Français AP
Shorecrest High School 2013-2014
Mademoiselle Whitt
elizabeth.whitt@shorelineschools.org
Room m229
Coucou! Bienvenue à la classe d’AP! Je suis super heureuse que tu as décidé de continuer avec
le français cette année!! Je vais te forcer de travailler dur dans cette classe, mais je sais qu’à la
fin tu communiqueras en français comme un “pro” 
*** French 4 and AP French are a mixed level class, so, as the advanced level student you will
be expected to work well in small groups and at times independently during class time.
AP French course goals:
-
Expand communicative ability in French in the interpersonal, presentational, and
interpretative modes in both formal and informal contexts.
Increase and refine command of French linguistic skills (accuracy and fluency especially)
Comprehend French intended for native speakers in a variety of settings
Broaden understanding of cultural perspectives of French-speaking people through the study
of history, literature, art, music and current events
Make connections between learning French in the classroom, other disciplines, and daily
lives
-
The AP french language and Culture course is structured around 6 themes :
* Personal and Public Identities
- How are aspects of identity expressed in various situations?
- How do language and culture influence identity?
- How does one’s identity develop over time?
* Families and Communities
- What constitutes a family in different societies?
- How do individuals contribute to the well-being of communities?
- How do the roles that families and communities assume differ in societies around the
world?
* Contemporary Life
- How do societies and individuals define quality of life?
- How is contemporary life influenced by cultural products, practices, and perspectives?
- What are the challenges of contemporary life?
* Global Challenges
- What environmental, political, and social issues propose challenges to societies
throughout the world?
- What are the origins of those issues?
- What are possible solutions to those challenges?
* Science and Technology
- How do developments in science and technology affect our lives?
- What factors have driven innovation and discovery in the fields of science and
technology?
- What role does ethics play in scientific advancement?
* Beauty and Aesthetics
- How are perceptions of beauty and creativity established?
- How do ideals of beauty and aesthetics influence daily life?
- How do the arts both challenge and reflect cultural perspectives?
Required Materials: It is very important that you come to class prepared each day.
 Notebook for French
o You must have a French notebook… JUST FOR FRENCH!!! (you will need to turn
it in often)
 Writing utensil pencil/blue or black ink pen
 Text Book: We will use Allons au-délà as well as smaller readers
o I’m not going to check out any books, but we will have a class set
o You will work mostly through packets
 Positive attitude, ready and willing to learn a new language

CLASS EXPECTATIONS:
Attendance: if you want to learn another language you need to attend class and participate!
Your presence in the classroom is vital to your progress. This class is focused on oral
communication and participation. Any absences will reduce your opportunities to experience and
acquire the language. You will be successful if you are present and are willing to participate in the
activities designed to help you learn French. Many activities and tasks will be completed in class
with the help of classroom resources (classmates, published material, instructor). Doing the work at
home alone is much more difficult. Therefore, in the case of an unexcused absence you will lose
participation points for the day, and they cannot be made up. In case of an excused absence you
will be allowed to come in and make up your participation points with me before/after school or
during highlander home. I expect that you make up your points within a week of you returning to
class.
Even if you are absent, you are responsible for all material we learned in class. Check google
classroom for missed assignments and the binder in the back of the room for hard copies of
handouts. I will help you make up assignments, but remember, you are ultimately responsible for
staying on top of your work.
Tardiness: I expect you to make it to class on time.
The Shorecrest tardy policy:
At SC we use one school-wide policy for tardies. We want students to know and learn the value of being on
time, and know we expect students to be ready to engage in learning. We believe in forming habits of
punctuality and commitment because they are required for college, a career, and life as a part of a larger
community.
Teachers will mark all students who are late as tardy. Our practice will then proceed as follows:
For every six tardies across all classes, students are assigned to make-up/study hall, after school, 2:45 –
3:30,
Monday – Wednesday, in the Commons.
Every six tardies requires one session of after school make-up.
SC staff will monitor the after school session; when a session is completed, six tardies are removed from
the
attendance record
Students cannot participate in after school sports or activities until the tardies have been cleared.
With a total of 10 tardies students will not be allowed to attend SC evening events (games, dances,
performances).
At the end of the semester passing grades of C+ or higher will earn “Ps” in all classes for any students
with 10+
tardies on the record.
At any time throughout the semester students can attend the assigned tardy make-up/study hall in order to
restore
their records.
In accordance with the Shorecrest tardy policy a tardy exceeding 10 minutes will be considered an
unexcused absence.
Harassment Policy: It is important to me that we have a comfortable supportive learning
community where all students feel safe to take linguistic risks and to participate. I will adhere
very strongly to the SC harassment policy:
Shorecrest High School is a place where ALL students are safe to learn without threat of violence or
concern for safety. Shorecrest adheres to a strict zero tolerance policy regarding harassment of any
form between students, faculty, and staff. Students and staff who experience or witness harassment
of any form at Shorecrest should report the incident to an SC adult that you trust, or if you prefer,
our point person on harassment incidents, Lane Loland, Dean of Students. You may also fill out a
harassment incident report that is available in the security office, online, main office, or with your
counselor
Electronic devices: when you are in my class, I expect you to be a contributing, responsible
member of class. I will adhere strictly to the Shorecrest electronic violation policy.
