French 1 is the introductory course of a four-year high school sequence or a two-year middle school sequence, both leading to French 2, 3, and 4. Students learn the essential elements of understanding, speaking, reading and writing French. Significant emphasis is placed on developing good pronunciation skills, acquiring a basic vocabulary related to specific topics, and speaking and writing in grammatically correct forms.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• What is the purpose of language?
• How is the structure of a language related to its function?
• What kinds of beauty does language create?
• How do we express our values and beliefs through language?
• How do culture and language interact?
• How does language influence who I am?
• How does language influence perception and understanding of diverse cultures? How does competency in language empower us in decision-making?
• How does language influence the development and interaction of civilizations?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does one share information about oneself, family, friends, and personal possessions in French?
• How do the linguistic and semantic structures of French express relationships?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• introduce oneself and others.
• greet others.
• take leave of others.
• tell time.
• spell out words.
• count to 100.
• name where French is spoken.
• pronounce new sounds.
• name days of week.
• introduce family and friends.
• ask/tell age.
• identify possessions.
• locate francophone regions on a map.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• classify nouns by gender.
• compare physical characteristics of friends and family.
• combine nouns and adjectives appropriately.
• organize nouns and adjectives in correct order.
• compare French and American youth with reference to family and friends.
• contrast il est/c’est.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare the phonetic system of French with that of English.
• compare French family relationships with their own family life.
• describe the sound/symbol patterns of French.
• discuss the similarities or differences between French family life and that of their own family.

SKILLS

READING COMPREHENSION The student will . . .

• understand the principle message in ability-appropriate, highly illustrated texts relating to the topic that use cognate vocabulary.
• understand passages from authentic texts that use the vocabulary of personal relationships.
• understand written messages and personal notes relating to personal relationships.
• infer the meaning of cognate vocabulary which they have not learned from contextual clues.

WRITING Students will . . .

• spell vocabulary words correctly with appropriate diacritical marks.
• write short informal notes or messages using vocabulary from this unit.
• describe personal relationships in a short narrative passage.
• use appropriate verbal register in writing a letter or note.

ORAL PRESENTATION Students will . . . .

• ask and answer questions relating to family and friends.
• describe their family to include siblings, grandparents and other close relatives.
• explain preferences in personal relationships.
• dialogue with classmates about family and friends.
• count aloud and use numbers appropriately.
• recite short passages or short poems relating to topic.
• use appropriate verbal register in speaking to friends or adults.
• sing familiar songs relating to friends or family.
• use correct pronunciation and intonation.

MAP AND GLOBE SKILLS Students will . . .

● locate France on a map.

● locate the principal cities of France on a map.

● know and be able to locate the five major rivers of France.

● know and be able to locate the five mountain ranges of France.

● locate major Francophone countries on a map.

● know the capital of each Francophone country studied.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What role(s) do/does food and mealtimes play in francophone regions?
• How does one ask and answer questions in French?
• How does the linguistic structure of French describe items for positive/negative attributes?
• How does the linguistic structure of French express preferences?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify foods/beverages.
• describe preferences for foods/beverages.
• express needs.
• ask/answer questions about prices and quantities.
• make purchases.
• use proper etiquette in public places.
• use appropriate verb register.
• conjugate verbs (prendre, vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, boire).
• express pleasure/displeasure.
• tell time.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• apply partitive article correctly.
• replace direct/indirect object noun with appropriate pronoun.
• explain preferences and choices.
• compare francophone mealtimes with American mealtimes.

SKILLS

READING COMPREHENSION The student will . . .

• understand the principal message in ability-appropriate, highly illustrated texts relating to the topic.
• understand passages from simple authentic texts (e.g. menus) that use food vocabulary.
• understand written messages and simple personal notes or lists relating to food vocabulary.
• infer the meaning of new cognate vocabulary from contextual clues.
• draw conclusions about similarities and differences in French and American eating patterns based on reading of ability-appropriate texts and simple primary sources.

WRITING The student will . . .

• spell vocabulary words correctly with appropriate diacritical marks.
• ask and answer questions relating to food and time.
• write short, first-draft notes, messages, and lists.
• use appropriate verbal register in writing a letter or note.

The student may . . .

• use the writing process to plan, edit, and revise a persuasive advertisement.

ORAL PRESENTATION The students will . . .

• ask and answer questions relating to food and eating.
• describe meals.
• explain preferences in food and restaurants.
• dialogue with classmates about food and restaurants.
• use numbers appropriately in telling time.
• recite short passages relating to the topic.
• use appropriate verbal register in speaking with friends and adults.
• use correct pronunciation and intonation.
• order a meal in a café or restaurant situation.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does one talk about activities (daily, leisure, school) in French?
• How does one ask/answer questions in French?
• How does one express preferences in French?
• How does French express differences in time (present, past, future)?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• describe various sports.
• describe household responsibilities.
• describe travel plans.
• express preferences in daily activities.
• describe daily activities.
• distinguish between present and past activities.
• know traditional holidays of Francophone countries.
• describe modes of travel.
• conjugate–er verbs.
• conjugate–ir verbs.
• conjugate–re verbs.
• make verbs negative.
• conjugate irregular verbs (aller, être, avoir, faire, venir, dire, écrire, mettre, voir).
• ask questions using est-ce que.
• ask questions using inversion.
• use interrogative expressions.
• use verbal idioms.
• use appropriate adverbs of time.
• conjugate regular verbs in passé composé.
• conjugate familiar irregular verbs in passé composé.
• make passé composé verbs negative.
• use appropriate avoir expressions relating to daily activities.
• tell someone else to do something using appropriate command form.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• compare sporting activities in Francophone countries with those of the United States.
• compare past tense structures with present tense structures of French.
• discuss personal choices in daily activities.
• illustrate how to perform age-appropriate activities.
• support choices of activities.

