French IV and V Is a Combined Class and Thus Follows a Two-Year Sequence

French IV Mme Labroo

French IV is an advanced French class offered to students who would like to continue their study of French language and francophone culture. By taking this class, you will improve your skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. By the end of the year, you should be able to express yourself confidently and accurately in the past, present and future tenses within certain topics. You will also expand your use of vocabulary and transition words to acquire a more natural flow.

You have the option of taking this class for college credit through SUNY-Delhi. The cost is very reasonable; last year the price was $157.00 for three credit hours and was cited as French 120.

Since you have fulfilled your language requirement for high school graduation, please realize that French IV is a serious language class. I expect all students who take this class to strive for fluency in the language and be interested in Francophone culture. You must constantly force yourself to speak only French during class and listen when others are talking. Taking this class because your friend is in it is not any reason to do so, and may result in a poor experience for yourself as well as others in the class. This class will be at the end of the day and can be a challenge due to that aspect alone.

I. Expectations:

1. You must participate 100% in French on a daily basis, meaning actively speaking and listening in class. Your participation grade stems from your effort and your attentiveness, not your precision of grammar. There is no other way to become fluent if you are outside of a French-speaking region. Keep it simple, but keep it en français.

2. You cannot speak English in class except for clarification purposes; all small talk must be done in French or you will be penalized.

3. You will listen when someone else is speaking, or when a clip or a movie is presented. French IV is not an individualized language program. You cannot tune out what is happening in class because it does not directly deal with you. You are expected to add comments or opinions to the conversation of the class. Texting or sleeping during audio-visual practice will not be tolerated.

4. You are required to find a current event from the French-speaking world, summarize it and be prepared to discuss it in class in French for each unit.

5. You will practice proper grammar with some formative exercises but mostly by speaking and writing in class. You will write journal entries on various topics for each unit of study to develop your voice and improve your flow. Formal written work will also be given. The minimum length for written work will be 150 words. You will also be expected to express your feelings verbally and give your opinion about certain, sometimes controversial, topics.

6. To develop better comprehension skills, you will read authentic documents intended for native speakers and listen to them speak to each other at a normal speed.

7. If you find the class to be boring, bring in an idea or suggestion to liven it up. I am open to suggestions and welcome your ideas. This is your class.

Topics that will be covered 2015-2016 school year. I. L’art de la conversation II. L’art moderne III. La vie universitaire IV. Le septième art, le cinéma V. La cuisine francophone VI. La Mode VII. La littérature populaire VIII. La musique francophone IX. L’environnement X. Une soirée meurtrière

II. Homework

Homework will be collected on the day it is due. Please discuss extenuating circumstances with me in advance: games, tournaments, plays, dance recitals, concerts, etc. I am happy to give you a day or two extra, but not more than that.

When typing an assignment, I highly encourage you to set the language of your computer into French (France) and to use a French dictionary like wordreference.com. The use of a translation aid is strictly prohibited. Please type your work in a 14-16 sized font and double space so you can read my feedback.

III. Summer work:

The following assignments count as grades for your first quarter. Everything will be due to me by August 24th.

1. 3 Informal journal entries of 150 words each – Size 14 font and DOUBLE SPACE, S.V.P ! Send them to my email at [email protected] as you do them. Write about whatever comes to your mind. Rambling is totally acceptable, but don’t only talk about the same thing every time. If NOTHING comes to you thoughts, write about what NOTHING feels like – freedom? boredom? – and how that feeling changes from the first day to the seventh day straight or at different times of the summer. Your youth is soon coming to an end; please think about the life experiences you have had and are having now. Find something that is important to you, have an opinion, speak up and most importantly be true to yourself. It’s all okay as long as you say it en français.

2. Movie: Les Misérables

Everyone must come in knowing the general plot of Les Misérables. Please make sure you watch/discuss this with someone over the summer. There are quite a few versions available on Netflix, including one with Liam Neeson (1998) and another on instant with Gerard Depardieu (2000) that is good.

Répondez à ces questions: 1. Qui est Jean Val Jean? 2. Pourquoi l’on l’a mis en prison? 3. Quel événement a changé sa vie? 4. Comment a-t-il gagné du pouvoir? 5. Qui a-t-il aidé dans la vie? Qu’est-ce qu’il a fait pour ces personnes ? 6. Qui l’a chassé?

3. Verbs. Practice the formation of regular and irregular verbs in the present tense by working on the grammar exercises assigned on conjuguemos.com. PLEASE SEND ME EVERY EXERCISE YOU WANT TO GET CREDIT FOR. You must redo any exercise with a score below 90%. Once you receive 90% or above and you have sent it to me, you may move on. Look for the link on my website under Français IV et V, under the summer homework section. a. regular –er verbs b. regular –ir verbs c. regular –re verbs d. IR verbs like dormir e. irregular verbs

4 . Lecture. Read the excerpt « Il faut être raisonnable » by René Goscinny which is included in this packet. Then answer the comprehension questions below in French. a. Quelle est l’importance des grandes vacances pour les Français? Et pour Nicolas et ses parents ?

b. Où est-ce que les copains de Nicolas vont passer leurs vacances ? Qu’est- ce que Nicolas pense de leurs projets ?

c. Pourquoi les parents de Nicolas ont eu de la difficulté à lui dire (to tell him) où il va passer ses vacances ?

d. Quels encouragements les parents offrent-ils à Nicolas pour qu’il accepte leur idée ?

e. Qu’est-ce que les parents de Nicolas disent au sujet de ses vacances ?

f. Nicolas est-il satisfait des vacances projetées ? Comment savez-vous ?

g. Comment le dîner se passe-t-il ? Qu’est-ce que Nicolas ne comprend pas ?

h. Est-ce que tu as de bons souvenirs des colonies de vacances ? Si oui, élaborez un peu. Si non, êtes-vous triste de ne pas avoir eu cette expérience ? Pourquoi ou pourquoi pas.