This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Become strong and confident in French with this second-year course. Since so many English words are derived from French, students will also experience improved overall vocabulary.
Total classes: 13
Prerequisite: French 1 or equivalent. If you are unsure which French course to take, you can email Dr. LaPierre at [email protected].
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade.
Suggested credit: One full semester French or Foreign Language.
Description
More than 220 million people speak French on all five continents. Therefore, the ability to speak French is an advantage in the international job market. It is a culture that has influenced the Western World, and the Americas, and it is a beautiful and fun language to learn.
In Part One of this course, the student will learn how to introduce himself and others; how to describe himself and others; expressions with the verbs être, avoir, faire; how to use adjectives; how to describe personalities; how to use ‘c’est/il est’; how to ask questions; how to use the verbs aller and venir followed by an infinitive verb; how to use ‘depuis’, ‘déjà’, et ‘jamais’; how to use the passé composé verb tense, many verbs, and determinants including the partitives.
The fall semester will cover units 1-4, with weekly assignments and quizzes, spelling tests, two tests (mid-term and final), and a final project for an oral presentation. The final project consists of a written composition from the student followed by an oral presentation of approximately 2 minutes.
Outline
Week One: Greetings, explaining syllabus, Caravel, grading, presenting the final project, Unité 1 week 1: ‘Who am I?’ introducing ourselves and our families, introducing each other, some professions;
Week Two: Unité 1 week 2 : Expressions with être, adjectives, descriptions, c’est ou il est?;
Week Three: Unité 1 week 3: Expressions with avoir, faire, asking questions;
Week Four: Unité 1 week 4 : Verb aller + infinitive, verb venir + infinitive, ‘depuis’;
Week Five: Unité 2 week 5: ‘Le weekend enfin!’ weekend activities, places;
Week Six: Unité 2 week 6: passé composé
Week Seven: Unité 2 week 7-8: verbe voir, passé composé with ‘être’;
Week Eight: Unité 3 week 9-10: ‘Bon appétit!’ meals, food, shopping, café, vouloir,pouvoir, devoir, partitive article, negative statement;
Week Nine: Unité 3 week 11: verbs boire, acheter, preferer, et payer, articles;
Week Ten: Unité 3 week 12: how to express quantities, the adjective ‘tout’ and ‘il faut’;
Week Eleven: Unité 4 weeks 13-14: ‘Les loisirs et spectacles’ Allons au spectacle, pronoms compléments;
Week Twelve: Unité 4 weeks 15-16: verbes savoir ou connaitre, pronoms compléments le, la, les, lui, leur;
Week Thirteen: French celebration and oral presentation.
Materials and Homework
Course Materials:
Discovering French Blanc, Valette et Valette, edition McDougal Littell, ISBN: 0-618-03505-2 (https://amzn.to/3bW5mr0). We recommend purchasing used (BookFinder.com is a good resource).
Homework: It is recommended that the student invest at least 30 minutes a day for listening exercises, reading, and grammar exercises. Most weeks will have a pre-recorded video concerning the grammar lesson and a recording of the vocabulary words and expressions. These should be viewed before class. During class, the student will complete grammar exercises with the teacher and come on the microphone. After class, the student will complete one dictée every week, a comprehension quiz, and some weeks may have a grammar assignment. Each unit has a chapter story. This exercise is more difficult: it integrates the vocabulary and grammar of the unit and is used as the Unit test. Finally, there is one composition with an oral presentation at the end of the semester. The composition concerns ‘Preparation for the Holidays’.
Important Dates
Class Dates: Tuesdays, September 3 to December 10, 2024 (No class Oct. 15 & Nov. 26)
Starting Time: 10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 AM Central; 8:00 AM Mountain; 7:00 AM Pacific)
Duration: 75 minutes per class
