AP French Language and Culture Syllabus
Introduction and Resources
The AP French Language and Culture Course is an Advanced Placement course designed for fourth/fifth year high school French students who wish to participate in language learning at the college level. The expectation is that the student will take The AP French Language and Culture test at the end of this course. This course will build upon student prior knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and the student will apply that knowledge to the following six themes: Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, Beauty and Aesthetics, Contemporary Life, Global Challenges, Science and Technology. These themes often overlap and may be addressed in multiple modules in addition to their specific modules. Within these themes the students will communicate in the target language using the following modes of communication: Interpersonal (written and spoken), Interpretive (print and audio) and Presentational (written and spoken). As the purpose of this course is to facilitate proficiency in communication, the course will be conducted primarily in French, with English used only for clarification of specific, complex grammar points. The students will interact with the instructor, authentic materials, and each other in the target language and be exposed to listening activities consisting of native speakers from a variety of francophone countries. The instructor will use culturally authentic print and non-print materials (advertising, songs, films, podcasts, magazines, newspapers, correspondence, poems, novels etc) to facilitate student interaction, interpretation and comparison of francophone cultures with their own. These will be supplemented by a variety of textbooks. Sample resources listed.
Program
Students in our school take French 1 Honors, French 2 Honors, French 3 Advanced Honors, and possibly French 4 Advanced Honors, to reach the AP French Language and Culture Course. The class meets 3 times a week for 47 minutes and 1 day a week for 90 minutes (modified block schedule). The school is divided into four 9 week grading periods.
All students have access to computer labs and iPad labs for research and recording practice.
The activities presented in the units are a sampling of some of the activities for that unit. They are supplemented with additional articles, podcasts, and videos. Students also present on 2 major topics. Semester 1: The French Revolution (people and events) chronologically. Semester 2: Major conflict events in France and francophone countries including the Franco-Algerian war, the Paris Commune, the Duvaliers in Haiti, the Rwandan genocide, and Pol Pot and the Khmer rouge.
Sample Resources and Course Materials
Primary textbooks for grammar review, selected thematic readings, and thematic vocabulary
o Mitschke, Cherie. Imaginez: le français sans frontières. Boston: Vista Higher Learning, 2012.
o Ladd, Richard. Allons au-delà! La langue et les cultures du monde francophone. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. (referred to as AAD)
o Muskens, Harlow, Vialet, Brière. Bravo. Boston: Heinle Cengage Learning, 2009.
For specific AP practice:
o Ladd, Richard. AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination. Boston:
Pearson Education, 2012.
Supplemental reading from a variety of online and print sources, including:
Zwanziger, E and Selden, B. ApPrenons. Wayside Publishing, 2013.
Ghillebaert, Françoise. Face-à-Face. Boston: Vista Higher Learning, 2011.
Le Monde /lemonde.fr
Le Figaro/ lefigaro.fr
Courrier International
Phosphore
Sempé-Goscinny Le Petit Nicholas Editions Denoël, 1960.
Selected poetry, fables, short stories
CanalAcademie
BBCAfrique
Other French and francophone print and online sources
Audio/visual resources
Radio France Podcasts
www.rfi.fr
TV5monde
7 jours sur la planète
France24
www.audio-lingua.eu
www.ina.fr
http://1jour1actu.com
www.youtube.com
A variety of songs in French
Websites for practice and further information Films (entire or excerpts):
www.apcentral.collegeboard.com LesChoristes
www.bonjourdefrance.com Joyeux Noël
http://lirenligne.net/ Molière
Fr.ver-taal Paris, je t’aime
Quizlet Les Intouchables
www.france.fr Entre les murs
Cyrano de Bergerac
Activities to Improve Proficiency
Students will be required to do regular homework to supplement in-class learning and activities and are encouraged to interact with French outside of class via music, film and news. Students are also expected to watch an English speaking news program at least once per week to keep abreast of world affairs.
Writing
Students will respond weekly to a journal topic/prompt provided by the instructor. e.g. summarize/respond to a literary extract/news article; present personal viewpoint on a relevant topic; review a book, film, song; response to questions. During the second semester, they will also respond to the instructor and each other in a weekly blog over an article or topic chosen by the instructor (reading and listening).
Students will respond to sample letters and e-mails, including but not limited to those found in AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination
Students will write responses to positions, articles and editorials.
For each theme, each student will write a persuasive or comparative essay using information from authentic sources related to the topic. These are in addition to practice essays from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination.
Students will peer-edit and score other student’s writing and self-score course writings using the AP scoring guide.
Students correct writings of other students individually and in small group.
Listening
Students are expected to communicate with the instructor and each other only in French other than in situations specified earlier. During the second semester, they will also respond to the instructor and each other in a weekly blog over an article or topic chosen by the instructor (reading and listening).
Students will be given regular listening assignments from various authentic audio/visual (news programs, podcasts, song, films etc.) pertaining to the themes and representing a variety of francophone countries and accents.
Listening continued
Students will respond in writing and through other methods of assessment, such as multiple choice questions, to information presented through these authentic listening resources including, but not limited to, activities from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination.
Students will complete fill in activities with listening resources
Students will listen to and respond to presentations from other students in the class.
Students will practice listening through conversations provided in the AP practice tests from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination
Reading
Students will be exposed to a variety of authentic texts (magazines, short stories, magazine articles, excerpts of novels etc.) on a regular basis and instructed as to reading techniques that will provide strategies for improved reading comprehension.
Students will analyze, discuss and respond to these texts through blogs, formative assessments, written responses, comparisons and presentations.
Students will peer-edit and score other student’s writing and self-score course writings using the AP scoring guide.
Students will respond to multiple choice questions from the sample AP Practice tests reading excerpts from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination, using that text as an explicit reference/justification for their responses.
