Summer Creek High School
French 3 PreAP 2015-2016 Syllabus
Yair Soto
Room 1909
281-641-5570
4th period conference
Bonjour! Comment ça va?
Bienvenue en classe! Je serai votre nouveau professeur de français. Vous pouvez m’appeler Monsieur Soto ou simplement, Monsieur. I am a teacher with 10 years of experience in different subjects such as Biology, French, Spanish, and Bilingual classes. I speak 4 1/2 languages. (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and 1/2German) and I hope I can inspire you to learn some on your own. I graduated from the University of Houston, but also attended the University of Texas. I am excited to be a new teacher at Summer Creek High School!!! Allez les bouledogues! (Go Bulldogs!)
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General Information
Classroom Goals
Learning a foreign language is best done by living in a foreign country. Most people can become fluent in one or two years if they live in a foreign country but it takes a minimum of 6 years to become fluent by only taking classes. So no, it is not expected that you become fluent after 1 or 2 years but we will do our best to learn as much as possible in class. By the end of the first year you will be able to:
1. Pronounce most French words, sentences and passages with good fluidity.
2. Ask, speak, and understand instructions, elaborate sentences and elaborate conversations dealing with every day topics and some abstract ideas. You will improve on present, past, future tenses and work on conditional and subjunctive.
3. Learn about the French speaking countries and the differences between their cultures and yours.
4. Produce longer writing and speaking assignments.
Guidelines for Success-
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Be willing to participate and work with others.
Try to use French in and outside of class.
Always strive to improve.
Perseverance is key.
Try to understand the gist and not every word all the time.
Classroom Rules
1. Come to class ready to learn.
2. Respect the rights and property of others.
3. Ask for help and offer help when needed.
4. Strive to act responsibly at all times.
5. No food or drink and use electronic devices how and when instructed.
Consequences for breaking Classroom Rules-
1. Warning
2. Teacher/Student conference or change seat
3. Personal Improvement Plan
4. Detention and/or contact parent/coach/sponsor
5. Office referral and/or parent conference.
Consequences for Code of Conduct Violations
I must follow through with disciplinary referrals for violations of school wide rules and non-negotiables: including dress code, unexcused absences, threats and use of electronic devices.
SUMMER CREEK NONNEGOTIABLES – RESULT IMMEDIATELY IN REFERRAL TO PRINCIPAL
Disruption of the Educational Process
Insubordination
Profanity
Aggression or Oppression
Drugs
Classroom Activities-
The textbook will be our reference material but I will use videos, internet sites, songs, clips, and printed material from other sources.
Interpretive – You will listen to audio sources or people and read different print material and try to understand the main idea.
Interpersonal- You will speak and write to other people to convey meaning without emphasis on accuracy.
Presentational – You will present in writing or speaking something that you practiced and rehearsed for accuracy.
Dictations will help improve pronunciation and spelling.
You will work with a group and classmates many times but will only be graded on participation when you are doing cooperative learning. This will require you to move around and speak to different people.
Fun and engaging activities will make class more interesting.
PreAP classes will be vertically aligned with the AP French course. This means I will conduct class from 70 to 90% in French, assign more home assignments that must be completed when due to be successful in communication activities in class, and incorporate cross curricular units.
Supplies:
Pen or pencil
College ruled 1 subject spiral notebook
1 inch binder or sharing a bigger binder with another class
Glue stick/scissors (optional)
Online access to textbook, Class Dojo, Edmodo, and Remind
Grading :
We will follow the 2015-2016 Summer Creek High School Grading Policy. Please refer to that document for late work, reassessment, grading weights, conduct grades and online work details.
Summative…………. (Tests, Projects, Compositions) 70%
Formative…………… (Daily work, homework, quizzes, participation, notebook.) 30%
If the summative grade was a project, the reassessment will be a non-multiple choice test.
Conduct Grades
I will use Class Dojo to keep up with your conduct as much as possible. You will receive a grade based on the data. Both students and parents will be able to have access to Class Dojo.
Tutoring Schedule
Tuesdays- 2:55pm to 3:55pm and Fridays- 6:45 am to 7:15am. (Any other times by appointment)
You must sign-up to come to tutoring because I teach 4 different levels of French and need to be prepared for you. For example to come to Tuesday tutorials, you must sign up by 3:00pm on Monday and for Friday morning sign up by Thursday at 7:00 a.m. If you just want extra speaking practice, you don’t have to sign up. Please come prepared with all your class notes and handouts and be on time. If you are not prepared or on time, I will reschedule your tutoring. You must stay the whole time period unless you go to another teacher in which case you will need a pass. If you are doing a reassessment, a mandatory tutoring will be scheduled for initial grades below a 70%.
