Alberta · Grade 9
French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)
Alberta’s Grade 9 French course, from La boîte à outils — Grade 9 Grammar Core to Le monde francophone.
- Units
- 6
- Lessons
- 10
- Skills
- 20
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Alberta Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 8 skills
La boîte à outils — Grade 9 Grammar Core
Le présent — the Present-Tense System
Conjugating –er, –ir and –re verbs
I can conjugate regular –er, –ir and –re verbs (and key irregulars) in the present tense with every subject pronoun.
Skill 1.1
Present tense in affirmative and negative sentences
I can use present-tense verbs in affirmative AND negative sentences with ne … pas.
Skill 1.2
Verbes pronominaux et verbes clés
Reflexive verbs in the present
I can use reflexive verbs like se reposer and s'étirer in the present tense, affirmative and negative.
Skill 1.3
Vouloir, pouvoir, devoir + infinitive
I can use vouloir, pouvoir and devoir in the present, and follow them with an infinitive.
Skill 1.4
Le futur proche et l'impératif
The immediate future: aller + infinitive
I can say what is going to happen using aller + infinitive, in affirmative and negative sentences.
Skill 1.5
The imperative — commands and advice
I can give commands and advice with the imperative — affirmative and negative, including reflexive verbs.
Skill 1.6
Expressions avec avoir et faire + les adverbes
Expressions with avoir and faire
I can use idiomatic expressions with avoir (j'ai mal aux jambes) and faire (je fais du yoga).
Skill 1.7
Forming adverbs from adjectives
I can form adverbs from adjectives (lente → lentement) and use them to sharpen a sentence.
Skill 1.8
The official wording · 8 outcomes
- 1.1
- conjugation patterns of regular and irregular –er, –ir and –re verbs in the present tense
- 1.2
- present tense of regular and irregular –er, –ir, –re verbs with all personal subject pronouns in affirmative and negative sentences
- 1.3
- present tense of pronominal reflexive verbs (e.g., se reposer, s'étirer) with all personal subject pronouns in affirmative and negative sentences
- 1.4
- present tense of vouloir, pouvoir, devoir with all personal subject pronouns in affirmative and negative sentences
- 1.5
- the immediate future— aller + infinitif —with all personal subject pronouns in affirmative and negative sentences
- 1.6
- the imperative in the affirmative and in the negative with regular and irregular –er, –ir, –re verbs and pronominal reflexive verbs
- 1.7
- expressions with avoir (e.g., L'athlète a mal aux jambes.)
- 1.8
- formation of adverbs from adjectives
Key ideas
Three families, three ending sets: –er (je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent), –ir (je finis… nous finissons), –re (j'attends… il attend — no ending in the il form).
The reflexive pronoun matches the subject: je me repose, tu te reposes, il se repose, nous nous reposons.
The immediate future = the present of aller + an infinitive: Je vais étudier. Nous allons regarder le match.
Avoir carries states English gives to "be": avoir faim/soif/chaud/froid/mal — L'athlète a mal aux jambes.
The stem stays, the ending changes: cut the infinitive ending, add the person's ending.
Watch out for
- Conjugating –ir and –re verbs with –er endings (il finit, never "il fine"; il attend, never "il attende").
- Dropping the reflexive pronoun ("Je repose" ✗ — without me it means resting something else).
- Conjugating the second verb ("Je vais étudie" ✗) — after aller, the infinitive.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 4 skills
Sports et exercice
Comprendre le monde du sport
Listening for main ideas and details
I can pull the main idea and key details from spoken French about sports, using key words I know.
Skill 2.1
Reading French texts about sport
I can read a French text about sport and pull out the main idea and specific details.
Skill 2.2
Parler sport
Explaining a sport orally
I can explain the rules, equipment and clothing of a sport in structured French sentences.
Skill 2.3
Writing a physical activity plan
I can design a physical-activity plan in written French, in the present and immediate future.
Skill 2.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 2.1
- understand, in guided situations, by identifying key words or expressions previously taught, the main idea(s) and a few specific details related to the main idea(s) about a variety of concrete topics contained in authentic or adapted oral texts
- 2.2
- understand, in guided situations, by identifying key words or expressions previously taught, the main idea(s) and a few specific details related to the main idea(s) about a variety of concrete topics contained in authentic or adapted written texts
- 2.3
- explain the rules, equipment and clothing needed to play soccer
- 2.4
- design a physical activity plan
Key ideas
Hunt the key words you have been taught — they carry the main idea; you do not need every word (tolerating ambiguity is a strategy, not a weakness).
The explainer frame: Pour jouer au [sport], on doit… / il faut… + porter (wear) + utiliser (use).
Cognates are free meaning: le hockey, l'équipement, le casque (helmet ≈ "casque" you learn once) — plus context clues (who/what/where).
Structure beats spontaneity at this level: prepare the frame, drop in your sport's words, deliver.
Written text is generous: you can re-read, underline known words, and use headings and pictures as anchors.
Watch out for
- Freezing on the first unknown word instead of riding the known ones to the meaning.
- Trying to improvise beyond the frame and stalling — modelled structure IS the Grade 9 target ("limited spontaneity" is in the outcome).
- Translating linearly word-by-word instead of listening for the message shape.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 2 skills
Le logement
Chez moi
Understanding housing texts and ads
I can read a French housing ad or text and pull out the dwelling type and its features.
Skill 3.1
Describing a home in writing
I can describe a home and explain my choices in written French.
