AP VERTICAL ARTICULATION
Laura Cassard & Hannah Gonzalez
Rationale
Why AP vertical articulation?
AP Themes
AP test components
Section I: Multiple Choice
65 Questions ~ 95 Minutes ~ 50% of Exam Score
Interpretive Communication:
Print Texts - 30 questions
Print and Audio Texts (combined) & Audio Texts - 35
questions
AP test components
Section II: Free Response
8 Prompts ~ 80 Minutes ~ 50% of Exam Score
Interpersonal Writing: Email Reply (1 prompt)
Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay (1 prompt)
Interpersonal Speaking: Simulated Conversation (5 prompts)
Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison (1 prompt)
What do these components look like?
Let’s try some AP tasks ...
Presentational Speaking prompts: Global Challenges
How do members of your community mobilize to guarantee
human rights?
It often takes a disaster to push people to take action to help a
region or its people. Think of a catastrophe where people were
called upon to help a population in crisis. Describe the disaster
and show how this crisis mobilized to help out the refugees.
Presentational Speaking prompts: Science and Technology
How has the use of social networks affected your community?
Each day, a new scientific discovery positively influences groups
and individuals. Think of a francophone scientist who, thanks to a
discovery, has improved people’s lives. Describe the discovery
and how it influenced francophone culture.
Presentational Speaking prompts: Contemporary Life
What importance does the celebration of different cultural
traditions hold in your community?
Sports and pastimes change with the seasons as well as stages of
life; they are a universal aspect of every culture. Think of a
sporting event and tell about it. Then, show how that sport marks
the seasons of the year and stages of life.
Presentational Speaking prompts: Personal and Public
Identities
How have political figures influenced daily life in your
community (positively or negatively)?
A person’s identity is revealed by the language that he or she
speaks. Think of a bilingual person and describe how this person
identifies him/herself through his/her language. Then show how
language and culture can distinguish a person’s personality.
Presentational Speaking prompts: Families and
communities
What holiday brings together people in your community?
Each culture observes it own rites of passage for its young
members. Think of an act, ceremony or activity that functions as
a rite of passage in a francophone culture. Show how this event
changes the life of the participant.
Presentational Speaking prompts: Beauty and Aesthetics
How has the concept of beauty changed throughout time in your
community?
Visual arts and music are often influenced by the culture in which
they are rooted. Think of a work of art or music and explain how
it represents a francophone culture.
Interpersonal Communication
Introducción: Mario es uno de tus mejores amigos. Vas a participar en una
conversación con él porque no puede asistir a tu fiesta.
Mario:
Tú:
Mario:
Tú:
Mario:
Tú:
Mario:
Tú:
Mario:
Tú:
Te saluda y te hace una pregunta.
Responde y explica por qué.
Te comenta sobre un problema.
Reacciona y pídele una explicación.
Continúa la conversación.
Ofrécele algunas sugerencias.
Continúa la conversación.
Responde con detalles.
Continúa la conversación.
Acepta y sugiere una actividad.
Discuss
What skills will a student need in order
to confidently perform these tasks?
Sample Activities
Before vertical articulation....
TASK: You received $200.00 for your birthday ($100 in cash and $100 in gift
certificates) and just purchased several articles of clothing with the money. Write
an e-mail to a friend describing your shopping trip. Think about the following
questions:
¿Qué compraste?
¿Dónde lo compraste?
¿Cuánto pagaste?
¿Por qué te gusta(n)?
Adapted for Vertical Articulation
De:
Asunto:
abuelitosviajeros@gmail.com
¡Tu cumpleaños!
¡Hola Elena!
¿Cómo has estado? Tu abuelo y yo nos disfrutamos mucho durante nuestro viaje. Pero después de viajar
por más de tres semanas, ¡estamos contentos estar en casa!
¡No puedo creer que ya cumpliste 15 años! Lo siento por no estar en la fiesta. ¿Cómo te fue? ¿Cuál fue el
mejor regalo? ¿Recibiste el cupón de regalo que te mandamos? ¿Qué compraste? ¿En qué tienda?
Te prometo que allí estaremos el año que viene. ¡No vamos a faltar ningún otro cumpleaños! Esperamos
con mucho interés tu respuesta.
Un abrazo fuerte,
Tus abuelitos
Culture
How can we develop cultural proficiency?
What skills and information are needed to
make cultural comparisons?
Authentic Resources - Spanish
● BBC Mundo (Videos & short articles)
● Radio Naciones Unidos (Audio 2-3 minutes,
divided by subject)
● http://infografiasencastellano.com/
(Infographics)
Authentic Resources - French
Short podcasts and videoclips on a range of topics. Some quite easy.
http://ielanguages.com/frenchlistening.html
10 recordings of French speech, describing the everyday lives of French teenagers. The recordings are
accompanied by transcripts in French. Files may be downloaded.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/f/frenchlisteningexercises/introduction.asp?strRefe
rringChannel=resources&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-463154-64
iTunes podcasts - an extensive collection
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/french-listening-resources/id352276900?mt=2
TV5 – lessons for all levels
http://apprendre.tv5monde.com/