AP French Language and Culture
BIENVENUE A LA CLASSE DE FRANÇAIS AP
In this class we prepare for the AP French Language and Culture Exam. All the themes we study are required by the College Board. THIS CURRICULUM WAS UPDATED IN 2020 FOLLOWING THE COLLEGE BOARD NEW 2019 RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES.
Click on the link for the AP French Language and Culture Course and Exam Description: http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/world-languages/french
For all lesson plans and assignments students should look on Google Classroom
Unit 1: Families in different societies. Part 1:
Unit 1 (Part 1) explores themes related to families in French speaking communities that provide a meaningful context for students in which to acquire and develop a variety of language and cultural concepts.
Essential questions:
What are some important aspects of family values and family life in French speaking societies?
What outdoor activities do people enjoy doing with family members in some French speaking regions/provinces?
What challenges do families face in today’s world?
Why do some families want to leave big cities in favor of a more rural life in Quebec and in France?
Unit 1: Families in different societies. Part 2:
Unit 1 (Part 2) explores themes related to families in France that have adopted a variety of languages and cultural concepts. The Romani people in France, generally known in spoken French as «Roms» come from Romania and/or Bulgaria. Exact numbers of Romani people in France are unknown—estimates vary from 20,000 to 400,000. According to these estimates, at least 12,000 Romani live in unofficial urban camps throughout the country. Les «Gitans» or «Gens du voyage», are a different ethnic group often confused with the Roms. Originally from Northern Spain, most of them still speak Catalan and tend to live in camps or in government housing in southern France. The last group of migrating peoples in France are asylum seekers and refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and eastern Africa. Most of them travel through France looking for a passage to Great Britain. While waiting in northern France migrants live in camps.
Essential Questions:
What are some important aspects of family values and family life for the Romani, the Gitans, and the migrant people in France?
What types of housing do these families choose to live in?
What challenges do these families face in today’s world?
What similarities are there between these groups that make it difficult for them to adopt a sedentary «French» lifestyle?
How does the French government’s policies help these different groups?
Unit 1: Families in different societies. Part 1. Students will:
briefly review the history of Quebec (this theme is extensively studied in French 5H and becomes a starting point for the AP program).
identify and discuss reasons that push family members to travel and spend time together while on vacation. Students will compare examples of family outdoor activities from La Réunion and Quebec with their own family experiences. They will form a cultural comparison between 2 French speaking regions of the world and their own community.
identify and list the reasons that push families to leave Paris or Montréal. Students will compare/contrast situations between Paris and Montréal using real life examples.
explain how data from a graph or table illustrates a cultural aspect of a region. For example using several data charts from Quebec and Paris students will be able to infer reasons and explain housing choices made by families in Quebec, Paris, and Clermont-Ferrand.
use vocabulary, adjectives, present, past, and future tenses in cultural context. These areas are essential to describe what families vacation and life choices were or will be. In addition, students will review how to use conditional sentences to describe new trends. For example: if the minister of transportation from Quebec would provide safe roads to commute there would be less accidents. Students will review the names of some french speaking countries and the prepositions used to talk or write about each one.
Unit 1: Families in different societies. Part 2. Students will:
identify and examine the diverse groups of people living in France.
identify and discuss reasons that push family members to travel and live in camps. Students will compare these examples of family life styles and traditions with their own family experiences. They will form a cultural comparison between minorities living in France and their own community.
identify and list the reasons that push the Rom families to leave their country of origin. Students will compare/contrast situations between the Roms and the Gitans using real life examples.
explain how data from a graph or table illustrates a cultural aspect of a population. For example using several data charts students will be able to infer reasons and explain the Roms’ life choices i.e. lack of education and early marriage for girls.
use vocabulary, adjectives, present, past, and future tenses in cultural context. These areas are essential to describe what life choices were made by families who live in camps. In addition, students will review how to use the subjunctive mood to describe what the French government should do to help minorities: the poor and the migrants. For example, the former French prime minister presented several rules. France demands the Roms return in Romania.
Unit 2: The influence of language and culture on identity.
Essential Questions:
How does one’s identity evolve over time?
How does language shape our cultural identity?
How does the French language contribute to the transmission of the French culture and values in the francophone world?
What challenges do children from poor suburbs face when confronted with the French education system?
How does the French government’s policies shape children’s education?
Why is the «bac» (a rite of passage) both loved and criticized by the French? And how is it going to be transformed?
How can «elite» schools become more welcoming to minorities in France?
