Accelerated French III Honors, 5 credits Mme Erica PAPPALARDO

2014-2015 School Year Room A217/A229PH: 934-7650 x2249

Extra Help:Mon – Thurs 2:17 – 3:10

BIENVENUE À LA CLASSE DE FRANÇAIS III

Course Description - The emphasis of French III is placed on intermediate grammar, speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension. Students will be introduced to several new tenses. Students will also further develop their skills with informal writings. Students will improve the ability to express themselves with detail and accuracy on a broad range of topics with emphasis on specific French-speaking cultures.

Duxbury High School Modern Language Department Competencies -Throughout the semester, students will be working at showing their progress on the following skills. This list of skills is essentially the “meat and potatoes” of French III. While we will be mastering more material than what is listed here, this list represents the most fundamental skills of French III. This course is responsible for DHS Learning Expectations I and V.

I: Read, write, and communicate effectively using a variety of media.

V: Demonstrate personal, social, and civic responsibility.

Communication is the basis of standards for all levels of modern languages. Every level will stress

the development of oral, writing, listening and reading skills as well as cultural awareness.

Oral Skills: Through daily, oral practice of speaking in class, students are expected to recycle vocabulary along with current material according to their respective level.
Students will engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions and exchange opinions.
Students will understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
Students will present information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listeners on a variety of topics.
Writing Skills: On a regular basis students are expected to apply knowledge of grammar and spelling systems to write effectively according to their level.
Students will create compositions according to their level to communicate feelings, ideas, emotions and opinions.
Students will use appropriate mechanics, sentence structure, word choice and grammar to communicate written messages.
Students will employ diverse vocabulary in their writing.
Listening Skills: Regular listening practice will enable students to comprehend target language.
Students will be able to understand, recognize and respond to phrases and passages.
Reading Skills: Students are expected to understand reading passages in familiar context according to their level.
Students will be able to understand written passages from a variety of sources according to their level.
Students will be able to respond to questions and prompts based on the readings.
Cultural Awareness The study and understanding of cultural practices is explored in order to gain insight into different countries and our own culture.
Students demonstrate an understanding of their relationship between the practices, products and perspectives of diverse cultures.
  1. Unit Topics & Grammar

Unit Topics

  • Household Chores
  • How to Tell a Story
  • Shopping
  • Traveling Abroad
  • Staying at a Hotel
  • Medical Visits
  • A Date in Town
  • Friendships & Relationships

Grammar

  • Irregular Verb Conjugations
  • The Subjunctive
  • The Imperfect
  • Special Cases with the Passé Composé
  • The Passé Simple
  • Expressions of Quantity
  • The Pronouns Y & En
  • DOP & IOP
  • Faire Causative
  • Negations
  • The Future Tense
  • The Conditional Tense
  • Hypothetical Clauses, Simple & Compound
  • The Comparative & The Superlative
  • Interrogative Pronouns
  • Demonstrative Pronouns
  • Possessive Pronouns
  • The Past Subjunctive
  • The Plus-que-Parfait
  • The Conditionnel Passé
  • Reciprocal Verbs
  • Relative Pronouns qui & que
  • Prepositional Constructions
  • Ce qui, Ce que, Ce dont

  1. Books and Materials

Required

  • Discovering French Rouge Textbook, online version provided by DHS
  • A 3-ring binder used only for French (at least 1½ inch) *You will need your binder daily!!
  • A set of index dividers or tabs
  • Composition Book (9 ¾” x 7 ½ “) for journal entries
  • Variety of colored pens (red, blue, green, black)
  • Index cards for reinforcing vocabulary

Recommended:

  • French/English dictionary (Collins Robert, Larousse or Oxford)

  • Highlighter
  1. Classroom Rules
  2. Engage in Your Learning: Tune in (no electronic devices)
  3. Communicate: Express your concerns, hopes, and desires to me and to each other
  4. Respect: Our environment, our materials, one another, and yourself
  5. Arrive Prepared: Promptly, with homework, and necessary materials
  6. Produce High Quality Work: The work you produce is a reflection of who you are
  1. Classroom Procedures
  1. When you enter the room, find your nametag and be seated; do not re-distribute the nametags.
  2. As you enter the room, review the agenda and begin the posted warm-up or notes, vocabulary from the previous class.
  3. Drinking and eating in the classroom is a privilege. NO PEANUTS!
  4. You may not use materials from my desk.
  5. Recycle.
  6. We take notes together.
  7. Request for bathroom trips will be granted during appropriate times. Please use the bathroom prior to or after class. All bathroom trips will require sign-out and use of the bathroom pass.
  8. Sign in/out of the classroom.
  9. During all announcements, stop what you are doing and listen.
  10. At the end of class, help to rearrange the room, empty the desk of any trash or papers and the area around you.
  11. Please stay seated until the bell.
  12. Be responsible about getting notes/work when you are absent.
  13. You may freely access any materials in the classroom.
  14. When a guest is in the room, please continue working and respond appropriately.
  15. Make an appointment with me for extra help when you need it.
  16. Use your email account on First Class when communicating with me via email!
  1. Grading Policy/Assessments

