Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
Timberland High School
Fall 2015
French 1
1st block, 8:40-10:10 am
Mlle. Galloway, room B103
gallowaye@bcsdschools.net
843-567-8110 ext. 2245
Bienvenue à la classe de français 1!
I am so glad that you are in my class this year! Studying another language gives us the opportunity to explore
the world in a very unique way. This year, through what we read, watch, hear, and analyze, we will interact
with and grow in our understanding of French-speaking people and cultures from all over the world. Through
conversations, discussions, and presentations, we will better know our classmates and ourselves. We will
have fun, and we will work hard.
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the French language and the culture of places where French is
spoken. The content and the instructional strategies of the course develop the students’ proficiency in
hearing (and comprehending), speaking, reading and writing the French language, as well as students’ ability
to make cultural observations and inferences and to express cross-cultural understandings. By the end of the
class, students will be able to hold a simple conversation in French, understand some spoken French, and
interpret some written French on themes that we study this year.
Long-Range Learning Goals
The student will often be able to understand some familiar spoken words and phrases. (Benchmark NM.IL)
The student will be able to recognize some letters and characters and understand some learned or
memorized words and phrases when he/she reads. (Benchmark NM.IR)
The student will be able to communicate on very familiar topics using a variety of practiced and memorized
words and phrases. (Benchmark NM.IC)
The student will be able to present basic information about himself/herself and some other very familiar
topics using a variety of words, phrases, and memorized expressions. (Benchmark NM.PS)
The student will be able to write lists and memorized phrases on familiar topics. (Benchmark NM.PW)
The student will be able to identify some products and practices of cultures. (Benchmark N.CPP)
The student will be able to identify some basic cultural beliefs and values. (Benchmark N.CP)
The student will be able to function at a survival level in an authentic cultural context. (Benchmark N.CIA)
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
Long-Range Developmental Goals
The student will work cooperatively with peers on group assignments and activities.
The student will practice clear, direct, respectful communication in his/her interactions with the teacher and
classmates.
The student will actively participate in the learning process.
The student will take active responsibility for his/her own learning and academic success.
The student will demonstrate understanding that different does not equal bad.
Instructional Units
Unit Topic or Description
Course introduction (policies and procedures)
Unit 1: « Je suis… » (“I am”)
Lexical content (vocabulary)
 Greetings and introductions
 Classroom expressions and vocabulary
 Alphabet, spelling, numbers 0-31
 Months of year, days of week
 Asking questions
 Global nationalities
Grammatical content
Unit Length
(approximate)
2-3 days
August 17-91
3-4 weeks
August 20September 11
 Formal v. informal “you”
 Pronunciation and accents
 Punctuation and capitalization
Cultural content




Greeting people and personal space
Formats of dates and telephone numbers
Using formal v. informal “you”
Birthdays v. Saint’s Day
Unit 2 : « La famille » (“Family”)
Lexical content (vocabulary)


Immediate family members
Adjectives to describe personality and physical traits
3-4 weeks
September 14October 6
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
Unit Topic or Description
Unit Length
(approximate)
 Pets
Grammatical content
 Verbs “to have” and “to be” (être and avoir)
 Noun/adjective agreement
 Possessive adjectives
 Pluralizing nouns
 Subject/verb agreement
 Adjective placement
Cultural content



Role of family in French and Francophone culture
Family dynamics
Family as a social outlet
Unit 3 : « L’école » (“School”)
Lexical content (vocabulary)
3-4 weeks
October 7-30
 Course titles and class preferences
 Telling time and colors
 Basic activity verbs (to write, to read, to play, to hear, to sing, etc)
 School related food and clothing vocabulary
 Specific after-school activities
 School personnel
Grammatical content
 Regular –er verbs
 Negation
 Definite and indefinite articles
 Likes/dislikes with infinitives
Cultural content



Typical school day schedule
Afterschool activities
Format of time
Unit 4 : « Les passe-temps et les loisirs » (“Past-times and hobbies”)
Lexical content (vocabulary)
 Daily and weekend activities
 Places one goes
 Weather and seasons
 Idioms (“to be hot,” “to be cold,” “to be hungry,” etc)
Grammatical content


