Our Amis pour la vie Program
French courses
Our Amis pour la vie program will cover 24 modules, from Beginning to Advanced French. As of Spring 2021, the program offers 8 modules for Beginning French. Intermediate French I will be available by Fall 2021 and Intermediate French II by Spring 2022.
Thanks to its modular nature, Amis pour la vie allows instructors to design their courses according to the specific content they want to cover in their classes. Instructors may choose among the offered modules to create a course and arrange the materials in the preferred sequence, so the course is completley adapted to the pace of the students.
The sequence of modules helps students transition from one term to the other in a seamless progression. Each Module of Amis pour la vie contains 3 sections: “Des Mots”, “Des Structures” and “C´est la vie!!”.
About our courses
Tried, Tested and Approved
Our Courses Are Canvas-Native
Our Courses Are 100% Universally Accessible
Our Courses Allow for Total Personalization
VoiceThread Included
High Standards
Constantly Updated and Improved
Meaningful Feedback to Students
Assessment, SLOs and Rubrics
We have purposely avoided calling this section vocabulary, though it deals with words.
In every traditional textbook, the vocabulary section includes a list of words to be memorized, “learned” that students are responsible for memorizing. In Amis pour la vie, words are not to be memorized but used, applied and played with.
As students work with Des Mots, they are in familiar territory. According to language experts, French and English share 60% of their vocabulary, with minor spelling variations in many cases. When the vocabulary is related to the sciences, the commonality rises to 90%!
Each Des Mots section includes from 10 to 13 tables or lists of words, totaling around 400 per module. Their relevance and reason for selection is related to their use in our C´est la vie! section.
Students are asked to simultaneously read and listen to the words as they are pronounced by modeling voices, paying attention to their pronunciation and their meaning in English. Students are later asked to record after the modeling. The drill of recording their voices as they pronounce hundreds of relevant French words, will also foment students’ oral production in a non-threatening context.
Formative assessment related to words will go from basic identifications in beginning Module, to more complex applications in future courses.
Individual, paired, group and full class activities and discussions enable further practice. Students are asked to participate in engaging exercises of identification, matching, definitions and more. Activities are visually engaging and communicative.
In conclusion, the Des Mots section of this class is the student’s sandbox for playing with French words and preparing for extended grammar practice in Des Structures, and an amazing linguistic and cultural immersion in C´est la vie!
The Amis pour la vie program supports a rich, visual and engaging approach to teaching grammar and learning.
The first activity of this section sets the stage for the learning objectives in this module. Students are asked to complete an introductory activity that uses visuals with no previous knowledge of the topic.
The subsection Remarquez…. is a general introduction to the grammatical topic presented
À noter… offers a more detailed presentation that helps introduce nuances around the main structural topic. There are many examples of translations and practical communicative applications of the topics at hand.
Each Quick quiz starts with a series of comprehension-checks, to ensure that students were able to follow the presentation. Terminology related to the topic is reviewed, and ample practice follows.
The Amis pour la vie C´est la vie! section is dedicated to each and every Spanish-speaking country, including the United States.
Naming this section C´est la vie! (vs. culture) reflects our intention to introduce students to the many aspects of life in our countries.
- Voici… is a visual introduction to the country in focus. Data related to population, political geography, flag, currency… among others. A simple True/False activity ensures critical thinking and comprehension.
- Tout sur… takes a glance at the history, geography, life and other relevant aspects of life in the target country, from past to present.
- Fait dans… highlights the creation, the arts and crafts and others that are at the base of the ingenuity of the people of the target country.
- Notre langue is a visual reflection on how our language works and how it can be used in practical-communicative situations, following the premise that visual comprehension precedes oral production.
- The Nous sommes comme ça… readings introduce students to the character and characteristics of the people of each target country.
- The Pour communiquer section focuses on functional uses of French.
- Si vous voyagez… is a virtual invitation to explore the most beautiful areas of the target countries. Si viajas a… represents an opportunity to familiarize students with the geography, the history, artistic manifestations, among others, of our beautiful Spanish-speaking countries.
