French III
Course Description
In this honors-level course, students gain intermediate skills in French reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on the structure and utilization of the conditional, future, and subjunctive tenses. Centering on daily life – food culture, phones, cars, shopping, job-hunting, and the environment – this course deepens proficiency by developing students’ technical vocabulary, independent study habits, and risk-taking skills in oral communication.
Course Big Ideas
- Far from being limited to France, rich culinary traditions define the entirety of the French-speaking world.
- In many French-speaking countries, small businesses are still preferred over supermarkets, with markets being the site of relationship-building in addition to the exchange of goods and services.
- Learning French can provide an edge in many professions, including public health, tourism, technology, and international business.
- Environmental stewardship links francophone countries across the globe.
Course Essential Questions
- How do culture and geography affect foods and meals?
- How does technology influence human interactions and our means of transportation?
- How do our surroundings influence the daily routines and interactions in a community or a culture?
- What should we expect of the future, and how do we prepare for it?
- What is our relationship with nature and wildlife?
Course Competencies
- Conjugating irregular verbs in all tenses, including “venir,” “devoir,” “vouloir,” and “pouvoir”.
- Distinguishing between the passé composé and the imparfait tenses.
- Forming and employing the futur simple and conditionnel tenses.
- Identifying the basic conjugation patterns of and situations for use of the subjunctive tense.
- Employing reciprocal and reflexive verbs in all major tenses.
- Intermediate vocabulary on food culture, technology, shopping, employment, and the environment.
Course Assignments
- Summative
- In-class exercises and activities
- Auto-corrected online resources
- Formative
- Grammar and vocabulary quizzes (integrated)
- Journals and projects
- Unit tests on grammar, vocabulary, and culture
- Final exam
Course Units
- Unit 0: La nourriture (Book 2 + Review)
- Unit 1: La technologie
- Unit 2: En ville
- Unit 3: L’avenir et les métiers
- Unit 4: L’espace vert + Course Review
Unit 0: La nourriture (Book 2 + Review)
- Standards
- Know
- Understanding/Key Learning
- Do
- Unit Essential Questions
- Lesson Essential Questions
- Materials/Resources
- Vocabulary
- Assessments
Standards
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Communication 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Communication 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
- Connections 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
- Comparisons 4.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
- Communities 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
Know
- The French-speaking world holds rich culinary traditions, including the “Guide Michelin,” classic New Orleans cuisine, and “ahima’a” in French Polynesia.
- On average, French mealtime lasts over two hours per day.
- Pronunciation: the “e caduc” is pronounced similarly to the “a” in the English word “about”; the stress and rhythm of French sentences differs from vocal patterns in English.
- Vocabulary: Food and shopping; place settings, condiments, and ordering at a restaurant.
- Grammar: The verb “venir,” the passé récent, and time expressions; the verbs “devoir,” “vouloir,” and “pouvoir”; the comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs; double object pronouns .
Understanding/Key Learning
- Modern appreciation for culinary traditions is influenced by race and class.
- The intonation pattern of spoken French does not convey the same aggressiveness as it would in spoken English.
- American culture prioritizes culinary convenience whereas French culinary culture focuses on the gastronomic experience.
- The comparative is used to describe two nouns, adjectives, or adverbs where as the superlative is used to make judgements on three or more items.
- Object pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb.
- France’s colonial history in southeast Asia can be seen in the cuisine and architecture in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia whereas in French Polynesia the French language is still spoken.
Do
Unit Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Materials/Resources
Vocabulary
Technical
- Comparative and superlative
- Adverbs
- Passé récent
- “E” caduc
Column 1
Les repas
- Faire la cuisine/cuisiner
- Faire les courses (f.)
- Un supermarché
- Un déjeuner
- Un dîner
- Un goûter
- Un petit-déjeuner
- Un repas
Les fruits
- Une banane
- Une fraise
- Un fruit
- Une orange
- Une pêche
- Une poire
- Une pomme
- Une tomate
Les légumes
- L’ail (m.)
- Une carotte
- Un champignon
- Des haricots verbs (m.)
- Une laitue
- Un légume
- Un oignon
- Des petits pois (m.)
- Un poivron
- Une pomme de terre
- Une salade
Les viandes et les poissons
- Le boeuf
- Les fruits de mer (m.)
- Le porc
- Un poulet
- Une saucisse
- Un steak
- Le thon
- La viande
Column 2
Autres aliments
- Un aliment
- Le beurre
- La confiture
- La nourriture
- Un oeuf
- Des pâtes (f.)
- Le riz
- Une tarte
- Un yaourt
Les achats
- Les fleurs (f.)
- Faire les courses (f.)
