Le Grand Concours/National French Contest Specifications

Communication

●  Learners understand and follow oral instructions in French related to daily classroom activities and topics such as the daily calendar (day, date, time, and weather).

●  Learners identify the topic and some basic facts when they read and/or listen in French to very brief informational and fictional texts/stories on very familiar topics, with some gestures or visual support.

●  Learners use keywords to identify the gist of authentic texts, make linguistic comparisons with native language, etc.

●  Learners understand statements and questions when they read or hear conversations or discussions in French on very familiar topics.

●  Learners understand the content of simple French language realia, such as picture books, menus, posters, or advertisements.

Cultures

●  Learners identify social customs that are of interest to either children or adults; topics may include traditional foods, aspects of family life, and typical holidays in various French-speaking regions.

●  Learners identify and recognize products and symbols of the francophone world, such as foods, clothing, types of dwellings, modes of transportation, flags, and famous monuments.

Connections

●  Learners demonstrate their understanding of basic knowledge of simple math, weather, francophone geography, history, social practices and pop culture.

●  Learners expand their knowledge of francophone regions and cultural practices by learning about holidays and names of francophone regions.

Comparisons

●  Learners demonstrate an awareness of formal and informal greetings, leave-takings, and expressions of politeness in French (such as Bonjour vs. Salut and s’il vous plaît vs s’il te plaît).

●  Learners demonstrate an awareness of the use of tu and vous in conversations [with children vs conversations with adults].

●  Learners recognize cognates and idiomatic expressions in French that may or may not have exact English equivalents, such as regarder -> look at, watch, regard.

●  Learners recognize the existence of grammatical gender in French, and their spoken and written language reflects that awareness, such as Il est français /Elle est française.

●  Learners compare French grammatical structures to those of English, such as la maison de Jean/John’s house.

Communication

●  Learners identify the topic and some basic facts when they read and/or listen in French to very brief informational and fictional texts/stories on very familiar topics, with some gestures or visual support.

●  Learners use keywords to identify the gist of authentic texts, make linguistic comparisons with native language, etc.

●  Learners understand statements and questions when they read or hear conversations or discussions in French on very familiar topics.

●  Learners understand the content of simple French language realia, such as picture books, menus, posters, or advertisements.

●  Learners understand spoken and written messages in French on topics of personal interest, such as family life, leisure and school activities, and everyday occurrences.

Cultures

●  Learners identify similarities and differences between school life in their own community and in one or several French-speaking regions.

●  Learners identify social customs that are of interest to either children or adults; topics may include traditional foods, aspects of family life, and typical holidays in various French-speaking regions.

●  Learners identify and recognize products and symbols of the francophone world, such as foods, clothing, types of dwellings, modes of transportation, flags and famous monuments.

Connections

●  Learners expand their knowledge of francophone regions and cultural practices by learning about holidays and names of francophone regions.

Comparisons

●  Learners recognize cognates and idiomatic expressions in French that may or may not have exact English equivalents, such as regarder -> look at, watch, regard.

●  Learners recognize the existence of grammatical gender in French, and their spoken and written language reflects that awareness, such as Il est français / Elle est française.

●  Learners recognize and compare nuances of meaning of words and idioms, in French and in English, such as avoir froid, faire froid.

●  Learners compare aspects of French and American daily life, such as school schedules, weekend activities, and vacations as a reflection of their understanding of cultural perspectives.

Communication

●  Learners understand and identify main ideas and principal characters in brief reading selections and French cultures.

●  Learners understand the main ideas and significant details of materials in French that are accessible to teenage readers, such as magazine articles, short stories, poems, and short novels.

●  Learners understand information from French online sources on a variety of topics, such as weather, current events, and sports.

Cultures

●  Learners identify social customs that are of interest to either children or adults; topics may include traditional foods, aspects of family life, and typical holidays in various French-speaking regions.

●  Learners recognize and develop an awareness of the diversity of social customs in the French-speaking world; topics may include family life, folklore, and typical holidays, such as Christmas, New Year’s, or Ramadan.

●  Learners identify and learn about products reflecting the lifestyle of people in various francophone communities, such as household items, clothing, and foods.

●  Learners learn about and recognize artistic contributions from francophone cultures in areas such as art, music, dance, drama, theater, film, fashion, and cuisine.

Connections

●  Learners understand connections between their native culture and the target culture through discussing similarities and differences.

Comparisons

●  Learners recognize differences in word order between French and English, for example: une maison rouge/a red house.