- Apprendre… en enseignant is a section inviting students to share what they have acquired working with their preferred section of each module. The activity should be submitted via Discussions in Canvas or presented in class, after students have transformed their presentation in a short but meaningful vlog.
- Culture et historie… highlights the different cultural values of the target country: Art, food, music…
- Notre musique… is an opportunity to learn and enjoy the musical highlights of target countries.
- …remarquables is dedicated to highlight the contributions of some exemplary people, both men and women, from the target country, in areas such as the arts, sciences, humanitarian work…
Our Amis pour la vie Program
French courses
Our Amis pour la vie program will cover 24 modules, from Beginning to Advanced French. As of Spring 2021, the program offers 8 modules for Beginning French. Intermediate French I will be available by Fall 2021 and Intermediate French II by Spring 2022.
Thanks to its modular nature, Amis pour la vie allows instructors to design their courses according to the specific content they want to cover in their classes. Instructors may choose among the offered modules to create a course and arrange the materials in the preferred sequence, so the course is completley adapted to the pace of the students.
The sequence of modules helps students transition from one term to the other in a seamless progression. Each Module of Amis pour la vie contains 3 sections: “Des Mots”, “Des Structures” and “C´est la vie!!”.
About our courses
Tried, Tested and Approved
Our Courses Are Canvas-Native
Our Courses Are 100% Universally Accessible
Our Courses Allow for Total Personalization
VoiceThread Included
High Standards
Constantly Updated and Improved
Meaningful Feedback to Students
Assessment, SLOs and Rubrics
We have purposely avoided calling this section vocabulary, though it deals with words.
In every traditional textbook, the vocabulary section includes a list of words to be memorized, “learned” that students are responsible for memorizing. In Amis pour la vie, words are not to be memorized but used, applied and played with.
As students work with Des Mots, they are in familiar territory. According to language experts, French and English share 60% of their vocabulary, with minor spelling variations in many cases. When the vocabulary is related to the sciences, the commonality rises to 90%!
Each Des Mots section includes from 10 to 13 tables or lists of words, totaling around 400 per module. Their relevance and reason for selection is related to their use in our C´est la vie! section.
Students are asked to simultaneously read and listen to the words as they are pronounced by modeling voices, paying attention to their pronunciation and their meaning in English. Students are later asked to record after the modeling. The drill of recording their voices as they pronounce hundreds of relevant French words, will also foment students’ oral production in a non-threatening context.
Formative assessment related to words will go from basic identifications in beginning Module, to more complex applications in future courses.
Individual, paired, group and full class activities and discussions enable further practice. Students are asked to participate in engaging exercises of identification, matching, definitions and more. Activities are visually engaging and communicative.
In conclusion, the Des Mots section of this class is the student’s sandbox for playing with French words and preparing for extended grammar practice in Des Structures, and an amazing linguistic and cultural immersion in C´est la vie!
The Amis pour la vie program supports a rich, visual and engaging approach to teaching grammar and learning.
The first activity of this section sets the stage for the learning objectives in this module. Students are asked to complete an introductory activity that uses visuals with no previous knowledge of the topic.
The subsection Remarquez…. is a general introduction to the grammatical topic presented
À noter… offers a more detailed presentation that helps introduce nuances around the main structural topic. There are many examples of translations and practical communicative applications of the topics at hand.
Each Quick quiz starts with a series of comprehension-checks, to ensure that students were able to follow the presentation. Terminology related to the topic is reviewed, and ample practice follows.
The Amis pour la vie C´est la vie! section is dedicated to each and every French-speaking country.
Naming this section C´est la vie! (vs. culture) reflects our intention to introduce students to the many aspects of life in our countries.
- Voici… is a visual introduction to the country in focus. Data related to population, political geography, flag, currency… among others. A simple True/False activity ensures critical thinking and comprehension.
- Tout sur… takes a glance at the history, geography, life and other relevant aspects of life in the target country, from past to present.
- Fait dans… highlights the creation, the arts and crafts and others that are at the base of the ingenuity of the people of the target country.
- Notre langue is a visual reflection on how our language works and how it can be used in practical-communicative situations, following the premise that visual comprehension precedes oral production.
