Welcome
to Fr126!
This is the second course in the French language sequence at Colby
College. It is intended for students who have already studied French
in high school or at Colby (FR125). Students who have not previously
studied French at Colby will have placed into the course based on
a placement test.
Tempo. This is the name of the method Colby's French Department
has chosen for FR125 and FR126. It was developed in France, at the
University of Besançon, and is intended for an international
student body. It is currently used at the United Nations in New York.
It is probably different from any method you have seen in your previous
study of French.
--It
is entirely in French, and presumes knowledge of the world well beyond
the borders of the United States.
--It makes demands on your intelligence as well as on your language
skills.
--It emphasizes oral French, both in listening comprehension
and in speaking.
--It emphasizes practical French for situations you might encounter
in any French-speaking country.
--It emphasizes communication rather than grammar study, although grammar
is certainly a part of the method.
There is no "story" to Tempo, no ongoing saga of an
American arriving in Paris. Each lesson (there will be six lessons in
FR126) deals with a specific communicative issue, and includes, in additional
to some traditional exercises, many activities to do in class.
Virtually all of your learning will take place in class. In this
way, FR126 is different from many other courses you will take at Colby.
We cannot emphasize this enough. Your regular attendance in class
is essential if you are to succeed in this course. There will be homework
in the form of self-correcting exercises in the workbook; these will
usually not be taken up in class. Class will consist of activities in
the main book of Tempo, and, although you will prepare for these
in advance, the communicative work itself cannot be done outside
of class.
Tempo includes a main text containing activities and exercises
(tan cover) and a workbook (cahier d'exercices-gray cover).
The workbook comes with an audio CD that contains the recordings
necessary for doing the exercises.
--The main text also has recordings that are part of the preparation
you will do and the work in class. These are available from any computer
on the Colby campus; all you need to do is to point your browser to
the following URL: http://www.colby.edu/lrc/vll/french/index.html.
--There is also a link to the Virtual Listening Lab on the webpage
for FR126: http://www.colby.edu/personal/a/ampaliye/FR126/index.html.
-- There is also a videotape that complements the textbook. The
tapes will be used in class and there are copies of the tapes in the
LRC for student use in preparation and revision. The tape is titled
Sur le vif.
Please keep in mind the following principles and habits of successful
language learners:
1) You
must keep up with the work and not fall behind, because there is no
way you can "cram" the work in this class. We ask for a
minimum of an hour a day, four days per week; up to two or more hours
may be necessary when preparing special assignments and reviewing
for tests.
2) You must attend all classes. If you miss a class, you miss the
work. You cannot make it up by asking a classmate for notes because
the work involves communicative activities.
3) You must, above all, enter into the class with enthusiasm and commitment.
You must speak French in class, and participate in all class activities.
This is how you will make progress.
4) Make
the process of learning a foreign language active by reading your
lessons aloud and by writing what you wish to commit to memory (i.e.,
new vocabulary words and conjugations of verbs)
5) Keep
a notebook of grammar rules with examples to illustrate them.
6) Multiple repetitions enable you to retain patterns and to gain
confidence in speaking and writing a foreign language.
7) Listen and imitate.
8) Always speak French in class.
9) Do not translate from English to learn French.
10) Divide material into small units for memorization, then put them
together.
11) Make sense of a word's meaning in the context in which it occurs.
Make sparing use of a dictionary.
12) Rereading is often necessary for comprehension.
Evaluation of Skills:
You will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Oral skills. These include pronunciation and accent as well
as your mastery of the structures you learn in class.
Each student is expected to make substantial progress in pronunciation.
The goal is not necessarily for you to sound like a French person,
but to be understood by a speaker of French. Tempo contains
many exercises for practice.
2. Written French. Although Tempo emphasizes oral French, you
will be given at least one written exercises for each lesson. You
are expected to make substantial progress in your written French,
including spelling, throughout the semester. These written assignments,
two of which involve web pages, are to be typed.
3. Oral and written comprehension. Your comprehension will
be far greater than your ability to read or write. You will be expected
to understand French spoken at a normal rate of speed by native speakers,
and to understand the main ideas in articles written in French for
native speakers. Oral comprehension activities may include tapes and
audio CD's, as well as excerpts from French films. Written comprehension
may include newspaper articles and excerpts from literary works.
4. Knowledge of French and Francophone culture. Each lesson
includes a cultural element, and from time to time you will be required
to do some research into the cultures of France and other Francophone
countries. As the semester progresses, you are expected to become
increasingly familiar with the French-speaking world.
Tests, Exams, Homework: You will be evaluated in a variety
of ways in FR126. These include:
Written exams (see syllabus for dates). These exams test your
oral comprehension skills, as well as your spelling, vocabulary, and
understanding of grammar and structure. These are "hour"
exams that last, in effect, 50 minutes. Please note that there are
no make-up exams.
Oral exams (see syllabus for dates). There are two types of
oral exams. The first, which tests your pronunciation, is simply a
text that you are asked to record, in your own voice. There will be
four of these short tests; you will record your voice on your computer
(or on a computer in the LRC) and send the recording via e-mail
to your professor.
The other type of oral exam tests your "oral production,"
that is, your ability to speak extemporaneously in French, in a controlled
situation. These will be done in class, and the class will be videotaped
so that your professor can grade each student individually.
Written compositions. For each unit, there is a written assignment.
These give you the opportunity to use the French you have learned
in a semi-controlled situation. These written compositions are to
be submitted on the day indicated via e-mail to your professor.
You will have to learn to put accents into your e-mail (or e-mail
attachment). Cultural units on vacances and la
presse are supplemented with a written component related to
Web resources: Partir à la découverte du monde francophone
(http://www.colby.edu/personal/a/ampaliye/FR126/monde.html)
Final
Exam: There will be a two-hour, final exam (including written
and oral elements), on the date and at the time indicated on the final
exam schedule. Colby regulations prevent instructors from giving final
exams prior to the specified date.
Weighting of grades:
Class participation,* daily preparation, and dictées: 20%
Written assignments: 10%
Oral recorded tests: 10%
Written class exams: 20% (10% each)
Oral class exams: 20% (10% each)
Final
exam: 20% (including
"sketch")
Class participation graded as follows:
A – always prepared, speaks up easily and willingly showing mastery
of the material, makes a strong contribution to discussions, asks
questions; brings textbook and completes workbook every class period
B –well prepared, participates actively but does not demonstrate
full mastery of material
C – moderately well prepared; tries when called on but gives
inconsistent results; does not bring textbook and complete workbook
every class period
D - is working at the minimal basic level;
F - from often unprepared, disinterested, and incorrect oral work,
to sleeping in class and frequent absences
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK.
I DO NOT ACCEPT HANDWRITTEN COMPOSITIONS.
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND EVERY CLASS.
I EXPECT YOU TO CHECK YOUR E-MAIL MESSAGES AND THE CLASS FORUM BEFORE
EVERY CLASS.
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