Prepositions
Regular and irregular verbs (“to go,” “to do,” “to play,” etc)
3-4 weeks
November 2-24
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
Unit Topic or Description
Unit Length
(approximate)
 Near future and recent past
Cultural content



Weather in various French-speaking countries
Using the metric system to express temperatures and distances
Comparison of typical games, sports, after-school activities, and
popular music
Unit 5 : « Les fêtes » (“Celebrations”)
Lexical content (vocabulary)
 Celebrations and holidays
 Traditional foods and holiday-related activities
 Giving and receiving gifts
Grammatical content
3-4 weeks
November 30December 11
 Direct and indirect objects
 Prepositions “to” and “from”
Cultural content



Holidays and order of calendar and dates
Traditional food items and meals
Gift-giving traditions
Course review/final exam
1 week
December 14-18
Methods of Instruction
This class will be taught using instructional techniques adopted by the American Council on Teachers of
Foreign Language (ACTFL) in order to meet the academic standards adopted by the State of South Carolina for
modern foreign languages. These techniques include: direct instruction conducted in French, inductive
grammar presentations in which the students decode the rules of French grammar, inductive vocabulary
presentations using visuals to bind the meaning of French words to the words themselves, speaking activities
which role-play real-life situations in which one would use the vocabulary and grammar being learned, and
reading of authentic French documents to improve comprehension of the French language. These techniques
may be different than those used in other classes, but have been proven through research to lead to real
learning of a foreign language.
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
Assessment Plan
Assessment Task
Evaluation Criteria
Grade Weights
Accuracy/rubric
40%
Accuracy/completion
25%
Accuracy/rubric
15%
Currency system (euros)
10%
Accuracy/completion
10%
Tests, Projects, and Integrated
Performance Assessments (IPA)
Classwork
Quizzes and some Performance-Based
Assessments (PBA)
Participation
Homework
In each unit, students will complete approximately…




