Chabot College
Fall 2009
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for French 1A
BEGINNING FRENCH
Catalog Description:
1A - Beginning French
5 units
Introduction to the French-speaking cultures of the world featuring the study and practice of the four
language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of French. Strongly recommended:
eligibility for English 1A. 5 hours lecture, 1 hour laboratory.
[Typical contact hours: lecture 87.5, laboratory, 17.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1. compare and contrast American and French-speaking cultural practices in relation to speech,
social attitudes, and values;
2. demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the culture of French-speaking people,
including formative historical events and relevant geographical information;
3. demonstrate proficiency in understanding and using, orally and in writing, the grammatical
structures presented and vocabulary assigned;
4. correctly spell "active" vocabulary items, write basic autobiographical information, and take
dictation based on assigned vocabulary;
5. demonstrate the ability to comprehend a short conversation composed chiefly of the vocabulary
and grammar studied;
6. apply the sentence patterns and grammar structures presented in the course to create new
sentences in culturally appropriate ways both orally and in writing;
7. conduct a simple, culturally sensitive conversation in French on topics studied, using words and
expressions in structurally correct sentences;
8. write a coherent and culturally appropriate paragraph of sixty words or more on a topic studied
and/or discussed in class;
9. make simple descriptions in French related to size, shape, and color orally and in writing;
10. pronounce his or her French sufficiently well to be understood by a sympathetic native listener.
Course Content (Lecture):
1. Introduction to the history and geography of French-speaking countries, cities, regions, and other
places of the world
2. Social and cultural information necessary to understand important differences between French
and American cultural practices and to be sensitive to cultural differences in social interactions
3. Functional vocabulary and grammar to allow students to:
a. identify themselves in the target language (name, age, nationality, place of birth, profession or
occupation) orally and in writing
b. order food and drink in restaurants, buy food in shops and markets, read menus, and write
shopping lists
c. greet others, make introductions, take leave, thank, and write simple culturally appropriate
expressions of thanks
d. be able to express spatial relationships (far, near, right, left, etc.) orally and in writing
e be able to ask for, read, understand, and write simple street directions
f. count, understand, and write numbers, and be sufficiently comfortable with numbers for
simple financial transactions in the currency of the target culture(s)
g. use vocabulary related to weights and measures orally and in writing
h. make descriptions related to size, shape, and color orally and in writing
i. identify clock time, the date, the weather, and be able to read and write them as well
j. discuss in simple terms their likes and dislikes and to inquire in culturally sensitive terms into
likes and dislikes of others, orally and in writing
k. function successfully in basic cultural interactions that involve buying tickets and requesting
and paying for services (public transportation, taxis, post offices, hotels)
Chabot College
Course Outline for French 1A, Page 2
Fall 2009
4. Syntax and grammar that allows students to correctly use orally and in writing:
a. subject, object, interrogative, demonstrative, and disjunctive pronouns in both formal and
informal social contexts
b. regular –er, -re, and –ir verbs and the irregular verbs être, avoir, aller, faire, venir, revenir,
devenir, pouvoir, vouloir, prendre, apprendre, comprendre, mettre, promettre, permettre,
boire, sortir, dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, devoir, voir, croire, recevoir, and spellingchange –er verbs all in the indicative present and passé composé tenses with both avoir and
être as auxiliaries in the latter
c. the negative verb constructions ne . . . pas, pas du tout, pas encore, plus, and jamais
d. the conjugated verb + infinitive (with no intervening preposition) construction
e. the expression il y a affirmatively and negatively
f. the future tense using the present tense of aller
g. the affirmative and negative imperative verb constructions
h. the pronominal verbs
i. nouns in singular and plural forms, regular and irregular
j. definite, indefinite, partitive articles and expressions of quantity
k. singular, plural, regular, and irregular adjectives, their proper placement, and possessive and
interrogative adjectives
l. the expression of possession with the preposition de
m. interrogative forms involving intonation, subject-verb inversion, est-ce que, the expressions
n’est-ce pas?, non?, c’est ça?, je suppose?, d’accord? OK?, and the adverbs où, quand,
pourquoi, comment, and combien de
5. Introduction to the basic elements of French phonetics for functional pronunciation
Course Content (Laboratory):
1. Activate lecture content using interactive audio and audiovisual programs on CDs, DVDs, CD
ROMS, target language websites, etc., featuring culturally authentic and contextual guided
speaking, reading, and writing activities such as cued repetition of native speech, dictations, cued
oral responses, listening comprehension, and interactive realia (culturally authentic texts).
2. Organized laboratory activities including conversation groups.
3. Fundamentals of pronunciation:
a. syllabification and rhythm
b. final consonants: pronounced and unpronounced
c. vowels and spelling
d. the vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/ (all symbols between slashes are International Phonetic Alphabet symbols)
e. the o in closed and open vowels
f. the vowels /e/ and /E/
g. the vowels /œ/ and /ø/
h. the vowels /y/ and /u/
i. nasal vowels
j. the unstable (mute) e
k. the vowels /i/, /u/, and /y/ followed by other vowels (semi-vowels)
l. the consonants /p/, /t/, and /k/
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lecture/discussion in target language
Choral/individual repetition of model speech
Re-creation of dialogues and improvisation
Small group activities leading to skits, dialogues, etc.
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Chabot College
Course Outline for French 1A, Page 3
Fall 2009
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Demonstrate "ordering" skills in a restaurant skit
b. Demonstrate aural understanding of street directions by tracing examples of such directions on a map
c. Demonstrate proficient pronunciation of French by reciting the poem "Le déjeuner du matin"
by Jacques Prévert
d. Write a paragraph that includes basic biographical information, such as nationality, place of
birth, birthday, and current residence
e. Laboratory assignment: After studying nasal vowels, make a recording of the poem “Jonathan
le Pélican” by Robert Desnos
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Tests, quizzes, and interviews to evaluate the four language skills in relation to material presented
b. Student participation in class activities
c. Homework assignments
d. Recordings from the language laboratory to evaluate pronunciation skills
e. Final examination
Textbook(s) Typical:
Débuts, An Introduction to French, second edition, H. Jay Siskin, Ann Williams, and Thomas T. Field,
McGraw Hill, 2007.
Workbook/Laboratory Manual Part 1 to accompany Débuts: An Introduction to French, second edition,
H. J. Siskin, Anne Williams, Nancy Virtue, and Elise C. Leahy, Jr., McGraw-Hill 2007.
Special Student Materials:
None
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