COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Communication: Students communicate in the target language.

2. Culture: Students gain knowledge and understanding of different cultures.

3. Connection: Students connect with other disciplines and acquire information.

4. Comparison: Students develop insight into their own language and culture by making comparisons.

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR CLASS EVERYDAY

1. Device: Chromebook, charged, and charger, carrying case.

2. Pencils and/or pens and other basic art supplies (markers, colored pencils)

3. Composition Notebook or binder with loose-leaf paper

4. Earbuds or headphones, preferably with a microphone

TIGER PRIDE: NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS

1. Positive Attitude: Can do, will do, try.

2. Respect: Allow others to learn, help others to learn, be prompt, practice Digital Citizenship.

3. Include Others: Collaborate, support differences, be open-minded, share.

4. Dedication to Excellence: Produce, be prepared, ask for help, go beyond "good enough".

Special Additions for Language Class

1. Listen with the intent to understand

2. Only one person speaks at a time

3. Practice good body language - sit up: squared shoulders, make eye contact

4. Do your 50% by engaging

5. Actors: synchronize your actions with my words

6. Stay in French when speaking and writing - may ask permission to speak English

Failure to comply with norms and expectations will result in a redirect.  After 3 redirects, a problem solving contact will be used, followed by a level 1 or level 2 referral, in accordance with the school discipline plan.

DIGITAL CLASSROOM

Students will be able to access all course content assignments, resources, grades, tests, calendar, and agendas in Google Classroom and this website.  Students will be invited to the digital classroom. Parents may sign-up for weekly updates on student progress in class.

Click here to watch a video about Google Classroom.

ATTENDANCE

Class time will be mostly spent on developing listening comprehension skills; therefore, attendance is extremely important.  It is difficult to make up classroom activities when a student misses class.  In cases of excused absences, it is the student’s responsibility to make up all work within 2 days per day absent so as not to fall behind in their learning.  The daily agenda, assignments, and resources are available online in our Google Digital Classroom.

PARTICIPATION

The main purpose of learning another language is to be able to communicate effectively with people of different cultures and to actively participate in a global community.  In order for this to happen, you’ll need to share your ideas, insights, answers, and opinions in class by staying in French.  This is very challenging at the beginner level as we have ideas but can't find the French to express our *English* ideas. It is important to use the French resources I provide or the French that exists in your brain. We want to practice what we know, not what we don't know. It is my goal to only ask questions that require answers in the French I have taught. When a new word or phrase is taught, it is my job to make sure you know what it means. Please help to create an environment where people feel comfortable to practice, make mistakes, and learn from one another in French.

TEACHING METHODS

There is a difference between learning language and acquiring language. Language learning involves an emphasis on forced memorization, whereas language acquisition is natural. Current pedagogical research of language acquisition states that students will acquire another language best when they hear and read that language in a comprehensible way.  Therefore, all courses will use a comprehensible input method to acquire French.  Using this method, French classes feel and sound much like a French-speaking country. My goal is to speak French 90% of the time, being sure that students understand my message through actions, images, and words.  CI is a research-based instructional practice based on the Comprehensible Input Hypothesis of Stephen Krashen, and the work of Blaine Ray, James Asher, and other linguaphiles.  For more information, please see Show me the data: Research on TPR Storytelling.

What does this mean?  Students will not be “learning” French the way that their parents most likely “learned” it.  Do not expect them to be able to conjugate verbs on command.  Instead, try asking them to tell you about the French they heard in class.

CLASS ROUTINES

Beginning Class

• Read the agenda posted in the Stream section of Google Classroom.

  • Write the day and date on the next blank page in your notebook

  • Begin "La soupe du jour" - located in the slides presentation posted in the Stream section of Google Classroom

    • La soupe du jour: The expression soupe du jour means, soup of the day, and is used in restaurants.  The purpose of La soupe du jour is to help you focus and review at the beginning of each class.  You are responsible for completing the activity when you are absent.

  • Review notes from previous classes

During Class

• Be present, engage, ask questions, tell me to slow down if I'm going too fast

Ending Class

• I will do my very best to honor your time and end class on time.

• Return materials to their place, pick-up trash, straighten chairs, sit quietly until I dismiss the class

ASSESSMENT CATEGORIES AND GRADING

• Grades will be posted in PowerSchool.

• Grades are determined using IB MYP Language Acquisition Phase I (Novice level, emergent communicator) criteria to assess acquisition as established by the

 Colorado Academic Standards

These are:

• Criterion A Comprehending Spoken and Visual Text (Listening, Interpretation)

• Criterion B Comprehending Written and Visual Text (Reading, Interpretation)

• Criterion C Communicating in Response to Spoken and/or Written and/or Visual Text (Speaking/Writing, Interpersonal & Presentational)

• Criterion D Using Language in Spoken and/or Written Form (Speaking/Writing, Interpersonal & Presentational)

 Click here for detailed lists of Evidence Outcomes by grade level.

Evidence Outcomes will be assessed using one or more of the IB rubrics.  Language Acquisition rubrics use a 0-8 scale for scoring assessments.  Scores will be converted to the SMS scale as follows: