Course Length: Full academic year (30 weeks)
This Year's Schedule: Click here to view
Who Is French Level Three For?
French Level Three is a course of French language and literature, history, geography and culture, taught almost exclusively in French. It involves lots of spontaneous speech and discussion. Students must therefore be able to understand ordinary French spoken at a natural speed and to speak French spontaneously and broadly correctly, albeit with a limited range of linguistic expression. The course is approximately in line with AS level in the UK, or B1-B2 on the Common European Framework (CEFR).
This highly interactive course is suitable for intermediate students of French aged 14-18 with a few years of foreign language already behind them, or a good pass at GCSE French (or equivalent). It is similar in level to many French 4 courses in the US, and as such, a good prelude to taking an AP course. French Level Three is capped at a maximum of 8 students, and students are expected to speak French in every lesson.
If you think your student may be suited to the Level Three course, please request an appointment to discuss it with the teacher by emailing dreamingspireshomelearning<at>gmail<dot>com. An evaluation paper is available for students to take if you are deciding between the Level One or Level Two courses.
Aims of the Course
Dreaming Spires French courses all have two goals at their heart: to produce independent, delight-led language learners; and to inspire and equip students to speak French fluently and confidently, using the language in real life and enjoying it. Everything we do in the language courses works towards the fulfillment of these goals.
French Level Three has a lot in common with Dreaming Spires English literature courses, featuring living books, prose, poetry and film, weekly readings of texts, writing narrations, answering discussion questions and giving presentations (in this case, in French).
It has a strong cultural dimension, as well as covering all the intermediate language elements (as in an A-level course) such as the subjunctive verbal mood. It involves a lot of speaking and discussion. It is suitable for more mature students, requiring a degree of independence and the ability to engage with the real world.
How It Supports Your Child's Education
Having successfully completed French Level Three, students can expect to be ready for an additional year of AP or A-Level study before taking an AP or A-Level exam.
Who Teaches French Level Three?
Joel Baker, known to students as Maestro B or Maître B, lives in Somerset, England with his five children whom he has been educating at home for the last 14 years. He is a linguist with a passion for delight-led learning, specialising in Romance languages, speaking and teaching French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. After completing his degree in Spanish and Portuguese at King’s College London in 2006, he trained as a secondary school teacher of French and Spanish, taught at a prep school in Dorset, was employed as a youth worker and ran café language classes for adults for several years. He joined Dreaming Spires in 2017 and currently teaches French 1, 2 & 3 and Spanish 1, 2 & 3, as well as IGCSE crammer courses in French and Spanish. Outside Dreaming Spires, Joel gives private tuition and coaching, including for the US college AP exams, and he conducts GCSE speaking exams at an international school. He also works as a barista-missionary in a nearby Christian café project!See all courses taught by Joel