Praxis French: World Language study plan
Praxis French: World Language · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Listening with Cultural Knowledge & Speaking
Diagnose baseline listening by completing one 25-item interpretive listening set under timed conditions and logging error types (detail, inference, main idea, tone, numbers/dates).
Transcribe three 2-minute francophone audio clips (news, interview, announcement) and mark every word you miss, then categorize each miss as vocabulary, liaison/elision, speed, or number.
Build a 40-item personal lexicon of high-frequency connectors and discourse markers (par exemple, en revanche, donc, pourtant) and drill them aloud until recalled without hesitation.
Record ten 45-second spoken responses to opinion prompts, using a 3-step template (position, two supports, closing), and listen back to flag fillers and pauses.
Your checkpoint
A baseline score report: 25-item listening set score, an error-type tally, and a 10-recording speaking folder with a written self-critique of recurring weaknesses.
Listening with Cultural Knowledge & Speaking
Shadow five 90-second authentic clips aloud, matching the speaker's rhythm and intonation, and note three features of informal vs. formal speech per clip.
Practice numbers, dates, prices, and clock times across 30 audio prompts to reach 90% accuracy on a self-made dictation quiz.
Deliver eight spoken compare-and-contrast responses (2 minutes each) on francophone cultural topics, explicitly naming one product, one practice, and one perspective.
Reduce filler use by re-recording three responses and cutting hesitation markers by at least half between takes.
Your checkpoint
A dictation quiz scored at 90% or better plus an eight-response audio set with a written pause/filler count for each take.
Listening with Cultural Knowledge & Speaking
Listen to four regional-accent samples (metropolitan France, Québec, West Africa, Maghreb or Caribbean) and summarize the main idea of each in two spoken sentences.
Identify speaker register and relationship (formal/informal, service encounter, classroom, broadcast) in 15 short audio excerpts and justify each choice in one line.
Sustain a 3-minute monologue on a cultural topic using a clear outline, transition markers, and at least two specific cultural references.
Handle three unexpected follow-up questions per monologue by answering in complete sentences without restarting.
Your checkpoint
A 3-minute recorded monologue with three impromptu follow-up answers, scored on a 4-point rubric with a target of 3 or higher on comprehensibility, organization, and cultural support.
Reading with Cultural Knowledge & Writing
Read four 400-word francophone informational texts under time pressure and answer 5 questions per text, tagging each question as literal, inferential, or vocabulary-in-context.
Write three 150-word presentational essays (one persuasive, one descriptive, one interpretive) with a clear thesis, two developed supports, and a conclusion.
Convert ten informal sentences into formal register and vice versa, targeting tu/vous, contractions, and polite formulas appropriate to the context.
Revise two prior essays using a personal checklist for agreement, tense consistency, pronoun placement, and accent accuracy.
Your checkpoint
A 3-essay writing portfolio of 150 words each plus a revision log showing at least eight corrections made from the checklist.
Reading with Cultural Knowledge & Writing
Annotate 12 reading passages for cultural content (institutions, geography, holidays, media, education) and explain in writing how each detail shapes meaning.
Write four 60-80 word interpersonal messages (email reply, invitation, complaint, request for information) with correct greeting, closing, and register.
Compose one 200-word integrated response that synthesizes information from two short written sources without copying phrasing.
Self-edit for accuracy by labeling every verb's tense and mood in two compositions and correcting any unjustified shift.
Your checkpoint
A timed 200-word integrated writing sample plus four short interpersonal messages, all proofread with a tense-and-mood labeling pass.
Writing & Speaking
Convert three written essays into 2-minute spoken presentations, adapting vocabulary for oral delivery rather than reading aloud.
Record six interpersonal speaking exchanges using a prompt-and-response format, answering within 5 seconds each time.
Expand sentence variety by rewriting ten simple sentences into complex ones using relative clauses, subjunctive triggers, and conditional structures.
Deliver a 2-minute cultural comparison between two francophone communities, naming specific practices and explaining their significance.
Your checkpoint
A recorded 2-minute cultural comparison plus six timed interpersonal responses, with a written tally of response latencies and sentence-type variety.
Listening with Cultural Knowledge & Reading with Cultural Knowledge & Writing & Speaking
Complete two half-length integrated practice sessions combining listening, reading, and a written response, and log time spent per section.
Complete two half-length practice sessions combining listening and spoken response, recording each answer in one take.
Review the accumulated error log and redo the ten most frequent error types until each is corrected in a fresh item.
Draft and rehearse a personal timing strategy that allocates reading and planning minutes for each section.
Your checkpoint
A one-page timing strategy sheet plus an error-log review showing all ten recurring error types re-tested and corrected.
Listening with Cultural Knowledge & Reading with Cultural Knowledge & Writing & Speaking
Simulate one full-length timed exam covering all four domains in a single sitting without notes or pauses.
Score the simulation against a 4-point rubric per domain and identify the two weakest subskills.
Drill only the two weakest subskills for three focused 45-minute sessions.
Re-record or rewrite the two lowest-scoring responses from the simulation and compare them side by side with the originals.
Your checkpoint
A completed full-length simulation with rubric scores for all four domains, a two-item weakness list, and two revised responses that show measurable improvement.
Milestones
Week 3: Sustain a 3-minute spoken monologue with three unscripted follow-ups and score 3 or higher on all rubric criteria; dictation accuracy at or above 90%.
Week 5: Produce a timed 200-word integrated writing sample and four interpersonal messages with correct register and no uncorrected tense shifts.
Week 7: Complete four half-length integrated practice sessions and show every one of the ten logged recurring error types re-tested and corrected.
Week 8: Finish one full-length timed simulation with rubric scores recorded for all four domains and two revised responses showing measurable improvement.