South Pasadena High School
Foreign Language Department
Teacher: Sadie Medina
Room: 425
email: smedina@spusd.net
(626) 441-5820 ex2425
Conference periods: 4th and 7th
Pre-requisite: French 5/6H .
AP French Language and Culture
Material Type:Primary Source
AP French Language and Culture is a college-level course intended for fourth year French
students.
Objectives:
Students will show that they have attained Intermediate to Pre-Advanced proficiency (as per ACTFL
Performance Guidelines in K-12 Learners) in the French language and that they have developed an
understanding of Francophone cultures in accordance with AP Curriculum guidelines and the Standards
for Foreign Language Learning by demonstrating that they:
>understand conversations, instructions, radio and television broadcasts, videos, and popular music.
>understand authentic print sources, such as, newspaper and magazine articles, letters and postcards,
Internet articles, as well as literary texts such short stories, and poetry selections and other nontechnical sources.
>demonstrate proficiency in spoken and written Interpersonal Communication in a variety of situations
by engaging in face to face communication in which they exchange meaningful information
>demonstrate their ability in Interpretive Communication to understand and synthesize information from
a variety of authentic audio, visual and audio-visual, written and print resources.
>express themselves in many different written formats and styles as the
purpose of the communication requires and by using different language and strategies to suit the
audience as well as the setting.
>can engage in oral presentations for an intended audience, participate in conversations and write about
different aspects of the francophone culture, specifically addressing the six course themes of Global
Challenges, Science and Technology, Contemporary Life, Personal and Public Identities, Families and
Communities, Beauty and Aesthetics . They will compare the many aspects of the francophone culture to
their own cultures
< Students will be able to use French in real- life settings.
During the preceding summer:
>Students will keep a listening accountability journal with entries twice a week for six weeks. The
entries must include: 1. The date and time of day when the student listened, and the website or title of
the video in the French language (not dubbed). 2. An analysis in French including: theme, subject,
important points, a key point, and a paragraph explaining their reaction or personal analyses of the
subject. Students should familiarize themselves with the attached expressions utiles and use at least 4
in their paragraph. This document must be submitted at the opening of school in the fall. Its contents
will be used in panel discussion when school starts.
>Students will also read Le Petit Prince and complete a work packet to check for comprehension. There
will be a quiz about the book when school starts.
Throughout the school year:
>the class will be conducted almost entirely in French. Students will be given a "use of language" grade.
>Essays will be graded using the AP rubric
>Oral evaluations will be graded using the AP rubric
>An integral part of this program will be the use of tv5.org's "7 Jours sur la Planète"
Every week the students will watch at least one news clip from "7 Jours sur la Planète". They will
complete the downloaded worksheet provided by the program. This worksheet usually includes topics for
written articles as well as for oral discussions ; the latter will be implemented during class. They will
complete the written exercise for homework and be tested on new vocabulary words. <Throughout the
school year, students will also watch and discuss in class documentaries, films, and cultural events
tapped from TV 5 programs
Every weekend students will be required to listen to a French Pod-cast and complete a worksheet in
which they express their thoughts and observations in French
<Another integral part of this program will be the use of AP French (APF), Preparing for the Language
and Culture Examination by Richard Ladd. The students will be exposed to the 6 different themes of
the AP curriculum by working with authentic materials provided by the publishers. The activities of this
workbook are online and provide practice in each of the 7 sections of the AP examination: Interpretive
Communication in Print Texts, Print and Audio Texts combined, and Audio texts, as well as Interpersonal
Writing and Speaking and Presentational Writing and Speaking. Students will also be reading literary
selections from Pearson’s Allons au-delà (AAD) and AMSCO French for Four Years (FFY)
> As this is a 4th year French class, there will be intensive grammar review and vocabulary building
assignments integrated into the lessons throughout the year.
>Once a month students will write an in-class persuasive essay, based on the current course theme.
Units are approximately 5 weeks long.
Due to the extensive amount of instruction and practice that takes place in class, it is
essential that students make every effort to attend class.
Homework Policy:
Regular, daily practice with the target language is essential to working toward proficiency in
a foreign language. Homework, usually written, and oral, is given nightly. In addition to the
assigned written/oral homework, students are expected daily to study vocabulary lists and
other material in progress. At this level students are aware of how much time they need to put
into learning vocabulary and grammar concepts. For this reason I allow each student to do as
many drill exercises as they feel are necessary. We do go over all the exercises in class but I
do not grade them.
If a student is absent s/he is expected to pick up missed homework on the day following the
missed day of class, which means, in our block schedule, that s/he should stop by the
classroom to write down the missed assignment or get it from a reliable classmate. Major
projects, as well as tests and quizzes, will be posted on my website which can be accessed at
http://www.sphstigers.org. Late homework will not be accepted unless the student has an excused
absence verified by an admit. Generally, students will have one block to make up a missed
assignment for each day of absence.
Grading Policy:
Scale
100%-90
A
89-80
B
79-70
C
69-60
D
59 and below F
Weighting
Homework
10% of total grade
Essays and use of language
30%
Exams and quizzes
40%
Final Exam
20%
Total 100%
All grades will be posted on AERIES in a reasonable, appropriate, on-going and timely manner
throughout the established five week grading period. It is highly recommended that
parents/guardians acquire an AERIES account, from the front office, so that they can check
their child’s grades and progress.
Extra Help:
I am available at varying times during the week: conference periods, before/after school, brunch, and
lunch. Students may always make an appointment with me at a mutually agreeable time. Parents can
reach me by email or can leave a message at the above extension and I will return the call as soon as
possible.
Unit Information
August 23-September 29: Unit 1- La vie contemporaine
Unit 5, C’est à Toi (CT), Level 3 (EMC Paradigm Publishing): travel situations and vocabulary:
Content and/or Skills taught:
.
.conditional and future tenses, subjunctive tense with expression of emotion, uses of verbs with de +
noun, use of dont
.travel vocabulary
.writing and responding to emails in French
Major Assignments and/or Assessments