Speaking
Students will use the target language consistently in the classroom and be assigned speaking activities outside of the classroom.
Students will record responses to guided conversations related to the themes (created by the instructor or from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination and AP sample tests) and also conversations between themselves that reflect real world situations.
Students will present orally on a variety of topics related to the themes and cultural comparisons, especially within those themes.
Speaking continued
Students will participate in debates and Socratic seminars on given topics. Students will work regularly on circumlocution and consistently integrate idiomatic and transitional phrases for increased proficiency.
Students speak weekly in whole class or small group settings regarding given topics and their weekend or recent activities to improve extemporaneous speaking.
Students have the opportunity to participate in immersion activities- one at the county level and one at the school level.
Assessment
AP French Language and Culture practice tests will be administered regularly in part or in whole, as appropriate to the lessons and themes. These tests as well as other forms of assessment will be assessed according to the guidelines of the AP French Language and Culture Scoring Guide when appropriate.
Vocabulary and grammar quizzes will be used to assess as necessary.
Formative Assessments:
Journals
Short answer responses
Multiple choice
Presentations
Role play
Skits
Summary
Discussion
Quizzes
Summative Assessments:
May take the format of an extended formative assessment
Persuasive essays using 3 sources
Responses to letters, e-mails
Presentation with student formulated questions to accompany presentations
Conversations
Responses to reading, listening and viewing in multiple choice format.
Overview of thematic units
Many of these thematic units overlap and evidence of one theme will be seen in another. The following are general overviews of the units presented in the class, with additional discussion and material throughout not listed. Students will practice AP test format throughout each unit.
Unit 1
Theme: Contemporary Life
Subthemes: Education, Leisure and Sports, Holidays and Celebrations, Housing and Shelter, Professions, Travel
Structural foundations:
· Vocabulary related to education and scholarly pursuits, comparison
· Vocabulary related to holidays/celebrations
· comparative/superlative
· subjunctive
· Relative pronouns
Context: Education
Essential Questions:
1. How does education differ in selected francophone countries from the United States?
2. What is the value of higher education?
3. Which system of assessment has the most value?
· Reading: “La rentrée” (Petit Nicolas)
· Research and present differences between the French and American school systems and present and discuss findings with the class.
· Reading: Article «Le système scolaire au Québec» discussion and comparison
· Write a letter to a friend in a francophone country describing your school/day and inquiring about theirs, noting differences you have heard of. Letter will ask at least 2 questions and use 2 subjunctive expressions.
· Reading and discussion-: The baccalaureat from Bravo text, news article (www. connexion france.com/baccalaureat)
· Reading: “Allô maman, j’ai décroché mon bac…” (AAD)
· Listening: «Le baccalauréat : un examen qui ne vaut plus rien» (youtube) What are some of the issues today in France regarding the Bac?
· Debate: The Bac versus the traditional US diploma
· AP reading, writing, speaking and audio practice related to school and BAC from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination
Context: Holidays and Celebrations
Essential Questions:
1. What is the significance of some of the major French holidays?
2. What are significant holidays in other francophone countries?
3. How do these holidays differ from our own?
· Reading: Les fêtes (www.france.fr)
· Listening:«Les jours fériés» (1jour1actu)
· Complete and compare a chart explaining several French religious holidays. Discuss their historical significance and modern traditions associated with the holiday.
· Discussion: religious holidays in a secular society.
· Research and present on a holiday in a francophone country other than France.
· Listening: «Qu’est-ce que le ramadan»- (youtube) and respond to questions from video
· Ramadan reading from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination, multiple choice responses and discussion of evidence from text.
· AP reading, writing, speaking and audio practice related to celebrations from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination
Unit 2
Theme: Families and Communities
Subthemes: Childhood and Adolescence, Customs and Ceremonies, Family Structures, Friendship and Love
Structural foundations:
· Vocabulary related to rites of passage, major life events, driving, marriage
· Vocabulary relating to family and relationships.
· Past tense
· Conditional , future
· Possession
· Futur anterieur, passé de conditionnel
Context: Rites of passage
Essential questions:
1. What is a rite of passage? Why is it significant?
2. What are some rites of passage in other countries and how do they differ from what you consider a rite of passage?
· Students discuss their definition of a rite of passage, and create a list of examples from their community based on these definitions.
· Reading: «Les rites de passage dans les sociétés traditionnelles» Balland, Joseph
· Discussion: Do the rites of passage discussed fit the definition from the article
· Discussion: What is it to be an adult?
· Research and compare age of adulthood in France, Canada and the U.S. including voting age, driving age, age for military service
· Students research and discuss what it take to get a driving license in France
· Reading: Article«Passer mon permis de conduire en France» (www.infobest.eu)
· Listening: Hugotoutseul «Les leçons de conduite», Rodster podcast « Le permis de conduire» (youtube)
· Discussion- Marriage as a rite of passage
· Reading regarding marriage in France (justice.gouv.fr)
· Info gap activity regarding the PACS system in France
· Writing: Why get married?
· Reading and discussion: Marriage ceremonies around the world (terrafemina.com)
· Presentation: Rites of passage in specific regions of the world.
· Writing: Compare a rite of passage from another country focusing on how it differs from rites of passage from our list. Discuss whether they fit the definitions we read.
· AP reading, writing, speaking and audio practice related to rites of passage and life events from AP French: Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination
Context: Family roles, the roles of women
Essential Questions:
1. How have family structures and roles changed over time?
2. How do new definitions of family in your culture compare to the definition of family in other francophone cultures?
3. How are the roles of women defined over time and in other cultures?
· Discussion: What are some of the concerns of a family? Finances, child rearing, discipline, education etc