- Un supermarché
- Verbes
Devenir
- Devoir
- Maintenir
- Pouvoir
- Retenir
- Tenir
- Venir
- Vouloir
Autres mots et locutions
- Depuis
- Il y a
- Pendant
Column 3
- À table
- Une assiette
- Un bol
- Une carafe d’eau
- Une carte
- Un couteau
- Une cuillère
- Une fourchette
- Une nappe
- Une serviette
- Une boîte (de conserve)
- L’huile
- La mayonnaise
- La moutarde
- Le poivre
- Le sel
- Une tranche
- À table!
- Compris
Les repas
- Commander
- Être au régime
- Goûter
- Une entrée
- Un hors-d’oeuvre
- Un plat
Les achats
- Une boucherie
- Une boulangerie
- Une charcuterie
- Une pâtisserie
- Une poissonnerie
- un(e) commerçant(e)
Column 4
Comparatives and superlatives
- Plus…que
- Aussi…que
- Moins…que
- Meilleur
- Pire
- Mieux
- Mal
Assessments
Unit 1: La technologie
- Standards
- Know
- Understanding/Key Learning
- Do
- Unit Essential Questions
- Lesson Essential Questions
- Materials/Resources
- Vocabulary
- Assessments
Standards
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Communication 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Communication 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
- Connections 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
- Comparisons 4.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
- Communities 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
Know
- Basic facts about the development of French broadband, wifi, radio, and space exploration.
- Basic facts about the Île de France regions where Paris is found.
- Pronunciation: Final consonants, the letter “x”.
- Vocabulary: Technology, browsing, and charging devices; cars, signage, highways, and driving.
- Grammar: Prepositions with the infinitive; irregular verbs “ouvrir” and “offrir,” the conditionnel.
Understanding/Key Learning
- France merges old-world history with new-world technology and innovations.
- French car brands include Peugeot, Renault, and Citroën.
- The “Île de France” is home to Paris as well as Versailles, the Fontainebleau forest, and Disneyland Paris, among others.
- While some conjugated verbs are followed directly by an infinitive, others are followed by an “à” or “de” that must be memorized.
- “Reflexive verbs” express that the subject of a sentence performs an action to itself; “reciprocal verbs” indicate a shared or reciprocal action between two or more parties.
- In French, the construction for “would + action” is expressed in one word rather than two. It can be regular or irregular.
Do
Unit Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Materials/Resources
Vocabulary
Technical
- Reciprocal verbs
- Reflexive verbs
- Infinitive
- Preposition
- Root
- Suffix
- Conditionnel
Column 1
L’ordinateur
- Un appel vidéo
- Une application
- Une batterie faible
- Un clavier
- Des écouteurs (m.)
- Un écran
- Un fichier
- Un identifiant
- Une imprimante
- Un logiciel
- Un mot de passe
- Une souris
- Démarrer
- Imprimer
- Sauvegarder
- Télécharger
L’électronique
- Un appareil
- Une chaîne
- Un lien
- Un portable
- Un réseau (social)
- Une télécommande
- Un texto/SMS
- Allumer
- Brancher
- Composer
- Effacer
- Enregistrer
- Éteindre
- Former
- fonctionner/marcher
- Prendre une photo
- Recharger
- Sonner
Column 2
Verbes pronominaux réciproques
- S’aider
- Se dire
- S’embrasser
- S’entendre bien
- Se rencontrer
- Se retrouver
Column 3
La voiture
- Arrêter
- Attacher sa ceinture de sécurité
- Avoir un accident
- Dépasser
- Faire le plein
- Freiner
- Se garer
- Ralentir
- Rentrer (dans)
- Rouler
- Tomber en panne
- Vérifier
- Un capot
- Un coffre
- L’essence (f.)
- Un essuie-glace
- Un feu rouge
- Un moteur
- Les freins
- Un pare-brise
- Un pare-chocs
- Les phares
- Un pneu
- Une portière
- Un rétroviseur
- Une roue
- Une voiture autonome
- Un volant
- Un agent de police
- Une amende
- Une autoroute
- La circulation
- Une contravention
- Un cours de conduite
- dépasser/respecter la limitation de vitesse
- Un permis de conduire
- Une rue
Column 4
Verbes
- Couvrir
- Découvrir
- Offrir
- Ouvrir
- Souffrir
Assessments
Unit 2: En ville
- Standards
- Know
- Understanding/Key Learning
- Do
- Unit Essential Questions
- Lesson Essential Questions
- Materials/Resources
- Vocabulary
- Assessments
Standards
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Communication 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Communication 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
- Connections 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
- Comparisons 4.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
- Communities 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
Know
- Basic facts about Haitian history, geography, and culture.
