AP French Language Syllabus
School: # 180995
Teacher: B. Rambo
Email: beth.rambo@hardin.kyschools.us
Course objectives:
In today’s ever-shrinking global economy, it is essential that students become
proficient in their second language-skills for success in the highly competitive jobmarkets. To produce students who are more culturally-aware and sensitive to
the needs of this planet, proficient knowledge of a second-language is a key
component. The curriculum plan for AP French provides students with multiple
opportunities to achieve this proficiency.
The emphasis of the course is on the development of proficient skills in reading,
writing, speaking and listening using real-world activities to enhance language
competence. Goals include the ability to understand French in varied contexts;
the vocabulary sufficient for reading newspaper and magazine articles, various
texts, both literary and informational without the aid of a dictionary; and
reasonable fluency and accuracy in both written and spoken French.
 In attempting to enrich the students’ experiences with the francophone
world, all my French students work one-to-one each week with our nativespeaker volunteers, (two retirees from Paris).
 In AP French, the students also have the opportunity to attend a luncheon
once a month (Amicale Francophone), with a variety of native speakers.
 In attempting to enhance the students’ cultural knowledge, we also watch
a variety of French films, to subscribe to and read specific articles from
Paris Match, and listen to clips from various sites on the internet.
Instruction in the Arts will also be included in the curriculum when
appropriate.
 Students participate in regional and state-level French competitions.
 Only French is used and allowed during class.
Course Materials
 Trésors du Temps 2005 Glencoe Mc Graw Hill
 Amsco Level 3 copyright 1980
 Cours Supérieur copyright 1970
 Graded French Reader Première Étape Camille Bauer 1992 D C Heath
 Graded French Reader Deuxième Étape Camille Bauer 1987 D C Heath
 Reprise – NTC copyright 1997
 Barron’s How to Prepare for the AP French Exam copyright 2004
 Selected articles from Paris Match and Le Monde
 Listening materials come from a variety of sources which include released
versions of the AP test, Barron’s How to Prepare for AP French Exam,
varied French films from Jean de Florette to Indochine, listening to music
CDs for lyrics such as Manau, various internet sites.
Material requirements for students:
An approved (by the teacher) French-English dictionary, a writing journal,
cassettes
It is also required that students have their own cassette-recorder for home
use as well as access to the internet at home. In allowing for diversity, that
may include socio-economic issues, I do have one student computer with
headphones in my classroom.
Course Planner
1st Trimester
Grammar Focus: General review of present tense verbs, including idiomatic
usage of both avoir and être. (Trésors du temps-Ch 1) and (Reprise – Ch 1)
Review of passé compose and begin l’imparfait - Amsco 3eme (Ch 3 & 4)
Begin passé compose vs imparfait (Réprise ch 7)
Begin plus-que-parfait – (Trésors du temps–Ch 3 ) and (Reprise-Ch 10)
Verbes Pronominaux (Trésors du temps-Ch 7)
Le futur et le conditionnel (Trésors du temps – Ch 5) and (Amsco 3 – Ch 5)
Reading: Du passé mysterieus aux divisions d’aujourd’hui, La France, ses
provinces et ses departments (Trésors du temps – Ch1)
De la Gaule au Moyen-Âge and De bello gallico, de Jules César (Trésors du
temps – Ch2), excerpt from The Count of Monte-Cristo – (This is
accompanied by varied vocabulary and comprehension exercises– (French
Reader Première Étape pgs. 4-79) La Renaissance, La France en
transformation, Les Grandes Découvertes du XV siècle (Trésors du temps –
Ch5) Pantagruel, «La Naissance de Pantagruel » Rebelais
Writing & Speaking: Begin picture sequences from released AP exam –
students create their own from newspaper comic strips this allows for writing
skills initially that eventually develop into conversational skills.
Students begin daily journal entries. Suggested topics vary based on
grammar and vocabulary being studied. These are taken up and graded
once a week, normally Fridays.
