Conducted in an immersion style, this course increases the student’s proficiency in French through a thorough review of verb tenses and grammatical structures. Students will also learn several new tenses and idiomatic expressions. French IV is a complete grammatical review coordinated with the development of listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills. Since emphasis is placed on oral communication, perfection of pronunciation, and greater facility in speaking, language use becomes more natural. Students are able to provide spontaneous answers to a variety of situations and sustain conversations in the target language. Literary selections, songs, audio selections, and film will be studied and used for discussions, writing, and cultural study of the Francophone world.
Students at this level are expected to speak French at all times in class. Journal assignments, written compositions, research projects, in class debates and classroom discussions are required for this class.
Prerequisite: ▪Completion of French III with a final grade of 70 or better; and/or
▪Teacher recommendation.
I. Learning Objectives (A statement of learning objectives is a statement of changes to take place in students.)
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
Read, understand, and interpret selections of French literature.
Discuss and write about plot, characters, and themes of literary texts and films.
To express complex opinions, ideas and personal feelings.
Write a structured 5-paragraph essay in French supporting a thesis.
Interpret authentic conversational French as heard in music and film.
II. Learning Experiences (A learning experience is the interaction between the learner and the external conditions in the environment to which he/she can react.)
Upon completion of this course students will have participated in the following activities:
Discuss personal opinions about themes in literature.
Share stories and experiences.
Read and discuss many different forms of authentic French text including short stories, film, theatre, and poetry.
Review grammatical structures and vocabulary in the text Dicovering French Rouge
Write compositions based on themes discussed in class.
Debate issues pertinent to topics studied in texts.
III. Course Outline (A brief outline of the major topics and units which are central to this course: the sequence of topics and units may be altered by the teacher based on the needs of students):
1. Grammar: Students will review, learn and use the following grammar topics:
All of the verb tenses previously learned including: présent, impérative, passé composé, imparfait, conditionnel, futur proche, futur simple, and subjonctif.
The plus que parfait, passé conditionnel, futur anterieur, passé subjonctif, and passé simple.
Articles and gender of nouns, and pronouns (direct, indirect, relative, and demonstrative).
Demonstrative pronouns dont and lequel
Relative pronouns in conjunction with demonstrative pronouns.
Adjectives and adverbs and their use in comparative and superlative phrases.
2. Vocabulary: Students will learn thematic vocabulary from units in the text and their association with the literature studied. This includes but is not limited to:
travel, medicine, education, history (Gaul), relationships, and automobiles.
IV. Course Materials: The following list represents the major texts and/or resources used in French IV-Advanced. Teachers also use additional supplementary texts: articles, materials and curriculum documents which they have gathered or prepared themselves and which they believe enrich and extend student learning.
Valette and Valette, Discovering French Rouge: D.C. Heath and Company, 1997
Sempé- Goscinny, Le Petit Nicolas, éditions denoël, 1960
and either
Sempé- Goscinny, Asterix et Cléopâtre 1965
Alain Chabat, Asterix mission cléopâtre (film) 2002
or
Le Petit Prince, by Antoine St. Exupéry, folio éditions, 1943