551 Advanced Placement French 5 H
Gr 11 - 12 | 6 Credits | Year-Long | 5x per Cycle
This accelerated honors course completes students’ preparation for the Advanced Placement Exam in French language. It is highly recommended that students elect this course only if they earned a B or better in French 4 H. The 6 main themes required for the AP exam are: World Challenges; Science and Technology; Contemporary Life; The Quest for Identity: Family and Community, Beauty and Esthetics. The skills that we will be practicing are based on interpretive communication using authentic print texts, print and audio texts and audio; interpersonal writing based on email communications and persuasive essays; interpersonal and presentational speaking based on dialogues, conversation and cultural comparisons. Several films, such La haine, La journée des jupes, Le thé au harmen d’Archmèdes; Le gone de Chaaba, Les fleurs du Coran de M. Ibrahim, Persopolis; Indochine, Chocolat, and Algiers will serve as the basis for conversations and essays. Some of these films are taken from written texts, which we will also read, in addition to excerpts from other novels. In addition to weekly compositions covering both concrete and abstract themes, there are substantial vocabulary tests every week. It is assumed that the students have mastered all verb tenses and syntax. Thus we will spend the year refining and polishing these skills to the level of sophistication expected of a native speaker. We will also spend time in the language lab practicing oral skills in ways to prepare students for the AP exam. All students should expect to take the AP exam, unless arranged otherwise with the teacher.
Performance Target: Advanced-Low on the ACTFL scale.
Essential Skills:
(From the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for World Languages):
Interpretive Communication - Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
Interpersonal Communication - Interact and negotiate meaning in spontaneous spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and perspectives
Presentational Communication - Present information, concepts, ideas, feelings, opinions, and perspectives to inform, explain, persuade and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers.
Intercultural Communication - Interact appropriately with others in and from another culture.
Cultures - Gain cultural competence and understanding.
Comparisons - Develop insight into the nature of language and culture to interact with cultural competence.
Success Criteria:
I can independently create a spoken or written message or participate in a conversation using intermediate-high to advanced-low language.
I can be easily understood by someone used to a language learner, and possibly by a native speaker who doesn’t know I’m a language learner.
I use a wide range of words and expressions. I expand and begin to elaborate, sometimes even in an unexpected context. I consistently use vocabulary from in-class resources and/or previous units I rarely repeat vocabulary words.
I use a variety of sophisticated connecting words to explain, describe or elaborate.. I can begin to communicate or tell a paragraph-length story.
I convey my knowledge of differences in familiar cultural products, practices and perspectives. I use culturally appropriate vocabulary and expressions.
My errors with targeted structures and/or word order do not interfere with communication. I show ample evidence of strong control of previously learned structures