- The Nous sommes comme ça… readings introduce students to the character and characteristics of the people of each target country.
- The Pour communiquer section focuses on functional uses of French.
- Si vous voyagez… is a virtual invitation to explore the most beautiful areas of the target countries. Si viajas a… represents an opportunity to familiarize students with the geography, the history, artistic manifestations, among others, of our beautiful Spanish-speaking countries.
- Apprendre… en enseignant is a section inviting students to share what they have acquired working with their preferred section of each module. The activity should be submitted via Discussions in Canvas or presented in class, after students have transformed their presentation in a short but meaningful vlog.
- Culture et historie… highlights the different cultural values of the target country: Art, food, music…
- Notre musique… is an opportunity to learn and enjoy the musical highlights of target countries.
- …remarquables is dedicated to highlight the contributions of some exemplary people, both men and women, from the target country, in areas such as the arts, sciences, humanitarian work…
Our French as second language courses
Module 1 is dedicated to French as a global language. This module covers its initial development, evolution, history, and different adaptations throughout the world. Basic concepts such as the French alphabet, cognates and numbers are introduced.
Des Mots
| Formules de politesse | Courtesy formulas |
| Salutations | Greetings |
| Les gens | People |
| Jours, mois années… | Talking About Days, Months, Years… |
| Nombres cardinaux | Cardinal Numbers |
| Nombres ordinaux et adjectifs | Ordinal Numbers |
| Le cours de français | The French Class |
| Admirer et décrire de très beaux endroits | Admiring Natural Beauty |
| Voyages | Traveling |
| Endroits et éléments | Talking About Places and Elements |
| Nourriture | About Food |
| Au sujet de la culture | About Culture |
| Mots-outils | Useful Words |
Des Structures
| L’alphabet français | The French Alphabet |
| Los números | Numbers |
| Caracteres especiales | Special Characters |
| Días y festividades | Days and Festivities |
| Fórmulas de cortesía | Courtesy Formulas |
| Cognados y cognados falsos | Cognates and False Cognates |
C´est la vie!
| Voici… Le français dans le monde | This is French in the World |
| L’histoire de la langue française | All About the History of Spanish Language |
| Le Français dans le monde | Made in the World |
| Notre langue. Pour apprendre le Français | Our Language: Speaking in Your French Class |
| Pour communiquer avec les autres | To Communicate with Others |
| Voyager… visiter des endroits magnifiques en pays francophones | If You Travel to the Wonders of the French-Speaking Countries |
| Apprendre… en enseignant | Learning by Teaching |
| Richesse de la culture française | The Rich French Culture |
| Notre Musique. La musique française dans le monde | Our Music. French Music Around the World |
| Des Français célèbres | Exemplary French-Speaking Figures |
Module 2 is dedicated to our people from the United States, and looks at their heritage and essential contributions to the diversely rich United States.
Des Mots
| Adverbes interrogatifs | Interrogative words |
| Quand on parle de la langue | Talking About Grammar and Language |
| Des fêtes francophones en Amérique du Nord | Culture of Hispanics in the United States |
| De différents pays | People from Different Countries |
| Comida y bebidas hispanas | Hispanic Food and Drinks |
| Les liens de parenté | Family relationship |
| Adjectifs | Adjectives |
| Aliments et boissons | Foods and drinks |
| Les arts | Arts |
| D’autres mots utiles | Other Words and Useful Expressions |
Des Structures
| Pronombres personales | Personal Pronouns |
| Artículos definidos e indefinidos | Definite and Indefinite Articles |
| Género y número de sustantivos | Gender and Number of Nouns |
| Adjetivos | Adjectives |
| El verbo hay | The verb hay |
| El verbo ser | The verb ser |
C´est la vie!
