AP and French 4 combined class teaching strategies

[Kim McElroy]

Salut les profs!

Next year I will be teaching around 15 French 4 students and 7 AP French students in the same class. 
For teachers who have taught combined classes, what are some quick tips you could provide me?  My main strategy at this point is for the two groups to cover the same grammar points at the same time.

 But what about when we want to get into novels??........I think Le Petit Prince could be a little challenging for level 4s. 

Merci en avance!
Kim McElroy
Sylvania, Ohio

[Karen Purpura]

I,too, teach everyone the same thing --- all together.  I think Le Petit Prince is fine for your levels.  I have a French 3, 4, 5 combo with AP and IB and all levels do well with this novel.  It usually leaves them with a lot to think about throughout their lives.   I use a lot of internet also, which holds the students' interest and lets them know that France and French are "real".

Karen

Kim McElroy
Sylvania, Ohio

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[Florence Schranz]

I teach the same content in my 4 and AP combined class. I have different expectations of mastery for each level though and the quizzes or tests (although over the same material) are different for each level. French AP students have harder questions or sometimes I use the same quiz but level 4 students only have to answer 7 out of 10 questions for each exercise. I differentiate the homework as well (over the same thematic or grammatical content but easier and more limited for level 4 students). It is important to me that the content of the class is the same for both levels. This way students can work together, contribute to the class discussions, etc. This past year with the new exam we did not read a book in class. In the previous years we read Le Petit Prince (both levels 4 and AP did well) or Un papillon dans la cité, which the kids really liked too. I am worried about this coming year since I will have a class of 30 students with 27 in level 4 and 3 in AP. In the past I had around 20 students with about one third to half of the students in AP and the rest in 4. After the first day of class, I enforce the use of French only in class and that really works well. AP students are role models and encouragements for level 4 students. Level 4 students try their best to make a good impression in front of AP students.
Bonne chance!

Florence Schranz
Chaparral High School
Parker, CO

Kim McElroy
Sylvania, Ohio

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Florence Schranz
French Teacher, levels I, II, III, IV and AP
Sponsor of French Club and French Honor Society

[Kelly Clifford]

There is a great book on differentiation I had to read for a course I took, and I was thrilled to discover it had a unit showing ways to differentiate the Petit Prince for just these types of situations.  It provides samples all in English since the book is not specifically written for French teachers, but the ideas were clear and easily adaptable.  I tried many of the ideas with a mixed class two years ago and it worked well.   The book was "How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms" and the author is Carol Ann Tomlinson.  Hope it helps!

Kelly Clifford

Kim McElroy
Sylvania, Ohio

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[Kristina J]

I have taught combined 4/AP for nine years. I don't know about your students, but mine are all actually in their 4th year of French, just some have decided to do AP and others not. It is the minority doing AP. I give the APs so much extra stuff at home that within little time they have far surpassed the 4's, plus they were already the best and most motivated of the group. So to keep myself sane, I spend class time doing mostly the same stuff together, working on grammar and vocab and speaking and listening. But for the harder stuff, I split them and give the 4's something easier although sometimes on the same topic. Whenever it comes to AP practice activities in test format, I don't have the 4's do any of that. The APs actually do most of their themed-reading and listening at home from RFI and Ladd's. And they write their compositions at home. They have stuff due every day (I have class three days a week). They get a schedule of due dates for the whole year the first day of school. I'd be happy to share that with you or anyone if you email me. framb...@hotmail.com  My APs really have a lot of grammar left to learn coming from 3, so I take it as they are doing 4 and AP in one year. Lots of the 4 stuff is done in class and lots of the AP prep is done at home and then we discuss and do bigger things with it together once they have some background. A lot of them are willing to come in as a group once a week at lunch for extra practice too.
Second semester I'm lucky enough to be able to send my 4's to nearby elementary schools once a week where they teach short French lessons. So they spend part of one day planning that and part of another day going there. Then I'm able to do a lot with just the APs. The last two weeks before the test, I do everything with just AP and the 4's have a simulation on the computer.
So far it's working well because all my kids passed the new test this year!
Kristina

[jmo...@aol.com]

Bonjour Kristina,

 

I would appreciate it very much if you could send me the schedule of due dates for the whole year that you give to your studenst the first day of school.

 

I thank you very much in advance.

 

Joëlle

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[Alaine Louati]

Bonjour all, I am going to jump in here because I feel a little overwhelmed.  This is my first year teaching, and I will have a combined class of Pre-AP (French III) and AP (French IV), whether or not they decide to take the test is up to the students, however they are all grouped into AP.  I will also have more Pre-AP (about 20 students) compared to AP (about 6-7 students).  We also have 45 minute periods and meet every day. Any ideas of how to differentiate?  I don’t want to have two completely different syllabus’ because that will be hard to juggle.  Would it be best to keep my AP syllabus/themes and adjust them to the 3^rd year level, or should I plan more 3^rd year level (since I have more students) and give additional work to the AP class?  Also, what are your experiences with either splitting time between the classes  as compared to alternating days?  Any advice is appreciated!  Merci!

