College in the Schools - Course Offerings

Intermediate French (Fren 1003, 1004)

FAQs about CIS Program
FAQs about CIS French
Sample Syllabus and Other Syllabus Resources

Sample Syllabus for CIS French
Sample Syllabus #2 for CIS French
Sample Syllabus #3 for CIS French
U of M Syllabus Resources and Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all of the readings specified or mandated by the University of Minnesota?  If not, what are some of the choices?

For each course, readings are offered in our textbook and in an additional full-length reading outside of the textbook.  The usual reading in FR 1003 is Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince and in French 1004 Dumas’s Les Trois Mousquetaires.  Alternatively in 1003 (or 1004), teachers may choose to do Les Misérables, listening to the soundtrack and reading the libretto, in a special annotated pedagogical edition prepared by Rick Treece of the CLA Language Center.  Two recently added alternatives for 1004 are a set of excerpts from Zobel’s La Rue Cases-Nègres and a set of excerpts from Truffaut’s L’Argent de Poche: ciné roman.  Students also view the films for both of these readings.

Do teachers have choice in assignments?  Are there required assignments? 

CIS teachers work from a common syllabus developed by the second-year language coordinator.  Therefore all assignments should be the same for CIS teachers as for instructors at the University.  However, we have approved modified versions of the University of Minnesota syllabus.  For example, some high-school teachers have a longer term than the one at the University, and so some start courses at a slower pace.  All CIS teachers work with the following types of assignments: Grammar exercises from the textbook and the workbook; reading comprehension questions (textbook reading and additional reading); compositions (two drafts each); preparation for oral exams (inside and outside of class).

Be aware that additional classroom activities at the University include listening to CDs, watching videos and films, and working in computer labs (internet activities, CD-ROM activities, and activities set up by Language Center).  These activities are optional for CIS French teachers and vary among the teachers.  The 1003 syllabus is from the fall of 2000, with Le Petit Prince as the reading.  There are four compositions per term, seven written exams (five“quizzes”, a mid-term, and a final), and three oral exams.  Do note that all the rules for the course should be in English on the syllabus.

Who creates the exams?

Teachers are provided with a complete set of exams.  These were originally created by the on-campus program coordinator a few years ago, but they have undergone extensive revision by the CIS French teachers in recent years.  We ask our CIS teachers to use the recently revised exams as is, unless the reading questions do not apply to the outside reading they have chosen for the term.  All exams have the same five components: listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension questions (either from the outside reading or a new reading, as practice for the reading portion of the LPE), and composition.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) is optional for French 1004 students at the University and for CIS high-school students as well.  Students who opt to take the LPE may do so at the University.  You will receive an instruction sheet from the Language Testing Office which explains how students register for the LPE in the spring.  Test dates are also indicated.  (See the CIS French website for a sample LPE information sheet.)  Even if students are not coming to the U, passing the LPE can be a satisfying experience.  Students who pass receive a letter indicating the ACTFL Proficiency levels targeted by the tests for each skill.  Their LPE result is posted to their transcript.

Is there a mentoring system for new CIS French teachers?

Both the faculty coordinator and assistant serve as mentors for the CIS French teachers.  We have also established a List-serve to help all French teachers mentor each other. In 2006, we set up a CIS French website for sharing materials for Fren 1003 and Fren 1004.  Finally, teachers benefit from New Teacher workshops, which focus on both course content and University processes.

What happens at typical teacher workshops?

CIS teachers attend professional development workshops each term to stay current with U of M curriculum and the CIS program, to learn about innovative research, to network, and to share materials.  Workshops serve as faculty meetings with course and program development discussions with special attention dedicated to content, pedagogy, and assessment of the college courses.

What happens at typical student field days?

Student field days provide an opportunity for CIS students to meet their peers, practice skills they have learned in class, and explore the Twin Cities campus.  The following is a typical French field day agenda:

Lecture and Q&A with Nelly Trocmé Hewett who speaks in French concerning her childhood spent as the daughter of a Protestant pastor in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France.  Nelly’s father, André, contributed to the rescue of many Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.  Classes view a video on this topic before the Field Day.

Coffee and croissant break with instructors and students from the University (includes a question game in French—students select a question in French to ask University person. Also: participation in game rewarded with U of M memento folder and pencil)

Class visits (beginning, intermediate, and advanced French courses)

Visit an exhibit at the Weisman Art Museum (students responsible for completing worksheet on exhibit).  Sample exhibit:  “Alfred Maurer: The First American Modern.”

Note:  Other activities during Field Days have included:  Campus-wide scavenger hunts in French, Francophone panels (with U of M graduate students in French), and an African music presentation (with student participation).

What other recommendations or comments can you offer to prospective CIS French teachers?

An important selling point for CIS French is the fact that high-school students can immediately begin advanced coursework in French when they begin their college careers.  Taking the LPE is an added bonus on a student’s transcript, and a good indicator of a student’s future success in upper-division French courses (whether at the U or elsewhere).  Obviously it is a very special experience to take a 3000-level course as a freshman, especially since 3000-level courses are often quite small.

To get a minor in French at the U, a student only needs FIVE MORE COURSES IN FRENCH AFTER FR 1004

To get a major in French at the U, a student only needs 11 MORE COURSES IN FRENCH AFTER FR 1004

In addition to activities focused directly on the CIS course, teacher workshops regularly include presentations intended to further the teachers’ own learning and professional development.  These are offered by the program faculty or guest speakers and may relate to French language, Francophone cultures, or second language acquisition and pedagogy.  Past topics include the teaching of French pronunciation, Québécois French and the status of French in Canada, using the Web as a linguistic reference, and the situation of North African immigrants in France.

(Return to top of page)