●  Learners recognize and compare nuances of meaning of words and idioms, in French and in English, such as avoir froid, être froid (objects), faire froid.

●  Learners compare aspects of French and American daily life, such as school schedules, weekend activities, and vacations as a reflection of their understanding of cultural perspectives.

●  Learners compare and contrast francophone and American cultural practices in areas such as sports (soccer and American football), music (m’balax and pop music) or holidays (le premier mai vs Labor Day).

Communication

●  Learners understand the main ideas and significant details of materials in French that are accessible to teenage readers, such as magazine articles, short stories, poems, and short novels.

Cultures

●  Learners recognize and develop an awareness of the diversity of social customs in the French-speaking world; topics may include family life, folklore, and typical holidays, such as Christmas, New Year’s, or Ramadan.

●  Learners recognize and develop an awareness of the diversity of social customs in the French-speaking world; topics may include family life, folklore, and typical holidays, such as Christmas, New Year’s, or Ramadan.

Connections

●  Learners understand connections between their native culture and the target culture through discussing similarities and differences.

●  Learners expand their knowledge of francophone regions and cultural practices by learning about holidays and names of francophone regions.

Comparisons

●  Learners compare aspects of French and American daily life, such as school schedules, weekend activities, and vacations as a reflection of their understanding of cultural perspectives.

●  Learners compare and contrast francophone and American cultural practices in areas such as sports (soccer and American football), music (m’balax and pop music) or holidays (le premier mai vs Labor Day).

Communication

●  Learners understand main idea and significant details of level-appropriate spoken and recorded materials in French on topics of personal and public interest, such as videos, commercials, films, interviews, and live presentations.

●  Learners understand principal elements and main ideas of newspapers and magazine articles, as well as internet pages, on current events and topics of general interest in French.

Cultures

●  Learners compare and contrast cultural practices among different French-speaking regions in order to dispel stereotyping.

●  Learners analyze social, economic, geographic, and historical factors that affect cultural practices in various French cultures, such as weddings, family celebrations, gender roles, education, medical practices, social and governmental institutions, and religious observations among French Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and so on.

●  Learners read and/or view and analyze literary productions from France and francophone cultures such as poetry, novels, plays, and essays, and examine themes and ideas related to cultural values and perspectives.

●  Learners access and examine video, audio, and written material from French and francophone media sources, both journalistic and popular or social-media, and analyze cultural values and perspectives found in this material.

●  Learners compare and evaluate the themes and perspectives reflected in these French and francophone cultural products in light of their own culture, activities, and responsibilities.

Connections

●  Learners expand their knowledge of francophone regions and cultural practices

Comparisons

●  Learners demonstrate an awareness of idiomatic phrases and linguistic expressions and realize that there is not a word-for-word correspondence between French and English, such as Il m’a manqué = I missed him (He was lacking to me).

●  Learners identify, analyze, and evaluate themes, ideas, and perspectives related to the products of various French cultures in light of the learners’ own culture, leisure time, after-school or work activities, and family and personal responsibilities.

Communication

●  Learners understand main idea and significant details of level-appropriate spoken and recorded materials in French on topics of personal and public interest, such as videos, commercials, films, interviews, and live presentations.

●  Learners understand principal elements and main ideas of newspapers and magazine articles, as well as internet pages, on current events and topics of general interest in French.

Cultures

●  Learners compare and contrast cultural practices among different French-speaking regions in order to dispel stereotyping.

●  Learners analyze social, economic, geographic, and historical factors that affect cultural practices in various French cultures, such as weddings, family celebrations, gender roles, education, medical practices, social and governmental institutions, and religious observations among French Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and so on.

●  Learners read and/or view and analyze literary productions from France and francophone cultures such as poetry, novels, plays, and essays, and examine themes and ideas related to cultural values and perspectives.

●  Learners access and examine video, audio, and written material from French and francophone media sources, both journalistic and popular or social-media, and analyze cultural values and perspectives found in this material.

●  Learners compare and evaluate the themes and perspectives reflected in these French and francophone cultural products in light of their own culture, activities, and responsibilities.

Connections

●  Learners expand their knowledge of francophone regions and cultural practices

●  Learners understand connections between their native culture and the target culture through discussing similarities and differences.

Comparisons

●  Learners identify, analyze, and evaluate themes, ideas, and perspectives related to the products of various French cultures in light of the learners’ own culture, leisure time, after-school or work activities, and family and personal responsibilities.