Merion Mercy Academy
FRANÇAIS 4
2006 – 2007
Mr. Seth T. Pidot
Room 239
www.MrPidot.com
Bienvenue à la classe de français! I welcome you as you continue your study of French. When you come to class every day, you are walking into a small French-speaking community. Leave your English at the door and be ready to enjoy taking risks!
Materials Used
· A bord, Conrad J. Schmitt and Katia Brillié Lutz, Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 1998 (text and workbook – must be covered at all times)
· En France, Duncan Sidwell, EMC/paradigm Publishing, 1999 (text must be covered at all times)
· Supplementary readings (TBA)
· French / English dictionary
· Section in binder or separate French notebook, if preferred, exclusively for French class notes
· Loose-leaf for homework and quizzes
· 2-pocket folder for tests and quizzes. (This folder will remain in the classroom and will be available for review in the classroom prior to exams.)
· 2-pocked folder for handouts and newspaper/magazine articles for current events
· A blank cassette for practice at home
· Index cards
Course Outline
Goals
· To increase speaking and listening skills
· To further develop reading and writing skills
· To review previously learned and to acquire new grammatical structures
Content
· Vocabulary, structures, and cultural material covered in text
· Short stories / poetry / supplementary readings
· Projects on French culture (e.g. les régions, les pays francophones)
Teacher Expectations
Class participation
· Classes will be taught in a conversation-like manner, with an emphasis on developing oral and written communication skills. Textbook and workbook exercises in addition to a variety of audio-visual materials will be used to help you develop these skills. It is important for you to participate actively in class and to SPEAK French at all times. You will receive a grade for participation. That does not mean that you must be perfect, or even right. It means that you must try! You are encouraged to use your French outside of class as well. Enjoy your new language!
Homework Requirements
· Every night there will be approximately 30-35 minutes of homework, with some time spent on reading out loud. Two writing (essay) assignments will be assigned during each quarter to help improve writing skills.
· Projects will be assigned during the course of the year, which will involve research using supplementary materials and the Internet. In addition, you will be asked to find articles related to anything French, keep the articles in your folder, and write a brief summary of/reaction to each article.
Assessment Methods
· Class participation, homework assignments, journals, articles, quizzes, unit tests, listening comprehension tests, authentic assessments, and projects
Grading System
· Semester grades are averaged in the following manner:
50%: major tests, authentic assessments, and projects (three per marking period)
50%: quizzes (announced and un-announced), compositions, journals, articles, and participation grade (oral response in class and homework)
Absence
· Missed assignments, quizzes or tests…If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what work you missed and to make it up and show it to me. You are required to make up work on the first day after returning to school from an absence. Following a prolonged absence, you should meet with me to schedule make up work.
· Major projects…If you are absent on the day a major project is due, the project must be delivered to me at school or e-mailed to me at . If the project has been e-mailed, the hard copy must be handed in on the day you return to school. Points will be deducted for late assignments.
Academic Honesty
· Please refer to policy in Student Handbook.
· You are responsible to work alone on all written assignments (unless a group assignment) and must carefully document all outside sources used for projects and assignments. All forms of cheating, including plagiarism, merit an immediate “0” on the relevant assignment. Cheating includes using Internet or electronic “Translators” to translate assignments, copying, plagiarizing (using someone else’s work without citing it or documenting the source), etc.
Other Information
· Extra help: If you are having difficulty in French, please do not hesitate to ask for help. See me to schedule an appointment.
· Making connections: Be on the lookout for anything and everything with a “French Connection” – labels, tags, current event articles, movies, plays, etc. Share them with your class and me. Have fun using your French!!
· Web sites for course references are available upon request.
· My e-mail address is: .
· My teaching website for this class is www.MrPidot.com
BONNE CHANCE!