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SUCCESS IN ADVANCED FRENCH COURSES

Thèmes is designed to help students in upper-level French succeed in the language classroom
and, in particular, on the AP® French Language and Culture Examination.

How does Thèmes help you succeed?

Thematic organization Thèmes contains authentic readings, audio, and films organized
around the themes of the AP® French Language and Culture Examination:

1
1 Families and Communities

6 2 2 Personal and Public Identities

3 Beauty and Aesthetics

4 Science and Technology

5 3 5 Contemporary Life

6 Global Challenges
4

The College Board’s recommended contexts and overarching essential questions provide
the framework for communicating about real-world issues and your own life experiences.
Authentic sources Selections offer an extraordinary wealth of material for study and
discussion. Pre- and post-reading and listening activities guide classroom discussion to
develop communication skills and promote a deeper understanding of culture.
Vocabulary development Thèmes employs a discovery approach to vocabulary development,
encouraging each student to generate and maintain his or her own list of vocabulary. Rather
than prescribing words for memorization, Thèmes allows students to develop their own
tools for communication through reading and listening to authentic sources.
Communication In addition to providing opportunities to achieve proficiency in all three modes
of communication—interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational—within the French-language
classroom, Thèmes creates a broad base to prepare students to effectively communicate
in French for travel, study, work, or to attain success on standardized exams. Thèmes
accomplishes this by helping students build skills in a scaffolded manner and by offering
abundant practice of real-life tasks, such as reponding to an e-mail, interpreting data, and
discussing current events.

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AP ® FRENCH
Language and Culture Exam Preparation

Many students enrolled in advanced French programs that use Thèmes may be preparing for
the AP® French Language and Culture Examination. The exam consists of two sections: one
for multiple choice responses to authentic print and audio texts (interpretive communication)
and the other for free responses to both print and audio text prompts (interpersonal and
presentational speaking). Please see the chart below for a breakdown of the exam contents:

NUMBER OF PERCENT OF
SECTION TIME
QUESTIONS FINAL SCORE
Approx.
Section I: Multiple Choice
95 minutes
Interpretive Communication: Approx.
Part A 30 questions
Print Texts 40 minutes
Interpretive Communication:
50%
Print and Audio Texts (combined) Approx.
Part B 35 questions
Interpretive Communication: 55 minutes
Audio Texts
Approx.
Section II: Free Response
88 minutes

Interpersonal Writing: E-mail Reply 1 prompt 15 minutes

Approx.
Presentational Writing: Argumentative Essay 1 prompt
55 minutes
50% 20 seconds
Interpersonal Speaking: Conversation 5 prompts for each
response
2 minutes
Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison 1 prompt
to respond

To supplement the broad cultural content provided in Thèmes, Vista Higher Learning
also offers AP® French Language and Culture Exam Preparation. This worktext provides
targeted practice for each question type that students will encounter on the AP® French
Language and Culture Examination. Used alone, the worktext offers many opportunities
to practice each exam question type. In addition, each selection includes a cross-reference
to the theme and context being practiced, so sample exams can be generated to focus on
all themes or on a single theme at a time.
Thèmes provides additional exam preparation through the inclusion of many activities that
mimic the exam format. Used together, these two titles form a winning combination for
the advanced French classroom.

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