Advanced Placement French Syllabus
Bremen High School District 228
[School Year 2013-2014]
Written by:
Selime Baftiri-Ballazhi
Suzanne McKeigue
Objectives
This course is designed as a culmination of students’ French studies in high school. Students have
learned most of the structures necessary to communicate in French. In AP French, students refine those
grammatical structures while learning new vocabulary and in some cases, tenses, to communicate in
French on a variety of topics. AP French emphasizes all aspects of language: listening, reading,
speaking, writing and culture. The course is designed to prepare students for the AP French Language
and Culture examination. AP French Language and Culture is conducted primarily in French. [CR1]
Materials
Student Materials:
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En Bonne Forme. (8th Edition) Renaud, Simone and Van Hooff, Dominique. Houghton Mifflin
2007.
AP French: Preparing for the Language Examination (newest edition) Richard Ladd and Colette
Girard. Scott Foresman Addison Wesley 2010.
501 French Verbs, Christopher Kendris Barron’s 2007.
Reference Materials:
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Troisième Livre by Amsco
Schaum’s French Vocabulary Lists
Ensemble Culture et Société Raymond Comeau, Normand Lamoureux, Marie-Paule Tranvouez,
Holt Rinehart Winston 2004.
Teacher Ancillaries that accompany AP Workbook and En Bonne Forme textbook.
Websites below
Listening practice websites, including:
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Tv5.org
Lafracebis.com
Bonjourdefrance.com
Générationfrançaise7.com
Internetactuel.com
Rfi.com
Dailyfrenchpod.com
Learnfrenchbypodcast.com
Aboutfrench.com
Youtube.com
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Flevideo.com
Lemonde.fr
Radiofrance.fr
Teaching Strategies
Immersion in the French language lays the foundation for the skills of listening, speaking, reading and
writing in our daily activities. Communication is emphasized and students are expected to participate in
class through discussions, both formal and informal in the French language, as well as oral presentations
on selected topics that reflect the themes of the AP French Language and Culture course. The teacher
has created a blog to which students will input opinions, comments and responses to various topics,
including reactions to their peers’ postings.
Keeping up with technological advances has become a vital part of our instructional practice. Students
will be required to use technology such as internet listening and current event websites, Audacity
program for recordings, podcasts, and blogging. Students are also expected to utilize presentation
programs such as Prezi, Wordle and Power Point, as well as Edmodo for the purpose of communicating
with the teacher outside of the classroom.
Listening
Students have an opportunity on a daily basis to hear the French language because the class is taught
primarily in French by me. In the event that a specific point (usually grammatical) require clarity, I will
instruct that particular point in English. Students are expected to keep up with listening activities from
the websites that have been assigned to them outside of the classroom, as well as during class from
various sources including the accompanying CDs for the En Bonne Forme textbook. Students will also do
the selected activities in listening practice from the AP Examination PreparationWorkbook. In addition
to podcasts and in class listening rejoinders, students will be exposed to current French music,
accompanied by vocabulary lists to gain proficiency in the language and culture.
Speaking
Because students will be required to speak French in the classroom, even informally and with one
another, there will not be a need to create specific speaking assignments on a daily basis. There will,
however, be dialogues and skits that students will have to present with assigned members from the
class and will be assessed using a formal rubric. In our Instructional Materials Center (library), the
Audacity program has been installed on the computers specifically for the purpose of AP students to
record their voices during speaking practice responses to prompts and storytelling. Students are then
graded on their pronunciation, flow and structure by the teacher.
Reading
En Bonne Forme offers many excerpts from original literary works from francophone authors. Students
will read and discuss in groups the responses to comprehension questions that are found in the
textbook. In addition to the textbook, students will do practice activities in the AP Examination
Preparation workbook, as well as many short stories that are featured in the month by month
breakdown in the chart. Students will also be assigned short readings from released AP exams, which
we will then discuss. Students will also be assigned readings on current events from French newspapers
and magazines.
Writing
Students will have in class writing assignments at least once a week to ensure that their writing is
authentic and not borrowed from an internet site. The assignment will be based on personal narrative
or responses to literary works, articles, or cultural topics discussed in class. Students will also be
required to comment on the teacher’s blog that is set up through the school’s website. Compositions
will be written at least twice a month that refer to pictured sequences, as well as opinions that students
have on a cultural topic. We will also use released AP examinations for suggested writing prompts for
their rédactions. On chapter tests from En Bonne Forme, students will be required to answer openended questions using correct structure and vocabulary. They will also write a dictée at least once a
month.
