St. Joseph’s College
Modern Language Department
Elementary French II
FRE-152-BAS01
Spring 2015
T,TH 11:10AM-12:35PM
Saint Angela Hall Room 706
3 Credits
FRE-152 Elementary French II
Course Description:
Elementary French II (French 152) is a continuation of French 151, which introduced French language and culture. This course focuses equally on oral comprehension and speaking, reading, and written expression. Students will learn to speak by mimicking, responding to questions and participating in brief conversations with one another. New Vocabulary will be presented orally, in the context of daily culture in France.Active memorization of vocabulary and verb conjugations will enable students to converse with basic fluency about the things that interest them. New grammar structures, such as expressing portions and quantities will be practiced in specific relevant context (such as foods). This semester, students will finish learning the more commonly used irregular verbs in the present tense. We will use infinitive constructions to form the near future (le futur proche) and the recent past (le passé recent). The second half we’ll focus on the two most important past tenses (lepassé composé andl’imparfait) whichwill enable students to talk and write about past events in their lives and in the world. As in the previous semester, fluency in written French will progress from simple sentences to paragraphs and short compositions. We’ll read longer passages on French and francophone culture and enjoy songs and poems by well-known French authors. Finally, the class will view and discuss a popular feature-length French film.
Course Objectives:
The course aims to give students the ability to understand basic spoken French and to respond appropriately and understandably. They will learn to read and write sentences and paragraphs at an elementary level and will be able to use essential grammar structures and verbs in the present and past tenses. In structured conversation, students will gain the confidence to interact successfully with other speakers of French. In class, readings, film and discussion will contribute to students’ appreciation of French culture and,more broadly, their awareness of other languages and world cultures.
Global Perspectives Objectives for the Core Curriculum:
Students will develop sufficient cross-cultural literacy to engage effectively the global community with sensitivity and open-mindedness. To that end, students will demonstrate an understanding of the world’s peoples and cultures, of the forces that bring peoples and cultures together, and demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds.
Requirements:
Regular attendance is essential for the acquisition of language skills. Punctuality is simply polite. Active participation allows each student the practice necessary to gain confidence and, eventually, fluency. Both written and oral exercises will be assigned for each session. Everyone must have his or her own text and keep a notebook. Additionally, he/she will make cards of new vocabulary and verbs as soon as they are presented in order to self-test. (This course requires recall-type learning, not mere recognition.) Homework should be hand-written legibly in pencil or ink on 81/2 X 11” paper and handed in on time (or corrected in class). Headings should include the student’s full name, the date, course title, page number in the textbook and exercise number(s). Compositions need titles, introductions, logical paragraphing, and conclusions. The original draft (in ink or typed) should be submitted with the revision. There will be frequent quizzes, periodic one- or two-chapter tests and a final written and oral comprehensive examination. Note: quizzes do not get made up. Each student is responsible for work missed due to unavoidable absence and, for that eventuality, should have the phone number or email address of a reliable classmate. It is not the instructor’s responsibility to ask for missing work. Finally, it is expected that students will not make or receive electronic communications during class.
Criteria for Grading:
A student’s grade in this course is determined on the basis of
- Oral participation25%
- Written assignments and preparation25%
- Tests and quizzes25%
- Final comprehensive examination25%
Course Texts:
Required:E. Amon, J Muyskens, and A. Omaggio Hadley. Vis-à-vis: Beginning French, 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2011.
ISBN-13:978- 0073386447
Recommended:Workbook / Laboratory Manual to accompany Vis-à-vis (5th ed.)
Centro, the Vis-à-vis Online Learning Center:
A desk-sized French-English dictionary (such as Hachette or Oxford)
Plagiarism and other forms of Academic Dishonesty:
The College expects students to observe academic integrity in all aspects of their academic life, including the conduct of their examinations, assignment and research. All members of the College community share the responsibility for creating a climate of academic integrity, based on fairness to others and respect for oneself. Violations of academic integrity are treated very seriously. Plagiarism (the act of copying, stealing, or representing the ideas or words of another as one’s own without giving credit to the source), cheating on examinations, and all other forms of academic dishonesty are forbidden. Students found guilty of such behavior are subject to appropriate disciplinary action, which may include a reduction in grade, a failure in the course, suspension or expulsion.
Students with Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability – physical, psychological, medical, or learning – that may impact your academic learning, please contact the Office of Counseling and Career Services a 631-687-1247. This office will assist you to determine which accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All disability-related information will be kept confidential.
ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR ELEMENTARY FRENCH II (FRE-152): SPRING 2015
Th 1/22Overview of the course: goals and responsibilities
Vis-à-vis Ch. 5: Review vocabulary: members of the family
Review: regular and irregular verbs
The irregular verb aller
Telling time: the hours
T 1/27The near future: aller + infinitive
Possessive adjectives beyond mon, ma, mes
Th 1/29The irregular verb faire
Expressions with faire, including weather expressions
Telling time: the minutes (quarter- and half-hours)
T 2/3QUIZ: possessive adjectives, aller, and faire
Vocabulary: meals, basic foods (Ch. 6)
Th 2/5Spelling change verbs: préférer
The irregular verbs boire and prendre (comprendre, apprendre)
Structure: expressing portions with the partitive articles: du, de la, de l’
T 2/10QUIZ on foods and partitive expressions
Structure: the negative partitive: ne…pas de (d’)
Other quantity expressions + de
Organizing a personal composition: «Mes habitudes alimentaires»
Th 2/12Composition due: «Mes habitudes alimentaires»
Reading: An intercultural marriage (French-Moroccan)
Commands: forming and using the imperative of reg. and irreg. verbs
The irregular imperative forms of avoir, être and aller
Un billet doux: using the imperative to write a valentine in French (“Be mine!)
T 2/17Study Day / Snow Day for class make-up, if needed
Th 2/19QUIZ: l’impératif + l’heure
Vocabulary: markets and specialized food shops: (Ch. 7)
The metric system: grams and kilos
T 2/24Ordering a meal in a restaurant: essential expressions for conversation
Numbers 60-1000
Structures: forms of the interrogative adjective quel;
Forms ofthe demonstrative adjective ce
Th 2/26The irregular verbs vouloir, pouvoir, devoir
Using those verbs with infinitives
Structure: the impersonal expression Il faut (the irreg. verb falloir)
Reading: Flavors of the francophone world
T 3/3 Practice and Review for Midterm
Th 3/5TEST on chapters 6 & 7
Vocabulary: Vacations in France (Ch. 8)
Geography terms, outdoor sports (faire)
The spelling change verb acheter (when to use the accent grave: è)
T 3/10Irregular –ir verbs: dormir, sortir, partir, servir, sentir, sentir
The irregular verb venir (revenir, devenir)
Distinguishing 3 verbs meaning to leave: partir, quitter, laisser
Th 3/12QUIZ on all new verbs (conjugations and translations)
Forming le Passé Récent: Venir de + infinitive: what just happened
T 3/17The Passé Composé: expressing past events
Handout: The auxiliary verb: avoir + the past participles of regular verbs
Th 3/19Handout: Common verbs with irregular past participles (for memorization)
Meanings of their infinitives: dire, lire, écrire, courir, ouvrir, etc.
T 3/24QUICK QUIZ on irregular past participles (only)
Negative and interrogative forms of the passé composé
Th 3/26QUIZ on the passé composé (avoir)
Structure: verbs which require the auxiliary être in the passé composé
Handout:«La Courte vie d’Emile»(memorization device for êtreverbs)
Vocabulary and preparation for the film
T 3/31QUICK QUIZ: 16 verbs using être in the passé composé
FILM: Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulin (Part I)
Th 4/2, T 4/7, Th 4/9SPRING RECESS
T 4/14Due: answers(using present tense) to questions on the film: Part I
Action from the film: from present tense to passé composé
AMÉLIE: Part II
Th 4/16The passé composé: choosing between avoir and être
Agreement of past participles when the auxiliary is être
T 4/21Reading: «Déjeuner du matin», a poem by Jacques Prévert
Review and practice: expressing significant past events of our lives
Th 4/23QUIZ: the passé composé (avoir + être)
Forming the Imparfait: the descriptive past tense
Regular and irregular verbs;
ÊTRE: the only irregular verb stem in theimparfait:j’étais, etc.
Using the imparfait todescribe what used to happen (regularly)
T 4/28QUIZ: the imparfait (present to imperfect)
Using the imparfait to describe how things and people were were
Th 4/30In-class writing: «Mon enfance: comment j’étais à huit ans»
Handout: Topics to review for final exam
T 5/5Review for final examination
(Vis-à-vis Ch. 5-8 + «Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain»)
Th 5/7Snow Day: no class unless need for make-up class due to cancellation
Final examination (date to be announced)