1. French Language and Culture
Understanding the Interpretive Mode
Presented by
Ed Weiss

5. Key Revisions to the AP® Exam
Students will work with a greater variety of authentic materials, both print
and audio, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the French-
speaking world.
 Literary and journalistic texts but also announcements, advertisements,
letters, maps, tables, etc.
 Scripted dialogues but also radio interviews, podcasts, public service
announcements, brief presentations, etc.
 Criteria for selection are comprehensibility (accent, pace, minimal
background noise/overlap) and relevance to a course theme and to a topic
that could interest students.
 Materials will be reasonably chosen, but will also reflect a range of cultural
perspectives and linguistic features.
It is extremely important that the day of the AP Exam not be the first time that
students encounter print or audio texts that represent the French-speaking world
outside of France.
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6. Guidelines for Selecting Resources
• Interest
• Appropriate
linguistic level
• Authenticity
• Age level
appropriate
• Connect to AP
theme
• Able to differentiate?
• Integration of other
modes
• Integration of culture
• Variety
• Technology
• Involving students in
process
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7. Key Revisions to the AP Exam
New types of Multiple Choice items
 For texts that are interpersonal in nature (letters, interviews,
promotional pieces): What would an appropriate reply to X be?How
does what X says/writes relate to what something Y has said/written?
(agreement, contradiction, support, elaboration)
 For texts that are presentational in nature (brief lectures or
presentations, print narratives): How does the speaker/author organize
the text? What would be an appropriate summary statement of the
text?
 For combined sets: How does information in the print text relate to
information in the audio text? (general/specific, point/counterpoint)

8. Multiple-Choice Questions
Interpretive Communication
• Mix of factual and interpretive questions
• Vocabulary in context
• Purpose of the text, point of view of speaker/writer
• Audience of the text
• Inferences and conclusions
• Questions of a “cultural” or “interdisciplinary” nature that
ask students to show understanding of information in the
print or audio resources

9. Exam Format – Multiple Choice

10. Timing
• Print texts- 40 minutes to read 4 selections
and answer 30 questions
• Print & Audio – first set
– 4 minutes to read print text
– 2 minutes to read intro / scan questions
– Listen to audio
– I minutes to start answers
– Listen again – then 15 seconds x # of questions

11. Timing
• Print & Audio – second set
– 1 minute to look at chart
– 1 minute to read intro to audio / scan questions
– Listen to audio
– 1 minute to start questions
– Listen again
– Answer questions – 15 seconds x # of questions

12. Timing
• Audio
– 1 minute to read intro / scan questions
– Listen
– 1 minute to start questions
– Listen again
– Answer questions – 15 seconds x # of questions

13. AP® World Language and Culture
Courses
Achievement Level Descriptions
•Represent a student’s progression along the second
language learning trajectory
•Provide explicit descriptions of student performance at
5, 4, 3 and 2
•Will allow for more detailed and meaningful reporting of
student performance
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14. AP® World Language and Culture
Courses
Achievement Level Descriptions:
Spoken
Interpersonal
Communication
• Interaction
• Strategies
• Opinions
• Language structures
• Vocabulary
• Register
• Pronunciation
• Cultures, connections
and comparisons
Written
Presentational
Communication
 Discourse and
development
 Strategies
 Language structures
 Writing conventions
 Register
 Cultures, connections
and comparisons
Audio, Visual,
Audiovisual & Print
Interpretive
Communication
 Comprehension of
content
 Critical viewing,
listening & reading
 Vocabulary
 Cultures, connections
and comparisons
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17. Timing of Multiple-Choice Questions
with Audio
1. Preview time (generally, 1 min.) to read the
advance organizer and skim the questions
2. Audio – first playing
3. Students get 1 minute to start answering
questions
4. Audio – second playing
5. Students get 15 sec. x number of questions to
finish answering questions

19. Putting it Together
• Activity 1
• Students watch a video report about
violations of food safety standards; then
they role-play a press conference given by
those alleged to be responsible. (Theme:
Global Challenges)
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20. Putting it Together
• Activity 2
• Students describe and then compare
several individuals profiled on a mock
Facebook page. (Theme: Personal and
Public Identities)
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21. Putting it Together
• Activity 3
• Students listen to a news report about
public education policies in another
country and respond to true/false
questions, providing information from the
report to support their answers.
(Theme: Contemporary Life)
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23. Victor Hugo- La Peine de Mort

24. Reading / Listening site
• http://www.lafrancebis.com

27. Skill Building in Context: Reading
• It is very important that you
learn about traxoline.
Traxoline is a new form of
zionter. It is montilled in
Ceristanna. The
Ceristanniansgristerlate large
amounts of fevon and then
bracter it to qualseltraxoline.
Traxoline may well be one of
our most lukizedsnezlaus in the
future because of our
zionterlescelidge.
1. What is traxoline? Where
is traxolinemontilled?
2. How is traxolinequaselled?
3. Why is it important to
know about traxoline?
4. How might an advanced
organizer have assisted
your understanding?
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28. Using Technology: VoiceThread
•
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29. Declaration “Wordle”
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30. Ed’s Website
• Google “Ed Weiss Haverford”