BIO
Stephanie Nance grew up in Nashville, TN, and went to Harding University to study French. She spent the summers during her college years working with the churches of Christ in French-speaking Europe (France, Switzerland and Belgium). She graduated with a BA in French and minors in Greek and Business Management and later an MEd in French Education. Following graduation, she was an adjunct for Harding University, leading a group of college students on Harding's first study abroad program to France and Switzerland.
Stephanie wanted to move back to middle Tennessee to be close to her family and to fulfill her calling to teach high school students. She taught French at Oakland High School here in Murfreesboro for three years, during which time the French program doubled in size. During her time there, she wrote the curriculum for and started the French International Baccalaureate (IB) program and also led a group of high school students on a trip to France over Winter Break.
After the birth of her first son and much prayer, she decided to leave the job she loved to be able to stay home full-time. She continued to tutor French out of her home for several more years until the birth of her third child at which time she wanted to be able to totally focus at home. Now her oldest is taking French for high school credit, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to be back in the classroom sharing her love of the French language and culture with the students at Discipleship Tutorial.
Stephanie is married to her best friend Tim, and they have five incredible kids (Henry, Martin, Cordelia, Arthur and Isabelle). Stephanie has homeschooled since 2014 when her oldest started kindergarten and is so very thankful for Discipleship Tutorial and Co-op where her family is involved and thriving.
French 3
32 WEEK CLASS
Tutor Name: Stephanie Nance
Course Name: French III
Required Text:
Copy Fee: $40
Book Fee: $12 (Each student will receive a copy of Le Petit Prince for reading during the spring semester.)
Minimum Number of Students: 5
Maximum Number of Students: 10
Course Description/Outline/Objectives:
French 3 is a course for those who succeeded in French 1 and 2 and want to pursue further language learning. While French 1 and French 2 were structured very similarly as students were learning the basics of the language and working to build a strong foundation, French 3 will be able to take a different approach, affording students many more opportunities to practically use their language skills of listening, writing, reading and especially speaking, now that they have the tools necessary to do so. French 3 will increase students' confidence as they gain proficiency in all areas of French.
Rather than the mainly teacher-directed learning that is required at the elementary language level, students will now be interacting with each other in French for the vast majority of every class. While French 1 and 2 allowed students ample opportunities to practice their speaking skills, those presentations were most often prepared and rehearsed. French 3 will give students the opportunity to do much more impromptu speaking which more closely resembles real world scenarios while also encouraging students to stretch and grow.
Furthermore, students' listening comprehension skills will improve as they listen to each other speak in class every week as well as listening to videos and podcasts each week for homework. Additional vocabulary and advanced grammar concepts will continue to be acquired, but because students now understand what they need to do to master those types of new skills, they will be introduced very briefly in class and practiced for homework and reinforced through video in the background so that class time can be all about engaging each other in the language. Students will build their reading fluency as they regularly read and respond to short passages. Then, during the second semester, the class will read together Le Petit Prince, a masterpiece of French literature, and will discover the delight of enjoying a book in another language. Students will write frequent short responses to what they read and experience throughout the year in order to build fluency in writing. Unlike French 1 and 2, French 3 will not have big chapter tests. Student mastery of grammar skills will be checked through short quizzes and all other skills will be assessed through writing and speaking activities in addition to a midterm and final exam.
The model for language learning in the United States is not ideal, waiting until high school to start in most cases and then stopping after only two years, right at the time when students are starting to gain a good level of proficiency that will allow them to do some enjoyable and meaningful pursuits in the target language. French 3 will break this common cycle and allow students to keep going! Many top colleges require 3 or 4 years of the same foreign language on high school transcripts. Whether the purpose is to build an impressive transcript or just to gain an extra elective credit and pursue the fun of getting better in a foreign language, French 3 is available to meet those goals!
Expected Weekly Time Commitment for Homework: 4- 6 hours
More Courses
by Stephanie Nance
Intro to French
French 1
French 2
Prerequisites: Completion of French 1 and French 2 with Stephanie Nance, having earned an A or B grade average
Recommended Grade Level: 10th-12th
Rate for Additional Private Tutoring: NA