While there are several sub-categories of the typical kinds of work that we will embark upon this semester, all work will fall into one of two main categories: formative and summative. They are the assessment components of the course that mainly guide instruction and learning. They also provide feedback along the way. Summative assessments are the assessment components of the course that gauge to what level students have achieved mastery of course competencies. All summative work will be tied to the course competencies. Throughout the semester students will have multiple opportunities (and multiple ways) to demonstrate their competency toward each of the competencies.

A+ 97% - 100%
A 93% - 96%
A- 90% - 92% / B+ 87% - 89%
B 83% - 86%
B- 80% - 82% / C+ 77% - 79%
C 73% - 76%
C- 70% - 72% / D 65% - 69%
F Below 65%

Categories of Student Grade: Homework: 15% Proficiency: 30% Quizzes: 25% Tests: 30%

Portal Gradebook Updates: 9/22, 10/6, 10/20, 11/17, 12/1, 12/15, 1/12, 2/9, 3/2, 3/16, 4/27, 5/11, 5/26, 6/8

Grades Close: 10/31, 1/23, 4/2, 6/15

Report Cards Issued: 11/7, 4/10

Homework

Homework is assigned to practice in class concepts. Homework must be handed in the next day of class for full credit. Late homework will not be accepted. Homework must be completed 100% to receive credit. If a student is absent, s/he has one day for each absent day to make up the assignment.

Class work/Participation

Class work is assigned to also practice new concepts and review items already covered. Students are expected to come to class every day ready to work! To be successful in this course, you must be ready to follow directions and complete all tasks assigned. Students are expected to practice their French on a daily basis. Students that participate show me that they are making an effort to learn.

Journal/Writing

Students will practice their writing skills by writing during class time on a specific topic or a topic of choice. Students are expected to write quietly during this time and to finish their journal entry prior to leaving class. Journals are corrected by the teacher and handed back in a timely manner. Students are then expected to make necessary corrections and to hand these back in for a grade. If a student is absent on a writing day, s/he must work on the assignment at home the following night and return the next class with a finished entry. Journal writing will fall into both the formative and summative categories.

Oral

Students will be assessed on pronunciation and fluency by reading sentences to the teacher, answering questions, speaking with the teacher, reading aloud or presenting a short presentation to the class. Oral assessments will fall into both the formative and summative categories.

Assessments

Final unit assessments will be taken after much practice on a given topic. Assessments can include listening, speaking, reading, and/or writing. Quizzes will be given at least once a week. (Sometimes two or three times a week.) Students are responsible for learning the material presented in class and for remembering it from day to day. It is imperative that students make up missed assessments in a timely manner. Assessments will fall into both the formative and summative categories.

Exams

There will be a mid-year exam in January and an end-of-year exam in June.

  1. Academic Integrity:

Online Translators/Translation Software: Online translators and translation software do not accurately translate text and is a form of plagiarism. Students who copy text and paste it into these programs are not showing their ownlanguage acquisition and abilities to complete the assignment with use of his/her own knowledge. Students who use translators will receive a zero and will be given the consequences of the Duxbury High School plagiarism policies. Students who deny that they have used a translator will immediately be given a quiz on the new information, grammar and verb tenses found in the assignment to determine if s/he actually understands how to use the concepts in context.

  1. Extra Help – I am more than happy to go over any material that you are a bit confused with. Please see me after class or after school for help if you are getting low assessment grades, or even if you just have a question on something in class. There are also many resources that you can practice with, like French websites such as french.about.com or as well as using the Google search engine for audio files to listen and repeat after, at home.

I am looking forward to an exciting year with you!

Mme Erica PAPPALARDO

Prof de français

* Keep thissyllabus in your binder for reference purposes.

Please sign the following, have a parent sign it and return the bottom portion to me next class.

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I have read the syllabus for French III and I understand what is expected of me.

I have read and understand Madame Pappalardo’s classroom rules.

I understand the classroom procedures that I am expected to follow.

I understand what supplies are required of me and will bring them to class within the next week.

______student name (print) & signature

______(Student Initial here) I am responsible for making up assessments within one week of when it was assigned.

I have read the syllabus for French III and I understand what is expected of my son/daughter.

I have read and understand Madame Pappalardo’s classroom rules.

I understand the classroom procedures that my son/daughter is expected to follow.

I understand what supplies are required of my son/daughter and will provide them within the next week.

______parent name (print) & signature

______(Parent Initial here) My child is responsible for making up assessments within one week of when they were assigned.

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