Read :1. excerpt : Les petits enfants du siècle de Christiane Rochefort (AAD p. 153)

2. Le Chandail (AAD) pg172 : sports En groupes, discutez la fierté pour les équipes

Reading and Listening (APF) : Le Récyclage, Restaurant Giles pgs 94,
Communicaton, Print and Audio)

Audio texts (APF):Sélections #2 p. 129, #11 p.138, #30 p.157, (Interpretive Communicaton Audio
Texts)

Courriels (APF) #1 et #5 pgs 164, 168 (Interpersonal Writing, E-mail Reply)

Presentational Writing (APF) : Faut-il supprimer le Bac ? p. 184 (persuasive essay)

Interpersonal communication: APF Sélection # 4 (Conversation) p.203

Cultural Comparison : APF Selection#4 (presentational speaking) p.212

Grammar : review of conditional and subjunctive tenses as well as uses of verbes + de + nouns
and dont

(Interpretive
Grammar and vocabulary assessments for Unit 5 of C’est à Toi
September 31 -october 25: Unit 2 - La science et la technologie
Unit 6A, C’est à Toi : La technologie
Content and/or Skills Taught:
.Passé compose vs imparfait
.Comparative of adjectives
.superlative adjectives
.technology vocabulary
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:



Readings and activities :
(APF): La domotique…: Les technologies de demain (Interpretive
communication, Print Texts)

Rédaction comparant la vie d’aujourd’hui et la vie de demain

Reading and Listening (APF) sélections #7(what does your mobile phone say about you) + #13
((Le virage technologique: cheval de Troie de l’avenir )pgs 98, 110 (Interpretive Communicaton
Print and Audio Texts)
Audio texts: (APF) selections #4 + 12 pgs.131, 139 ((Interpretive Communicaton Audio Texts)

Courriels :APF #4 + #7 (pgs.191, 192) (Interpersonal Writing, E-mail Reply)

Presentational writing: APF Sélection #7(effects of mobile phones on health) p.190 (persuasive
essay)

Interpersonal communication (conversation):
APF sélection #3 P. 202
Cultural comparison: APF selection #4(talk about how the work of a particular French scientist has
changed the lives of people) pg.212 (presentational speaking)

Grammar: future, comparative and superlative adjectives

Grammar and vocabulary assessments for Unit 6 C’est à toi
November 2- December 13: Unit 3-Famille et Communauté
Unit 7 (CT): Social Problems in French Society Today
Unit 9 (CT) L’Afrique francophone
Content and/or Skills Taught:
.conditional tense with si
.Interrogative adjectives and pronouns
.demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
.expressions with être and avoir
.possessive pronouns
.pluperfect tense
.vocabulary pertaining to family and community
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:

Read an article in C’est à Toi about French inner-city and immigration problems. Listen
to the audio of this article on CD.

