French 1 - Syllabus 2013-2014
Teacher: Marie Van Wynsberge
E-mail: Marie.VanWynsberge@lcps.org
Classroom: A10 (8th grade house)
Course Description:
Students begin to develop proficiency in all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and
writing - with emphasis on the ability to communicate orally and in writing. They learn to communicate
in real-life situations using simple sentences and language structures and will be expected to use them
daily. Students will also be introduced to cultural notions within the francophone world.
Students’ Responsibilities:
 Come to class prepared and on time
 Come to class with a positive attitude and willingness to learn
 Be respectful, polite and honest
 Keep all electronic devices in your locker
Grading:
Here are the different grade categories:
Written Communication
Spoken Communication
Vocabulary Development
Reading/Listening Comprehension
This is a High School credit course and all students will be required to take a midterm and a final exam.
The midterm and final exams consist of speaking, listening and writing sections, and a multiple-choice
test. In addition, the students will take various speaking and writing CPA tests throughout the year.
Note that grades will be updated regularly on CLARITY.
Supplies:
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2 composition notebooks (wide ruled)
1 binder (1 inch)
Loose leaf binder paper
3 dividers (optional)
1 four-color pen (Bic) or
4 different colored pens (red, green,
blue, black)
1 pencil
Textbook:
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Textbook: Bon Voyage! Level 1
Workbook: Bon Voyage! Level 1
Recommended Resources:
 A French-English/English-French Dictionary
 Access to this online dictionary: www. wordreference.com
 For help with conjugating verbs: http://www.verb2verbe.com
Note: All assignments should be your own work. Online translators should NOT be used: they can be a terrible
source and do not help you learn French!
Pacing Guide:
QUARTER
First quarter
Second
quarter
Third quarter
THEMES
Contemporary Life
 Calendar, Numbers
 Alphabet
 Classroom Expressions
Personal and Public Identities
 Physical Descriptions
 Personality, Characteristics
 Feelings and Emotions
Contemporary Life
 Schools, Classes
 Schedules, Supplies
Leisure and Sports
 Social Life
 Interests, Social Activities
Family and Communities
 Greetings, Introductions
 Family
Environmental Issues
 Seasons, Weather
Contemporary Life
 Housing and Shelter
Leisure: Meals and Food
 Dining Out
 Shopping
SKILLS
Salutations
Alphabet and spelling and diacritical marks
Cognates
Numbers and simple mathematics (+, -)
Calendar/months/dates/days of the week
Tu vs. vous (formal/informal)
Colors
Classroom expressions and commands
Être and subject pronouns
Avoir (to express age, hair and eye color)
Descriptive adjectives and accord
Definite and indefinite articles
Negation
Question words (qui, où, comment…)
Countries/nationalities
School subjects, supplies, classroom objects
Time expressions (24 hour clock)
Continue school supplies
Shopping for school supplies
Vocabulary for expressing likes and dislikes
Vocabulary for places in and out of town
Verbes en –er
Adverbs of frequency
Family members vocabulary
Expressing birthday (birthday)
Possessive adjectives/possession using de
Weather and seasons
Faire
Avoir froid/chaud
Prepositions en and au for use with seasons
Regions of France, bordering countries, geography
Il y a…/Il n’y a pas de…
Adjective placement and agreement (irregular)
Vocabulary for the house – rooms/furniture
Prepositions of place
Personal possessions
Beverages, food items, meals
Je voudrais…
Table settings
Aller
Aller + infinitive
Prendre
Preposition and article contractions (à + le = au)
Leisure: Meals and Food
 Shopping
Travel
 Cities, Activities
 Transportation
Beauty and Aesthetics
 Cities, Activities
 Transportation
Fourth
quarter
Food shops (specialty, markets, supermarket)
Partitive (affirmative and negative)
Pouvoir, vouloir
Modes of transportation
Continue contractions
Clothing stores and items (size and fit)
Review colors
Mettre, porter
DECLARATION OF UNDERSTANDING
Mme Van Wynsberge – French I
2013-2014 Student & Parent Signature Page
I have read and understood the syllabus for the French 1 course at Smart’s Mill Middle School.
Please Print Student’s Name
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Last
Student’s signature
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Please use the space below to provide any additional information that you would like me to know about
your child.
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