Textbook: Discovering French Nouveau !(bleu)
(and accompanying Workbook )
- About me: I’ve been teaching French at Anderson High School in Forest Hills for a long time, and I am excited about this opportunity to join the Nagel team of teachers this year and meet 8th grade students on “their” turf. I love teaching French, and I hope that my enthusiasm will inspire my students to enjoy the challenge and enter into the fun of learning to speak and think in some new ways. I have traveled and studied extensively in France to keep my skills current, after earning a B.A. in French and English from Denison University and a Master’s degree in French literature from Indiana University back in the 70’s. My latest French-related passion has involved going to Haiti for short-term mission trips during the summers since 2000, where my French has been very helpful in teaching English to teen-aged boys and in starting to learn Creole, and where I support various programs and sponsor several young people’s education.
- Our French Program: In French class, we are just beginning our exploration of French as it is spoken in France and the French-speaking world. As your student learns the basics of French pronunciation, he or she will also learn to greet people, count from 1 to 100, find out people’s ages, introduce and describe people, talk about interests and pastimes, and discuss the weather.
The Discovering French program focuses on authentic culture and real-life communication in French. We practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and we introduce students to culture typical of France and the French-speaking world. By comparing French language and culture with those of their own community, students gain a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences that exist between the two.
Additional practice is available online by going to the website ClassZone.com and clicking on “World Languages” and our text.
- Required materials:
- Textbook and Workbook every day
- Pen or pencil and paper to write on
- Completed homework
- Classroom expectations:
- Come to class prepared.
- Be considerate of other people (both students and teacher) and the classroom itself.
- Accept responsibility for your own learning.
- Do your own work
- Learn by correcting your mistakes
- Ask questions and make “connections.”
- Have fun, and remember that this is new for everyone, so don’t get discouraged. Consistent effort will pay off!
- How grades will be calculated:
- You will have homework virtually every night, and sometimes it will be collected for a grade. I will keep track of small homework grades on a “grid,” and I will add up your “Grid Grade” for you at interims time and again at the end of each grading period. Each totaled “Grid Grade” will be worth the approximate equivalent of a Lesson Quiz.
- You will have regular Lesson Quizzes, with both a listening comprehension and a writing component. They will always be announced in advance.
- At the end of each unit, we will review for a day or two and then you’ll take a Unit Test. There will be one or two Unit Tests each quarter, worth around 100 points each.
- Class participation, both good and not so great, will be rewarded with “blue dots” for positive efforts, and “red dots” for choices which get in the way of your own or others’ learning. Your “dots adjustment” will be added to your “Grid Grade” totals.
- Blue dots: 5 of them earn you one extra credit point.
(They are easy to earn—volunteer in class, do your HW, ask good questions, show me you are thinking!)
- RED dots: one of them will LOSE you two full points!
(They are easy to avoid—just stick to the “Classroom Expectations,” and you’ll be set!)
- I will figure your quarter grade by dividing the total points you have earned by the total number of points possible in the class. Your percentage will be converted to a letter grade in keeping with the standard Forest Hills grading scale.
Contact Information:
Since I spend most of my day at Anderson High School, please contact me by email at: martha.nordsieck@foresthills.edu.
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