South Monterey County Unified School District

French 1 Course Description & Syllabus(2013-2014)

Instructor: Shawn Quiane

Contact information 831-385-5461 ext. 1132, (I check & respond to emails much quicker than I do phone calls)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • to develop an ability to create with the language on a beginning communicative skills level
  • to develop French 1 competency in listening comprehension
  • to develop an understanding of major cultural differences between America and French-speaking regions throughout the world
  • to perform basic reading and writing skills at French I competency.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONDesigned to provide systematic instruction to understanding, speaking, reading and writing the French language. Emphasis will be placed on communication skills. Readings and tapes related to French culture will extend the classroom environment to wider cultural contexts.

CLASSROOM CODE OF CONDUCT
  1. I will enforce all school rules and district policies found within the student-parent handbook.
  2. Teacher’s classroom behavioral expectations:
  1. Do not disrupt me from teaching, nor the students from learning (ex: talking out of turn, being off-task, disregarding the class protocols, using prohibited items, primping, passing notes, sleeping, or doing anything that is not related to our class).
  2. No passes to leave class.
  3. Respect the classroom and all of the materials contained within the room (do not deface, alter, vandalize, or remove anything not belonging to you).
  4. Be prepared to speak French in class. This will affect impact your grade.
  5. No food or drink during class time.
  6. Confiscated items (ex: electronic devices) will be turned into the office.
  7. Desks shall be clear of all non-class related materials (ex: bags, purses, drinks, food).
  8. Students will bring all necessary materials.
  9. Be seated at your desk when the bell rings signaling the beginning of class and remain seated until I dismiss you.
  10. Foul language and defiance of the teacher’s classroom rules are unacceptable and will be reported to parents. If need be, parents will attend class to observe your behavior.

ASSESSMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS

  • Oral assessment is done on a daily basis.
  • Daily assignments will reinforce the vocabulary and gramma; they will start as classwork so the teacher can direct the students and may be continued as homework.
  • Homework will be given Tuesday – Thursday, and is due the next day unless otherwise noted.
  • There will be a quarter final.

GRADING POLICY

Grade scales: A (90% - 100%), B (80%-89%), C (70% - 79%), D (60% - 69%), F (0-59%).

Weighted grades: Class participation (30%), quizzes (30%), class/homework (30%), final exam (10%).

Semester grades are averages of the two quarter grades.

Effect of absences on grades: see Board Policy 5121 (b)

You may retake a quiz/test once (not the final exam) if you receive a D or F on it. Your final score will be the average of the two unless your new score is lower than the original.

* Participation: Learning is not a passive activity; just because you attend, that does not mean that you have participated. The following is the scale:

5: Volunteers frequently, always tries her/his best, and is always for class. Does not disrupt the learning process.Contributes positively. Participates well in group work. Speaks in the target language at least 80% of the time. Attends class regularly and is always on time.
3: Volunteers occasionally, speaking needs some improvement, target language is spoken at least 50% of the time. Occasionally contributes positively to the class or during group work. Needs to be reminded to use the target language or uses it at least 50% of the time, is sometimes late for class.
0: Speaks only when spoken to, listens passively, or seldomly participates efficiently. Rarely uses target language (less than 50% of the time). Is frequently off-task or contributes little to group discussions/work. Attendance is sporadic.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

  1. Late or missing work are accepted up to 1 week after the due date and are worth no more than 50% of the full points except for students marked “medical” or “excused” on AERIES; they have 3 days to submit the work they after they return to school.
  2. Cheating and plagiarism are punished with an F and parent notification.

CLASS EXPECTATIONS – LEVEL OF RIGOR

Students are expected to:

  1. gradually acquire vocabulary, reaching by the end of the course recognition of vocabulary in context of 500-1,000 words determined by familiar topics; demonstrate knowledge of a 300-500 active vocabulary, with a 300 core vocabulary.
  2. gradually acquire topical and semantic concepts about time (days, weather, numbers, etc.), family members, descriptions (color, size, shape, etc.), verbs (have, be, do, etc.), greetings and directions, basic objects (at home, in the classroom, immediate environment, food)
  3. gradually acquire the basic grammatical concepts and relationships: gender distinctions (including definite and indefinite articles), forming questions, formation of present/future and past tense, commands, pronouns, adjective, accent rule.
  4. gradually develop awareness of major cultural patterns of the French world (stereotypes in cross-cultural perceptions, awareness of cultural values in a variety of situations, situations in which cultural misunderstanding may arise, greetings and leave-taking, clothing, food, personal relationships, etc.)

Tutoring is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:15pm to 4:00pm.

MATERIAL RESOURCES

Textbook:Discovering French, Bleu (1st year) by Jean-Paul Valette & Rebecca M Valette

Supplemental materials: activity books, audio, video, games.