| Voici… Le Québec / Le Louisiane | This is Le Québec / Le Louisiane |
| Tout sur… les francophone d’Amérique du Nord | All About French-Speakers in the United States |
| Fait en Amérique Du Nord | Made in the the United States |
| Notre Langue: Chercher un(e) professeur(e) de français par Skype. | Our Language: Searching for a French Teacher in Skype |
| Nous sommes ainsi … les francophones d’Amérique du Nord | This is us: French speakers in the United States |
| Pour communiquer. Notre identité | To Communicate. Our identity. |
| Si vous voyagez… en Louisiane | If You Travel to Louisiane |
| Apprendre… en enseignant | Learning by Teaching |
| La résiliente culture francophone | The Rich French-Speaking Culture |
| Notre Musique. En Amérique du Nord… | Our Music in the United States |
| Francophones importants pour l’histoire du Québec et de la Louisiane dans | Important French Speaking Figures for the History of Québec and Louisiane |
Module 3 is dedicated to the amazing Les Antilles and its people. Students are introduced to many activities that can be performed and to words that are used in French to label vocations.
Des Mots
| Culture et histoire | Culture and Civilization |
| L’artisanat antillais | Antillean craftmanship |
| Choix | Options |
| Données sur les Antilles | Data on Antilles |
| Pour parler des professions | To talk about jobs |
| Activités aux Antilles | Activities in the Antilles |
| Culture des Antilles | Culture of Antilles |
| Adjectifs posessifs | Possessive Adjectives |
| Exprimez ses goûts | Expressing Likes |
| Mots et expressions utiles | Words and Useful Expressions |
Estructura
| El infinitivo | The Infinitive |
| El presente de indicativo –ar, -er, -ir | Present Tense of Regular -ar, -er, -ir Conjugations |
| El verbo estar | The verb estar |
| El presente continuo | Present Progressive |
| Los adjetivos posesivos | Possesive Adjectives |
C´est la vie!
| Voici… La Martinique / La Guadeloupe / La Guyane | This is La Martinique / La Guadeloupe / La Guyane |
| Tout sur… la Martinique, la Guadeloupe, la Guyane, Haïti | All Aboutla Martinique, la Guadeloupe, la Guyane, Haïti |
| Fait aux Antilles | Made in the Antilles |
| Notre langue: Pour parler de ce nous pouvons faire quand nous sommes tristes. | Our Language: To Talk About When We Are Sad |
| Nous sommes comme ça… nous les antillais | This is us: In the Antilles |
| Pour communiquer. Nos activités au travail | To Communicate. Our Task at Work |
| Si vous voyagez… aux Antilles | If You Travel to Antilles |
| Apprendre… en enseignant | Learning by Teaching |
| Des écrivains antillais francophones | The Antilles´ French writers |
| Notre Musique. Musique des Antilles | Our Music in the Antilles |
| Des Antillais remarquables | Remarkable Antilles figures |
Modulo 4 highlights beautiful and diverse of Tahiti, La Polynésie Francaise, La Réunion and Madgascar. This module places emphasis on its amazing and varied geography. Later, students learn about Polynesian food and the steps to prepare it.
Des Mots
| Activités | Activities |
| Adjectifs | Adjectives |
| Adverbes de certitude, de manière et de négation | Adverbs of Certainty, Mode and Negation |
| Adverbes et prépositions de temps et de lieu | Adverbs of Time and Location |
| Adverbios de cantidad y afirmación | Adverbs of Quantity and Affirmation |
| Produits de Tahiti, La Réunion et Madagascar | Products of Tahiti, La Réunion and Madagascar |
| Préparer un voyage à Tahiti, La Réunion ou Madagascar | Planning a Trip to Tahiti, La Réunion and Madagascar |
| Fêtes, musique, danse à Tahiti, La Réunion et Madagascar | Festivities, Music and Dances from Tahiti, La Réunion and Madagascar |
| Gastronomie tahitienne, réunionnaise et malgache | Gastronomy |
| Mots utiles | Useful Words |
Des Structures
| Adverbios | Adverbs |
| Presente de indicativo de verbos con irregularidades en la raíz | Present Indicative of Verbs with Irregularities in the Stem |
| Verbos tener e ir | Verbs tener and ir |
| Verbos con primera persona irregular | Verbs with Irregular First Person |
| El verbo ir | The verb ir |
C´est la vie!