Students will :
justify the need for the preservation of symbols of cultural identity such as a flag, a national anthem, national holidays…. Students will review these items essential to the French culture and debate their value. Do they help unite or devise the French population? Should the French government impose a salute to the flag similar to what is being done in the United States?
identify the countries and regions where French is spoken around the world. Should people from these regions fight to preserve this cultural heritage? What is the value of French for a youth born in Mali?
explain why some languages are being favored while some others disappear such as some dialects in New Caledonia that no longer exist or will soon vanish. Can creole be considered a unifying language that reflects the culture of the descendants of former slaves? Or, is creole only a language established with colonialism which should be banned on account of its connotation?
examine what factors make a language evolve. Is technology a factor that makes people around the world use more English words? Is immigration a factor that makes the French use more (north) African words?
debate if a language created in poor suburbs of Paris (le verlan) gives a sense of identity to the people who live in these areas where cultural values are so diverse.
examine what pushes the French teenagers to copy this «slang» and incorporate it into their everyday speech. Should it be reserved to teens who identify with a different socio-economic and/or cultural background? What cultural comparison can we make with the United States?
identify the differences between the French and the American schooling systems.
discuss the important value (and cultural heritage) of the French high school exam: Le bac. Students will understand its legacy and predict the benefits of its reforms.
investigate the equivalent of US Ivy League Schools in France and their highly selective admission process. They will relate to the stress felt by French students and present a comparison with their own anxiety.
Unit 3: How Science and Technology Affect our Lives
Unit 4 explores the effects of science and technology on people’s lives in French-speaking communities. This theme encourages students to work with more complex theme specific vocabulary as they continue to develop linguistic and cultural concepts from previous units. Students will examine what factors have contributed to make technology an essential component of our daily lives. They will debate the positive aspects of technology such as its overwhelming contribution to the medical field, as well as its insidious facets such as addiction and cyberbullying.
While Science and Technology is the primary thematic focus of the unit, it is possible to integrate the additional contexts of Ethical Questions, Professions, and Human Rights.
Essential Questions:
What are some important aspects of technology?
How do we use technology in our daily lives?
Is technology becoming more important in education?
Why is technology important to save lives?
How is technology used in the medical field?
How is technology used for communications?
What challenges are linked to technology?
What is cyberbullying and why is it dangerous?
How can we protect ourselves from malevolent cyberattacks?
Students will:
identify and discuss reasons that push our society to invent and use new technological tools. For example, our students use technology on a daily basis and they will become aware of the amount of time spent looking at a screen.
examine what factors make technology evolve and what areas of our daily lives require technology.
debate the essential contribution of technology in education. Should all students use tablets in school? How does technology help students in French speaking countries in Africa? Why are some parents in Quebec against the use of tablets in classes?
identify the enormous contribution of technology to the medical field. For example, it has become easier to fight malaria in Africa thanks to text messages from smartphones. Many lives are saved thanks to machines that support essential physical needs. However, life supporting devices also have negative impacts. Should we try to save lives at all costs despite possible long-term suffering?
investigate the new professions created by the use of technology. This field is particularly open to women. More and more young girls are encouraged to consider careers in Information and Communications Technology. Students will compare this trend in Senegal and in their own community.
explain the reserve displayed by some groups of our society towards technology. Are all people from the older generation facing the same technology incompetence? Can the technological gap between the elderly and the younger generation be linked to income inequality?
recognize the factors that prevent most professionals from taking a «real» vacation when they stay connected to their workplace during their time off. Could this situation be a factor in serious health issues? Is the impossibility to disconnect the same for professionals and for teens addicted to online games?
ponder the dangers of social websites such as cyberbullying and cyberattacks.
use vocabulary, adjectives, present, past, and future tenses in cultural context. These areas are essential to describe what choices are being made by families regarding their use of technology at home and professionally. The amount of new vocabulary in this unit is extensive and students will recognize the common terms in English and in French. However, many technology terms were created in the French language that students can practice and master with Quizlet exercises.
Unit 4: Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges
This final unit explores themes related to the environment. It is presented as Unit 6 by the College Board in the 2019 «AP French Language and Culture Course and Exam Description». However, as was explained in the Course Description of this curriculum: a decision was made to study Unit 5 of the College Board AP French Course Framework «Factors that Impact the Quality of Life» as part 2 of Unit 1. Therefore, «Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges» becomes Unit 5 in this curriculum.
While this unit's primary focus is to investigate how our global economic developments impact our environment and our health, a second aspect of this theme is how our health is also affected by what we eat and particularly how our food is being produced. Consequently, along with the study of pesticides use in agriculture, the College Board recommended context: «Nutrition and Food Safety» is presented in this unit.
Essential Questions:
Why is plastic both extremely useful in our lives and a factor of environmental destruction?
How does plastic affect human development?
How are pesticides used and what challenges do they represent for our environment?
What pesticide had a serious impact on Martinique?
Why are pesticides present in our food chain?
What is GMO? How are our food sources being modified?
Is organic agriculture the answer to improve our quality of life?
Should children eat organic food only?
Should organic meals be served in schools?
Can we live without oil and gas? How can we reduce our fossil fuel consumption and our impact on the environment?
What French speaking African countries are also fighting the destructive effects of pollution?
What is shale gas? Why is it banned in France?
Who is José Bové? Why is he an iconic member of the French Green Party (EELV)?
Should nuclear energy also be banned?
Who is Jacques Cousteau and what is his legacy?
Why is it important to protect ocean life?
