French Syllabus Grade 8

Mademoiselle Smith

Timely, diligent and focused completion of all assignments and consistent daily review of vocabulary and grammar are the foundations for understanding and success in every World Language course. Students are responsible for all information in assignments and should be aware that not all information in the homework assignments is covered during class time. Valuable class time is used to expand upon and deepen student understanding beyond the simple foundation provided for in the homework assignments. Use of online digital translation programs is not a substitute for the daily application of required effort.

Course Outline:

  1. Chapter 1 Salut, les copains!
  2. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  3. Greet people and say goodbye, exchange names, ask how someone is, introduce someone, ask and tell how old someone is, talk about things in a classroom, ask and tell how words are spelled, exchange email addresses.
  4. Subjects and verbs, subject pronouns, indefinite articles and plurals of nouns, the verb avoir and negation.
  5. Culture: Greetings and gestures in different cultures and formal vs. informal language.
  1. Chapter 2- Qu’est-ce que te plait?
  2. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  3. Ask about likes/dislikes, agree/disagree, ask how often you do an activity, ask how well you do something, and ask about preferences.
  4. Definite articles, -er verbs, irregular plurals, contractions with à, conjunctions, est-ce que.
  5. Culture: French music and comic books, movie theaters and fine arts.
  1. Chapter 3- Comment-est ta famille?
  2. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  3. Ask about and describe people, ask for and give opinions, identify family members, ask about someone’s family.
  4. The verb être, adjective agreement, more irregular adjectives, possessive adjectives, contractions with de, c’est vs. il/elle est.
  5. Culture: Last names, coat of arms, Carnaval de Quebec and other Quebec festivals.
  1. Chapter 4- Mon année scolaire
  2. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  3. Ask about classes, ask for and give an opinion, ask about and express need, inquire about and make purchases.
  4. –re verbs, -ger and –cer verbs, le with days of the week, the verbs préférer and acheter, adjectives as nouns, agreement with numbers
  5. Culture: The 24 hour clock, the Francophone school system, and fine arts.
  1. Chapter 5- Le temps libre
  2. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  3. Ask about interests, ask how often someone does an activity, extend, accept or refuse an invitation and make plans.
  4. The verb faire, question words, adverbs, the verb aller and the future proche, the verb venir and the passé récent, idioms with avoir.
  5. Culture: School sports and French sports teams, the Celsius scale and fine arts.

VI. Chapter 6- Bon appétit!

  1. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  2. Offer, accept and refuse food, ask for and give an opinion, inquire about food, place an order, ask about prices and pay the check.
  3. Partitive articles, -ir verbs, the verbs vouloir, prendre, boire and the imperative.
  4. Culture: Typical francophone breakfasts, table manners, tipping, the euro, menus and fine arts.

VII. Chapter 7- On fait les magasins?

  1. Objectives: Students will learn to:
  2. Offer and ask for help in a store, ask for and give opinions, ask for and give prices, make a decision.
  3. Demonstrative adjectives, interrogative adjectives, the verb mettre, the past tense of –er verbs, the past tense of irregular verbs and adverbs with the past tense.

b. Culture: Clothing sizes, bargaining in Senegal, les soldes, traditional costumes and fine arts.

VIII.Chapter 8-À la maison

  1. Objectives: Students will learn to:

i. Ask for, give and refuse permission, tell how often they do things, describe a house

and tell where things are.

ii. The verbs pouvoir, devoir, dormir, sortir, partir, the past tense of –ir and –re

verbs, negative expressions, the past tense with être, -yer verbs.

b. Culture: Tea ceremony in Senegal, numbering floors in Senegal and fine arts.

IX. Chapter 9- Allons en ville!

  1. Objectives: Students will learn to:

i. Plan their day, ask for and give directions, tell what they need and make and

respond to requests.

ii. The verbs voir, savoir, connaître, the imperative, the present tense, inversion, and

the partitive.

b. Culture: Public transportation, the metric system, la carte bleue, pharmacie vs. droguerie

and fine arts.

X. Chapter 10- Enfin les vacances!

a. Objectives: Students will learn to:

i. Give advice, get and ask for information, buy tickets and make a transaction.

ii.The verb appeler, prepositions with countries and cities, idioms with faire, the past

tense with avoir, the past tense with être, ordinal numbers.

b. Culture: Gîtes, hotel ratings, les santons dolls, SNCF and TGV trains and fine arts.

Grading System:

The grading scale will be based on category percentages.

