We implemented the AF FRAMES project, which stands for Alliance Francaise French-American Educational Standards. It is adapted from theCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF), a practical tool setting standards to be obtained at sucessive stages of learning languages. The CEF has been implemented in may European countries, at a number of Americanuniversities, locally in some US school districts and also within a few other European Languages Institutes. AF FRAMES seek to adapt its philosophy and components to the American context and specificities.

In participating in the AF FRAMES project, the Alliance Francaise de San Diego clearly states its commitment to pedagogical excellence. Our first step towards this implementation was the adoption of the new method Alter Ego, written by Alliance Francaise Paris teachers.

Language classes at the Alliance cover 4 levels:
Beginners, Intermediate, Intermediate Advanced and Advanced
All our classes are conversational oriented.

Each level is divided into 5 steps,
each of them being taught for one session (a total of 25 to 28 hours). It then takes five sessions or 18 months to cover each level and to progress, for instance, from 101 (as a complete beginner) to 104.

Beginning French 101
Grammar: gender, definite/indefinite articles, negation, interrogation, present tense regular "-er" verbs and Etre & Avoir , nationality adjectives, interrogative adjectives quel and quelle, possessive adjectives(1), prepositions + contracted articles, pourquoi/parce que, closed questions (est-ce que...) present tense for prendre and descendre, prepositions + names of country(1 and 2), demonstrative adjectives.
Conversation: alphabet, numbers 0 to 99, dates, days of the week, months of the year, formal and informal greetings, formalities, questions and answers, nationalities and languages, expressing one's tastes (1), city places, housing, direction, ordinal numbers.
Know-How To: introduce oneself, inquire about someone, ask or give personal information, count, communicate in the classroom, greet, take leave, ask politely, ask about the price of something, talk about one's tastes (1), one's dreams and passions, talk about one's city, give directions, ask or give explanations, get information on housing/ lodging, give out a simple itinerary, write a postcard, give one's impressions of a place, talk about one's tastes and hobbies, talk about the weather
Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Unit 0 to Unit 2 (page 9 to 48)

Parlez 102! A good way to take a break from the regular classes as well as to reinforce your conversational skills. An introduction to the basics of French language and culture. Your teacher will help you deal with everyday situations: asking for directions, at the restaurant, at the hotel, shopping etc. For students achieving level 101 and false beginners.

Beginning French 102
Grammar: verb + noun/verb, present tense of aller and faire+ contracted prepositions. gender in professions, gender and plural for adjectives, stressed pronouns, present of pouvoir/vouloir/devoir, pronoun "on" = "nous", imperative, different ways of telling time, pronominal verbs in the present tense, expressing time, présent/ passé composé, passé composé (1): verb dire in the present, near future, chez + stressed pronoun.
Conversation: work, sports and culture, animals, physical and psychological description, outings, colloquial and idioms (1), time, daily activities, celebrations.
Know-How to: talk about one's tastes and activities/hobbies (2), talk about one's job, talk about oneself, describe someone, suggest an outing, invite someone, accept an invitation, refuse an invitation, make an appointment, give instructions, ask about time and schedules, talk about one's personal schedule, tell events in the past, understand and complete a survey, talk about one's projects.
Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Dossier 3 et 4 (pages 49 à 80)

Parlez 103!A good way to take a break from the regular classes as well as to reinforce your conversational skills. This class focuses on conversation topics as well as cultural aspects.
For students achieving level 102 and advanced beginners.

Beginning French 103
Grammar: possessive adjectives (2), recent past / near future, passé composé (2): pronominal verbs and verbs with être, C'est / Il est + adjective, il a + noun, grammatical structures to indicate weather /climate / date / season / month, grammatical structures to describe a place, place of the adjectives (1): adjectifs qualificatifs, pronoun y for places, simple future, continuous present, specifics of oral French, pronoun on (2)
Conversation: family events, avoir mal à + body parts,  family links, telephone conversations, expressing percentages, physical description, weather and climate, senses, sensations, perceptions, geography, outdoor activities; food. 
Know-How to:  announce a / react to a family event, ask about or give news about someone, talk about one's family, call / answer the phone, understand statistics, relate past events, understand biographical data, describe someone physically, express sensations and feelings, talk about the seasons, understand and give simple information about the weather (2), place an event in the year, locate a geographical place, present and describe a place, talk about outdoor activities, understand a program of visits, talk about cultural activities, write a vacation letter, talk about one's culinary tastes and food consumption; understand and compose a menu.
Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Units 5 and 6 (pages 81 to 112) and first lesson in Unit 7 (pages 113 to 117)

