ADITYA BIRLA WORLD ACADEMY

FRENCH AB INITIO 2010 Course description:

The IB Diploma Program promotes a holistic attitude towards learning a foreign language. It concerns itself with the overall development of the language learner. The focus of the two year Ab Initio course is on language acquisition and usage. The student aims at an elementary and practical usage of the language by acquiring a language system and applying it using four primary language skills listening, speaking, reading and writing. The emphasis of language learning at the Ab Initio level is for the student to be able to communicate in it confidently, in familiar and unfamiliar situations. The program aims to develop a variety of linguistic skills and a basic awareness of the culture(s) using the language. Students are given opportunities for creativity, enjoyment and intellectual stimulation during their period of study. The foreign language program is in accordance with the international and multicultural ethos of the IB. Learning a new language not only expands the possibilities for work, travel and enjoyment but also expands their awareness of the world as they know it. The French Ab Initio course exposes the students to the country/ countries where the language is spoken by encouraging them to connect the language with the people that speak it, their culture, their history and their perspectives. The language learner is also expected to think about how learning a new language relates to the other knowledge areas he will be studying during his two-year program. The course enables the student to use the skills they have acquired and continue their study of French or other languages as independent learners. By the end of the course, the student should be capable of using the French language in a range of contexts and for many purposes. He will be equipped to use the language appropriately and understand the cultural make-up of his audience. Learning a new language has the additional benefit of encouraging them to reflect on their own language and culture and work towards becoming world citizens. Since the Ab Initio course entails the overall development of all four primary linguistic skills, the assessment tests the students capability at applying these skills learnt over two academic years. The assessment to be carried out, apart from the assessment required by the IBO would be formative and summative. Some examples of formative and summative assessment to be carried out would be class presentations, role plays, class tests, projects, educational visits, interviews or visits by resource people. A note on the inclusion of internationalism. Learning a foreign language is already a step in the right direction when it comes to internationalism. The foreign language course designed by the IBO makes sure that the language student does not learn the language in isolation but discovers, through the language, the culture(s) and people associated with it. When it comes to French, students are also exposed to the concept of Francophonie and the Francophone countries. They become aware of a shift in their personal world-view brought about by this knowledge. In addition to this, learning about new countries, cultures and perspectives makes the

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student reflect on their own culture and mental make-up. The principal aim is on developing a global perspective.

Topics:
The IB syllabus for Ab Initio French is made up of seven core topics. These topic areas cover the majority of common situations that a foreign language student would come across when in contact with the target language. Below are listed the seven core Ab Initio French topics: 1. The individual. 2. Education and work. 3. Town and services. 4. Food and drink. 5. Leisure and travel. 6. The environment. 7. Health and emergencies. These topics will be covered using the three main areas in accordance with the IB syllabus: language, texts and cultural awareness. In what concerns the language, attention will be paid to essential language skills, i.e. accuracy, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and intonation.

Assessment:
The IBO uses criterion-based referencing for assessment. Questions are assessed in accordance to either, paper-specific markshemes or, assessment criteria. The three components for the French Ab Initio course are assessed as below: External Assessment: The External Assessment consists of two papers. y Paper 1 is of 1.5 hours and consists of two question types. Text Handling 1.5 hours. Paper-specific mark schemes. Written response Criterion A Communication skills. y Paper 2 is of 1.5 hours and tests the students written skills. Written Production 1.5 hours. Criterion A Language. Criterion B Communication skills. Criterion C Presentation.

Internal Assessment: The Internal Assessment consists of the Individual Oral and the Interactive Oral Activities. The Individual Oral is of 20 minutes, which includes 10 minutes preparation time. The interactive oral activities take place in the classroom. The internal assessment is assessed according to the criteria below: Criterion A Language Criterion B Communication skills Criterion C Interaction

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The weightage of the papers is as in the table below: Text handling questions 32% PAPER 1: 1.5hours 40 % PAPER 2: 1.5 hours 30%
Written response 8% Section A Short writing task 10% Section B Extended writing task 20% Individual oral 15% Interactive oral activities 15%

ORAL COMPONENT

30%

Resources:
Resources currently available: a variety of French methods. Resources to be procured: novels, plays, and poetry (in simple French), newspapers and magazines, comics, films and music. Software to be used in the course: mainly Microsoft Word.
Websites: http://www.lepointdufle.net/index.html, http://lexiquefle.free.fr/, http://www.aidenligne-francais-universite.auf.org/, http://french.about.com/, http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/french.html, http://www.fredriley.org.uk/call/langsite/french.html

AB INITIO WEEK-WISE PLAN YEAR 1 METHODE: TAXI 1 WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 UNIT Unit 1: En route! SUB-TOPIC Leon 1 - Bienvenue! Leon 2 - Rencontre Leon 3 Ca va bien? Leon 4 - Correspondence Leon 5 Passe-temps Leon 6 Portrait robot Leon 7 Boutique.net Leon 8 Le coin des artistes Leon 9 Appartement louer Leon 10 Pour aller au louvre? Leon 11 Voyages, voyages Leon 12 Week-end la mer Leon 13 Vous partez quand ? Leon 14 A Genve Leon 15 Le dimanche matin Leon 16 Une journe avec... Leon 17 Mardi gras Leon 18 Une bonne journe Leon 19 O sont-ils alls? Leon 20 Souvenirs de fte Leon 21 Qu est-ce qu on peut faire ? Leon 22 Petites announces Leon 23 Qu est-ce qu on lui offer?

Unit 2: A la dcouverte des objets

Unit 3: O vivent les Franais?

Unit 4: Au rythme du temps

Unit 5: La vie de tous les jours

Unit 6 : On ne peut pas plaire tout le monde!

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23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Unit 7: Un peu, beaucoup, passionnment

Unit 8: Tout le monde en parl!

Unit 9 : On verra bien !

Leon 24 Leon 25 Leon 26 Leon 27 Leon 28 Leon 29 Leon 30 Leon 31 Leon 32 Leon 33 Leon 34 Leon 35 Leon 36

Etre le candidat idal Enqute dans la rue Tous la campagne Les vacances, c est sacr! Les Franais et les vacances Souvenirs, souvenirs ! Fait divers Ma premire histoire d amour La 2CV ... et autres symboles! Beau fixe Projets d avenir Envie de changement Un jour peut-tre

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