●10% Homework

●15% Classwork/Class Participation

●20% Quizzes

●25% Projects

●30% Tests

Homework Policy:

●Homework will be assigned Monday through Friday each week. Each homework assignment will be worth five points. If a student misses a homework assignment, he/she may not make up homework for credit unless they have a valid written excuse from a parent/guardian or are absent. Homework will be checked daily for completion and collected at random for correctness.

Absences:

●The minimal period of time for a student to makeup missed class work will be equal to the number of days that student was absent. The student is responsible for scheduling a time and date to meet with me for makeup work. If they do not make up their work in the appropriate amount of time, the student will receive zero credit. For tests and large projects, the student will lose ten points each day the project is not submitted. Upon the student’s return to school, they should check the absence tray for missed worksheets/assignments. Any missed homework assignments can be found on my teacher website or Google Classroom.

Assessments Methods:

NOTE- All projects, assignments and homework are due at the beginning of class on their assigned due date. All assessments will be announced in advance, and then returned in a timely fashion. Turnaround time for quizzes is 1-3 days. Tests will be returned in about a week and projects up to a week and a half.

●Unit Tests (includes listening, writing and reading)

●Unit Projects (in the interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes of communication)

●Unit Quizzes

●Oral Presentations including skits, dialogues (teacher-student and student-student), podcasts, voice recordings, etc.

●Class Assignments

●Homework

*Students will be evaluated in speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in French with a strong emphasis on communicative competence in the target language.

Leaving the classroom:

●Each marking period, students will receive tickets which they may use to go to the bathroom during, locker or water fountain during class time. If students do not use their tickets, they may exchange them for extra points at the end of the marking period to use towards tests or quizzes. If a student has a medical condition with a written note from home or the nurse, this policy does not apply. If it is an emergency, this policy will not apply. Students are encouraged to remain in class so they will not miss important instructional time. Students may not use the restroom the period after lunch or the first period of the morning.

Respect Statement:

● Students in this class are expected torespecteach other and the teacher. Students need to be sensitive to the abilities of others.Therefore, no mocking or bullying will be tolerated. Students are expected to follow policy found in the Code of Conduct. If a student violates this respect statement, appropriate consequences will be given.

Extra Help:

●Students may arrange to see me for extra help on an appointment basis only. I am available in the mornings or after school some days. Students may also schedule a time during EP. If a student would like extra help, they should first see me to arrange a day and time. I will then provide that student with a pass if necessary.

Academic Integrity:

●Cheating, copying, plagiarism (using someone else’s words or ideas without citation including copying a classmate's notes or copying on-line notes and submitting as your own), falsifying data, online translators, and other unauthorized use of materials is dishonest and will not be tolerated. Most universities will expel a student who is caught cheating. In this class we will use an honor code similar to that found in many universities. Any major assignments, (not submitted through Turnitin.com), quizzes, or tests you turn in must contain the following statement handwritten and signed by you at the top of the first page before it will be accepted or graded.

●“On my honor I certify that this assignment is my own work and that I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this (test, exam, paper)”

Technology:

●Google Classroom: Students will be required to join Google Classroom this school year. On this online platform, students will find homework, study guides, worksheets and other helpful resources. Students are encouraged to communicate with their peers via Google Classroom. Please note, this platform will be used for SCHOOL PURPOSES ONLY. Any misuse of this platform will result in disciplinary action.

●Google Docs/Gmail: Students will work with Google Docs and other Google Applications this year.

●iPads: Students will be expected to bring their iPads to class, charged, on a daily basis. Not having your iPad is to be unprepared for the day. Student use of iPads in the classroom is restricted to topics and materials which, per the instructor, further the implementation of the day’s lesson. Students who are off topic with their iPads risk negatively impacting their grade for the assignment and potentially face disciplinary consequences.

Online translators: The use of online translators for large scale translation is cheating and defeats the purpose of studying a World Language. With teacher approval, online translators can be used, on occasion, as a dictionary.

Students: Please read, sign and return this page to Ms. Smith by tomorrow. It is your first homework assignment. By signing this, you acknowledge you have read the syllabus and are aware of classroom policies and expectations.

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Print Student Name Sign Student Name Date

Please check all that apply: _____Computer access____Internet Access ____Printing Access

Parents/Guardians: Please read, sign and have student return this contract to me immediately. By signing, you are acknowledging that you have read this document with your child and that he or she understands what is expected of him or her. Thank you.

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Print Parent/Guardian Name Sign Parent/Guardian Name Date

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Parent/Guardian Email Cell Phone or Best Number to be reached