All French Days
All French Days are to help you learn and practice the language. If we don’t
have these days, you will not try to use the language. Learning a foreign
language is a skill that needs practice time in order to become competent in
speaking the language.
When you walk through the door, you must speak all in French. It has nothing
to do with the bell. We will begin communicating in French immediately, and I
will just say in French, “Comments, questions, or what do you want to talk
about?”
Each student must have 5 participations in French. A participation is an original
thought. Hello and how are you do not count as participations, although you
may certainly say them. The same sentence 5 times only counts once. If one
person asks a question or makes a statement, another student cannot use the
same question/statement. We will begin by having All French Days on
Thursdays during the third week of French 2.
You may already have your participations written out and prepared before class
begins. You may even read them. I must hear what you say in class if the
participation is to count. You may address me or another student. You can ask
questions or make statements or answer another student’s questions. Do not say
anything hurtful or derogatory. We will communicate in French until it gets too
slow or the class is just sitting there with no one saying anything. Then, I will
start teaching.
The last two minutes of class, you may ask me questions in English if you didn’t
understand something, for example, what the homework was. However, in that
last two minutes of class, you still may not talk to another classmate in English.
You must stay in French until the bell rings.
Follow the rubric which will be given to you. In order to get the highest score,
you must fully and completely answer all of the essential questions listed on the
rubric, correctly use all grammatical structures in the chapter with few or no
errors, and correctly use extensive vocabulary from the chapter. One essential
question on French Day can be personal. For instance, you may talk about what
is going on with you at the moment. If you only make personal comments
without using the grammar or vocabulary from the chapter or without
addressing the other essential questions, then your score on all three categories
will not be very high.
Using “Comment dit-on_(English word)_?” is deliberately using English, and 15
points will be subtracted from your score. Make sure you are prepared and have
looked up the words you need. Bring a dictionary everyday, especially on All
French Days. Do not use a computer translator to prepare your sentences. It is
obvious to Foreign Language teachers when you do this, and you will be given a
0.
Each student will fill out the rubric for All French Days with name, date, and
class listed. Each student is to write the participation sentences on the back side
of the rubric before you turn them in. You will grade yourself to an extent. You
will circle the box that fits where you performed in task completion, grammar,
and vocabulary. You will calculate your original grade and put that number in
the appropriate blank at the bottom of the rubric. You will subtract the
appropriate points at the bottom of the sheet if you use English at all during All
French Day.
If you do not do 5 participations during All French Day, you will multiply # of
participations by 10 for final grade (4x10=40, 3x10=30, etc.), and that will be the
highest grade possible. If you only use English to communicate or do not speak,
then your grade will be 0.