Jacqueline Carnes   Course Title: French III Section: 543-1 Objectives: In French III students will begin to use French in a more abstract way. They will continue to talk about themselves and the realities of everyday happenings, whether they be present, past or future facts. But they will also learn how to deal with possibilities, circumstances that could cause other things to happen, their own emotional acceptance or rejection of these possibilities and expressions of personal volition. These new grammatical dimensions will be practiced through all aspects of language learning; speaking, reading, writing and listening. While oral expression will continue to receive a great deal of emphasis, through daily classroom discussions and activities and the weekly (Monday) language laboratory sessions, increased emphasis will be put upon the student's written control of French. We will be reading longer selections taken both from French literature and from contemporary sources. Students will also be expected to write longer compositions, both practiced and extemporaneous. Upon successful completion of this course, strong students will be encouraged to continue with French IV Honors which will enable them to take the SATII in French at the end of their fourth year. Students with less interest in grammar and literature will be encouraged to take French IV Contemporary French Language and Culture to complete their language requirement. Methods: Our daily activities will be varied in an attempt to practice all of the skills mentioned above. Songs, skits, poems, videos, cultural and literary discussions will enhance our work in the textbook. We will continue to go to the language lab once a week (Mondays) for work on listening comprehension and pronunciation. I expect students to come to class prepared and willing to participate in all our activities. The class will be run in French except for initial grammar explanations. Students will be expected to communicate with the teacher and among themselves in French. Assessment Procedures: Report card grades are determined by the number of points that a student has earned as compared to the total number of points possible. I will follow the Shorecrest grading scale as indicated in the Student Handbook. Late compositions or handouts will be penalized 10% per day for a maximum of 5 days at which time the student will receive a "0" for the missing item. Late homework exercises will not be accepted unless the student was absent. Homework will be assigned most nights and will be graded in class the following day. Each homework exercise assigned will be worth 5 points. If the students work is perfect all 5 points will be given, minor errors will earn 4 points, serious errors but still a genuine effort will receive 3 points but no points will be given for the wrong assignment or one not done. Homework other than exercises from the text, ie. compositions, worksheets, or oral presentations will receive varying amounts of credit that will be announced when they are assigned. Use of any written translation or electronic translation device other than a dictionary will be considered an honor code violation. Tests and quizzes will also add to the "points earned over points possible" percentage. Tests, which will be worth a minimum of 50 points, will be given at the end of each unit and after major reading or grammar sections. They will be announced at least a week in advance and will be put on the "test calendar" in the main office. Quizzes will be worth between 20 - 49 points and will be announced at least one day in advance. "Pop" quizzes will be worth less than 20 points and may be given at any time. I do not drop any test or quiz grades. Quizzes will be given after vocabulary sections of each chapter and a Chapter test will be given at the end of each chapter.. Tests or quizzes will also be given after each major literary selection. Weekly language laboratory activities will usually be worth about 35 points. Extra credit may be offered to all students but never to just one individual. Students who score very well (above 40) on the National French Exam will be given extra credit during the third quarter. Every student has the opportunity to earn one point of extra credit on every test and quiz by writing me a personal message in French at the end of their paper. Resources Used: "Débuts: An Introduction to French" (McGraw-Hill, 2006) text and workbook "Le Chemin du retour" instructional DVD to accompany the text. Content and Pacing: We will endeavor to finish chapters 1 through 11 during the first semester. Chapters 12-22 will be covered during the second semester. In February we will prepare for the National French Exam. Notes: Exchange Shorecrest/France: All Upper Division French students are invited to participate in the exchange program that Shorecrest has established with a high school in France.This exchange takes place every other year with the next date set for Feb and March of 2008.