Course+outline

This year’s French course is for **9 weeks** only. Your learning will be assisted by Kevin, one of the French Language Assistants in New Zealand, who will be working on a part-time basis at Massey High School this year. This is the fifth year that Massey High School has been fortunate enough to secure the services of a French Language Assistant. During the course you will learn to: = LEARNING ANOTHER LANGUAGE IS FUN ! = =__ TOPICS STUDIED IN YEAR 9 __= You will also find out where French is spoken in the world. You will also learn what special occasions the French celebrate and how they celebrate them. You will also be able to compare school life in France with school life in New Zealand. You will also learn about the main cities, rivers, mountain ranges and products of France and be able to locate these on a map.
 * __BIENVENUE À LA CLASSE DE QUATRIÈME DE L’ANNÉE 2009__**
 * SPEAK ** French on a number of topics in class, with your partner or in small groups with Kevin.
 * LISTEN ** to and understand spoken French by listening to your teacher, Kevin, other students in class and tapes or CDs.
 * READ ** and understand written French. You will be able to answer questions about a passage you have read in French or do an activity that shows you have understood what you have read.
 * WRITE ** in French about yourself and some of the topics covered in class. You will answer questions in French, write letters, create posters, interviews and dialogues.
 * UNDERSTAND ** other cultures and traditions. You will learn about France and some other French-speaking countries and the way of life there.
 * __ UNIT 1: GETTING ACQUAINTED __**
 * greetings
 * asking how someone feels and saying how you are
 * asking someone’s name and giving yours
 * introducing someone
 * spelling words in French
 * __ UNIT 2: NUMBERS AND DATES __**
 * counting up to 30 in French
 * doing simple arithmetic
 * asking someone’s age and giving yours
 * asking for and giving the date
 * asking about someone’s birthday and giving yours
 * __ UNIT 3: SCHOOL LIFE __**
 * talking about what is in the classroom and what you need for school
 * describing things using colours
 * talking about the subjects you learn at school
 * saying how you feel about them
 * understanding and using classroom language
 * learning numbers up to 60
 * __ UNIT 4: FRANCE IN THE WORLD __**
 * asking where someone lives and saying where you live
 * recognising and using the French names of some of the countries in the world
 * asking about someone’s nationality and giving yours
 * __ UNIT 5: MY FAMILY AND PETS __**
 * asking about the members of someone’s family and talking about yours
 * giving the names and ages of people in your family
 * asking about someone’s pets and talking about yours
 * saying whether you like or dislike people, animals, colours, subjects, sports, music, etc.

__MATERIALS__
You will use an exercise book (1B5 which you buy yourself), an assessment booklet and a workbook which both are available from the French teacher once you have paid the **$8 subject fees**. We will also be using video and audio tapes, CD's, interactive exercises on the Smart Board and the internet.

__EXERCISE BOOK, WORKBOOK AND HOMEWORK__
Your exercise book and workbook are to be kept neat and up to date. They will be checked several times during the term. If you do not buy a workbook you can have one to use in class but you must not write in it. You will have to do your homework using one of the Year 9 French workbooks held in the Library in that case. Homework is given to help you learn what has been introduced in class and to give you extra practice at the skills you need to learn a language. If you do not do your homework on a regular basis will earn you a Dean’s detention.
 * If you miss a class it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and to catch up. **

__ASSESSMENT__
You will get an **Assessment booklet** in which you, you with your partner and your teacher can check your progress. The end-of-course assessments will be a speaking, listening, reading and writing assessments. You will do a project on a city in the French-speaking world as your cultural assessment. During the course, short tests will be done on certain topics.

__OTHER CONTACT WITH THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD__
* At the end of your course you will have a French breakfast with French delicacies, bread and pastries ($3). * In Term 3 we have International Languages Week and our Department will organize activities for the whole school. Each language will have a set day for offering food and activities from the culture. *There are some eating places where French food is available for you to try. They are: **Bouchon** in Kingsland, **Villa d’Vine** in Jervois Road and **St Tropez** in Parnell Road. There are also some bakeries such **la Tropézienne** in Browns Bay. You will find French-speaking staff in all of them. *There are lots of Web sites with interesting information, vocabulary and grammar, tourist information, recipes, etc. Your teacher will give you a list of them during the course. The languages teachers' plan is to set up specific language **websites** where you can get more information about the classes, homework, assessments and websites for further learning. We will inform you once they are up and running.