Seventh grade French students begin the year with a review of material covered in sixth grade: describing oneself and others, talking about one’s possessions, ordering food in a café, expressing preferences, extending and accepting (or turning down) invitations, asking and answering questions about what people are doing, counting, talking about weather, giving the date and telling time. Throughout the year, students will be introduced to French and francophone cultures in Europe, Africa and Canada.  The major objective of the course is to develop both linguistic and cultural proficiency. Authentic dialogues on DVD provide opportunities to see and hear how young people in French-speaking countries like to spend their time.  Emphasis is placed on the development of all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.  New vocabulary and grammatical structures are presented, not in isolation, but in a meaningful context. By the end of the first semester, students are expected to use the target language orally during most or all of the class period and to understand the teacher when he or she speaks.