Mme BillieJean Kelsey

Bonjour!  I am the French teacher for all four levels offered at Ranchview.  This year, 2009-2010, is my fifth year as a part of the faculty.  I hold a bachelor's and a master's degree in French and I lived and taught English in France for 8 months in 2002-2003.  I have taken courses in other languages as well, Italian, Spanish and Latin.  I enjoy discovering and understanding new cultures and sharing what I know with other people.  For example, did you know that 30% of the English language comes from French?  That means that one out of every three (1/3) words you speak is from French!  (Click for a short list)

Where the side menu buttons take you: The "home" button returns you to this page.  The "syllabus" button brings you to the page containing all the information about the course, i.e. test formats, test dates, classroom procedures, lesson format and lesson progression.  The "assignment" button takes you to the page where assignments will be listed and their due dates posted.  The "resources" button is where you will find invaluable tools that you can use to excel, i.e. links for the text book, my college website (contains links to music and movie sites, as well as French landmark sites), some grammar notes, an online dictionary and an online verb conjugator.

My Contact Information

Email: kelseyb@cfbisd.edu
Phone: 972-968-5110

My Schedule

Course Descriptions

All of the French levels aim to broaden the student's world view.  We work to gain an understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures, hopefully leading to an acceptance of these differences. Through French class, we will develop study skills, analytical skills, inference skills and observation skills. We will reinforce previous lessons from other classes, including history and literature and its techniques, simplistic math and some biology.  All this will be done through reading authentic texts, watching and listening to authentic media, writing authentic texts and having authentic conversations.

French 1 lays the foundation for grammar and vocabulary.  We review concepts such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives.  The major verb tenses learned are the present tense, the near future and the composed past tense.

French 2 reviews the previously taught tenses, stressing the composed past tense.  It adds more details to the previously taught nouns and adjectives, including direct and indirect object pronouns.  Near mid-year, we then add the imperfect tense, another type of past tense.

French 3 reviews the previously taught tenses, stressing the differences between the 2 past tenses (the composed past tense and the imperfect).  Then we add the subjunctive, the conditional and the future tenses.  Nouns, pronouns and adjectives are continuously reinforced.

French 4 reviews everything through communication.  By this point, you know most of the grammar.  Woohoo!  Now it is time to use it to its fullest extent!  In the previous years, we will have started reading, writing, speaking and listening in French.  This year, that is all we will do!  Of course, we will review grammar topics along the way, but they are not going to be the focus anymore.

Prerequisites

In order to start your exploration of many cultures, you need only to have an interest in broadening your world view!

In order to continue to French II, you must pass French I with a 70 and get the teacher's approval (a signature).

In order to continue to French III, you must pass French II with a 70 and get the teacher's approval (a signature).

In order to continue to French IV, you must pass French III with a 70 and get the teacher's approval (a signature).

How to Get Started

Use this site to help you stay on top of what is going on in the semester (Syllabus), when the tests are (Syllabus), where you can go to find out what the assignment is and when it is due (Assignments) and for help with assignments (Resources). 

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Click on the photo to see this château's website!!