| Voici… Tahiti, La Réunion et Madagascar | This is Tahiti, La Réunion et Madagascar |
| Tout sur… Tahiti (Polynésie Francaise) / La Réunion / Madagascar | All About Tahiti (Polynésie Francaise) / La Réunion / Madagascar |
| Fait dans les iles | Made in the Islands |
| Notre langue: Donner des instructions pour cuisiner | Our Language: Cooking Instructions |
| Nous sommes comme ça… … les Tahitiens / … les Réunionnais | This is us: In Tahiti and La Réunion |
| Pour communiquer. Mes voyages | To Communicate. My travels. |
| Si vous voyagez… | If You Travel… |
| Apprendre… en enseignant | Learning by Teaching |
| Culture et histoire des iles … | Culture and History |
| Notre Musique. Musique des Antilles | Our Music in the Antilles in the islands |
| Tahitiens, Réunionnais et Malgaches remarquables | Remarkable Antilles, La Réunion and Malgaches figures |
Des Mots
| Verbes | |
| Lieux | |
| Adjectifs | |
| Nourriture, boissons | |
| Objets et matériaux | |
| Les gens | |
| Les transports | |
| Technologies, médecines | |
| Fêtes et festivals | |
| La nature | |
| Époque, administration | |
| Noms | |
| Mots utiles |
Des Structures
| Object direct et indirect | |
| Pronoms objets directs et indirects | |
| Verbes réfléchis | |
| Passé composé des verbes réguliers | |
| Passé composé des verbes irrréguliers |
C’est la vie!
| Voici… l’Île-de-France | |
| Tout sur… l’Île-de-France | |
| Fait en l’Île-de-France | |
| Notre langue | |
| Nous sommes ainsi | |
| Pour parler de la routine | |
| Voyager en Île-de-France | |
| Apprendre en enseignant | |
| Fêtes en Île-de-France | |
| Paris en musique | |
| Personnes remarquables |
Des Mots
| Verbes | |
| Noms | |
| Adjectifs | |
| Cuisine | |
| Expressions de quantité | |
| Plantes et animaux | |
| Climat et saisons | |
| Paysages géographiques | |
| Expressions pour situer | |
| Mots utiles |
Des Structures
| Articles (review) | |
| Partitive articles | |
| Pronoun en | |
| Pronoun y | |
| Demonstrative adjectives | |
| Demonstrative pronouns |
C’est la vie!
| Voici la Région Sud | |
| Tout sur la Région Sud | |
| Fait en PACA | |
| Nous sommes comme ça | |
| Voici les grandes villes | |
| Voyager en Région Sud | |
| Apprendre en enseignant | |
| La fameuse cuisine Provençale | |
| Fêtes en Région Sud | |
| Musique | |
| Provençaux remarquables |
Des Mots
| Verbes | |
| Adjectifs | |
| Cuisine | |
| Sports et loisirs | |
| Nature et paysage | |
| Histoire, architecture | |
| Parties du corps | |
| Mots utiles |
Des Structures
| Pour parler du corps | |
| L’imparfait | |
| Passé composé, imparfait et plus-que-parfait |
C’est la vie!
| Voici la Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Tout sur la Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Fait en Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Nous sommes ainsi | |
| Les grandes villes | |
| Voyager en Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Pour parler de notre enfance | |
| Apprendre en enseignant | |
| Cuisine en Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Fêtes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Musique | |
| Personnes remarquables |
Des Mots
| Verbes | |
| Adjectifs | |
| Cuisine | |
| Objets et matériaux | |
| Nature et agriculture | |
| Lieux et évènements | |
| Les gens | |
| Environnement | |
| Mots utiles |
Des Structures
| Les pronoms relatifs | |
| Le futur simple | |
| Le conditionnel |
C’est la vie!
| Voici la Normandie | |
| Tout sur la Normandie | |
| Fait en Normandie | |
| Nous sommes ainsi | |
| Les grandes villes | |
| Voyager en Normandie | |
| Pour parler de l ‘environnement | |
| Apprendre en enseignant | |
| Cuisine Normande | |
| Fêtes en Normandie | |
| Musique | |
| Personnes remarquables |
