French 1B: Le français dans le monde
In French 1B, students will continue their language learning journey by exploring the French-speaking world. Students will use the language to learn about the cultural practices and products of France while independently conducting research on another French-speaking location of their choice. Throughout the course, students will follow the fictional journey of three students and their teacher, as they themselves explore and share they’ve learned about French-speaking cultures.
It’s important that students be able to relate to what they are learning about French-speaking cultures, and be able to make comparisons with their own perspectives and experiences. For that reason, in conjunction with the research component, students will learn the vocabulary and structures necessary to be able to talk about their own lives. As they progress through each lesson, students will find a balance between using French to express themselves and understand others.
French 1B is the second semester of a two-semester course. The class takes a proficiency-based approach which is informed by current language acquisition research and the ACTFL performance descriptors for novice language learners. A heavy focus is placed on meaningful language use, with grammar being learned implicitly through input and meaning-based activities. Prerequisites: French 1A
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Recall basic information about French-speaking countries and regions
- Research and present information about a French-speaking location and its culture
- Explain food preferences, habits, and practices in their own and French-speaking cultures
- Discuss celebrations, holiday traditions, and vacations in their own and French-speaking cultures
- Describe a past event or memory from their lives
- Discuss current and historical events, political and educational systems, and pop culture
- Compare products, practices, and perspectives of French-speaking cultures with those of their own
Course Outline:
Unité 1: Explorons!
Unité 2: Bon appétit!
Unité 3: Que la fête commence!
Unité 4: Les gens du monde francophone
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None.
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will need a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. NOTE: Students must possess a working microphone and webcam on their device in order to record and submit audio and video files using either the embedded recording tools within the Brightspace learning management system or another means of recording and submitting audio and video files for world language performance assessments.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: Upon entering the course, students will self-enroll in a group representing their respective school levels -- Middle School OR High School. Peer-to-peer interaction within discussion forums is limited to members of the group in which the student self-enrolls. Parents/guardians and/or school mentors are advised to verify or assist with a student’s group self-enrollment at the start of the term. NOTE: The syllabus may show either “School Level = Middle School” or “School Level = High School”, however all other course information contained in this syllabus is identical for both levels.
Students will require a computer device with a webcam, speakers and a microphone. Students are required to contact their instructor to schedule one or more live speaking assessments during the course.