August/
September
October
Unit 1-Contemporary Life: Elementary Education
Global Challenges: Diversity
 Study vocabulary associated with education
 Read and discuss poem Page d’Ecriture by Jacques Prévert
 Discuss geographical, cultural and political situation in Ivory Coast
 Read excerpt from Climbié by Bernard Dadié
 Listening Activities from En Bonne Forme workbook
 Speaking Dialogue/Skit related to elementary education
 Write a blog entry on what student would change about elementary school
experience
 Personal Journal on elementary school experience
 Film: Argent de Poche
Unit 2-Family and Communities: Friendship and Love; Customs and Ceremonies
Personal and Public Identities: Multiculturalism
Science and Technology: The New Media
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Study vocabulary associated with love
Read and discuss poem, “Déjeuner du matin” by Jacques Prévert
Read and discuss excerpt from “Une si longue lettre” by Mariama Bâ
Discuss polygamy in Senegal and around the world
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November
Dec./Jan.
Jan./Feb.
Performance-based assessment incorporating role play and oral dialogues, based
on “Déjeuner du matin”
Write a blog entry about the impact that dating websites have had on
relationships.
Listening activities on dating and relationships.
Add to their linguistic journals re: linguistic differences
Oral Presentations of effects of social networking and dating websites worldwide
Grammar review of the passé composé
Unit 3-Contemporary Life: Holidays
Families and Communities: Customs and Cermonies
Personal and Public Identities: Multiculturalism
 Study vocabulary associated with holidays and traditions
 Discuss French influence in former “Indochine” (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)
 Read excerpt from “La petite Tonkinoise” by Suzanne Prou.
 Write a blog entry about differences in daily life between present day and their
parents’ generation.
 Performance-based assessment, re-enacting a typical holiday festivity
 Listening activities on holidays
 Grammar review of the imperfect tense
 Oral Presentations on holidays celebrated French speaking countries
 Add to their linguistic journals re: linguistic differences
Unit 4-Contemporary Life: Secondary Education
Personal and Public Identities: Language and Identity; Alienation and Assimilation
Global Challenges: Diversity
 Study vocabulary associated with Secondary Education and court system
 Discuss countries included in area called “Maghreb”
 Read excerpt from “Le Gône du Chaâba” by Azouz Begag and discuss
 Read excerpt from “Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille” by Tajar Ben Jelloun
 Music Videos: Tekitoi by Rachid Taha; Ma France à moi by Diams
 Listening Activities related to the theme of racism in France
 Debates on French speaking countries’ contemporary issues of racism including
the dilemma of the veil in France; compare/contrast with U.S. issues
 Role playing associated with false accusations
 Role playing/dialogues associated with adapting to new environments
 Grammar: Plus-que-parfait
 Film: Entre Les Murs
 Add to their linguistic journals re: linguistic differences
Unit 5-Global Challenges: Health Issues
Science and Technology: New Inventions
 Study vocabulary associated with health
 Read excerpt from “Le Voyage en France” by Benoit Duteurtre
 Oral Presentations on non-traditional remedies
 Oral Presentations on formerly fatal diseases and diseases for which a cure has
not yet been found and their causes and symptoms
 Listening Activities related to health issues
March
April
May/June
 Grammar review of nouns and adjectives
 Add to their linguistic journals re: linguistic differences
Unit 6-Contemporary Life: Advertising and Marketing
 Study vocabulary related to advertising
 Create an original ad for a product
 Create a commercial, lasting at least one minute.
 Listening Activities related to advertisements
 Grammar and Communication Review from AP College Board Workbook
 Film of Choice
Unit 7-Beauty and Aesthetics
 Study vocabulary associated with ideals of beauty
 Respond to teacher’s blog postings from online authentic French magazines
 Research and oral presentations on French musicians
 Research and oral presentations on French art movements
 Research and oral presentations on French architecture
 Create original poem on the themes of Ideals of Beauty, Impact of Music,
Artwork and Culture
 Grammar and Communication Review from AP College Board Workbook
Unit 8-Contemporary Life; Personal and Public Identities
 Selected topics in contemporary France and French-speaking countries
 Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking skills will be used, including various
technology tools.