HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
COURSE SYLLABUS
1.
COURSE TITLE
French I
2.
COURSE CODE
FREN1610
3.
NO. OF UNITS
3
4.
PREREQUISITE
None
5.
OFFERING DEPARTMENT
Language Centre
6.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
This course aims at giving students the ability to conduct a simple conversation in French
(introducing oneself and one’s family, talking about one’s preferences, telling the time…). To
achieve this, a range of classroom activities will be proposed, to which an active participation is
strongly recommended. French culture will be introduced, particularly through the Internet.
Pronunciation and grammar will also be taught.
7.
COURSE CONTENT
Chapter 1: Je me présente (let me introduce myself…)
1. communication

introducing oneself (name, occupation, nationality, age, marital status, date and
place of birth, address, …)
 asking simple information to another person (name, occupation, nationality, etc.)
 greeting a person in formal and informal situations
2. grammar




FREN 1610
simple affirmative sentence (S+V+O: Je suis français)
introduction to the negative sentence
introduction to the interrogative sentence (Vous êtes chinois ? Vous habitez où ?)
introduction to French verbs (conjugation)
1
3. vocabulary

French names
 greetings
 nationalities and occupations
 university subjects
4. pronunciation
 introduction to French rhythm
 affirmative/interrogative sentence intonation
 reading French (rules 1 and 2)
5. introduction to French culture

French basic geographical features: territory, population, main cities, neighbouring
countries and seas, mountains and rivers.
Chapter 2: Inscription (I want to register…)
1. communication
 fill in a registration form
 ask people information to fill in their registration form
 introduce another person
 ask questions about another person
 spelling and asking people to spell names, words, etc.
2. grammar




interrogative sentence (structure “quel/quelle est votre…. ?)
interrogative sentence (où?)
masculin/féminin
introduction to French verbs (conjugation habiter/s’appeler/être/avoir
je/tu/il/elle/vous)
 possessive adjectives (mon/ton/son/votre)
3. vocabulary
 numbers 0 to 10
 alphabet
 nationalities (contnd)
4. pronunciation
 i/e
 l/n
 reading French (rules 3 and 4)
5. introduction to French culture




FREN 1610
official and regional languages
French-speaking countries around the world
politeness rules
French names (noms et prénoms)
2
+
Chapter 3: Bon anniversaire ! (Happy birthday!)
1. communication
 wishing happy birthday to one’s friends
 giving and asking birthday dates
 singing the birthday song
 naming a few common objects
2. grammar
 interrogative sentence (qu’est-ce que c’est?)
 indefinite articles
 the date
 avoir and être (present tense)
3. vocabulary
 numbers 0 to 99
 months
 common objects in the classroom (stylo, livre, dictionnaire, etc.)
4. pronunciation
 liaisons and enchaînements
 reading French (ou [u])
5. introduction to French culture


Birthdays in France
the French language and the French government


French phone numbers
Some famous French people
Chapter 4: Concours de chant (Singing Contest)
1. communication
 talking about one’s likes and dislikes
 asking people about their likes and dislikes
2. grammar


interrogative sentence (est-ce que / qu’est-ce que)
conjunctions (mais, et, ni, ou)
 conjugation (regular verbs, present tense)
 definite articles
 the plural of nouns
 structure aimer + infinitive
3. vocabulary



FREN 1610
basic vocabulary for food, leisure activities, sports, places, etc.
adverbs of quantity (un peu, beaucoup…)
verbs to express likes and dislikes (aimer, adorer, détester, préférer)
3
4. pronunciation

y/u (as in tu/vous)
 ch/j (as in chez/j’ai)
 reading French (ai [e] – er/ez [e])
5. introduction to French culture

favorite French activities
Chapter 5: Rendez-vous (Meeting my friends)
1. Communication


talking about one’s daily activities
asking/giving the time
 accepting/refusing an invitation
 inviting a friend
2. grammar

irregular verbs (aller, faire, dormir) present tense

interrogative sentence (question words: quand, qui, où, pourquoi, comment…+
est-ce que?)
 contracted definite articles (au/aux, du/des)
 negative sentence
3. vocabulary

activities and places
 time and days
4. pronunciation
 f/v (je vais/je fais)
 reading French (an/en – in/un)
5. introduction to French culture


8.
public holidays in France
les 35 heures et les congés payés
COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (CILOS)
CILO
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
CILO 1
hold a simple conversation in French, mostly about themselves.
CILO 2
give very short presentations;
CILO 3
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of very basic concepts of French
grammar.
CILO 4
write a short letter or message, using mostly formulaic language, as well as
fill in a form.
CILO 5
find relevant information in simple spoken messages.
CILO 6
find relevant information in simple written messages.
FREN 1610
4
9.
TEACHING & LEARNING ACTIVITIES (TLAS)
CILO No. TLAs
The students will:
CILO 1
 do role-play and group activities (e.g., introducing themselves or finding
out about each other’s preferences)
CILO 2

CILO 3
CILO 4



CILO 5

CILO 6

give short presentations in class (e.g. introducing a famous person,
reporting on a classmate’s preferences)
observe and analyse data in order to work out grammar rules
do systematic exercises to internalize these rules
be given written tasks to do, either in class or at home (e.g. birthday card
or first letter to penpal)
be given listening tasks to do (e.g. listen to a conversation about someone
registering in a hotel and fill in the form about him/her, listen to a
conversation between 2 friends and find out the age and birthday of the 2
persons)
be given reading tasks to do (e.g. find out a person’s preferences in a
passage, fill in a form about the French president after visiting his website)
10. ASSESSMENT METHODS (AMS)
Type of
Assessment
Weighting
CILOs to be
addressed
Description of Assessment Tasks
Tests
25%
CILO 3 and 5
Mid-term tests will test listening skills, as well
as grammar knowledge.
Oral
25%
CILO 1 and 2
Students’ ability to have a conversation in
French will be assessed through role-play and
short presentations in class.
Final Exam
50%
CILO 3, 4, 5 & 6. The final exam will test listening, reading and
writing skills, as well as grammar knowledge.
11. TEXTBOOKS / RECOMMENDED READINGS
1. Abry, D. & Chalaron, M-L. (1994). Phonétique: 350 exercices. France: Hachette.
2. Capelle, G. & Menand, R. (2003). Taxi! 1. France: Hachette.
3. Chevalier, J-C. C. Blanche-Benveniste, M. Arrive & J. Peytard (1964). Grammaire du
Français Contemporain. France: Larousse.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Girardet, J. & Pécheur, J. (2002). Campus 1. France: Clé International.
Kaneman-Pougatch, M. (1997). Café-Crème 1. France: Hachette.
Lavenne, C. (2001). Studio 60. France: Didier.
Monnerie-Goarin, A. & Siréjols, E. (1999). Champion pour le DELF 1. France: Clé
International.
8. Wioland, F. (1991). Prononcer les mots du français. France: Hachette.
Syllabus prepared by: Mr. Jean-Luc Rey
Date: 15 March 2010
FREN 1610
5