- Markets are historical and contemporary places of gathering and exchange of products and ideas.
- Kinshasa (DRC), not Paris, is the largest French-speaking country in the world.
- Pronunciation: the letter “h,” employing capital letters.
- Vocabulary: Errands and place names in a city, giving and receiving directions in space.
- Grammar: Irregular verbs “voir,” “croire,” “recevoir,” and “apercevoir”; negative/affirmative expressions; the “futur simple” (regular and irregular).
Understanding/Key Learning
- After being the site of the first successful slave rebellion, the Haitian economy was crippled by reparation payments to France,
- In many French-speaking countries, small businesses are still preferred over supermarkets.
- The differentiation between the “h aspiré” and the “h muet” influences the pronunciation concept of liaison.
- Negating or diminishing part of a sentence requires two parts: “ne/n’” and a second negative expression.
- The “futur simple” tense has the same root as “le conditionnel”.
Do
Unit Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Materials/Resources
Vocabulary
Technical
- Futur simple
- Futur proche
- Root (Racine)
- Suffix (Terminaison)
- “H aspiré”
- “H muet”
Column 1
À la poste
- Poster une lettre
- Une boîte aux lettres
- Une carte postale
- Un colis
- Le courrier
- Un facteur
- Un timbre
À la banque
- Avoir un compte bancaire
- Déposer de l’argent
- Emprunter
- Payer par appli mobile
- Payer par carte
- Payer en liquide
- Retirer de l’argent
- Les billets (m.)
- Un compte d’épargne
- Une dépense
- Un distributeur automatique (de billets)
- Les pièces de monnaie
- De la monnaie
En ville
- Faire la queue
- Remplir un formulaire
- Une banque
- Une bijouterie
- Un bureau de poste
- Une laverie
- Une librairie
- un(e) marchand(e) de journaux
- Une papeterie
- Un salon de beauté
- Un commissariat de police
- Une mairie
Column 2
Verbes
- Apercevoir
- S’apercevoir
- Croire
- Recevoir
- Revoir
- Voir
- La négation
Jamais
- Ne…aucun
- Ne…jamais
- Ne…ni…ni
- Ne…personne
- Ne…plus
- Ne…que
- Ne…rien
- Personne
- Quelque chose
- Quelqu’un
- Rien
- Toujours
Column 3
Retrouver son chemin
- Se déplacer
- Descendre
- Être perdu(e)
- Monter
- S’orienter
- Suivre
- Un angle
- Un bâtiment
- Un carrefour
- Un chemin
- Un coin
- Des indications (f.)
- Un feu de signalisation
- Un pont
- L’est (m.)
- Le nord
- L’ouest (m.)
- Le sud
Column 4
Pour donner des indications
- Au bout (de)
- Au coin (de)
- Autour (de)
- Jusqu’à
- (tout) près (de)
- Tout droit
Assessments
Unit 3: L’avenir et les métiers
- Standards
- Know
- Understanding/Key Learning
- Do
- Unit Essential Questions
- Lesson Essential Questions
- Materials/Resources
- Vocabulary
- Assessments
Standards
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Communication 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Communication 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
- Connections 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
- Comparisons 4.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
- Communities 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
Know
- Details on punctuation use in French writing (periods in abbreviations, commas in a series, colons introducing quotes).
- Basic facts about the use of English words in French, known as “franglais” or “néologismes”.
- Basic facts about summer jobs in France, French unions, the practice of striking to increase workers’ rights, and national holidays.
- Basic facts about the culture and traditions of French-speaking countries in Central Africa, including Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Vocabulary: Job seeking, making/receiving professional phone calls, job titles.
- Grammar: Employing the “futur simple” with “quand” and “dès que,” the interrogative pronoun lequel, “si” clauses to express hypothetical situations, relative pronouns “qui,” “que,” “dont,” and “où”.
Understanding/Key Learning
- French punctuation is less frequent than American punctuation, paralleling British usage.
- Many English words have been incorporated in mainland French vocabulary that are not employed in Québécois French.
- In French, professional phone calls include a higher use of formalities than in English.
- The French language influence in Central Africa is mainly due to Belgian, rather than French, colonization.
- Unlike English, when expressing future events, both the main and subordinate clauses are expressed in the future tense.
- If “si” is followed by the present tense, the main clause will be expressed in the futur simple tense. Similarly, if “si” is followed by the imparfait tense, the main clause will be expressed in the conditionnel tense.
Do
Unit Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Materials/Resources
Vocabulary
Technical
- Main clause (proposition principale)
- Subordinate clause (proposition subordonnée)
- Interrogative pronoun
- Relative pronoun
Column 1
La recherche de l’emploi
- Chercher un travail
- Embaucher
- Faire des projets
- Lire les annonces (f.)
