Junior School Studies Guide - Aiglon College

FrenchWhy French?We live in a French-speaking area of Switzerland, and an increasing number of native speakers is joiningthe Junior School via the Prep Forms. In addition, French is the major foreign language taught in theschools to which our pupils are likely to go if they leave Aiglon.How is French taught at Aiglon?In order to provide as many different levels as possible, the 1st and 2nd Forms are combined for Frenchlessons. This allows us to offer four sets, organised as follows:Set four is for beginners with no previous experience of French. Pupils start on the Expo course, learning totalk about themselves, their school, their family, where they live, etc. Reading and writing skills are alsopractised, and the course is frequently supplemented and enlivened with games and songs.Intermediate pupils are placed in sets two and three, where they continue to build on the work covered inthe first year, expanding the range of topics and vocabulary. Writing skills become progressively moreimportant in these classes.Set one is for native and near-native speakers of the language, who have well-developed comprehension andoral skills, but frequently weaker writing skills. The emphasis in this set is on developing written accuracy,while fostering an interest in reading, both as a group and individually, and at the same time systematicallyrevising the basic grammar and spelling rules. Since more pupils have been joining Aiglon from the PrepForms, this top set has become more homogeneous, including only the strongest pupils.Movement between the sets is possible to cater for the fact that pupils progress at different rates. Inparticular, a slower pupil, or one who has missed a lot of work, might move to a lower set in order to regainconfidence.Who takes French?All Junior School pupils take French, unless they are required to follow an intensive English programme (ESL)to enable them to follow the main school curriculum.SyllabusEmphasis in the early stages is on oral and comprehension skills, and this shifts progressively to writing andreading skills. Pupils learn vocabulary and structures which enable them to talk about everyday life (home,family, school, travel, etc.). In addition, pupils in set one are encouraged to read as much as possible andwriting skills are emphasised.All groups are able to use online exercises and a number of language-specific programmes are available on theschool intranet. These can all be adapted to match the student’s level, as well as to reflect the content of theircourse.Aiglon Junior School Studies Guide 2013-14 17