Group project: Using information from current reading and the internet, make a list of
at least 4 problems faced by French immigrants today. Propose solutions to those
problems, using "si" with the conditional tense. Present the findings to the class.

Based current reading and internet article (APF p.76) on immigration, write a compare
and contrast essay about French inner-city and immigration problems vs those in the
US
(C2,C4,C7, C8)

Reading and activities: Le petit Nicolas (AAD): On a eu l’inspecteur: Interpretive
communication, Print Texts

Watch "La Promesse" in French, discuss the similarities of Belge and French social
problems

Reading: Role du girot (APF p. 12) and articles in CT about life in French Africa, based
on these articles and information found on a French website, write a presentational
essay comparing a French African and American courtship and marriage customs.

Presentational Writing: Sélection # 1 p. 176

Grammar and vocabulary assessments for Unit 7 and 9 C’est à toi
January 8 – February 10: Unit 4- Défies mondiaux
(Global Challenges)
Unit 10, C’est à Toi: On s’adapt
Unit 6B, (CT) L’environnement
Content and/or Skills Taught:
.Expressions of quantity
.Indefinite adjectives and pronouns
.Past conditional
.vocabulary pertaining to health and social issues
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:

Reading and Listening (APF) sélections #1, Bien Manger pour bien travailler p.86 (Interpretive
Communication Print and Audio Texts)

Audio texts: (APF) selections #5 ((Interpretive Communication Audio Texts)

Using information provided in Unit 6B and information found on a French website, students will
make an oral presentation describing and defending his/her choice of a French humanitarian
mission such as Médecins sans frontières.

Reading and activities : 1 .Comme un arbre by Jaques Prévert followed by comprehension
activites

Courriels :APF# 2 + #10 (pgs.165, 1173) (Interpersonal Writing, E-mail Reply)

Interpersonal communication:

Cultural comparison: APF selection #13(think of a disaster and tell about how it brought
people together from all of the world) or 14 pg.213 (presentational speaking)

Presentational Writing: Sélection # 1 (Quand on est riche, doit-on partager ses biens avec scux
qui n’ont rien?) APF p. 176

Grammar and vocabulary assessments for Unit 10 and 6B of C’est à Toi
APF sélection #10 P. 209 (conversation)
February 13 – March 16: Unit 5 –L’esthétique
Content and/or Skills Taught:
.Review of function words: Chapters 12-14 in AMSCO’s French for Four Years (FFY)
.vocabulary pertaining to art and beauty
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:

Reading and activities: (Interpretive communication, Print Texts)
1. AAD: Ballade des pendus, Mignonne, allons voir si la rose, Le corbeau et le renard
2.Read and listen to Act II, scene 5 Bourgeois gentilhomme, watch exerpts from
Remi Waterhouse’s Ridicule. Discuss perceived fashion vs life’s real values.
3. Marion Cotillard: Piaf réincarnée (watch selections from La vie en rose)

Reading and Listening (APF) selections: #16 p. 116 (Interpretive Communicaton Print and
Audio Texts)

Audio texts (APF):Sélections #8(extrait of a press conferance given by Albert Camus) p. 135,
#16 p.143, , (Interpretive Communicaton Audio Texts)

Presentational writing: APF Selection #2(what was the value of an exhibit of Edvard Munch
when his most famous painting, the Scream wasn’t included) p.180 ((persuasive essay)

Cultural comparison: APF selection #1(explain how a particular French work of art reflects the
French culture) pg.212 (presentational speaking)

Grammar activities in FFY

grammar and vocabulary assessments
March 19- April 27 Unite 6 – La quête de soi (Pesonal and Public Identities)
Content and/or Skills Taught:
.review impersonal constructions: Infinitif, gérondif, particiipe présent (FFY ch. 10)
. new vocabulary
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:

Reading and activities: 1.L’aliénation et l’assimilisation: Beni ou le paradis privé, extrait de
Schizophrénie lingustique – Watch excerpts from Entre les Murs
2. Read Au Champs by Maupassant (Interpretive communication Print Texts)
Watch the film Au Champs(2a) and write a compare/contrast essay about the two.

