Modern Language Learning Syllabus: Communicative Competence and Language Awareness, Study notes of French

Download Modern Language Learning Syllabus: Communicative Competence and Language Awareness and more Study notes French in PDF only on Docsity! LEAVING CERTIFICATE F R E N C H SYLLABUS Ordinary and Higher Levels Leaving Certificate French Syllabus Ordinary and Higher Levels Preamble A Common Syllabus Framework The Leaving Certificate French syllabus is set out in the context of a common syllabus framework for the teaching and examining of French, German, Spanish and Italian. The syllabus content draws on the junior cycle syliabus and develops many aspects of its aires, objectives and content. The syllabus is "communicative" in the sense that it is based on the purposes to which learners are likely to want, need or expect to put the knowledge and skills they acquire in class, and in the sense that the objectives detailed in the syllabus are expressed in terms of language use. It is not, however, "communicative" in the narrow sense of confining itself te oral face-to-face communication. Nor does it presuppose a rejection of explicit teaching about the target language and culture; indeed, it presupposes quite the contrary. Syllabus Structure The two main components of the syllabus are its General Aims and a set of more specific Behavioural Obiectives. These Behavioural Objectives, which derive from the General Aires, are subdivided into three components: Basic Communicative Proficiency, Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness. Finally, details of assessment are described under the heading Assessment. The syllabus layout is therefore as follows: General Aims Behavioural Objectives Basic Communicative Proficiency Language Awareness Cultural Awareness Assessment -4- Time Allocation A minimum period of 180 hours over two years is envisaged for teaching the syllabus content. Where timetabling flexibility allows, additional time should be allocated. Conclusion This syllabus aires to lead every pupil towards four basic outcomes as a result of the experience of modern language learning in the classroom: (a) a communicative competence in the target language (b) awareness about language and communication (c) an understanding of how to go about learning a foreign language (d) a level of cultural awareness Taken together, the General Aims and the Behavioural Objectives (expressed as General Activities/Themes and as Performance Targets) represent a broad consensus view of the ground which a senior cycle modem languages programme would appropriately cover and which a LeavingCe~ificate modern langua9es examination would appropriately assess. GENERAL AIMS The following general aims are proposed by this syllabus for the teaching and learning of modern languages in the senior cycle. 1. To foster in learners such communicative skills in the target language as will enable them to: o take a full part in ctassroom activities conducted in the target language; O participate in normal everyday transactions and interactions, both spoken and written, both at home and abroad; O extract information and derive enjoyment from the mass medfa and the more accessible Iîterature of the target language community; O consider as a realistic option the possibility of pursuing leisure activities, further study and/or career opportunities through the medium of the target language. 2. To give pupils a critical awareness of how meaning is organised and conveyed by the structures and vocabulary of the target language, and thus to contribute to their understanding of the workings of human language in general. 3. To help leamers develop strategies for effective language learning. 4. To equip leamers with a broad acquaintance with the cultural, Social and political complexion of countries in which the target language is a normal medium of communication and thus to help raise their awareness of cultural, social and political diversity generally. BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVES I. Basic Communicative Proficiency 1.1 General Activity/Theme: Meeting and getting to know people and maintaining social relations. Performance Targets o Giving and seeking personal details, e.g. name, address, nationality, telephone number o Asking what languages someone speaks o Stating what languages you speak o Discussing family and home o Asking about and describing the general nature of the region or Iocality in which someone Iives o Enquiring about and describing studies or work o Introducing a third party o Asking after someone o Wishing someone well o Congratulating someone o Making compliments o Apologising o Making excuses - 9 - 1.3 General Activity/Theme: Understanding, seeking and giving information about climate and weather Performance Targets: o Enquir ing about and describing the general weather pattern in a particular country, region, or Iocality o Using the media, te lephone services and other sources to f ind out what the weather is going to be like dur ing a particular per iod o Passing on the ma in points of a weather forecast to a third party o Enquir ing whether particular activities (e.g. driving, skiing, sailing, travelling by air, hiking, swimming) are going to be possible under particular weather conditions Linguistic Skills - Mastery of a broad range of vocabulary relating to weather expressions - Relaying content of weather forecast in indirect form - Mastery of vocabulary and expressions relating to countries and geographical features Structures and Grammar e.g. le ciel est couvert; il y aura des éclaircies Transforming from noun to verb, e.g. l a p lu ie - il pleut/il va pleuvoir, etc. selon la météo .... l 'a i lu dans le iournal que .... e.g. en France; au Portuqal; sur l a côte .... etc. - 1 0 - 1.4 General Activity/Theme: Coping with travel and transport Performance Targets: o Asking for directions, optimal routes o Giving directions o Reserving and claiming seats, couchettes or cabins on trains, buses, ships and planes o