Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

FR 255 is the first term of a three term sequence, which equals two full years of college French. It provides the same content as FR 101 and 102, but in a one term accelerated format. Communicative proficiency is the main objective of the sequence. The four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are developed with emphasis on active use of these skills. In addition, students will gain cultural awareness and appreciation.
FR 255 is offered for eight hours of transferable credit. It satisfies part of the foreign language requirement for the B.A. degree, counts as an elective for the A.A. degree, and contributes to the general education requirement for other Associate Degrees.
FR 255 is a course for beginners, so there are no prerequisites. However, prior experience with foreign language study is helpful. Students in developmental education classes or ENL should complete those courses before they enroll in FR 255. Students whose skill level in French is more advanced than that of FR 255 will not be admitted.

Students successfully completing FR 255:

1. Are able to handle successfully a limited number of interactive, task- oriented and social situations.
2. Can ask and answer questions, initiate and respond to simple statements and generally maintain face-to-face conversation.
3. Despite some inaccuracy, can perform such tasks as introducing self, ordering a meal, asking directions, and making purchases.
4. With repetitions, can generally be understood by sympathetic native speakers.

Students are expected to attend all classes, participate actively in classroom activities, and prepare oral and written homework assignments. Students will work with audio tapes in the media center or at home, and they may meet with the teacher in conferences. After the introduction to the course, French will be used in the classroom at all times. Students should plan to spend a minimum of one hour in preparation and practice outside of class for each class hour.

Students are assessed globally rather than from the point of view of the presence or absence of a given linguistic feature. Students will be assessed through a daily evaluation of their individual progress and improving competence in using the language as demonstrated by the quality of oral and written preparation and participation and daily oral and written assignments. Though tests are not used as an assessment tool, attendance is an important factor.

The course focuses on the acquisition and correct use of pronunciation and intonation, grammatical structures, functional vocabulary, and cultural concepts for the purpose of successful communication in French. Successful students have reviewed, expanded, and perfected previously learned material, have practiced, and will be able to use the following communication topics and structures:
 

1. Communication topics
   1. Greetings and health
   2. Age and nationality
   3. Physical and personality characteristics
   4. Family
   5. Date, time, weather
   6. Personal interests and activities
   7. Social encounters, expressions of politeness
   8. Directions, location
   9. Invitations, arranging meetings
   10. Vacation activities
   11. Occupations
2. Structures
   1. The sound system of French
   2. Regular and some irregular verbs in present, imperative, immediate
   3. future, durative present, and imperfect tenses and with venir de;
   4. simple infinitive constructions
   5. Interrogative and negative sentence patterns
   6. and structures
   7. Numbers and simple adverbs; expressions of time
   8. Definite, indefinite, and partitive articles
   9. Descriptive, possessive, demonstrative, and interrogative adjectives
   10. Subject and stressed pronouns
   11. Direct and indirect object, reflexive, interrogative, and
   12. demonstrative pronouns, y and en
   13. Comparisons