Cordialement,

-Alaine Louati

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[Kristina Jenkins]

I just posted this on the AP community as well:

Since so many people have written to me after this message, and I sent them all my agenda de devoirs, I've now added that to the wiki, so if you haven't written me yet and would like to see it, please go to the "documents requested" page on the wiki. There you will see my agenda de devoirs et interros and the vocabulary list that goes with it. Please edit any way you like. Oh, I just thought of something someone might ask. How do I deal with corrections for all the homework? For essays, I mark it using correction codes and then kids then have to make corrections and explain why. For the readings and listenings, I email them answers once everyone has turned them in. I tried posting to my website each week, but some random kid from somewhere in the U.S. saw it and wanted me to send him more answers.

My class is also minority AP, so I don't want it to be too tough or boring for the 4's. So the class is mostly geared toward them with extras for the APs.

I also added the simulation I have the 4's do that I mentioned. It is on the "technology ideas" page since it is all done on the computer. I've taken pieces of it from several sources and modified it my own way, so do with it as you wish. I make it a bit better every year. The kids really like it and it keeps them busy.

 

On the topic of novels, I used to read Le Petit Prince in 4/AP and I know people who do it in 3. With all these themes we have to cover now, I just don't feel like I have time for a novel because there is so much reading to do on so many different topics. But as I've said, my kids still have a lot of grammar work to do during their AP year, so if your students are past that, maybe a novel wouldn't be out of the question.

Kristina

[Kristina Jenkins]

Joelle, please email me directly or see the wiki now that I've added the documents there as my recent message says. Thanks, Kristina

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[jmo...@aol.com]

Kristina,

 

J'ai trouvé tous vos documents sur wiki. Excellent!

 

Merci encore.

 

Joëlle

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From: Kristina Jenkins <framb...@hotmail.com>
To: ap-french-discussion-group <ap-french-dis...@googlegroups.com>

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[Kristina Jenkins]

Some people noticed a Smurf project I mentioned in my syllabus so I just added that to the wiki as well, on the Document requested page.

The kids read a background reading about the Smurfs and answer some questions. They also do a little exercise with Smurf language. You'll find both of those on the wiki. Then they read a Smurf story and answer questions. Sorry, I can't upload those because of copyright, but I didn't pay much for a comic book online. Then they each create their own Smurf and get to sculpt and paint it. Then they have to write stories where their Smurf is the main character. It's nice after all the AP work.

Kristina

[LilyoftheValley]

Kristina, Please...what is the exact wiki web address? Merci... (Alaine...Je suis dans le meme cas )

[LilyoftheValley]

Thank you Kelly! I will look for this book : )

On Saturday, July 7, 2012 11:21:05 AM UTC-5, Kelly Clifford wrote:

There is a great book on differentiation I had to read for a course I took, and I was thrilled to discover it had a unit showing ways to differentiate the Petit Prince for just these types of situations.  It provides samples all in English since the book is not specifically written for French teachers, but the ideas were clear and easily adaptable.  I tried many of the ideas with a mixed class two years ago and it worked well.   The book was "How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms" and the author is Carol Ann Tomlinson.  Hope it helps!

Kelly Clifford

On Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 4:50 PM, Kim McElroy <kimg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Salut les profs!

Next year I will be teaching around 15 French 4 students and 7 AP French students in the same class. 
For teachers who have taught combined classes, what are some quick tips you could provide me?  My main strategy at this point is for the two groups to cover the same grammar points at the same time.

 But what about when we want to get into novels??........I think Le Petit Prince could be a little challenging for level 4s. 

Merci en avance!

Kim McElroy
Sylvania, Ohio

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[Erin Higgins]

Thank you for this thread. I am fortunate enough that this year I will get to teach 2 full AP classes as well as a French 4 course that I get to create this year. My AP students are 4th year students as none of my students have the option of beginning French in Middle School, so creating a French 4 is really just for students who want to continue with French but don't want the added pressure of AP.

I realize how fortunate I am in getting to have complete freedom to create this French 4 course, yet too many options are actually making it overwhelming for me to decide. I would greatly appreciate input from teachers with experience teaching a French 4 non-AP class, or teachers who know what they would love to do if they could create such a course.

Here are the options I've considered so far:

1) Teaching French 4 aligned to the AP themes so that the prep is not too different from what I do with the AP students, and just making it less intense and test-focused

2) Using the Tresor de Temps series I have but no longer use in AP, potentially doing that 1st semester, and then focusing on more modern issues 2nd semester as more of a history-based course

3) Making it novel and film based

I really welcome any and all feedback. I've been teaching 7 years, AP for 3, but still feel like a very new teacher. I also teach to a very low-skilled population in South Los Angeles. It was a big deal that this year I had 5 out of 25 students pass the AP exam. The prior 2 years our scores were all 1's and 2's. I really want to make the French 4 class fun, but don't want to deter future students from taking AP and opting for French 4 instead.

Please feel free to email me directly with any thoughts/suggestions. Merci!

Erin Higgins

William and Carol Ouchi High School

Los Angeles, CA

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[Marlene Kossis]

I am new to this group and am very interested in your work.  How do I see the WIKI ?  Thanks.