Speaking:Select various articles from Paris Match, students present to class
information from articles.
Rubric given to students regarding pronunciation and conversational skills
Students begin working with picture sequences from released AP exams.
They then record themselves one at a time in office across the classroom.
2
Comment faire – Culminating oral project –Students must present a how to
demonstration in front of the class. The students must turn in a written
version of their how-to-demonstration. The presentation must last a minimum
of 5 minutes.
Listening: AP released exam cassette, students are to choose 4 different
articles to listen to from the Actualité of the TV5 website. They are to
summarize their articles one per week. Barron’s AP Cassettes – Chapter 2,
Students are to choose 4 different articles to listen to from the Actualité of
the TV5 website. They are to summarize their articles one per week.
Films: Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, La Gloire de Mon Père
and Le Château de Ma Mère with discussion and added informational
reading included about author Pagnol– All films are accompanied by
comprehension worksheets and group discussions.
2nd Trimester
Grammar Focus: Week-long review of verb tenses from present, passé
compose, imparfait, futur, conditionnel to the plus-que-parfait
Begin subjonctif – (Trésors du temps Ch 6), (Amsco 3 – Ch 6) (Cours
Supérieur –Ch 13) (Reprise – Ch 24 and 26)
Possessive and demonstrative adjectives and pronouns (Reprise – Ch 15)
Reading : « Ode a Cassandre » Ronsard (Trésors du temps – Ch 5) Excerpt
from Victor Hugo’s « Les Miserables » (This is accompanied by varied
vocabulary and comprehension exercises– (French Reader Première Étape
pgs. 84-143)
Le dix-huitième siècle, Élégance et philosophie (Trésors du temps – Ch 7)
Candide our l’optimisme, Voltaire, (Trésors du temps – Ch 7) Descente vers
la terrible Révolution, (Trésors du temps – Ch 8) Souvenirs, “Mme VigéeLebrun parle de Marie-Antoinette” (Trésors du temps –Ch 8)
Knock (Graded French Reader – Deuxième Étape – pgs. 50-183)
Mateo Falcone (Graded French Reader – Deuxième Étape – pgs. 214 -232)
Various articles from Paris Match and Le Monde selected by the teacher
which students will read and summarize.
Writing: Students will turn in weekly summaries from the various articles
from Paris Match and Le Monde. In addition, students will write an essay,
one per week, from themes in previously released AP exams.
Students continue daily journal entries
Listening: Barron’s AP French Guide cassette, Students will continue to
listen and summarize articles form TV5 Actualités.
3
Films: Roi du Coeur - All films are accompanied by comprehension
worksheets and group discussions.
Camille Claudel: Activité : Students will be introduced to the sculptures of
Claudel and Rodin, as well as the poetry of Guillaume Apollinaire. After
watching the film, Camille Claudel, and looking at teacher presentations of
the artists’ many works, the students are given a rubric with the assignment
for creating their own Calligramme which must reflect a theme seen in the
film.
Speaking: We will continue to practice with the picture sequences in both
released AP exams and Barron’s AP French Guide.
In addition students will present and explain their Calligramme to the class as
is specified in the rubric for the previously described activité.
3rd Trimester
Grammar Focus: Exercises de récapitulation (Cours supérieur pgs. 149164) Idioms- (Amsco 3 part 3) Practice paragraphs ( Barrons AP French
Guide Ch4) Idioms and proverbs (Reprise Ch 28)
Reading : Une sanglante Révolution (Trésors du temps Ch 9) “Le Dormeur
du val” Rimbaud (Trésors du temps Ch 11) La Peste, Le Prêtre et le
médecin, Camus (Trésors du temps Ch 12) Paris Match – students will select
articles about a francophone célébrité, to read and summarize.
