French 1 Language and Culture (Honors)

Course Catalog ID:

3911

Subject Categories:

Global Language, Honors

Description

French is spoken on all continents and by more than 220 million people in over 40 countries. An estimated one-third of English words are derived from French, and if you speak English then you may already know some 15,000 French words without having studied the language! This course uses an academic French curriculum with great multimedia resources, making the class ideal for a range of student needs, including students who just want to meet high school foreign language requirements for college, and also for students who may want to go further — even to AP French. The students learn vocabulary for greetings and descriptions of people, the family, school, hobbies, food, weather, and celebrations. They also learn the three main verb families and some irregular verbs in the past, present and near future tenses. Throughout the course, students learn about French-speaking countries and their culture.

Notes and Requirements

Grade Levels^*:

8, 9, 10, 11, 12

(* Determined by Date of Birth and declared Grad Year. Enrollment outside these grade levels requires written concurrence from TPS Support.)

Grade 8: This high school credit course allows grade 8 enrollment. However, the rigor, pace, and workload are high school level and no accommodation is made for students who are not ready to work at a HS pace with HS standards of evaluation. Students seeking a more relaxed pace French 1 course are encouraged to consider French 1A/1B instead.

Standard vs. Honors: TPS offers French 1 in two levels: standard and honors, where the “standard” course is one day of live class per week and this “honors” course is two days of live class per week. How do you choose between them? The workload and level of difficulty are similar, but the honors class has more dedicated opportunity for instruction and speaking, so your proficiency will be higher after the honors course. If you are seriously considering going to French 3 or higher — or if you just love the idea of learning French from a world-class expert teacher — then you will want to take the “honors” course with two days of live class per week. If you are not as concerned with greater proficiency for French 2 and higher, then you may prefer the excellent “standard” course with one live class per week.

Reviews from Students and Parents

“The French program at The Potter’s School has been excellent. My daughter’s confidence in tackling a second language is growing as she becomes more fluent in speaking French. She hopes to travel to France on the TPS mission trip one day.”

Jennifer Z

Parent

“When I first started French through TPS, I thought French class would just be a way to fulfill my foreign language credit. However, I have come to realize that French is actually one of my passions that I plan to pursue in college! While the format of the homework assignments allow for hands-on learning, the cultural projects helped me understand more about France than just the language (and also gave my family an opportunity to enjoy some of the foods I prepared 🙂 ). The teacher is absolutely wonderful. She brings such life and spirit to every class, and her sense of humor and approach to teaching have made this class one of my favorites during my time with the Potter’s School. Merci beaucoup, Mme, pour cette année marveilleuse ! Vous me manquerez ! Je suis extrêmement reconnaissant à vous pour ces années de la joie!”

Halle T

Student

“The Potter’s School French courses are not only excellent at teaching the students the French language, but also cultivating a broader understanding of France’s culture and traditions. Through highly interactive classes, I have learned to debate, discuss and engage with classmates in French.”

Leanne Z

Student

“I can’t recommend this course enough – and all the TPS French classes. I learned so much each year as far as vocabulary, pronunciation, French culture, and translating oral and written language. The classes got me so much into the habit of hearing and speaking French that sometimes after class, it felt odd speaking English! After taking TPS French 1 and 2, I enrolled in French 3 at my local community college for the second semester. I was afraid it would be much more challenging than TPS, but I was amazed to discover that all the grammar we were studying, I had already learned back in French 2! More than that, I had learned it all in a way that was so much easier to understand! Lucky for me, I was able to come back to TPS French as a senior this year and continue my studies in French 4/5. Merci beaucoup, TPS!”

Emily P

Student