AP® French Language and Culture
Course Summary
Enhance French language competency through reading, writing, listening, and speaking while expanding cultural knowledge. Gain confidence using French in real-life situations and master French communication across a variety of modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational). Students enhance French proficiency by studying economic, social, and cultural topics, including global challenges, contemporary life, personal and public identities, families and communities, beauty and aesthetics, and science and technology.
This course is conducted almost exclusively in French and prepares students for the AP® French Language and Culture exam.
Course Prerequisite(s):
French 4 (minimum of 3 years of French)
Curriculum
This is a 2-semester course. We do not recommend taking both semesters simultaneously.
Unit 1: Introduction to the AP® Exam
- Introduction to the AP® French Exam
- Preparation for the AP® Exam
- Thematic Organization
- Multiple Choice Questions
- Replies to Emails
- Persuasive Essay Writing
- Conversation: Parts I and II
- Cultural Comparisons
Unit 2: Global Challenges
- Global Challenges
- Economic Problems
- External Debt
- Environmental Problems
- Perspectives on Environmental Issues
- Philosophy
- Religion
- Population and Demography
- Human Migration
- Social Well-being
- Social Awareness
- The Vocabulary of Description
- Types of Reading
Unit 3: Contemporary Life
- Introduction to Contemporary Life
- Education and Professions
- Entertainment
- Lifestyles
- Personal Relationships
- Traveling as a Departure
- Traveling as an Experience
- Traveling as a Destination
- Types of Texts
- Listening Comprehension
- The Cornell Method of Note-taking
Unit 4: Personal and Public Identity
- Introduction to Personal and Public Identity
- Language and Culture
- Alienation
- Assimilation
- Historical Figures and Heroes
- National Identity
- Ethnic Identity
- Personal Beliefs
- Self-Image
- Academic Discourse
- Persuasive Essay
- Styles of Reasoning
Unit 5: Families and Community
- Introduction to Families and Communities
- Customs and Traditions
- Values
- Educational Communities
- Family Structure
- Global Citizenship
- Human Geography
- Social Networks
- Introduction to Discourse Analysis
Unit 6: Beauty and Aesthetics
- Beauty and Aesthetics
- Architecture, Beauty, and Nature
- Architecture and Beauty
- The Perception of Beauty
- Beauty and Self-Esteem
- Creation and Creativity
- Fashion
- Design and Development
- Language
- The Literary Experience
- Punctuation: Part I
Unit 7: Science and Technology
- Science and Technology
- Access to Technology
- The Effects of Technology
- Health, Government, and Technology
- Medicine and Science
- Innovation
- Natural Phenomena
- Science and Ethics
- Punctuation: Part II
- Description Techniques
- Anglicisms
Unit 8: Written Expression
- Textual Consistency
- Cohesiveness in Writing
- Citing Sources
- Transitional Words
- Punctuation: Part III
- The Writing Process
- Prefixes
- Syllabic Structure: Part I
- Syllabic Structure: Part II
- Rules of Accentuation: Part I
- Rules of Accentuation: Part II
- Suffixes
- Idiomatic Expressions