Quelques locutions idiomatiques importantes, quelques proverbs utiles:
(Barron’s A P French Guide Ch7 )
Writing : Students will turn in weekly summaries from the various articles
from Paris Match and Le Monde. In addition student will write an essay, one
per week, from previously released A P exams.
Listening: Barron’s AP French Guide cassette, Students will continue to
listen and summarize articles form TV5 Actualités. Film: Indochine - All films
are accompanied by comprehension worksheets and group discussions.
Speaking: We will continue to practice with the picture sequences in both
released AP exams and Barron’s AP French Guide.
Culminating oral project: Students will create a powerpoint presentation on
the theme of a Célébrité francophone of their choice.
The students will present in front of the class. The project information must
come from Paris Match magazines and one site on the internet. The student
must turn in index cards. Others students in the class must take notes, fill
out a rubric regarding technology present in the powerpoint. The students
will be assessed on their speaking, writing, and listening skills.
4
*In addition, two weeks prior to the AP French Exam, we work exclusively on
timing and strategies needed to succeed on the exam. We use released
versions of the AP French Exam.
Teaching Strategies
Classes begin with daily warm-ups or bell-ringers. This work is generally
reviewing grammar or vocabulary from the previous day’s lesson.
Grammar and Reading: Class sessions begin with grammar lessons
presented at the board and in various textbooks and workbooks. Class
sessions usually conclude with prose reading, and when possible, we try to
emphasize the grammar lessons of the day within the reading selections – to
bring more real-world applications to the lesson. Daily discussion of the
reading selections also emphasizes new vocabulary and cultural/historical
issues in the readings.
In addition, specific reading strategies used include pre-reading and postreading activities, and reciprocal reading strategies. Reciprocal reading is
done in pairs or small groups. In reciprocal reading the first student reads
the first section of a text out loud, and stops. The second student tells 3-4
things he/she understood from the first section read. Next the second student
reads the next section, and stops. Process continues. At the end of the
reading as a class: All students discuss/list any vocabulary words they didn’t
know, and attempt to clarify the vocabulary for each other using contextual
clues if possible. Students then write a brief summary of the reading or write
3-4 questions about the reading. Students are given a multiple-choice quiz
over the reading. Students then apply the information from the reading in a
writing assignment, skit, debate or oral presentation.
Listening and Speaking: Students are required to have access to a cassette
records and internet access at home. However, I do have a student
computer with headphones in my classroom for the occasional student who,
because of socio-economic issues does not.
Whenever possible, I try to bring in a variety of guest speakers to interact
with the students. As mentioned previously, students work every
Wednesday one to one with a French couple on conversation and
pronunciation skills. The students work with the French couple in an office
across from my classroom while I’m able to continue teaching in the
classroom. In the past several years, guest speakers have visited from
Burundi, Haiti, France and Belgium.
Other on-going listening activities that take place throughout the school year
are: memorization and recitation of poetry, memorization of an excerpt of a
classic French play – for example “Knock” by Jules Romain or Sartre’s “Huis
Clos”. Of course with the memorization and recitation, analysis and
5
assessment will be done with these classic works. Speaking skills are
assessed on a daily basis.
Writing: The released AP exam writing prompts are frequently used for
weekly student essays. Other writing assignments can vary from the current
literature we’re reading, using new grammar points learned in class. Writing
assignments are graded using the A P scoring guide and are returned to the
student for corrections and resubmission.
Assessments: Assessments are given frequently, at least one per week,
and vary in structure.
Grammar assessments vary from multiple choice, fill in the blank, completion,
true and false, and essay
.
Reading assessments vary from multiple choice, fill in the blank, completion,
true and false, and essay.
Listening assessments vary from multiple choice, fill in the blank, completion,
true and false, and essay.
Writing assessments vary from fill in the blank, completion but are primarily
essay.
.
Speaking assessments: Students receive a rubric at the beginning of the
school-year which details what is expected for all tests regarding speaking.
Pronunciation and fluency are a major percentage of the grade as well as
grammar.
6
7