Reading and Listening (APF) selection: #9 p. 102 (Interpretive Communicaton Print and Audio
Texts)

Audio texts (APF):Sélections #8 p. 135, #19 p.146 : students listen to an interview with
Maghrebian writer Jaques Chancel , (Interpretive Communicaton Audio Texts)

Courriels :APF# 3 + #8 (pgs.166, p.171) (Interpersonal Writing, E-mail Reply)

Presentational writing: APF Selection #3 p. 182 (what constitutes personal identity) (persuasive
essay)

Interpersonal communication: APF Sélection # 8 p. 207 p.203 (Conversation)

Cultural comparison: APF selection #9 pg.213 (talk about how language and culture mark the
personality of an individual (presentational speaking)

Grammar activities in FFY

Grammar activities

Grammar and vocabulary assessments

Students will take practice AP exam
May-June: After the AP exam
Content and/or Skills Taught:
Interpretation of texts
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:
Students will watch 8 Femmes directed by François Ozon, then will write produce their own mystery skit
à la Clue.
Students will read Tintin au Tibet and selected stories by Guy de Maupassant and discuss them in class.
Students will also watch videos of these and write comparative essays about the differences between the
books and the movies.
Textbooks/Course Materials
Textbooks
Author:Clark, Augusta Desimone
Second Author:Ladd, Richard
Title:C'est à Toi Level 3 Revised Teacher's Edition
Publisher:EMC
Published Date:2002
Description:A 3rd/4th year French text book plus
supplemental CD, workbooks and worksheets, as well as tests and quizzes
Author: Ladd, Richard
Title: Allons au-delà
Publisher: Pearson
Published date:2011
Description: Varied anthology of French Literature grouped according to the 6 themes of the AP Exam
and including various written and audio activities geared to encourage and develop higher order thinking
skills
Author:Ladd, , Richard
Title:AP French, Preparing for the Language and Cultural Examination
Publisher:Pearson
Published Date:2011
Description:AP Examination review, with internet listening and audio activities
Author:Nielsen, Linda
Second Author:Herbst, Henry
Title:Une Fois Pour Toutes
Publisher:Longman Publilshing
Published Date:1992
Author:Shein, Françoise
Title: AMSCO French for Four Years, with AP Componant
Publisher: Published Date:2006
Description:Review for AP exam plus selected literary texts and accompaning exercises
Description:Grammar Review
Other Course Materials
Material Type:Primary Source
Description:Champs Elysées, audio magazine
7 Jours sur La Planète, TV5.org
TV5 cable channel
Description: short stories
Contes normands et parisiens by Guy de Maupassant, Classiques Hachette (Hachette livres 2006)
Material Type:Primary Source
Description:Les Aventures de Tin Tin au Tibet, by Hergé (book and film)
Websites
URL:http://www.tv5.org
Description:French web site containing news clips as well as information on many different subjects in
the Francophone world. This site also provides activities for students
URL:http://www.sv.vtcom.fr.ftv.index.html
Description:France 3 en ligne: French news
URL:http://www.francevision.com
Description:French News
French 321 - Introduction to French Civilization & Material Culture ... Virtual French & Francophone
Tourist (city and regional sites) ...
www.utm.edu/departments/french/french.html - 27k - Jun 10, 2007
http://www.rtl.fr/podcasts
Http://www.europe1.fr/Radio/Podcasts/Semaine/
Http://www.radiofrance.fr/boite-a-outils/podcast/
BBC: www.bbc.co.uk.languages/French
Tennessee Bob’s Famous French Links
http://www.parismatch.com