Classwork / Homework
Language learning is a cumulative process which requires a great deal of repetition and practice. Class time will be spent primarily on developing speaking skills and learning grammar and vocabulary. For this reason homework is devoted to exercises that reinforce the listening, reading and writing skills. Approximately one half hour of homework will be assigned daily. Only assignments which are completed on time will be acceptable. It is your responsibility to make corrections on your papers when we go over them. Any missed homework assignments, after the first one per quarter, will result in one point per missed assignment being subtracted from your quarter grade. While this policy sounds harsh, it reflects the importance of preparing for each class.

Absence
While the teacher may be able to tell you what material was missed due to absence, she will not be able to reproduce the learning environment that each class period provides. Therefore frequent or extended absence will disrupt the continuity of learning which is essential to successful language acquisition. It is school policy that a student missing in excess of 25% of the classes in a given quarter will receive a grade of F for the quarter. Also, if a student accrues 3 unexcused absences in a given course, the student will lose one academic credit. We value your presence in class and a cut in this French class will result in a grade of zero averaged in as a test grade. If you are legitimately absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed prior to the next class meeting. Remember that we, the teachers exist on days that our class does not meet!! (Refer to your student handbook for policy on making up work after an absence.)

Tests and Quizzes
Quizzes, either oral or written, will be given frequenly, usually based on the previous day's work or current homework and may or may not be announced. The purpose of these quizzes is to help you to assess your comprehension and to check your progress. These quizzes should help identify weaknesses to be addressed before the final assessment of the unit which may be in the form of a test, a composition or an oral or written project designed to measure listening, reading and writing skills in an integrated and communicative manner, allowing you to demonstrate your level of acquired proficiency. There will be one or two oral tests per quarter. The importance of daily practice can't be over-emphasized.

  Speaking
While students sometimes feel self-conscious about speaking French, your teacher works to create a classroom atmosphere in which you will feel free to express yourself without fear of embarrassment or ridicule. Keep your sense of humor so that you can accept correction and suggestions. Your progress will depend on your motivation to participate to the greatest extent possible and on your ability to refrain from reverting to English. Keep in mind that we are all learning and that cooperation is an essential element in keeping our classroom a French-speaking environment.

Language Laboratory
We will go to the language laboratory each week to practice both listening and speaking skills. In addition to paired oral practice, we will listen to songs, poems, dialogues, stories and news articles to improve your listening comprehension and pronunciation as well as to learn about a variety of topics from art, science , history, politics... Every two weeks we will record onto your tape a passage, song, dialog or exercise which you will be required to listen to at home. For this reason, you are required to bring your tape to the lab each week. It is a good idea to keep the tape in its box to prevent damage.

 Writing
Compositions You will be doing process writing in this class which will require multiple rewrites of the same piece. It is our experience that this is the most effective way for students to improve the accuracy of expression and to avoid continuously repeating the same errors.

 Writing/Journals
In addition to regular writing assignments such as essays, you will be given a dialogue journal and assigned a writing partner to whom you will write a minimum of one page once a week. The purpose of this activity is to give all students the opportunity to practice their writing skills without fear of being graded down for errors. Your goal is to communicate with someone on a variety of topics. Sometimes you will be asked to write about a specific topic, other times you will write about whatever interests you. All journals must be in the box by 2:30 on Friday of each week so that your teacher can check to make sure you have been writing. All entries must be signed and dated. A quiz grade of 95 will be given for each journal entry. It is very important that you write in your journal in a timely fashion to give your journal partner two school days in which to write. Therefore, you will be told if you are to get the journal during the first or second half of the week. If you write the first half of the week, you will put the journal in your partner's box by noon on Wednesday. Those who write during the second half of the week, must put the journal in the box by Friday at 2:30. If the journal is two weeks overdue, both partners will receive a quiz grade of zero.