Course descriptions
	French 1 - 1 This course is designed for students who have never studied French before. It is an elementary French course that also focuses on the skills needed to learn a modern language. Emphasis is placed on communication, both oral and written, and culture. This is an interactive course that uses a variety of media, including video, audio, print and the Internet. French 2 - 2 French 2 is a course that builds on the four language skills acquired in French 1. Course content further develops the student’s ability to understand and to communicate in the language, both orally and in writing. Students begin to read and to discuss short stories and poems and to write short compositions. The course is conducted in French. French 2 (Honors) - Requires departmental approval. Prerequisite: excellence in French 1 or equivalent. French 2 Honors is a beginning intermediate course that builds on the language skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing—acquired in level 1. Since it is an honors course, students are expected to work at an accelerated pace and produce oral and written work of a high caliber. In addition to developing their linguistic skills, students study a variety of cultural themes, from music to the regions of France. This course is conducted in French. French 3 - This is an intermediate French course. It reviews and expands important linguistic structures acquired during the two previous years. Students are expected to work independently on oral and written projects and to demonstrate increasing ability to handle a wider and more complex range of topics. The course is conducted in French. French 3 (Honors) - Requires departmental approval. Prerequisite: French 2 or French 2 Honors or equivalent. This is a pre-Advanced Placement-level course that reinforces the four skills. It reviews important linguistic structures acquired during the two previous years. Students are expected to work independently on increasingly complex oral and written assignments, which are based on traditional and multimedia resources. They continue to develop reading skills, writing ability and cultural awareness. The course is conducted in French. Advanced French 4A (Honors) and Advanced French 4B (Honors) are courses offered in alternating years to students who wish to continue their study of French beyond The Hill School requirement. Prerequisite: French 3 or equivalent. Each course reinforces, expands and refines students’ ability to communicate orally and in writing at the advanced level. As well, the classes introduce them to a variety of literary works from the French-speaking world, allowing them insight into the history and culture of the francophone world. Emphasis is placed on fostering oral communication in everyday situations and developing writing skills through a process including drafts and editing. Grammatical topics are presented and reviewed in an effort to prepare students for the SAT-II Subject Test in French. Authentic French media, including radio, television and cinema, are used to build vocabulary and develop cultural appreciation. This course is conducted in French. French 4 (AP) (Language) - Requires departmental approval. Prerequisite: excellence in French 3 or French 3 Honors or equivalent. This course prepares students for the AP Language exam that evaluates them on a standard equivalent to that of an advanced level college course. During the year, students work on enhancing their communicative skills, both oral and written. Assignments include: compositions, oral activities and presentations, grammatical exercises, and practice AP activities. A variety of materials are used such as, French radio selections, audio segments and programs, Internet activities and a wide array of reading materials. This course is conducted in French. French 5 – "Niveau Superieur" (requires departmental approval). Prerequisite: French 4 AP or the equivalent. As its title suggests this advanced level French course –the equivalent of a 300-level college course—has two main axes. The first is conversational and focuses on oral comprehension and expression. Emphasis is placed on correct usage, vocabulary enrichment and the development of fluency. Students are required to do a number of oral projects throughout the year as well as work regularly with a variety of original oral sources, including CDs, websites, and films. The second is literary. Here students read a number of works spanning several centuries and develop the critical tools needed to do literary analyses, such as “explication de texte.” Then the works read in the class are matched with films which either offer a cinematic version of a particular text or treat the period in which this book was written. Students demonstrate their acquisition of critical skills by writing short analytical papers of one to three pages on the texts and films covered in class.