Classroom Procedures
Entering the classroom
Greet teacher, read the smaller white board, sit down and begin warm-up activity. You may quietly talk with your immediate neighbor about the warm-up task if you have a question. If you have an issue that might affect your learning experience for that period please talk to me before you go in the classroom so we can work something out. Sharpen your pencils before the bell rings. Attendance will be taken during the warm-up.
Electronic Devices
Electronic devices must be put away and silent. You will be instructed when you can use them and it will only be for educational purposes.
Tardy to Class
You are tardy to class if you are not inside the classroom when the bell rings. I will lock the door when the bell rings, and if there is a sweep you must get a pass. If for some reason there is no sweep, I will come out, talk to you and document it after I take attendance.
Materials
You must bring your spiral interactive notebook, your folder/binder and a pen or pencil every day. If you forget, first ask your team members, and then ask me. I will hold your ID badge and give it back when you return the borrowed item. I will document if this happens regularly and will go through the consequences for not being prepared.
How to find out daily assignments
Class activities and homework will be posted on the small white board. Most assignments and all homework will be posted on a calendar, the school website and Edmodo with clear due dates.
Turning in assignments
I will collect homework or other class work either at the beginning or end of class. If it is not turned in before leaving the classroom, it is subject to the late work policy. Assignments are turned in the “IN” crate in the back of the classroom by period file.
Returning assignments to students
I will return graded assignments as soon as possible for your viewing. I will keep all graded assignments for the 9 weeks in class. Absent students can check the absent box in the back to see if anything was returned.
Finding out grade status
You (and your parents) can track your grades and progress on E-school. I will make every effort to have grades entered no later than a week after the due date. If you have questions about your grade, you should come to a tutorial appointment so that we can discuss it. Do not ask during passing time since I have limited time and I need to be at the door.
Student responsibilities after an absence
If you have been absent please go to the back absent crate and get your missing assignments as well as sign the form. You may also need to come to tutorials to find out what notes or activities you have missed. Work should be made up in a timely manner – usually no more than a week. Exams can only be made up during tutorials.
Announcements/SCTV: When anyone comes on the loudspeaker with announcements, you must immediately be quiet and pay attention. Important information is shared. All students are expected to stand for the pledges and respect the moment of silence. SCTV is a production your peers work very hard on. It passes on important information and will be respected and watched.
Individual work time
Sit in your seat quietly; work on the current assignment as directed. You may quietly ask your immediate neighbor for help or raise your hand for assistance from the teacher.
Cooperative learning time
All students are expected to participate, contributing ideas and answers, and talking as much as possible in the target language. Talking should be in quiet voices to avoid disturbing other groups. You must ask your team members if you have a question before you ask the teacher.
Hall or restroom passes
Raise your hand with restroom signal and await acknowledgement from the teacher. Passes will not be granted during teacher lecture. Turn in “Cinq Euros” and take the hall pass with you. Students are not permitted to leave the classroom during the first 10 and last 10 minutes of class. You will get 3 passes per 9 weeks.
Ending class
Before the end of class it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all work has been turned in, that they know the assignment for the next class and that all supplies (including textbooks, dictionaries, markers, etc) have been returned to their proper places. You will be dismissed by the teacher once all supplies have been returned and chairs are pushed in. I might have an important announcement after the bell rings so you need to listen and I will not ever take too long to make you tardy to your next class.
Cinq Euros
Students are given 3 certificates at the beginning of the nine weeks. You must use one to get the pass for restroom, locker, or water fountain visits. If you would like to earn an extra 5 points on a quiz, assignment, or exam, you may “redeem” one certificate at a time. You must use the cinq euros for the current nine weeks.
Communication procedures with parents and families
Parents/guardians may call or email me any time. My email is . My phone number is 281-641-5570. You may leave me a message and I will return that call during my next conference period or directly after school. Students are welcome to email me with questions as well.
Class Honesty and Integrity Policy
It is very important in this class that students do their own work, including homework and especially writing assignments. Copying, plagiarizing or using an online translator will not be tolerated. This is a very serious matter and all parties involved in any of these activities will be penalized. The first offense will result in the student(s) re-doing the assignment with late work penalty applied. After that warning, there are no exceptions and the student(s) involved will receive a grade of “0”. At this point, the situation is also referred to the associate principal as academic dishonesty and there may be further consequences.
French Contests –
You will have the opportunity to compete in several French contests. This will dramatically improve your French, allow you to meet other students from other schools taking French, win awards and prizes, and improve your college application. Two contests available will be Farrington and Texas French Symposium. If available we will also participate in the National French Exam.