Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Fall 2008

Nadège Saint-Maxent

Instructor of French

English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Office: Eder Hall 213

E-mail: nsaintmaxent@missouriwestern.edu

Telephone: (816) 271 - 4578

Office hours: MWF on appointment after classes

French 102-02 Elementary French one

MWF 10.00 – 10.50 am

Popplewell Hall 201

 

Course description

This course is the first part of the elementary french course.

You will be talking about your personality by presenting yourself , the people and places you relate to in everyday life.

The themes that will be tackled will be personal attributes, family and friends, home, profession through rôle play, skits, games and other individual and group activities.

Course goals

·         to develop oral and written skills needed for practical situations and daily-life concerns;

·         to study linguistic structures and functions needed to introduce oneself, describe and narrate in three  tenses, compare and contrast, and describe ;

·         to acquire vocabulary and linguistic functions to be engaged in everyday situations

·         to convey cultural awareness of the French-speaking world.

Student outcomes 

By the end of the course, students will be able (in written and spoken form)

·         to understand written and oral materials concerning everyday life issues

·         to engage in a simple conversation by agreeing, refusing, making compliments...

·         to formulate polite requests

·         to describe people and things and their relationships with each other

 Required textbook

·         Entre amis, Michael D. Oates, Emeritus Larbi Oukada, 5th édition

·         The workbook and lab exercices will be on Quia workbook and lab website.

You will need to purchase a quia book key for Entre Amis to log on.

·         Entre Amis ressource center website

·         A good english / french dictionary (Collins, Harraps...) that you can flip through. Beware of translation sites which are far from being accurate and whose results are meaningless sometimes!

Assignments and preparations to be completed for this course

Completion of the exercices will prepare you to participate in class activities, reinforce your comprehension of the vocabulary and grammar and enhance your ability to understand, speak, read and write in French.

Textbook:

·         You will always need to read and memorize vocabulary items covered in the chapters before coming to class to be ready for rôle plays, skits and games. Review them as often as possible throughout the semester. You're advised to review vocabulary thanks to the flashcards on the Entre amis ressource website and make yourself vocab lists by themes so that they are easy to remember. Regular quizzes will be given.

·         You will also need to prepare (read) the grammar section and do the exercices before class. The exercices will be turned in.

·         You will also complete cultural web activities individually or by groups

Workbook:

·         Be sure to complete the quia assignments for each class. It is advised to review the linguistical structures, grammar in your textbook beforehand. They will be a great way of practicing what we will cover during class.

Writing, speaking, reading and understanding are skills which all matter in the learning of a language. The oral part of the language is extremely important and needs to be emphasized from the start of your learning experience. It is therefore important that you take seriously the lab oral activities of your quia workbook. You will be able to go to the Foreign Language lab to do the oral assignments on line if you do not have access to the internet at home.

Foreign Language Lab—Murphy 107

You will have open access to this lab from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Monday—Friday. As in any other lab, you need to sign in when you enter.

The Divace program will enable you to record yourself, listen to your pronunciation and save your work on the university server.

 

Instructions to save a file on Divace:

After you recorded your text, click on the C and « Save as »

In the pull-down bar, locate and double click on « Divace on sanfiles_server/Apps (V) »

Locate and double click on « Students files »

Locate and double click on your class (Fre 102)

Then, next to the file name, type your last name and click Save.

Late work

Late work will NOT be accepted under any circumstances. The quia exercices won't be rescheduled.

I will only tolerate absences for medical reasons (bring written medical excuses)

If you know that you'll be absent, and that this is a problem to turn in assignments, consult me first.

Attendance  

Students are allowed 3 "free" absences. 

After the initial free absences a student's final grade will be lowered  1% for each subsequent  absence (whether excused or not). 

Any student with more than 3 absences must take the final exam and should not expect to receive a final grade higher than a B.

 In  ALL cases,  students are  responsible  for all materials  covered  during their absence.

Late arrivals are disruptive to the class and  will  reflect upon  your grade. 

Each time you arrive late in class will count as half an absence.

Handicapped  Policy 

Any  student in this  course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities 

should  contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss class requirements. 

Academic  Honesty  Policy and Due Process 

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.

Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

Cheating or plagiarism is not acceptable.  You will  receive a 0 (zero) for any work that  shows evidence of cheating

and/or  plagiarism. 

