Malentendu, Collection Folio, Galimard, 1985
Prerequisites: French II or the equivalent with a grade of "C+" average or better and teacher recommendation.
Recommendations: In order to succeed in this course, students must have a strong desire to take responsibility for extra readings and independent preparatory work.
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Description: This advanced course in French Language, Literature and Civilization, is designed for students who have successfully completed an intensive three-year or four-year program in French. Special emphasis is placed on perfecting the student's comprehensive skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Communicative competence and refinement of writing skills, knowledge and use of complex structural and lexical expression, essay writing, and comprehension of increasingly more complex authentic documents and media programs are also stressed in this level.
The main objectives of this course are:
- to reinforce the acquired advanced grammatical and linguistic bases of the language.
- to strengthen the student's lexical competence in language and idiomatic forms.
- to immerse the student in authentic documents on French language, culture, literature and civilization.
- to develop the student's ability in the critical oral and written analysis of integral literary texts.
- to refine the student's critical thinking and reading abilities and writing skills.
Students who have successfully completed the requirements of this course have the choice of sitting for either the Advanced Placement and/or the IB French Language B subsidiary level examinations.
Credits : 1 credit
Length of Course: 1 year
Texts: Materials:
1) Core materials: I.B. Unités de travail
Textbooks: La Passerelle, K. Beeching & I. Le Guilloux, Cambridge U. Press, 1st ed. 1993, Workbook and Cassette program
Triangle, C. Demaray & J. Smith, Wayside Publishing, 2nd ed. 1996, & Cassette program
Au point, M. Deanne, B. Powell, E. Armstrong, Nelson 1994, Workbook and Cassette program
AP French, A guide for the Language Course, R. Ladd & C. Girard, Longman, 2nd ed. 1996 & Cassette program, C'est Comme Ça, Valette & Valette, D.C. Heath,
I.B. Literary selections: Paroles , Prévert, Antigone, Jean Anouilh
L'Express, Aujoud'hui la France, Nathan, 1993
Listening comprehension skills, A Guide to the Achievement Test, M. Vigourt & J. Zimmerman, Longman 1994, Cassette program
2) Readers :Panaché littéraire, M. Baker & J-P. Cauvin, Heinle & Heinle, 3rd ed. 1994
Une si longue lettre, Mariama Bâ, les nouvelles éditions africaines, Dakar
Moments littéraires , (sélections) B, Hirsch & C. Thompson, 1992, D.C. Heath
Contes Romanesques, (sélections) R. de Roussy de Sales, Edit., NTC
Onze Contes, (sélections) W. Holbrook, W. Meridien, O. Moore, Houghton-Mifflin
Selected Articles and literary texts to cover the three IB themes: exploring change,
groups and leisure.
Prerequisites: French III IB SL1 or the equivalent with a grade or "C+" average or better and/or teacher recommendation.
Recommendations: In order to succeed in this course, students must have a strong desire to take responsibility for extra readings and independent preparatory work.
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Description: An Advanced French Language, Literature and Civilization course designed for students who have successfully completed a four year program in French. This course stresses writing skills, text analysis, critical thinking as well as communicative competence and performance.
The main objectives of this course are
- to reinforce the acquired linguistic structures and to expand the student's lexical competence.
- to expose the student to authentic samples and documents of French language, culture and civilization.
- to familiarize the student with the techniques of literary text analysis in both the oral and written forms.
- to promote the student's critical thinking, reading abilities and creative writing.
Students who have successfully completed the requirements of this course have the choice of sitting for either the Advanced Placement and/or the IB French Language B Higher level examinations.
Credits : 1 credit
Length of course: 1 year
Texts: Le Nouveau Sans Frontières 3, Jacky Giradet & Jean-Marie Cridlig & Philippe Dominique, Clé International, 1990
Le Nouveau Sans Frontières 4, Jacky Girardet, Clé International, 1993
Les justes by Albert Camus, éditions in-folio
Prerequisites: French IV IB HL1 or the equivalent with a grade of C+ or better and teacher recommendation.
Recommendations: In order to succeed in this course, students must have a strong desire to take responsibility for extra readings and independent preparatory work.
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