- Obtenir
- Passer un entretien
- Postuler
- Prendre (un) rendez-vous
- Trouver un/du travail
- un(e) chef(fe) du personnel
- Un conseil
- Un domain
- Un curriculum vitae (un CV)
- Une entreprise
- Une lettre de motivation
- Un métier
- un(e) patron(ne)
- Un poste
- un(e) responsable
- Une réunion
- Un salaire élevé
Qualifications
- Une formation
- Un stage
Column 2
Au téléphone
- Appeler
- Décrocher
- Laisser un message
- Patienter
- Raccrocher
- L’appareil (m.)
- La boîte vocale
- Allô!
- Qui est à l’appareil?
- C’est de la part de qui?
- C’est M. à l’appareil.
- Ne quittez pas.
Conjonctions
- Dès que
- Quand
Pronoms intérrogatifs
- Lequel
- Lesquels
- Laquelle
- Lesquelles
Column 3
Le travail
- Démissionner
- Diriger
- Être au chômage
- Être bien/mal payé(s)
- Être en/faire du télétravail
- Gagner
- Prendre un congé
- Renvoyer
- Un chômeur
- Un emploi à mi-temps/à temps partiel
- (une profession) exigeante
- Un retraité
- Une réussite
- Un syndicat
- Une assurance maladie
- Une augmentation
Column 4
Les métiers
- Un agent immobilier
- Un agriculteur
- Un banquier
- Un cadre
- Un chauffeur
- Un chef d’entreprise
- Un chercher
- Un comptable
- Une conseiller
- Un cuisinier
- Un homme/une femme au foyer
- Un gérant
- Un ouvrier
- Un pompier
- Pronoms relatifs
Dont
- Où
- Que
- Qui
Assessments
Unit 4: L’espace vert + Course Review
- Standards
- Know
- Understanding/Key Learning
- Do
- Unit Essential Questions
- Lesson Essential Questions
- Materials/Resources
- Vocabulary
- Assessments
Standards
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Communication 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Communication 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
- Connections 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
- Comparisons 4.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
Know
- Basic inferences between French and English spelling.
- French attitudes on sustainability and renewable energy.
- Basic facts about the French regions Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Corsica.
- Pronunciation: Accent marks and homophones.
- Vocabulary: Activities and spaces in nature, descriptions of waste and pollution.
- Grammar: Demonstrative pronouns, formation of the subjunctive and use with impersonal expressions, irregular verbs “avoir,” “être,” and “faire” in the subjunctive.
Understanding/Key Learning
- Certain accent marks may change the meaning, not the pronunciation, of French words that sound the same.
- France currently has stricter regulations on single-use plastics than most of the U.S.
- Southeastern France is known for its arid climate, its production of perfume, and its mountainous terrain.
- The subjunctive tense exists in English but is employed more frequently in French. It is ONLY used when preceded by an introductory phrase or clause.
Do
Unit Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Materials/Resources
Vocabulary
Technical
- The subjunctive
Column 1
L’écologie
- Améliorer
- Détruire
- Gaspiller
- Polluer
- Prévenir l’incendie
- Trier (les déchets)
- Une centrale nucléaire
- Le covoiturage
- Des déchets toxiques (m.)
- L’effet de serre (m.)
- Un emballage en plastique
- L’énergie éolienne
- La gaspillage
- Un glissement de terrain
- Un nuage de pollution
- La pluie acide
- Une population croissante
- Le ramassage des ordures
- Le réchauffement climatique
- Le recyclage
- La sécheresse
- La surpopulation
- Le troue dans la couche d’ozone
- Une usine
Column 2
La nature
- Un espace
- En plein air
Les lois et les règlements
- Abolir
- Interdire
- Une loi
Pronoms démonstratifs
- Celui
- Ceux
- Celle
- Celles
Expressions impersonnelles
- Il est bon que…
- Il est dommage que…
- Il est essentiel que…
- Il est important que…
- Il est indispensable que…
- Il est nécessaire que…
- Il est possible que…
- Il faut que…
- Il vaut mieux que…
Column 3
La nature
- Une espèce (menacée)
- Un arbre
- Un bois
- Un champ
- Le ciel
- Une côte
- Une étoile
- Une falaise
- Un fleuve
- L’herbe (f.)
- Une île
- La Lune
- Une pierre
- Un pique-nique
- Un sentir
Column 4
L’écologie
- Chasser
- Jeter
- La chasse
- Le déboisement
- La préservation
- Le sauvetage des habitats naturels
Les animaux
- Un écureuil
- Un lapin
- Un serpent
- Une vache