French

FRENCH COURSES

FRENCH 1 Open to Grades 8-12 Credit: 1 This course serves as an introduction to the French language through reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students will be able to present information about themselves and others, ask and answer familiar questions, express likes and dislikes, give advice, and communicate about everyday life including family, hobbies and pastimes, school, community, and health. Vocabulary includes salutations, common interrogatives, telling the date/time, numbers, the alphabet, colors, family members, professions, weather, foods, parts of the body, clothing, physical characteristics and personality traits, sports and hobbies, geography, and classroom objects. Grammar includes the conjugation of regular verbs in -er, -ir, and -re; common irregular verbs; the present, near future, and recent past; definite and indefinite articles; the partitive; gender and number agreement; adjectives and their placement; adverbs and their placement; negation; forming questions with est-ce que; and expressions of necessity. Students will explore relevant topics in French and Francophone culture (e.g. body language, eating habits) and discuss these in relation to their own culture.

FRENCH 2 Open to Grades 9-12 Prerequisite: Completion of French 1 with a grade of C+ or higher or departmental approval Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of French 1. Students will be able to conduct conversations on a variety of familiar topics, meet basic needs such as making a reservation, expressing preferences, summarizing information, talking about the past, and making plans for the future. Vocabulary includes technology, measurements and quantities, money, musical genres and instruments, mode of transportation, daily routines,

nature and the environment. Grammar includes a revision of the present tense; the passé composé and the imparfait; être vs. avoir; reflexive verbs; savoir vs. connaître; the future; tonic pronouns; indirect and direct object pronouns and their order.

HONORS FRENCH 2 Open to Grades 9-12 Prerequisite: Completion of French 1 with a grade of A- or higher and departmental approval Credit: 1 This course covers the same content areas as French 2, but with a stronger emphasis on effective communication in all areas (presentational speaking/ writing, interpersonal speaking, interpretive listening/reading) of the language. Students can also expect to engage with more challenging materials in the language.

FRENCH 3 Open to Grades 9-12 Prerequisite: Completion of French 2 and departmental approval Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of French 2. Students will be able to participate with confidence in conversations on a variety of topics, describe people, places, things, and experiences in various time frames, express opinions, support a point of view with argument and evidence, give and follow detailed instructions, make suggestions, and research and present a topic of interest. Vocabulary includes travel, art and literature, media, extended family, types of housing, education, health care, citizenship. Grammar includes a revision of present, past, and future tenses; the plus-que-parfait; the subjunctive; que and lequel; the verbs penser, croire, and espérer; and relative pronouns.

HONORS FRENCH 3 Open to Grades 9-12 Prerequisite: Completion of French 2 with an A- or higher and departmental approval Credit: 1 This course covers the same content areas as French 3, but with a stronger emphasis on effective communication in all areas (presentational speaking/writing, interpersonal speaking, interpretive listening/reading) of the language. Students can also expect to engage with more challenging materials in the language.

FRENCH 4 Open to Grades 9-12 Prerequisite: Completion of French 3 and departmental approval Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of French 3. Students will be able to communicate effectively and at length on a wide range of topics, research, present and exchange detailed information on topics beyond their field of interest, clarify misunderstandings and ask for clarification, understand speech and text on unfamiliar topics, and write detailed compositions in various time frames. Vocabulary includes social media, social challenges, colleges and universities, legal rights, politics, French and Francophone history and culture. Grammar includes a revision of all tenses; passive forms; direct and indirect discourse; the past conditional; the participe présent and the gérondif; faire vs. laisser; and the causative.

HONORS FRENCH 4 Open to Grades 9-12 Prerequisite: Completion of French 3 with an A- or higher and departmental approval Credit: 1 This course covers the same content areas as French 4, but with a stronger emphasis on effective communication in all areas

(presentational speaking/writing, interpersonal speaking, interpretive listening/reading) of the language. Students can also expect to engage with more challenging materials in the language.

ADVANCED FRENCH: FRANCOPHONE CARIBBEAN LITERATURE Open to Grades 10-12 Prerequisite: French 4/Honors French 4 and departmental approval Credit: 1 This course focuses on the literature and culture of the French-speaking Caribbean. Students will continue to hone their linguistic skills by engaging with some of the French-speaking Caribbean’s most important literary figures, including Maryse Condé (Guadeloupe), Aimé Césaire (Martinique), and René Depestre (Haiti). In addition to literary texts, students will examine the painting, music, history, and politics of the region. Students enrolling in this course must have considerable competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French. The linguistic focus of this course is increased fluency, accuracy, and complexity in all modes of communication.