French I: This level of French concentrates on the acquisition of French vocabulary and verbs in the present tense. Students learn to read and write simple sentences in the present tense. The student also participates in oral exchanges in French with the teacher and other students. The student is also required to listen to tapes and be able to respond to any situation that is presented on these tapes. Projects at this level concentrate on pronoun usage, adjectives, and verbs in an artistic drawing. French culture is studied in each chapter.

French II: This level of French concentrates on the more advanced forms of French verbs. The students study the present, immediate future, and both the past tenses of the verbs. They are required to write compositions as writing samples that show their mastery of both the vocabulary studied and the verb tenses that are being used. The student must memorize an oral selection each nine weeks for recitation to the teacher. These recitations are always relevant to the areas that are being studied at that time. The students continue to speak, write, and listen to one another, the teacher, and tapes in class. Some role playing is done at this level to reinforce the areas of study. Projects are also assigned. These projects are art projects that demonstrate the student’s mastery of the grammar point that is being studied. French culture is studied in each chapter.

French III: At this level, the students use a college-level textbook. This textbook includes areas of interest in the French culture, such as the feminist movement, the family, the political scene, and everyday life in France. Students are required to write original dialogues with their partners and to present them to the class. The student’s projects are on a more advanced level that involves using the advanced grammar forms that are being studied. The class participates in Team Challenge in which partners are given a written assignment to translate from English to French. After all the teams have translated the assignment, then the teams go to the board and write the sentences as quickly as possible. The team that finishes first, with all correct sentences, wins. This is quite an enjoyable way to reinforce the translation skills of the students.

French IV: This class is focused on the study of advanced French grammar, such as the subjunctive, the future, the conditional, etch. It also focuses on the student’s ability to read and translate major works of French writers. The class uses Douze Contes, as well as a college-level textbook, Tout Ensemble. The student is required to read, write, speak, and listen in French.