Radnor High School
Course Syllabus
French IV College Preparatory
514
Revised 4-22-08
I. Course Description
This course is intended for students seeking to further develop their linguistic skills as well as investigate
on a deeper level various aspects of French culture. Students learn to express themselves on a more
advanced level, not only recounting or predicting personal experiences, but also making inquiries,
offering opinion and insight in hypothetical terms on various topics of cultural interest. Through an indepth study of French films, students explore plot development, discuss relevant themes, examine
historical context and analyze characters. Students hone their comprehension skills using authentic short
stories, fables, poems, songs and advertisements from the target culture. Students are required to
participate daily in class in French. Assessments may include oral and written tests and quizzes, skits,
projects, essays and class presentations.
II. Materials & Equipment
Discovering French – Rouge textbook,
Discovering French – Rouge workbook
Discovering French – Rouge CD-Rom and DVD program
Teacher generated handouts
Select Videos
French grammar tutor software
Short stories, poems and fables
French realia (i.e. films, magazines, newspapers, music, internet articles, advertisements)
III. Course Goals & Objectives
1. Students will learn to express feelings and changes of mood related to various situations in their
personal lives and in response to conditions of society.
2. Students will learn to discuss in detail physical attributes, appearances and personalities of
individuals.
3. Students will discuss certain aspects of their daily routine and responsibilities including personal
care and hygiene, household chores, services and favors, shopping and errands and other daily
obligations.
4. Students will learn to express their opinions, express desires, offer congratulations and support
and make suggestions regarding specific situations and events.
5. Students will learn to make requests, and respond to solicitations for help. The will learn to
accept or refuse invitations and to express their satisfaction or regret regarding various situations.
6. Students will narrate past, present and future events.
7. Students will discuss topics related to their personal lives and society using hypothetical termsi.e. what they would do or would have done given certain circumstances.
8. Students will learn how make arrangements for social engagements, services,
9. Students will acquire vocabulary necessary to discuss various topics related in the context of the
target culture including vacation, travel, transportation, ecology, urban vs. rural life, family
relationships. They will compare and contrast their personal experiences/situations with the new
insights they gain into those relevant to the target culture.
10. Students will watch a minimum of four French films assigned and selected by the teacher for the
class. Students will discuss major themes of the film and identify elements that are unique to the
target culture. They will acquire necessary vocabulary to discuss plot, character development,
setting, historical context and other aspects relevant to the study film.
11. Students will engage in conversation based upon readings from short stories, poems and fables
from the target culture.
12. Students will prepare written responses indicating personal impressions from readings, films,
debate in class.
13. Students will learn to take about friends and acquaintances and discuss how people of different
personalities interact with one another.
14. Students will learn to describe and discuss rites of passage and various phases of the life cycle.
They will contrast what they know of their own culture with customs/practices/traditions that are
unique to the target culture.
15. Students will gain insight into the life and style of various artists from the francophone world.
16. Students will use examine advertisements and commercials from the target culture and consider
how they differ from the typical campaigns from their own tv, newspapers and magazines.
IV. Course Topics (Summary Outline)
Unité I - Faisons Connaissance! (Rouge – Reprise)
A. Topics
Personal Profiles, Hobbies, Expressions of Habit
B. Related Grammar
Present Tense of Regular and Irregular Verbs, Passé Composé
C. Reading
Les Trois Bagues
Unit II - Au jour le jour! (Rouge Unité 1)
A. Topics
Daily routine, Personal appearance, Feelings
B. Related Grammar
Reflexive Verbs, Commands, Adjectives, Future Tense vs. Near Future
C. Readings
L’importance du look, Conte pour Enfants de moins de trois ans
D. Video
Café des Rêves – Épisode 1
Unit III – Rêves, Echecs et Trahison
A. Topics
Marcel Pagnol’s Jean de Florette,
B. Related Grammar
Si clauses (si imparfait/condionnel)
C. Film
Jean de Florette
Unit IV – Soyons Utiles(Rouge Unité 2)
A. Topics
Household chores and activities, After-school jobs,
B. Related Grammar
Subjunctive vs. Indicative
C. Readings
Les Passe-Temps Actifs, C’est la Justice, Le travail ça paie !
D. Vidéo
Café des Rêves – Épisode 2
Unit V – Vive la Nature (Rouge Unité 3)
A. Topics
Ecology, Outdoor activities, Witnessing and Recounting events
B. Related Grammar
Passé Composé vs. l’Imparfait
C. Reading
Oui à la Nature, Ecologie à la Maison, King, Les pêches
Unit VI – Vengeance, Pénitence et Destin
A. Topics
Marcel Pagnol’s – Manon des Sources
B. Related Grammar
Si clauses (si plusque parfait/passé du conditionnel), Expressions of Synthesis
C. Readings
La Couverture
D. Film
Manon des Sources
Unit VII – Aspects de la Vie Quotidienne (Rouge Unité 4)
A. Topics
Shopping for everyday articles, Requesting/Demanding services
B. Related Grammar
Object Pronouns
C. Readings
En France, Faites comme les Français!, Scènes de la Vie courante, Une Histoire de Cheveux
D. Video
Café des Rêves – Episode 3
Unit VIII – Publicités
A. Topics
Expressions of Opinion and Preference, Components of an Image
B. Related Grammar
Comparative and Superlative, Prepositions, the personal pronoun On
C. Vidéo: Publicités Françaises
Unit IX - Bon Voyage (Rouge – Unit 5)
A. Topics
Making travel plans, going through customs, travel by plane or train
B. Related Grammar
Negative expressions
C. Readings
La Passion des Voyages, Impressions d’Amérique, La France en train et l’Eurotunnel
L’homme mystérieux en bleu
D. Video
Touring France
Café des Rêves – Épisode 4
Unit X – En Ville (Rouge – Unité 8)
A. Topics
Les villes françaises, exploring French neighborhoods, arranging social engagements
B. Related Grammar
Si clauses – culmination
C. Readings
Les Villes Françaises, La géographie des villes françaises, le spectacle est dans la rue
D. Video
Paris – Ville Eternelle
Café de Rêves – Épisode 5
Unit XI – Les Relations Personnelles (Rouge- Unité 9)
A. Topics
Friends and acquaintances, Relationships, Rights of Passage
B. Related Grammar
Pronoms Relatifs, Reciprocated action with reflexive verbs
C. Readings
Les amis et la famille,Le Marriage en France, Le Bracelet
D. Film
Le grand chemin
Unit XII – Le Monde des Arts (Unit for Final Assessment)
A. Topics
Les Impressionnistes, Post-Impressionnistes, Le surréalisme
B. Related Grammar
Culumination of Grammar Acquired
C. Readings
Rouge – Interlude Culturelle 1
Pour faire le portrait d’un oiseau-Prévert
Articles en ligne
D. Vidéo
Monet – Legacy of Light
V. Assignments & Grading
Formative Assessment:
Frequent homework assignments
Participation in class
Frequent oral and written quizzes
Reading and listening comprehension exercises and quizzes
Recitations
Summative Assessment:
Unit tests, mid-term and final exam
Skits, dialogues and simulations
Formal Discussions and/or Debates (one per quarter)
Oral Presentations (one per quarter)
Spontaneous exchanges (teacher to student and student to student)
Compositions (two per quarter)
Creative projects (one per semester)
Departmental Final Stage C Assessment:
Students will research using a variety of sources in the target language such as newspapers,
magazines, internet, books, videos in order to prepare the following:
story, skit, report or project reflecting personal interest connected to a topic from a different
subject such as history, current events, art, geography, the arts or mathematics.