Bienvenue!

Welcome to World Languages Discovery. This class lasts for one quarter. You will
spend this quarter studying French. The purpose of this class is to introduce you to the
study of foreign language and to help you make a decision about which language you
will want to study when you get to high school. Moreover, I hope you become excited
about learning a language other than your own and curious about exploring other
cultures, their people and various perspectives.
Your teacher
My name is Mrs. Whitney. While we are studying French, you should call me
Madame. I welcome questions and comments from you and your parents. You may
email me at sabine.whitney@hcps.org, or call me at 410-638-3658. I am available after
school until 3 pm by appointment if you or your parents would like to meet with me.
Course standards
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
-ask and answer simple questions in French
-understand basic spoken and written input in French
-make short oral and written presentations in French
-identify similarities and differences between aspects of the target culture and your own
Course content
French
Classroom Instructions and Requests
Common French Expressions
Alphabet
Colors
Numbers
Calendar
Clothing

Class supplies
You will need a folder with prongs in the middle or a small 3-ring binder for your French
book. You will also need to bring paper, a pen/pencil and a dry-erase marker to class
with you. A flash drive is highly recommended to save information.

Class rules
You are expected to follow and obey NHMS rules at all times. The basic classroom
rules for FLEX are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Arrive on time lateness is will not be tolerated

Sit in your assigned seat.
Remain quiet during instruction. Raise your hand when you want to speak.
Respects yourself, your peers and your teacher
Participate in the class activity and remain on task.
Do not touch other people or their property.
Clean up your area at the end of the period.
Bring your workbook, paper and pencil to each class.

Assessment and grading policy

Your grade will be based on the following:

quizzes
class assignments and projects

There will not be a major test at the end

of the course, but there will be a project.
The project is to give a five minute presentation
on a French speaking country.
You need:

Information satisfying the five starred categories found below.

Information from at least five other categories found below.
One visual aid, with lots of pictures that depict the country, its
population and its culture we will create a multimedia project.

What are the categories?

**Land and climate

**History

**Population

**Language

**Religion

General attitudes

Greetings

Personal Appearance

Gestures

Visiting

Eating and Diet

Family

Dating and Marriage

Art (Literature, paintings, music)

Recreation

Holidays

Economy

Commerce

Government

Education

Health

Transportation and Communication

The outline of the assignment will be discussed during class. Students will draw a
country using a lottery system to avoid a repetition in countries.

French

French

French

French

Senegal
Monaco
Tunisia
Mali
France
Benin
Djibouti

Belgium
Niger
Cambodia
Martinique
Hati
Burundi
Vanuatu

Algeria
Morocco
Ivory Coast
Togo
Canada
Madagascar
Comoros

Mauritania
Vietnam
Laos
Guadeloupe
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Gabon

The project will be divided into two segments:

1. Researching facts for each of the 10 categories.
2. Working on multimedia project and picture collection.
We will begin to work on both segments as a class in school. Following each initial
class instruction you will then be required to finish the rest of the project
individually as a homework assignment.
The due date for the research facts segment of the project is Monday, December
8th 2014.
The due date for the picture segment of the project is Monday, January 12th
2015.
The due date for the completed multimedia project is Tuesday, January 20th
2015.
This day is due date, on which you should bring your project to the class. If you
turn in your projects passed this date, you will lose 10 points for each day.
Recommended Website
http://online.culturegrams.com
Username
Password

Course Grade
Your course grade will be calculated through the total points system. Each assignment
will be worth a specified number of points. At the end of the quarter, the total number of
points will be calculated, and your grade will be based on the percentage of total points
that you have earned.
89.5%-100%= A
79.5%-89.4%=B
69.5%-79.4%=C
59.5%-69.4%=D
0%-59.4%=E

Homework
Every night, you should spend a minimum of 10 minutes reviewing what we have
done in class that day. Remember: A little studying every night is much more effective
than trying to memorize a lot of new vocabulary in one night.