Students who violate the rules for the use of cell phones and other electronic devices, set forth
above, will face corrective action as described below:
- First violation – warning, teacher notifies parent (phone or email).
- Second violation – confiscation, item returned at parent conference attended by student,
parent,
and administrator or designee.
- Third violation – confiscation, school discipline imposed. Parent contacted by
administrator or
designee. School discipline may vary from school service to
suspension, depending on individual circumstance.
This rule applies (but is not limited) to: cellphones, ipads(games especially), ipods, books,
homework for other classes
Honesty Policy: I adhere to the Shorecrest honesty policy.
Honesty is…
• Doing your own work.
• Crediting others’ words, pictures, facts, and ideas.
• Keeping your eyes on your own paper.
• Helping or teaching others, not allowing the copying of your work.
• Using all written and electronic sources with integrity.
Simply stated, we expect students to represent their own work (and to allow other students to
represent their own work) honestly and accurately at all times.
I will not tolerate: plagiarism, cheating, forgery/stealing.
Any student who violates the Ethics & Honesty Policy will be disciplined as follows:
1st Offense: The student’s parent/guardian will be notified by the classroom teacher and the student
will
be referred to an administrator. The student will receive a score of zero on the
assignment, activity or test.
2nd Offense: This may be the same class or a different class, in the same school year or a different
school
year, from the 1st offense. The student’s parent/guardian will be notified by the
classroom teacher and the student will be referred to an administrator. The Student is
long-term suspended from the class, not to exceed ninety days. Student is suspended
from the class for the remainder of the semester. (Note: this may be the same or a
different class from the first offense.) Administrators shall use the established
suspension process with the due process notification.
3rd Offense: This may be the same class or a different class, in the same school year or a different
school
year, from prior offenses. The student’s parent/guardian will be notified by the
classroom teacher and the student will be referred to an administrator. The student
will be long-term suspended from all classes for the remainder of semester, not to
exceed 90 days. Student is suspended from all classes for the remainder of the
semester. Parents shall be contacted and due process rights shall be given.
Required work and grading:
Grading:
Grades will be determined in accordance with the following school wide percentage scale:
93%-100%= A
80%-82%= B67%-69%=D+
90%-92%=A77%-79%= C+
60%-66%= D
87%-89%=B+
73%-76%= C
59% and below = F
83%-86%=B
70%-72%= C**In order to advance to the next French class, students should demonstrate thorough knowledge of material
covered in the current class. A semester grade of D means that sufficient work was completed in order to
earn credit for the class; however, possibly not enough knowledge (“proficiency”) was gained to be
successful in the next year of the language. As a result, we will often recommend that students with a D
repeat that level before moving on. Your grades will be updated weekly and can be accessed using your login
and password set up through the Family Access system.
Exams/Quizzes/Projects/culture
60% of your grade is reflected in exams, quizzes, projects, and culture. These are all forms of
assessment. This is how you will show me that you can meet the standards for your level of French.
This course will have formal as well as informal assessments on writing, reading, listening,
speaking,
Culture credit: each semester you will be required to fulfill a cultural requirement, outside of class
time. This can be completed by watching French movies, preparing French food, attending a
French club function, etc. Your cultural requirement is basically a modified project.
I will prompt you check the announce (announcement) link on my website to find out about French
club/department sponsored activities that you may attend to meet this requirement.
Practice
30% of your grade is reflected in practice. Practice is the work you do/complete inside and outside
of class that helps you meet the standard. Homework as well as classwork is included in this
category.
It is important for you to understand that practice and repetition are incredibly important to
language retention. The homework for this class is not just busy work. I will assign you homework
because I need you to revisit the material in between class meetings. To help you do this in a
productive way, I will provide assignments of reasonable length that allow you to focus on using the
skills we are developing in class. I will expect that you spend some time outside of class (especially
on days that we don’t meet) practicing your language skills.
*Honestly, your ability to speak and use the French language effectively will correspond to the
amount of time and effort you are willing to put into learning the language. I will be the person
pushing you to work harder, and smarter.
It is expected that you turn work in on time, in order for the practice to be most effective. The
following procedure will be enforced:
Late work will be accepted for 60% credit by the end of the unit/chapter (i.e. test day)
You will be allowed 1 “I didn’t do my homework excuse” pass a semester to account for those
times when life gets in the way and you are not able to get work in on time. To be effective (gain
back full credit) the “oops” pass and completed homework must be turned in the next class period.
* The most important thing is that you communicate with me about homework and any
problems you are having so that I can understand what’s going on, and help you.
Participation
10% of your grade is reflected in participation. I require students to actively participate in my class.
(otherwise, how will you learn!?!) You will have a monthy participation grade (points based on
how many weeks of school in that month. Roughly 10 points will be given per week).
You earn your participation points by being a productive member of class, and participating in
classroom activities. You need to practice speaking French if you would like to get better. The
easiest way to loose points is speaking excessively in English… remember, this is French class!
Student Assistance
I am here to help you learn French, and I will support you in any way that I can. I am available
before school, during highlander home, lunch, and after school for that purpose. I only ask that you
chat with me about when you want to come in so that we can make sure to coordinate times.