Specifying particular kinds of seating (smoking, non-smoking, aisle, window) o Re-confirming reservations o Discussing and making decisions about itinerary details o Enquiring about facilities (washroom amenities, refreshments). Linguistic S k i l l s - Understanding information/relaying concise information - Expressing preference Structures and Grammar Use of interrogative, e.g. Pourriez-vous m'indiquer ....? Use of imperative, e.g. Prenez/traversez/montez ....! Use of 24-hour clock e.g. Il vaut mieux prendre le train; compartiment/siège non-fumeurs, s'il vous plaît. Use of comparative and superlative, e.g. Il serait moins cher de prendre le bus. 1.5 -11 - General Activity/Theme: Buying goods and services Performance Targets: o Using the media, telephone services and other sources to find out where particular goods and services are available o Changing money or cheques in banks and change offices o Enquiring about methods of payment, i.e. whether travellers' cheques, credit cards or Eurocheques are acceptable for purposes of payment o Giving credit card details o Ordering goods and services by telephone o Negotiating purchase and hire o Asking for a discount, refund or replacement o Praising and/or complaining about the quality of goods and services Linguistic Skills - Coping wi th numbers, names, forms - Decoding abbreviated forms of language, e.g. in petites annonces - Expressing approvai/disapproval - Enquiring, negotiating, choosing - Becoming aware of intercultural difference in area of negotiation Structures and Grammar e.g. details of size taille/pointure, etc. e.g. vds= je vends; gd = ,qrand; frs = francs e.g. cela (ne) m e convient (pas) interrogative forms; expressions of preference e.g. Est-ce qu'il y a un tarif étudiant? Pourriez-vous m e faire un rabais? - 1 4 - 1.8 General Activity/Th em e: Understanding, expressing feelings and attitudes Performance Targets: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Expresslng Expresslng Expressmg ExpressJng Expresslng Expresslng Expresslng Expresslng Expresstng ExpressJng Expresslng hope pleasure a liking, dislike and preference satisfaction, dissatisfaction and indifference surprise and regret disappointment horror and embarrassment belief disbelief certainty uncertainty Linguistic Skills - Moving from short to full utterances - Developing a choice of appropriate expressions - Developing the ability to express a wide range of feelings and to react appropriately in a variety of situations Structures and Grammar Use of exclamations, e.g. sans bla.que! quelle horreur! Use of main verb + infinit, verb + ~/de + infinitive, e.g. i'espère y aller; l'aime chanter; i e suis ravi de vous voir Use of subordinate clauses + indicative/subjunctive, e.g. 1'espère qu'il viendra; je ne crois pas qu'il soit malade. - 1 5 - 1.9 Ganerat Activity/Th em e: Managing a conversation Performance Targets: o Start ing a conversation o Asking for a repetition and/or clarification o Confirming that something has been understood o Expressing incomprehension o Ending a conversation Linguistic Skills - Developing sensitivity to use of register - Developing awareness of appropriateness of formulas to initiate and end conversations Structures and Grammar Appropriate use of formal and informa[ personal pronouns, adject ives and verb forms e.g. Vous auriez un moment, svp; Je vous dérange? Je dois filer. Allez, au revoir. - Developing use of question forms - Qual i fy ing degrees of comprehension Pourriez-vous répéter/expliquer, svp? Qualifying adverbs, e.g. je n'ai pas tout à fait compris - 1 6 - 1.10 General Act iv i ty/Theme: Engaging in discussion Performance Targets: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Expressing something as an op in ion Stat ing that something i s true or untrue Confirming that something is true or untrue Insisting that something is true or untrue Denying Contradict ing Taking sides in a discussion Negot iat ing a compromise Ordering points in a discussion Concluding a discussion Linguistic Skills - Mastery of structures expressing agreement, disagreement, conviction, doubt and justification - Using language nuances to express conciliation, scepticism - Summarising contents Structures and Grammar Use of subordinate clauses, e.g. le suis persuadé/ convaincu que .... ie maint iens .... parce que .... ie doute que + subjunctive e.g. il s e peut que + indicative/subjunctive i 'accepte ce que vous dites, ma is .... oui, ma is .... cependant .... toutefois tu crois? etc. Reported speech, e.g. il/elle a di t /est imé que .... - Using clauses of contrast e.g. par contre; d 'une part _. . d'autre part; d 'un côté .... de l 'autre 11.3 11.4 General Activity/Theme: Relating language to attitude Performance Targets: 0 O -19- Recognising the general "tone" (ironic, angry, flippant, etc.) of a spoken or written target language text on the basis of its lexis, grammar and intonation, and punctuation Identifying attitudes (e.g. critical, supportive, approving, disãpproving) on the basis of a speaker's or writer's use of language. General Activity/Theme: Talking and writing about your experience of the target language Performance Targets: o Discussing aspects of your experience of the target language, such as: how long you have been leaming it where you bave been learning it the advantages of learning it in terms of its use in Europe and in the world what you find easy and difficu•t about it what you like and dislike about the way you have been learning it o Describing and commenting on any ways in which you have ruade your own persona] contribution te the process of learning the target language o Describing any ways in which learning the target language bas affected your present ]ife (e.g. friendships, enjoyment of boeks, films, music, etc., attitude towards other culture) and/or future prospects (e.g. travel, career possibilities, further Janguage learning) 11.5 General Activity/Theme: Consulting reference materials (e.g. dictionaries and grammars) relating te the vocabulary and grammar