Grade 8 French Every Other Day

Contents Page

Grade 8 Spanish Every Other Day

 

 

GRADE 8  French

 

Standard 1.1 Interpersonal Communication

Standard 1.2 Interpretive Communication

Standard 1.3 Presentational Communication

Standard 2.1 Practices of Culture

Standard 3.1 Making Connections

Standard 4.1 Language Comparisons

Standard 4.2 Cultural Comparisons

Standard 5.1 School and Community

Standard 5.2 Lifelong Learning

 

Estimated Time Range:

August to June

 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS

 

The student will understand that:

1.

There are linguistic and extra-linguistic distinctions in formal and informal forms of address in French (tu vs. vous)

2.

Different currencies and customs govern consumers’ transaction in French-speaking countries

3.

The French language and culture have influenced the Anglophone world and that English words have infiltrated the French language and culture

4.

There is multi-cultural and multi-racial diversity in the French-speaking world

5.

Idiomatic expressions (i.e. with "avoir")

6.

There is not a word-for-word correspondence between the two languages

7.

That diacritical marks are used

8.

Written representation of French often differs from how it is pronounced

9.

Verb conjugation is elaborate

10.

Some verb constructions involve the use of auxiliary verbs

11.

Within a verb conjugation several forms may sound the same

12.

One-to-one correspondences do not always exist between verb usage in English and French

13.

There are overlaps between groups of pronouns

14.

Knowledge of English can help with the acquisition of French language

15.

Grammatical gender as well as personal gender characterize description of people, places and things in French

16.

Differences and similarities exist between societal aspects of daily living in the U.S. and those in the French-speaking world (shopping, homelife, daily routine, eating and drinking)

 

SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS

Test and quizzes

Mini-compositions

Dictation

Question & Answer sessions

Conversations

Role plays

Games

Puzzles

Warm-up exercises

Listening Comprehension

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1.

What grammatical structure specific to French dominates description of daily routine?

2.

How do you identify and use forms of common irregular verbs in French?

3.

What are the structures used when asking and answering questions in French (including "quel" and "ce")?

4.

How is the superlative expressed in French?

5.

What words are used to discuss home and food in French?

6.

How are reflexive verbs and stress pronouns used to discuss  people's feelings and actions?

7.

An infinitive construction is used to express the near future in French. What other uses does this construction have in French?

8.

Why is it important for Americans to be culturally aware?

9.

How does travel in the French-speaking world increase awareness of cultural similarities and differences?

10.

How can cultural similarities and differences be expressed in French? (circumlocution)

11.

How are nouns, adjectives, and pronouns used to describe people, places and things in French?

12.

How does one identify and use the stems and endings of regular verbs in French in the present and near future tenses and in the imperative mood?

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

The student will be able to:

1.

Use common irregular verbs (vouloir, pouvoir, etc) in the present tense

2.

Analyze usage of the two verbs "to know" in the present tense (connaitre, savoir)

3.

Use reflexive verbs in the present tense(reflexive pronouns)

4.

Describe people, places and things (vocabulary, irregular adjectives, stress pronouns)

5.

Compare and contrast people, places and things with the same characteristics (comparative, superlative of adjectives, irregular adjectives, vocabulary)

6.

Describe daily routine and feelings (stress pronouns)

7.

Ask questions formally and informally (interrogative expressions)

8.

Predict meaning of cognates and be aware of false cognates

9.

Demonstrate and express an awareness of cultural similarities and differences

10.

Discuss home and food

11.

Use infinitive constructions in a variety of ways

 

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

Schmitt/Lutz  Bon Voyage, Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2002, ISBN 0-07-821256-1

Teacher-created materials

 

SUGGESTED CONNECTIONS

Geography: France and the francophone world

History: cultural, economic and political forces which shape the world with an eye on French influence

Science/Math: metric system, identification, manipulation

Art/Music: French artists / musicians