Jacqueline Carnes   Course Title: French IV Section: 550-1 Objectives: This course is a proficiency-based course that is designed to polish basic communicative skills in French while introducing students to the many countries of the world where French is spoken. At the successful completion of this course the student should be able to negotiate typical situations that would arise when traveling in a French-speaking country or meeting French-speaking tourists who may need help in this country. Students will be able to carry on meaningful conversation about personal habits and activities, likes and dislikes, family and friends, where and how they live and work. They will be able to get information and obtain services in hotels, restaurants, banks, airports, trains, post offices, doctor’s offices and from emergency personnel, at tourist sites, in stores, and get directions and information from passersby, police officers and store clerks. The student will also be able to identify and locate various French speaking countries, as well as demonstrate a cursory knowledge of each country’s contemporary status. This course may be used as a terminal course for the Shorecrest foreign language requirement (after French III) or may be taken in any combination or sequence with French IV Honors, AP French Language, or AP French Literature. Many grades will be based upon oral performance. We hope to have guest speakers with whom the students will interact in French and to watch some films and listen to popular songs, all of which will improve the students’ listening comprehension. Methods: This course will be quite different from other French courses offered at Shorecrest in that grammar, spelling and writing skills will be used as a means to an end, which is meaningful communication, rather than an end in themselves. Since textbook resources are scarce, many assignments will require finding information “on line” and reporting to the class. We will adhere to the UD presentation rubric as found on the Shorecrest website. Reading (of informational materials: menus, train schedules, tourist brochures, etc.), speaking and listening comprehension will be the skills stressed and grammar will be studied only as the framework upon which communication is built. Therefore, great emphasis will be place upon vocabulary expansion and conversational formulas. Students will speak French, not only to carry out normal classroom activities, but in role-playing situations, skits and presentations. Assessment Procedures: I will follow the absence and make-up policy as found in the Students’ Handbook. A detention will be given to any student who comes to class without his/her textbook or necessary supplies. Each student will have a “portfolio” left in the classroom which will contain all returned tests and to which the student will have access for review purposes before exams. It is also expected that each student will have a loose-leaf notebook dedicated to French class notes, handouts and homework. Late homework will not be accepted but will earn a “0”. Late compositions, presentations etc. will be penalized 10% per day for a maximum of five days and then will earn a “0”. Extra credit will be extended to the entire class from time to time but never to an individual. I am available for extra help any day during lunch or activity period or by specific appointment. Tests (worth over 50 points) will be announced a week in advance and will be put on the test calendar. Quizzes (20 - 40 points) will be announced ahead of time but will not be put on the test calendar. Pop-quizzes (less than 20 points) may be given at anytime. Grades will be determined by the percentage earned out of the total points possible. I will follow the Shorecrest grading scale as outlined in the Student Handbook. Use of any on-line translation services or the reading of assigned selections in English is strictly forbidden and will be considered an honors violation. Resources Used: Texts - T Tactics Face à Face, Contes et Légendes du Monde Francophone plus numerous handouts and supplemental materials. Many on-line resources will be used. You must have a loose-leaf notebook in which to put your many papers. Content and Pacing: The first semester will be devoted to reviewing and reinforcing useful vocabulary in a thematic way as we study the Francophone countries and departments of the Western Hemisphere. During the second semester students will study the Francophone countries of Africa. Using the competencies mastered during the first semester, each student will choose and conduct research on the country of their choice. This will culminate in each student presenting their findings, in spoken French as well as through various multi-media presentation techniques, to the rest of the class. Notes: Voyage en France: Shorecrest has a sister school in France with which we have a regular exchange program. Our next scheduled exchange will take place in February and March 2008. More information will be available at “Back to School Night” in September. Assistance Supplémentaire: I will be available for extra help any day during lunch or during Activity Period, unless one of the French Clubs in meeting. Please let me know during your class period if I should expect you for a help session later in the day. Tutoring is also available upon request from French Honor Society members. I am available to parents for conferences as arranged by the office or on e-mail as needed.