of the target language Performance Targets: o Using vocabulary correctly and appropriate[y with the help of dictionaries. o Leaming te cope with simple grammatical terminology relating te the target ]anguage. o Using target •anguage forms correctly on the basis of explanations in grammars relating te the target language written in English or Irish or in the target language. l l l Cultural Awareness II1.1 111.2 General Activity/Theme: Learning in the target language about the present-day culture associated with the target language Performance Tarqets: o Understanding the main elements of target language material (notably newspaper and magazine articles, listaning material and literary texts) on contemporary aspects of target language community life such as the following: everyday activities (shopping, getting to work, eating and drinking, etc.) customs and traditions the arts and entertainment the range and role of the mass media General Activity/Theme: Reading modern literary texts (notably novels, short stories, poems and plays, or extracts from these) in the target language. Performance Targets: o Understanding the main elements of the surface meaning of a modern literary text in the target language o identifying meanings present but not overtly expressed in such a text o Appreciating the "tone" of such a text. -21 - 111.3 General Activity/Theme: Describing and discussing everyday life in the target language community Performance Targets: o Describing the simi[arities and contrasts between normal everyday life in Ireland and normal everyday life in one of the communities associated with the target language, with particular reference to, for example: where people live how people are educated what people work at how much people earn in various jobs how much holiday time people have and how they use it how people spend their leisure hours generally what transport facilities are available what kinds of amenities people expect to have provided in their cities, towns and villages what people eat and drink, where and at what times what kinds of shops are available what kinds of public services are available (e.g. schools, hospitals, swimming pools) what aspects of the natural environment are prominently referred to in conversation and/or involved in work and leisure activities Discussing the relative advantages and disadvantages of the Irish way of life and that of the target language community in respect of the above areas of experience Identifying differences between [rish and target language community behaviour in everyday circumstances with the potential to occasion misunderstanding, embarrassment or offence Critically examining national stereotypes 0 0 0 - 2 4 - 4. Differentiation will be effected by means of (a) Mark Allocation/Weighting of Skills In the ongoing language acquisition process, receptive skills (listening and reading) develop earlier and to a greater degree than do productive ski[Is (speaking and writing). In differentiating between Ordinary and Higher Level assessment, the receptive skills will, taken together at Ordinary Level, be accorded a greater emphasis in terres of total available marks than will the corresponding skills at Higher Level. As a result, more marks will be allocated to productive skills at Higher Level than at Ordinary LeveL Mark Allocation Hiqher Level Ordinary Level Speaking 25% Speaking 20% Listening Listening comprehension 20% comprehension 25% Reading Reading comprehension 30% comprehçnsion 40% Writing 25% Writing 15% (b) Assessment Criteria These will take account of: (i) ability to transfer meaning and (ii) degrees of accuracy and appropriateness of language, including the range of vocabulary and structures used. F o r m a t The examination will assess a candidate's ability to: (a ) (b) (c) (d) understand the spoken language understand the written language communicate in the spoken language communicate in the written language. - 25 - Within each of these Assessment Objectives the language and examination tasks will arise from the subject content. Oral Assessment The oral component of assessment will consist of (a) general conversation, based on the syllabus content; candidates may avail of the option of discussing a literary work or a project the candidate bas worked on and which is relevant to the syllabus content, and, on an optional basis: (b) a role-play situation. It is intended that a two-year experimental phase involving role-play be implemented in 1995 for assessment in 1997 and 1998. Schools may have the option of submitting ail their pupils taking Leaving Certificate French for oral assessment that includes a role- play component. It is intended that a large range of materials for (b) will be issued well in advance to schools to form the basis of these tests. Fifteen minutes will be allotted per candidate. Listening Comprehension Candidates will be required to listen to a tape recording and to answer questions in English or Irish on what they bave heard. They will be required to demonstrate anunderstanding of general information and specific details on a variety of aurai stimuli arising from the subject content of the syl[abus, including conversations overheard, public announcements, and extracts from radio and other sources. Reading Comprehension Candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of, and extract relevant specific information from. such texts as public signs, menus, timetables, broc hures, guides, letters, newspaper or magazine articles and works of literature. Material at the Higher Level will place greater demands on the candidetes. It will require the candidate to explore various levels of meaning within a text and demonstrate awareness of.some stylistic aspects of literary texts. Written Production The tasks set will primarily require the candidate to use the target language for purposes of communication such as expressing feelings and attitudes, giving and obtaining information, describing, relating, offering explanations, summarising, elaborating, etc.