Beginning French 104
Grammar: Prepositions de / à ; partitive/definite/indefinite articles, negative quantity : pas de, direct object complement pronouns: le, la, les, l'; indirect object complement pronouns: lui, leur; relative pronouns qui/que; pronoun en; precise quantity, remainder (ne...plus), restricted quantity (ne...que); place of the adjective (2), imparfait  to narrate memories; imparfait for a past situation / present for a current situation; comparative structures (with nouns and adjectives); depuis / il y a; infinitive and imperative; devoir / pouvoir + infinitive; il faut + infinitive.
Conversation: clothing and accessories; positive and negative appreciation; colors, size; characteristics of an object; adjectives ending in -able; commerce; quantity; shows and performances; ordering; positive and negative adjectives for characterizing; colloquialisms (2); memories; advantages and disadvantages of one's whereabouts; servir à / de; housing, furniture; prohibition, recommendation.
Know-How to: describe an outfit; give a positve or negative appreciation; advise someone; choose a gift for someone; give the characteristics of an object and its function; do everyday shopping; express precise quantities; food ; understand an ad for a show; suggest an outing, choose a performance; book a theatre seat; express a restriction; order, express satisfaction or displeasure at the restaurant, understand a short presentation on restaurants in order to choose one; narrate memories; compare past situation with current one; describe one's lodging and eventual rehabilitations; locate an event in time; look for housing through classified ads; understand and ask information about housing and rental conditions; talk about one's relationships with roommates or other condominium owners; identify behavioral differences; understand and express prohibitions; make a recommendation.
Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Unit 7 (second half) to Unit 10 (pages 118 to 165)

Intermediate French 201
Grammar: review: present, passé composé, imparfait; introduction to relative pronouns (qui, que, à qui), indirect speech in the present, comparative structures, time indicators (1) (il y a, dans, pendant), structures to give a definition (c'est + infinitive; c'est quand, c'est + noun or + complex clause), relative pronouns où and dont, demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles..), pronouns en and y for places, gerund, superlative, structures to stress (ce qui, ce que).
Conversation: characterizing a person, places and inhabitants, neighborhood and community, condominium and roommate, expressing a positive reaction to an event, expressing one's love, one's falling in love, love at first sight, expressions to talk about a country (standards of life, ways of thinking), structures to book a hotel, a restaurant, and other tourist information, regions and capitals
Know How to: talk about friendship, describe a person (character, vices and virtues...), talk about one's neighbors, relate something that was told by someone else, compare, talk about a date and the follow-ups, talk about a country and its inhabitants, discover clichés, understand tourist information, book a vacation, understand a comparative study, talk about one's choice of city, justify one's answers.. 
Lessons:Alter Ego 2 (Dossiers 1 et 3, pp 11 à 26 and pages 43 à 58)
Materials: Alter Ego 2 Required for B1 Independent User classes from 201 to 204. Includes textbook and workbook, with CD.

Intermediate French 202
Grammar: transforming a verb into a noun, gender of nouns, structures to stress (C'est...qui, c'est....que), past tenses, passive form, passé composé + direct object complement , personal pronouns after à and de, time indicators (2) (pendant, depuis, de...à, en), structures to express advice: imperative, devoir + infinitive, si + present /future, il faut que + subjunctive, subjunctive to express necessity (1), pluperfect, indefinite pronouns and adverbs (quelqu'un, rien, personne, nulle part), adverbs.

Conversation:  press, radio, television, reporting a burglary, cinema, studies, formulas for formal letters and correspondence, impersonal formulas to express necessity (il est important / essentiel de...), formal and informal styles and lexical fields (1), job related expressions.

Know How To: understand newspapers titles, react / give one's opinion on a TV program, understand events in different media, testify, understand a movie review, understand a work-related classified ad, introduce oneself in a business context, understand and write a resume and a simple letter of motivation, give advice, alert someone, indicate necessary changes, talk about a professional experience, talk about one's work.

Lessons:Alter Ego 2, Dossiers 4 et 2 (pages 59 à 74 and pages 27 à 42)

Conversation for intermediate advanced students

This once-a-week class focuses on conversation topics. A good way to reinforce your conversational skills. Excellent for students achieving levels 201 to 203.

Advanced Conversation
This class applies to students who are (almost) bilingual and wish to maintain a high level of proficiency. The objective of this course is to acquire precise vocabulary and correct errors by working on topics suggested by the teacher or the students themselves.

Advanced Workshop
Workshops apply to teachers and bilingual students.