Course Description
See Reviews of Instructor Sally Barstow
In French 3, students will continue round out their study of French to become a competent speaker and writer in the language. Interactive videos, audio recordings as well as other authentic resources will be drawn upon to compliment the textbooks, both in class as well as in the weekly assignments.
New tenses are introduced in French 3 that allow students to speak of future events as will as conditional situations. We begin to use ‘French only’ when possible… in class as well as in much of my communications with students, interacting with them in their written journal as well as in corrections of weekly assignments. It’s rewarding to see the students offer peer comments to one another in French!
Students will be given the opportunity to compete in ‘Le Grand Concours’, a test/ competition offered by the AATF (American Association of Teachers of French) every year to American French students.
The class sizes are limited to 10 in order to allow for optimal communication within the classroom and for teacher oversight with assignments.
Course Structure
The class is structured around the weekly face to face meeting. Students can anticipate having about 3-4 hours of homework each week. Five weekly assignments are posted that build on what was presented in class, preparing the student for the upcoming meeting. In class, students can anticipate needing to ask and answer questions based on the weekly assignments. Language structure is provided to guide the interaction in class. The units last 3-4 weeks with an assessment project/test at the end of each unit. In addition to regular weekly assignments, students keep a weekly written journal. Here is a link to a sample lesson.
Who should enroll?
Students who have successfully completed a French 2 level class and are in 10-12 grades may enroll in this class. Please contact Mme. Barstow if you have questions about your students level.
Technology Requirements:
- High speed, broadband Internet
- Sound card and microphone (for live sessions)
- Streaming video capabilities to watch recorded lectures
- A scanner is helpful for turning in assignments
Evaluation and Feedback
My family laughs at me because I say ‘I’m an easy ‘A’. Weekly assignments receive the complete score…unless some correcting is needed. So, if students do their work, including the corrections, they will get a perfect score. On the assessments, I grade more on the details. Again, if a student is working well and within their abilities, I give high marks. Most weekly homework is graded the week it is turned in. Unit projects sometimes take longer, but I am patient when students have technical difficulties (which often show up with the bigger projects). I do try to give feedback and corrections in French on the assignments. I also make myself available to my students during the week, should they have trouble with any assignments.
Communication
I encourage parents to reach out to me as they have concerns or questions. They can anticipate a note from me should their student get behind in their work. If I communicate with the student about their work, I will always copy the parent on the email so that they can keep up with how things are going. I will send out a progress report in the end of December and the final grade in May once the final test has been graded. I do have a website on Facebook where I post random information about French: All that’s French.
Deborah Kim (verified owner) –
My daughter, Olivia, has taken French 2 and 3 with Mrs.Barstow and has thoroughly enjoyed her instruction along the way. Mrs.Barstow is engaging and fun! Olivia is developing a beautiful French speaking voice and plans to take French 4/5 with Ms. Barstow.
Diane H. –
My daughter is currently in her second year of French with Carole Adkins, and it has been a terrific experience for her! Carole has a wonderful rapport with her students that is supportive and encouraging, and my daughter has grown into a more confident French speaker as a result. She plans to continue all the way through French 4 with Carole. We have been so very pleased with this class!