1 test and 1 IPA (IPAs are the end-of-unit assessments and count as two test grades)
A participation grade every week
1 real-world homework stamp sheet (counts as 3 homework grades) and 3-4 additional homework
assignments
…as well as classwork assignments and quizzes
*Tests and IPAs will always be announced at least one week in advance, and quizzes will usually be
announced several days in advance.
Participation
To determine students’ participation grade this year, I will be implementing a “currency system” using euros
(the currency used in France).
At the beginning of the year, students receive an envelope. During class every day, students have the
opportunity to receive paper euros in denominations of €10 and €20, which are to be stored in their
envelopes.
Students turn in their euros at the end of the week. Students must earn €100 to earn a weekly participation
grade of 100% (if a student earns more than €100, all of the extra euros will be counted towards his/her
participation grade).
Students can earn euros by answering questions in class, participating fully in group activities and at learning
stations, and speaking French during speaking activities.
*Communication with parents and guardians / Accessing Parent Portal:
Parents and guardians, please be in touch with Ms. Mills in the Guidance department to set up a Parent Portal
account. (Her email address is Bonnie@bcsdschools.net and her phone number is 843-567-8110 ext. 2211).
You are welcome to contact me with any questions or concerns via email or phone (this information can be
found on the first page of this syllabus). If you would like to set up a conference, I ask that you contact me
first.
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
*A note on HOMEWORK
This year, students will be assigned homework in two different formats. Students will receive 3-4 traditional
homework assignments during each unit (typically grammar or vocabulary exercises or a short writing
assignment). These assignments are graded for accuracy.
Additionally, students will receive a “real-world homework” stamp sheet at the beginning of each unit. This
page lists a variety of short activities related to the content of the unit (“find a French song about the unit
topic,” “have a texting conversation with a friend about _________,” etc). Students choose six of these
activities to complete over the course of the unit; at the end of the unit, the stamp sheets are collected and
graded, worth a total of three homework grades.
Students who receive homework passes as a reward may use up to two per unit. However, homework passes
may not be used on “real-world homework” stamp sheets.
Classroom Management
Class rules and expectations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Demonstrate respect for yourself, your classmates, and your teacher at all times.
Follow all directions the first time that they are given.
Participate fully in all class activities.
Talk only at appropriate times.
Finish all food and drink before coming to class.
Positive consequences
Individuals
-euro coins (extra credit points)
-choice from boîte à trésor (homework pass, restroom
pass, etc)
Whole class
Votre choix vendredi: An entire class who
demonstrates great behavior has the opportunity to
earn one “letter” per day. After spelling out an entire
word or phrase, the class may choose a reward from
the boîte à trésor, to be used during the last 30” of
class that Friday.
Negative consequences
1.
2.
3.
4.
Verbal or written warning
15” detention and parent contact
30” detention and parent contact
Referral to administration
*any behavior that is dangerous or severely disruptive
will result in immediate referral to administration
*detentions will be served before or after school or
during lunch, to be arranged with the teacher before
serving
THS Attendance Policy
Attendance in class and being on time to class are an important first step in your academic success. It is
especially important for you to be present and on time in this course, because much of the in-class instruction
and practice depends upon working with other students, and will be difficult to effectively replicate in makeup work.
The THS attendance policy can be found in the student handbook. According to state law, students are
allowed 5 lawful (excused) absences. Make every effort to be present in class; I do not want any student to
not receive credit for the course because he/she has accrued too many unexcused absences!
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
If a student misses more than one half of the class period (45” of a 90” class), he/she will be considered
absent. This policy applies whether the student arrives late to class or leaves class early.
THS Tardy Policy
It is my expectation that students are in the classroom, in their assigned seat, with their materials out, and
ready to begin when the bell rings. Students who enter the classroom enter the classroom after the bell
rings are considered tardy. The following tardy policy is in place throughout the school, and will be used in
my classroom as well.
1st tardy
Verbal warning by teacher
2nd tardy
Detention by teacher
3rd tardy
ISS for the class period that the student was late
4th tardy
ISS for the class period that the student was late
5th tardy
ISS for the whole day
6th tardy
ISS for the whole day
7th tardy and above
OSS
Make-up/Late Work Policy
All assignments are due on the date and time specified by the teacher. Students may submit assignments
late for a penalty of 10 points off per day that it is late.
If a student is absent, he/she has five school days to complete and turn in missed assignments. For any
assignment that is not completed and turned in after five days, the overall grade will be reduced 10% per day
for every additional day that it is late.
If a student is absent on the date an assignment is due and the due date was previously established, the
assignment is due on the first day the student returns.
Students will be responsible for collecting their make-up work on the day they return to class. If a student
needs additional help or time to complete make-up work, I will gladly help that student, provided that he/she
communicates with me in a timely manner.
Materials and Resources
Students are required to bring the following materials to class every day:
 3-ring French class binder (see separate “Class Binder” page)
 Notebook paper
 Pens or pencils
Optional materials: French/English dictionary, markers/colored pencils, index cards, folder
This year, students will not be issued a textbook.
The new BCSD world language curriculum does not align with the old textbooks. I will keep a class set of
textbooks to be used as a reference throughout the course.
If you are absent….
Write the name and phone numbers of two classmates that you can ask about make-up work:
Galloway Français 1 2015-2016
Accommodation and support
I understand that each student learns in a unique way, and I want all students to be comfortable in the
learning environment. Therefore, I encourage any student who requires accommodation during class to speak
with me so that I can maximize the learning potential for him or her. This may be done by phone, email, or in
person at the end of class.
Student support
If a student would like additional help, I am available for tutoring in my classroom at several times
throughout the week.
 Monday through Friday mornings, 8:00-8:25 am
 Tuesday afternoons, 3:50-4:50 pm
If a student has a schedule conflict and needs to set up another time for tutoring, he/she must make
these arrangements with me at least one day in advance. There will be time at the end of the class
period to discuss this.
How can you succeed in this class?
 Be present in class and follow the class rules
 Participate fully in class activities and be willing to try your best
 Complete assignments in a timely manner
 Practice speaking French with classmates
 Ask questions when something is unclear
 Engage with French outside of class: listen to French music, browse French websites, befriend a
French-speaking person, etc