AP French Packet

Dear rising AP French Language and Culture student –
Take a little time to unwind before digging into your
summer assignment. It has several different parts and I
would suggest you do it in increments (in any order you
like) over a period of time, rather than trying to crank it
out the night before school starts (which would be almost
impossible to accomplish).
I’ve tried to give you a variety of ways to improve your
French. If some feel a bit goofy or odd, just bear with me – trust me. I’ve had lots of input
from veteran AP students to help me form this assignment. You need to sharpen LOTS of
skills between now and the AP test in May and that is why you are starting this summer.
Check off each item as you complete it and keep everything together. You’ll need to turn this
checklist and all the required assignments together ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. Completion
of these tasks will count as a sizable formative grade.
A note about using internet sites: If the site doesn’t work, make sure you are using it with Internet
Explorer or Google Chrome, not Mozilla or Opera. Not all sites function with those browsers. Also,
for the sections where YOU need to write in YOUR OWN WORDS, do NOT NOT NOT use an online
translator. I want to see how YOU write, not what a machine thinks you should write. I will not give
credit for sections you do not write on your own. And yes, I can tell.
Note écolo: Soyons verts! Whatever I ask you to print out, you can reduce its size, put multiple
items on a page, use the backs of old papers…Il faut que nous protégions notre planète! 
These activities will give us a good jump on success, plus I hope you’ll find some of them
even…fun! I’m proud of you for choosing AP French and truly looking forward to teaching you.
Bonne chance; amusez-vous bien cet été…et…vive la francophonie !
Croyez à toute ma considération –
Mme Peroutseas
What’s the test like? Go to the site
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_frenchlang.html?frenchlang
Please list the 6 themes to be studied (English is ok; French is preferred!); put a
STAR next to the one that seems most interesting. Now, read a bit about the exam:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/french_lang/exam.html?frenchlang
Use the chart at the bottom of that page to rate the 7 types of tasks, marking the
one you think will be easiest for you with a “1” and the hardest with “7”. You can
either print out the chart and mark it or copy it on your paper. Bookmark this site - it
will be helpful throughout the year.
Get a general idea of your proficiency level in French by doing this assessment http://www.transparent.com/learn-french/proficiency-test.html . At the end, copy
and paste your results AND the questions/answers/feedback into a Word document
and print it out. Shrink it to use less paper! Some questions are pretty picky; don’t be
discouraged if you have some errors. We can go over them. 
Review the basic verb tenses below and make a 3” x 5” index card for each one with a
brief explanation about formation, use, along with a sample sentence. Use a textbook,
an online grammar source (a superb source is the grammar section of this site:
http://www.lepointdufle.net/ or good ol’ Tex: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/home Tex’s French Grammar), the library – but DO NOT rely on your memory to complete
these; your goal is review and accuracy, not just completion in any old way. (le présent,
le passé composé, l’imparfait, le passé récent, le plus-que-parfait, le futur simple, le
conditionnel, le subjonctif)
The new French Language and Culture exam focuses on many cultural facets of “la
Francophonie,” not just France. Choose an article from this site
http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/pages/001/page_35.asp that is about a French-speaking
country OUTSIDE OF EUROPE. Most have some listening segments as well. Write
down the category (portraits, initiatives, etc.) and the article you chose. In French,
explain 5 things that you learned by reading/listening to this article.
You need to listen to some French – go to this site
http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/statiques/accueil_apprendre.asp and find the section LE FAIT
DU JOUR. Click on the date of the article to see the video, and then do its exercises.
Correct with the key provided and print out your page(s) of responses. Please write
the date and the title of the article you heard since these change constantly.
Culture: (Choose one of these 2 options)
Go for a cinematic experience: Check out a French language film DVD (NOT an
American film with a French sound track; it should be rated appropriately, of
course) and watch the French version (with English subtitles if you absolutely must…).
Write a short critique (6-8 sentences, tops) where you briefly summarize the plot
(“l’intrigue”) in your own words and give your personal opinion of the film. This should
NOT be a film you’ve seen before. OR
Go for a http://platea.pntic.mec.es/~cvera/hotpot/chansons/index.htm and from the
Choisissez une chanson menu, choose NIVEAU AVANCÉ. Choose three songs, listen to
them, do their activities and print them out, then give a short description and your
personal opinion of each in French (along with the title and artist).
We’ll be addressing your speaking and writing skills early on and to prepare, you need
to be able to use a variety of transition terms. Cut out and post the strips below
(around your room and/or your house …on the bathroom mirror, fridge, closet door –
but not on a pet) and try to create an original sentence in French with at least one
each day for 2 weeks. When school starts, collect the cards and have a parent sign
the last card stating that you completed this task. There will be a quiz soon after
school starts.
If you have difficulty or questions, you may email me ([email protected] )
over the summer. I’ll be on vacation a bit, but will respond as quickly as possible.
Pour contraster:
malgré (+ nom)
in spite of
Malgré mes bonnes notes, MIT m’a rejeté.
Pour contraster:
en revanche
on the other hand
Je connais tous mes amis; en revanche, j’en ai que 2…
Pour contraster:
néanmoins
nevertheless
Marc vient d’une famille nombreuse ; néanmoins, tous ses frères et sœurs sont allés à l’université.
Pour contraster:
tandis que
whereas
Je suis carnivore tandis que mon frère est végétarien.
Pour élaborer:
forcément
as an obvious consequence Tu as raté tous tes interros cette semaine ! Forcément,
tu ne sortiras pas ce weekend ! Il faut que tu étudies !
Pour élaborer:
par exemple
for example
Vous verrez plusieurs monuments à Paris, par exemple l’Arc de Triomphe, la Tour Eiffel, Sacré Cœur …
Pour élaborer:
en plus/en outre
what’s more
Louis parle français et espagnol ; en plus (en outre), il parle arabe. Il est polyglotte !
Pour démontrer cause/effet:
car/parce que
because
Je pourrai voyager partout dans le monde parce que/car je sais parler français. (car/parce que +
sujet/verbe)
Pour démontrer cause/effet:
à cause de
because of
À cause de ses allergies, Guillaume n’a pas d’animaux domestiques. (Note : à cause de + nom indique
un rapport négatif)
Pour démontrer cause/effet:
grâce à
thanks to/because of
Nous comprenons l’homme chinois grâce aux efforts de l’interprète. (Note : grâce à + nom indique un
rapport POSITIF)
Témoinage d’un parent/gardien:
My son/daughter_____________________ (name) did post these transition terms in our home and
used one a day in an original sentence.
x________________________________________________