Skill 3.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 3.1
- identify what type of dwelling is for sale in a real estate advertisement
- 3.2
- explain the choice of colours and furniture for one's new room
Key ideas
Ad French is compressed: maison à deux étages (two-storey house), 8½ pièces (rooms), récemment rénovée, extérieur en briques — learn the pattern, not just the words.
Numbers and abbreviations carry the facts: pièces, m², le loyer (rent) — scan for them first.
Description stack: Il y a + rooms/features, c'est + opinion, parce que + reason — Dans ma chambre, il y a un grand lit. J'ai choisi le bleu parce que c'est calme.
Choice-explaining verbs: choisir (je choisis), préférer, aimer mieux.
Watch out for
- Reading pièces as "pieces" — in housing French it counts the ROOMS.
- Ignoring participle endings (rénovée agrees with maison) and losing who/what was renovated.
- Listing furniture without the explanation the outcome asks for (the "explain the choice" is the point).
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 2 skills
La communauté
Ma communauté
Understanding community messages
I can understand spoken French about community life — announcements, events and services.
Skill 4.1
Giving directions and describing events
I can give directions and describe community events in structured spoken French.
Skill 4.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 4.1
- the main idea(s) and a few specific details related to the main idea(s) about a variety of concrete topics contained in authentic or adapted oral texts
- 4.2
- give someone directions to the neighbourhood video store
Key ideas
Community announcements answer quoi/où/quand (what/where/when) — hunt those three and you have the message.
Community vocab clusters: les commerces et services (businesses/services), un festival, un club, la vie urbaine et rurale.
Directions run on the imperative + place words: Tourne à gauche, continue tout droit, c'est à côté de la banque.
The location kit: à gauche/à droite, tout droit, près de, à côté de, en face de.
Watch out for
- Missing the date/time formats (le 3 juin, à 14 h) that carry half the announcement.
- Confusing ville (city) and village — small words, different scale.
- Using the infinitive for commands ("Tourner à gauche" as a spoken instruction — the imperative Tourne ! is the person-to-person form).
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 5 · 2 skills
Fêtes et célébrations
Les fêtes
Reading about holidays and traditions
I can read French texts about the origins and traditions of holidays and pull out the key details.
Skill 5.1
Writing about celebrations
I can describe a celebration and express my preferences about it in a written French message.
Skill 5.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 5.1
- the main idea(s) and a few specific details related to the main idea(s) about a variety of concrete topics contained in authentic or adapted written texts
- 5.2
- describe a community event in an e-mail message
Key ideas
Tradition texts follow a pattern: l'origine (where it began) → les traditions (what people do) → la nourriture (what they eat) — use the pattern as a map.
Celebration vocab: fêter/célébrer, un cadeau, un défilé (parade), un feu d'artifice (fireworks).
The e-mail frame: greeting (Salut !) → the event (On célèbre… il y a…) → your preference (Ma tradition préférée, c'est… parce que…) → closing (À bientôt !).
Preference kit: je préfère, j'aime mieux, ma … préférée.
Watch out for
- Reading fêter (to celebrate) as "party" only — it covers the whole act of celebrating.
- Skipping the origin paragraph because it is historical — it usually holds the main idea.
- Describing without the personal angle — the outcome wants preferences expressed, not just facts.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 6 · 2 skills
Le monde francophone
La francophonie
Francophone communities and festivals
I can identify Francophone communities and festivals at the local, provincial, national and international levels.
Skill 6.1
Accents and cultural conventions
I can recognize that French accents vary across the Francophone world and use French cultural conventions correctly.
Skill 6.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 6.1
- identify Francophone communities at the local (e.g., Edmonton), provincial (e.g., Saint-Paul, Legal), national (e.g., Saint-Boniface, Manitoba; Shédiac, Nouveau-Brunswick) and international (e.g., la Louisiane; Saint-Pierre et Miquelon) levels
- 6.2
- recognize the fact that variations in accents exist within and among Francophone cultures in different areas (e.g., Acadian French, Québécois French, Parisian French)
Key ideas
The Francophonie has layers: local (Edmonton's francophone community), provincial (Saint-Paul, Legal), national (Saint-Boniface, Manitoba; Shédiac, Nouveau-Brunswick), international (la Louisiane, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon).
Festivals are the living map: le Festival du Homard (Shédiac), le Carnaval de Nice — real events you could attend.
Accents are varieties, not errors: Acadian, Québécois and Parisian French differ in sound and vocabulary — all fully French.
French has its own conventions: number spacing (2 648 000), naming of streets and monuments (boulevard René-Lévesque, la tour Eiffel), measurement abbreviations (km, m²).
Watch out for
- Equating French with France — most French speakers live outside Europe.
- Not realizing Alberta has francophone towns (Saint-Paul, Legal, Beaumont) — the Francophonie starts next door.
- Treating one accent as "correct French" and the others as wrong.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows Alberta’s own curriculum for French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program).
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program) one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program) organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 35
- Fillable fields
- 1,357
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)
What is French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)?
Alberta’s Grade 9 French course: 6 units and 20 skills, from La boîte à outils — Grade 9 Grammar Core to Le monde francophone.
What units are in French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)?
1. La boîte à outils — Grade 9 Grammar Core, 2. Sports et exercice, 3. Le logement, 4. La communauté, 5. Fêtes et célébrations and 6. Le monde francophone.
Is there a provincial exam for French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)?
No. Alberta gives no provincial exam for French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program).
Can MapleMind help with French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program), step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program)
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