Evaluation

·         regular quizzes

·         4-5 chapter tests

·         a final exam – The students whose final grade is 90 or better will NOT need to take the final exam

Grading  scale 

 100  -  90  =  A 

 89  -  80  =  B 

 79  -  70  =  C 

 69  -  60  =  D 

 59  -  0  =  F 

 Final  grade             

 

HOMEWORK

  • quia workbook
  • web activities
  • preparations

 

 

25 %

POP QUIZZES

20 %

PARTICIPATION

  • class activities
  • campus events

 

15 %

CHAPTER TESTS

20 %

FINAL EXAM

20 %

 

Tips to succeed!

You are responsible for your grade as early as day one. The efforts, motivation, organisation, passion that you'll put in this class will bring you success.

Be organised, turn your work on time, and participate as much as possible!

Participation grade  

This portion of the grade includes your active participation in class and in campus events.

In order to receive full credit for participation, you must attend a minimum of three international/cultural events on campus during the fall semester.

Examples of events: National French Week (other than the activities scheduled during class time, usually the first-second week of November), Foreign Film Series on campus (dates to be announced), conferences on French or multicultural themes, the day of the Francophonie...

You will need to provide written documentation of your attendance.

 

A foreign language is a tool in order to communicate.

Use it as often as possible in class.

DO NOT USE ENGLISH IF YOU DO NOT NEED TO AND IF YOU CAN FIND WAYS TO CONVEY YOUR IDEAS!

Assistance

I will be there to help you at any time during the semester to reexplain materials, help you practice...in class and also on appointment.

You can also forward your questions by email.

If you need a tutor, you can contact the Center for Academic Support: www.missouriwestern.edu/CAS/

Don't wait for the end of the semester to react!

Emploi du temps

(subjected to changes – adding of information throughout the semester)

(Attention students: please consult the syllabus on line as often as possible to be aware of the changes)

les devoirs = homework

In the following grid, you can read what you're going to study in class and the homework for the next class.

 

Date

Programme de cours

Devoirs pour le cours suivant

lundi  25  août

Présentation du cours,

Quia au laboratoire

  • Manuel :Etudier p. 2 
  • Quia : ex A, B, C

mercredi  27 août

Préliminaire

  • Manuel: mémorisez pages 2–3 du chapitre préliminaire

vendredi  29 août

Préliminaire

  • Quia: exercices D-G
  • Manuel: révision des pages 1-6 pour Quiz mercredi

Mercredi 3 septembre

 

Questions

Quiz

Chapitre 1 : Se présenter

 

Textbook:

·         Etudiez pg 8,9,10,11

Site Entre Amis

·         Ace Test coup d'envoi

Vendredi 5 septembre

 

But 1: Echanger des informations personnelles

Les pronoms sujet

Le verbe être

 

Textbook:

·         Pratiquez la prononciation pg 12

Quia

·         Lab AB

·         Workbook ABCD

 

To turn in:

Following the examples of the dialogues of ex 1 p.13 (les descriptions), choose 5 celebrities (at least 3 who are french-speaking) and write down how they would say their name and where they live. Bring their photos in class monday.

 

Lundi 8 septembre

 

Se présenter

La nationalité

Masculin / féminin

 

Textbook:

·         ex 3 p.17 Quelle coincidence (turn in)

·         ex 7 p.20 Qui êtes-vous? (turn in)

·         Réviser but communicatif I et II pour Quiz

·         Ace test but 1 et 2

Quia:

·         Workbook E, F

 

Mercredi 10 septembre

 

Quiz But communicatif I et II

La nationalité (suite)

La négation

 

Textbook:

·         Etudiez la négation p.20

·         ex 8 p. 21 (turn in)

Quia

·         Workbook G

·         Lab partie B

Vendredi 12 septembre

 

La description physique

Les adjectifs et les accords

 

Textbook:

·         Etudiez La description physique p.22-23

·         ex 10 p.23 Décrivez... (turn in)

·         BCD p.24 (turn in)

·         Révision buts III et IV pour quiz

·         Ace test but 3 et 4

Quia:

·         Workbook HIJK

·         Lab partie C

Lundi 15 septembre

 

Quiz but communicatif III et IV

Révision chapitre 1

Intégration

 

Textbook et Entre Amis website

·         Révision du chapitre 1

·         Entre amis flascards

Quia:

·         Vidéo Pas de problème

Mercredi 17 septembre

 

TEST CHAPITRE 1