Junior Cycle French
French is a core subject at Junior Cycle in St Mary’s Secondary School, all students study French from 1st to 4th Year. The French Department encourages every student to reach their potential in the study of French. At Junior Cycle, French is a common-level subject, meaning all students follow the same course content, however we use differentiation in class and homework to allow for students’ varied learning abilities and needs.
The aim of Junior Cycle French is to provide students with the skills to have basic conversations in French and to understand conversations, texts and situations relevant to their age and level of study.
French CBA 1:
Towards the end of 2nd Year, students prepare an oral presentation to demonstrate their oral communication skills. Students have the option of preparing a Poster, PowerPoint, Interview or Role-play on a topic of their choice. Over the course of three weeks, the teacher facilitates the preparation and delivery of the project. Students are awarded one of four Descriptors: Exceptional, Above Expectations, In Line with Expectations or Yet to Meet Expectations, which will appear on their Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement.
French CBA 2:
From 1st to 3rd Year, students compile a Language Portfolio, where they keep a record of projects and work that they have done. The Portfolio is a combination of paper-based work and digital work. Examples of paper-based portfolio tasks include posters, letters, worksheets, creative work. Examples of digital portfolio tasks include PowerPoints, Videos, Voice recordings and Animations.
Assessment Task:
Students complete a written Assessment Task to be submitted for marking as part of the state-certified examination for French. The Assessment task is allocated 10% of the marks used to determine the grade awarded by the State Examinations Commission. The Assessment Task is directly related to the Student Language Portfolio. Students reflect on and evaluate their experience of compiling their Language Portfolio, including a reflection on their understanding of a cultural aspect of France/Francophone countries.
Junior Cycle French exam:
The final State Exam that takes place in June of 3rd Year contains three elements:
Listening Comprehensions
Reading Comprehensions
Written tasks (an application form and an email or blog post)