French

The aim of the Year 7 introductory course is to stimulate students’ interest in French-speaking countries and to introduce students to French through simple language activities designed to develop skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

As a lively, communicative approach is taken, students are encouraged to use the language in individual tasks (e.g. preparing a word document with photos) and group situations (e.g. dialogues). During the course, students share  French cultural experiences and a traditional French pastry is enjoyed. 

The Year 8 course aims to develop the students’ skills in the four major skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. These communication skills are based on everyday French, used in familiar situations. French is used as much as possible in the classroom to maximise students’ exposure to the language.

A cultural awareness program is well integrated into the course. This aims to make the students confident in knowing something of the francophone way of life, to broaden an awareness of the nature of language learning and to develop students’ understanding and appreciation of the francophone culture. The tasting of French specialties is a popular aspect of this part of the course.

The High School textbook, Tapis Volant 1 , forms the basis of class work. This text has been specifically designed for Australian students and combines relevant and authentic cultural material with a lively communicative approach to language learning. 

Year 8 French builds on the basic language concepts introduced in Year 7, but previous exposure to the language is not essential.