SKILLS

READING COMPREHENSION The student will . . .

• understand the principal message in ability-appropriate, highly illustrated texts relating to the topic that use cognate vocabulary.
• understand passages from authentic texts that use the vocabulary of daily activities.
• understand written messages and personal notes relating to daily activities.
• infer the meaning of cognate vocabulary which they have not learned from contextual clues.

WRITING The student will . . .

• spell vocabulary words correctly with appropriate diacritical marks.
• write short informal notes or messages using vocabulary from this unit.
• describe daily activities in a short narrative passage.
• use appropriate verbal register in writing a letter or note.

ORAL PRESENTATION The students will . . .

• ask and answer questions relating to daily activities.
• describe activities in which they participate.
• explain preferences in daily activities.
• dialogue with classmates about daily activities.
• choose an appropriate verb tense when speaking or writing about activities.
• recite short passages or short poems relating to daily activities.
• use appropriate verbal register in speaking to friends or adults.
• sing familiar songs relating to daily activities.
• use correct pronunciation and intonation in all oral work.

MAP AND GLOBE SKILLS The students will . . .

• locate Francophone countries on a map where certain sports dominate.
• locate Francophone countries on a map where specific films take place.
• locate Francophone countries on a map where specific singers/musical groups originate.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does one talk about clothing in French?
• How does one talk about shopping in French?
• What is the current monetary system in France?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify different articles of clothing in French.
• perform a clothing purchase.
• describe clothing preferences.
• provide reasons for and against the purchase of certain items.
• conjugate regular -er verbs.
• conjugate regular –ir verbs.
• conjugate regular –re verbs.
• combine adjectives and nouns in the appropriate order.
• describe the monetary system currently in use.
• compute prices.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• explain changes in the monetary system which have occurred in the 21^stcentury.
• classify articles of clothing according to use.
• compare types of clothing stores in the United States with those in France.
• support choice of clothing.
• explain reasons for purchases.

SKILLS

READING COMPREHENSION The student will . . .

• understand the principal message in ability-appropriate, highly illustrated texts relating to the topic.
• understand passages from authentic texts and advertising that use the vocabulary of shopping and clothing.
• understand written messages and notes relating to the vocabulary in the unit.
• infer the meaning of new cognate vocabulary from contextual clues.

WRITING The student will . . .

• spell vocabulary words correctly with appropriate diacritical marks.
• write short, informal narrative paragraphs in which they describe clothing/shopping.
• use appropriate verbal register in narrative writing.
• compare nouns and describe their relationship to one another.
• ask for and provide specific identification of nouns.

The student may . . .

• use the writing process to plan, revise and draft an illustrated persuasive piece.

ORAL PRESENTATION The students will . . .

• ask and answer questions relating to clothing and/or shopping.
• describe clothing.
• explain preferences in clothing.
• dialogue with classmates about shopping and clothing.
• recite short passages relating to the topic.
• use appropriate verbal register in speaking to friends or adults.
• use correct pronunciation and intonation.
• ask about and point out specific clothing items and/or stores.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does one talk about the physical environment and possessions?
• How does one talk about what is going to happen?
• What is Paris like?
• How does one give commands in French?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• conjugate the verb aller.
• describe how to get from one point to another on a map.
• tell about events that are going to happen soon.
• label places in a town or village.
• talk about the weather.
• list major monuments in Paris.
• describe major monuments in Paris.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• examine and interpret city/town maps.
• analyze simple weather maps.
• contrast French and American cities.
• apply verb tenses correctly.
• classify nouns by gender, use, or location.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• apply vocabulary from the textbook to comprehension of primary sources such as maps or travel brochures.
• compare and contrast life in French towns with life in the United States.
• make a plan for their own travel brochure.
• describe patterns in French daily life.

SKILLS

READING COMPREHENSION The student will . . .

• understand the message in ability-appropriate, highly illustrated texts relating to the topic.
• understand passages from authentic texts that use vocabulary related to the unit.
• understand written messages and personal notes relating to unit vocabulary.
• infer the meaning of new cognate vocabulary from contextual clues.
• draw conclusions about life in France based on reading of primary source maps and ability appropriate texts.

WRITING The student will . . .

• create and label maps in French.
• write short, first-draft notes or messages using vocabulary from the unit.
• describe possessions and locations in short narrative passages.
• use adjectives in appropriate form and word order in descriptive narration.
• spell vocabulary words correctly with appropriate diacritical marks.
• use appropriate verbal register in writing.

ORAL PRESENTATION The students will . . .

• ask for and give directions.
• tell what is going to happen.
• describe weather.
• ask and answer questions related to unit vocabulary.
• describe personal possessions and locations.
• dialogue with classmates about unit vocabulary.
• recite short passages relating to unit vocabulary.
• use appropriate verbal register in speaking to friends or adults.
• ask or tell others to complete a task.
• use correct pronunciation and intonation.

MAP AND GLOBE SKILLS The students will . . .

• locate Paris on a map
• know major monuments in Paris and be able to locate them on a map
• use a map to give directions to another personuse and understand a weather map