How can we measure improvement when looking at the coral reef in French Nouvelle Calédonie?
Students will:
identify and list problems related to the environment. As a starting point to the study of many environmental issues, a song (Yannick Noah's «Aux arbres citoyens») is a perfect introduction to our discussion about the effects of pollution on children. The song also helps students become familiar with new vocabulary.
examine what factors contribute to children's poor health. With excerpts from the French movie «Nos enfants nous accuseront» students will recognize the consequences attributed to the use of chemicals (fertilizers and insecticides) in French agriculture. They will identify the health risks associated with the use of the chemical Chloredécone in Martinique. Approved by the French government the use of this chemical in banana fields has long lasting effects on the environment and on the people in Martinique.
continue the debate on the use of chemicals with an article from RFI presenting the dangerous health hazards linked to expired and/or banned products used in agriculture in Côte d'Ivoire.
link the exposure to chemical used in agriculture to the health problems many children experience due to endocrine disruptors. Many chemicals are absorbed by our digestive system from produce and they are also present in plastic toys, clothing, etc. What can we do to protect children from chemicals?
observe and analyze several advertisements and printed brochure from the French government who banned the use of plastic bags in stores in 2017. Students will debate the possibility of enforcing such a law in their own community.
explain why plastic products represent a threat to our environment and to wild life. Students will watch several videos about the effects of discarded plastic in oceans.
debate the use of GMO in agriculture and compare the laws in France and in the United States.
become familiar with José Bové's actions for the protection of the environment and non-GMO food sources in France.
debate if organic food is better for us or is it part of a new lifestyle?
examine other forms of pollution such as oil spills in poor African countries and discuss ways to live without oil and fossil fuel (shale gaz). How can we switch to renewable energy sources?
identify and discuss reasons that push more and more countries to limit or ban nuclear energy.
conclude this study on a positive note from Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his sons. Students will appreciate their contributions to our environment and particularly to our oceans. In some regions such as Nouvelle Calédonie marine life in the 3rd largest coral reef in the world is thriving.
use extended vocabulary pertaining to all aspects of environmental issues. Students will need a large selection of adverbs and linking words and phrases to present their opinion.
Unit 5: Influences of Beauty and Art.
Unit 3 explores themes related to the influences of beauty and art in France, which provides meaningful contexts to acquire and develop essential vocabulary. The contexts of architecture, visual arts, literature, and fashion represent contributions to the world artistic heritage and a prodigious aspect of the French «patrimoine culturel». The primary focus is to present different forms of beauty such as architecture and fashion. Students will explore how architecture is an art form that influences the quality of life of millions of people in France and in the world. They will consider the rich artistic creations in Paris and in France in the 19th century and its effects on the French economy today.
While the unit’s primary focus is Beauty and Aesthetics, the contexts of Personal and Public Identities, Alienation and Assimilation, Multiculturalism, Beliefs and Values, Diversity Issues, and Nationalism and Patriotism are incorporated.
Essential Questions:
How do ideals of beauty and aesthetics influence daily life?
How can architecture be considered an art form?
How does art both challenge and reflect cultural perspectives?
Why does Parisian architecture attract visitors from around the world?
Why was Haussmann’s architectural style considered revolutionary in the 19th century but is valued today?
How is this art form a characteristic of the historical transformation of Paris and of the French society?
What other artistic talents became famous in Paris in the 19th century?
Can we consider fashion as a form of art?
Who helped transform fashion in Paris into a multi-billion industry?
What factors influence French fashion today?
Students will :
briefly recall historical information about the 19th century and the transformation of the French society during the industrial revolution (this theme is extensively studied in French 4 and becomes the starting point of this unit).
identify and list the major transformations of Paris from 1853 to 1870 through the eyes of a famous photographer of that time: Charles Marville.
analyze the contributions to Parisian architecture made by the prefect Georges-Eugène Haussmann (nicknamed the prefect who saved Paris).
recognize and name the characteristics of Haussmann’s renovations.
explain how Haussmann’s colossal reconstruction of Paris aimed at improving the standard of basic environmental conditions affecting the well-being of Parisians.
name famous iconic Parisian monuments and museums such as Notre-Dame, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre… and appreciate their outstanding value to humanity (World Heritage Sites).
connect information acquired about Haussmann to the construction of the first Parisian department stores such as «Le Bon Marché», «La Samaritaine», etc..
link the evolution of marketing invented in the 1850’s by Aristide Boucicaut (Le Bon Marché) to the development of Parisian fashion (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc.) and its weight in the French economy.
explain how data from a graph or table illustrates the contribution of the luxury industry in our society.
debate the expansion of islamic fashion in France and ponder the use of «burkini» by Muslim women.
use vocabulary, adjectives, present, past, conditional, and subjunctive tenses to discuss Haussmann’s renovations and its contribution to World Heritage. In addition, students will review when to use the subjunctive tense when debating fashion trends. For example: is it possible to consider fashion as a form of art? Is our appreciation of beauty related to what we wear?